Everything You Need to Know About Growing Horseradish
There are a lot of easy-to-grow plants out there that give home gardeners a variety of options to add diversity to their plots. One of these plants is horseradish, with remarkable growth, easy maintenance, and simple propagation.
Horseradish is grown in hardiness zones 3 through 9, requiring moderate watering and cold tolerance. Plant it in fertile, well-draining soil after the last frost of the spring, allowing enough space for the roots to expand outward. In 140 to 160 days, it will be ready to harvest.
You should read on if you are interested in learning how to grow horseradish, including what type of fertilizer to use, how much water to provide, and any companion plants you can use. Additionally, I will cover growing horseradish in pots, harvesting, and yearly regrowth.
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Is Horseradish Hard to Grow?
Horseradish is an exceptionally easy plant to grow for many reasons. Several of these reasons include:
Thrive in full sun or partial shade
Grows quickly
Can tolerate most soil types
Most pests do not bother it because of its pungent odor
Minimal diseases
Hardy to zones 3 through 9
Perennial
Requires moderate watering
Can be grown in pots
Cold tolerant
To see how easy it is to grow horseradish from a root purchased at a grocery store, watch this video:
Where is the Best Place to Plant Horseradish?
Horseradish is hardy to zones 3 through 9. This plant can withstand the temperatures of almost the entire United States. Places to avoid include most of Alaska, Southern California, Southern Florida, and Hawaii.
How Long Does Horseradish Take to Grow?
Horseradish is a relatively fast-growing plant. When cuttings are planted in the spring, the roots will be ready for harvest by the fall. Its growth period is 140 to 160 days.
Types of Horseradish
The horseradish types are broken up into two categories – common and Bohemian. Common types are known for their better quality and crinkled leaves, while Bohemia types are known for smooth leaves and better disease resistance.
One commonly known cultivar is the Big Top Western, explicitly bred for increased disease resistance. This variation of horseradish is identifiable by its broad and smooth leaves.
The Variegata comes from the plant’s center and has variegated leaves. If you are trying to achieve this plant on your own, it will probably take several years and generations of cultivars.
One important thing that I will note here is that wasabi is not horseradish. They are members of the same family but not the same thing. Wasabi japonica is very challenging to grow outside of Japan, and because of this, you will be hard-pressed to find it anywhere else.
Planting Horseradish
For best results, plant your horseradish cuttings in early spring as soon as the ground is workable. Before you plant, you will need to till the soil to eight to ten inches, removing roots and rocks that will prevent the horseradish from growing to its maximum.
You’ll also want to ensure you plant far enough away from your other crops. Horseradish’s roots are well-known for their fast-growing, expansive nature and will quickly overtake any nearby plants.
The soil should be earthy, with a pH that is neutral to slightly acidic. It also needs to be fertile and well-draining.
The horseradish sets need to be planted at a 45-degree angle, roughly one foot to 18 inches apart. They should be in a trench that is three to four inches deep. Avoid fully horizontal planting because this will cause leaves to sprout from multiple directions.
Propagating Horseradish
The horseradish plant does not produce seeds; therefore, other methods of propagation have to undertake. The primary method of propagating horseradish is dividing the plants through two methods: root cuttings and crown cuttings.
You will need to perform the procedure in the fall and ensure you have clean equipment to prevent contaminating the roots of the horseradish. You’ll start by carefully digging up the plant’s root to avoid damage. Dust all the dirt from it, then clean it off.
With a clean, sterilized knife, make a cutting of the horseradish root. You’ll place the original root back into the hole you dug it from. The cutting will go into a new spot that you prepare.
Water the cuttings regularly but allow their soil to dry out between waterings thoroughly.
Caring for Horseradish Plants
To get the most out of your horseradish plants, you must put the proper care into them. Just the right amount of water and fertilizer will go a long way. Preventing weed growth, pest infestations, and diseases will ensure your plants’ long, healthy life.
Watering
There’s a fine line to make horseradish happy with water. This plant enjoys a moderate amount, and anything more or less can cause problems.
If you overwater your horseradish, you’ll have intensely flavored roots with a soft texture. On the other hand, not enough water, and you’ll have woody roots and no flavor. So, aim for one to two inches of water weekly.
Weeding
Weeding needs to be started immediately with your horseradish plants and a typical setup to ensure that there are no complications. You must manually weed periodically to prevent weed overgrowth in the plants’ area.
Adding a layer of mulch between your plants will suppress weed growth. As an added benefit, it will also help retain moisture, making maintaining your plants easier if you live in a hot area.
Interestingly, if you do not maintain your horseradish and just let it come back year after year without harvesting it, it can become a weed itself. In this situation, the plant you carefully grew turns into an invasive species that can overtake your garden.
You will need to treat it like a weed to remove or get it back under control.
Fertilizing
Horseradish is a pretty low-maintenance plant. It doesn’t require much to keep it going. It does well with a low-nitrogen fertilizer before and after the growing seasons. For best results, you should fertilize every four weeks after the initial fertilization.
You can use a 10-10-10 commercial fertilizer, compost, or compost tea. All three options will provide an excellent boost to the growing ability of your horseradish plants.
Companion Plants
The horseradish’s roots will grow far and wide if left unchecked. For this reason, it takes a special plant to have a symbiotic relationship with it.
Potatoes grow well with horseradish because of its excellent bug repellent properties. However, it is best to plant the horseradish at the corners of the potato patch or even in containers to prevent it from overtaking the potatoes.
Horseradish repels potato bugs, aphids, potato beetles, blister beetles, whiteflies, and some caterpillars.
Fruit trees and brambles also benefit from the bug repellent properties of horseradish. You can plant horseradish among grapes and berries to deter insects, moles, and field mice. However, you won’t have much luck deterring squirrels with this method.
Other suggested companion plants include strawberries, rhubarb, asparagus, and sweet potatoes. Looking at every relationship, all these plants receive horseradish benefits.
Horseradish Pests
Cabbage loopers and flea beetles are the most common pests that affect the horseradish plant. Both pests cause the appearance of holes in the leaves of the plant.
Cabbage loopers are pale green caterpillars with white lines on their sides. They can cause extensive damage through large or small holes in the leaves. You can remove the adults manually and apply Bacillus thuringiensis to destroy the juveniles.
Flea beetles leave a shothole appearance in the foliage, more commonly attacking the younger plants. The result can be stunted plant growth or, in the case of excessive damage, plant death.
Common Horseradish Diseases
If you notice spots that start as translucent and then turn black, your horseradish is most likely suffering from bacterial leaf spot. Eventually, the disease will spread across the leaves, bringing leaf death.
To prevent bacterial leaf spot, ensure no debris is around your plants while growing and remove any generated from harvesting.
One of the most destructive diseases of horseradish is brittle root. You’ll recognize this by its tell-tale chlorotic leaves and brittle roots. Beet leafhoppers transmit the disease, so you must eliminate them to stop the spread of brittle root.
Cercospora leaf spot creates tan spots with lighter centers on horseradish leaves. Eventually, the leaves die, and you will be left with a plant with no foliage. You must remove all infected plants immediately and destroy them to prevent the further spread of this disease.
To stop this disease before it happens, don’t work with your horseradish when it’s wet. You can also treat your seeds with hot water to remove any fungus that may be alive in them.
Ramularia leaf spot starts as yellow-green circular patches between the leaves’ veins. When the infection is severe enough, it will cause the entire leaf to dry out. Like with Cercospora leaf spot, if you see an infected plant, you must destroy it immediately.
To prevent Ramularia leaf spot, keep weeds and debris out of the immediate area of your plants. Also, do not use sprinklers as this can increase the spread of the problem.
Can You Grow Horseradish in Pots?
Not only can you grow horseradish in a container, but it’s a great solution to stopping the massive growth of the roots. You’ll still want a pot allowing root growth of at least 24 to 36 inches. The pot must have sufficient drainage holes.
While horseradish is known for being cold-hardy, you will want to start your container indoors or wait until after the last frost has passed. Prepare the soil with good organic compost. Like in the garden, you will plant your horseradish at a 45-degree angle.
Growth is still the same, with harvesting possible at 140 to 160 days. Remember, in a container, the soil will dry out faster than in the garden, so keep an eye on the moisture content and increase your weekly watering as needed.
Harvesting Horseradish
The best time to harvest your horseradish is when the plant is dormant, and this typically occurs two times. The first option is during the spring when the crown starts to pop up with green or in the fall after the first frost kills the leaves.
Ensure you wear protective gardening gloves while working with your horseradish. The roots are known for causing skin irritation, which is the easiest way to prevent it.
To harvest the root, dig carefully and deeply around the horseradish root. You’ll have to dig far enough that you will be able to access the entire root. Carefully, pull the root from the ground and make a cutting from it, replacing whatever you do not use back into the ground.
One of the unique things about this root is that you can replant what you don’t use, saving it for later harvests.
Does Horseradish Grow Back Every Year?
Horseradish is a perennial if it is left to grow, which can cause a problem for your garden. At the end of the growing season, it is ideal for harvesting or removing your plants.
This is because horseradish will grow bigger, broader, and deeper than the previous year. Left unchecked, it becomes what is considered an invasive species and a weed. Additionally, quality depreciates year after year unless you are strictly maintaining it.
Final Thoughts
Horseradish is one of the easiest plants to grow because of its low maintenance requirements. In fact, it might just be a little too easy to grow.
If you don’t keep a handle on your horseradish’s growth, it can become an invasive species in your garden or yard, resulting in the suffocation of other crops. You will need to harvest your horseradish or remove it at the end of the growing season.
Skipping this step will result in massive regrowth the following season. Alternatively, you can grow your horseradish in a container to manage how fast and large it grows. It can still be used as a companion plant while in its container.
Consider adding horseradish to your garden plans this year - and let me know about your experiences growing this fun, low-maintenance plant in the comments below!
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