Carrots Growing Stages. Carrot (Daucus carota) grows from seed and goes into several stages of growth until maturity. This plant is biennial and completes its life cycle in two years but commonly this plant is being grown as an annual plant. How does a carrot plant grow?
Carrots Growing Stages
Stage 1. Seed
The carrot plant starts growing from a seed. The seeds of carrots are small, oval-shaped, and brown in color. Commonly carrots are being propagated through seeds but they can also be grown through carrot tops.
High-quality seeds have more chances to germinate than poor ones. The plants will start growing once the seeds are sown. Before planting the carrot seeds, stone removal should be done in the garden soil.
The reason is when there are many stones in the soil, the carrots will grow deformed. In order to make good-looking carrots, there should be no stones in the garden.
Stage 2. Germination
The carrot seeds will start germinating once they are planted. The seeds are being planted ¼ inches deep and 3-4 inches apart. It will take about 5-10 days to germinate but in some cases, it can take much longer around 10-21 days to sprout.
The seed coat will break and a tiny root, a thin stem, and small leaves will come out from the seed. When the seeds germinate they will emerge from the soil.
During this period the small plant needs a little bit of water and less sunlight. The young plants are still very small and a little water and sunlight will be enough for them to thrive.
Stage 3. Seedling
Once the carrot seeds germinate they become seedlings. They are young carrot plants with a few short thin roots, a few leaves, and a thin and short stem. During this stage, the seedlings need more water, nutrients, and sunlight.
Those essential needs are important for plants to thrive well. The plants will continue to grow bigger. Carrots are commonly being planted directly in the soil.
It is not usual to transplant carrot seedlings because it can deform the taproot once it grows, especially when the roots are disturbed. But in some cases, carrot seedlings are transplanted once they have enough size especially if they are planted in the seedling tray.
Stage 4. Vegetative Growth
After a few weeks of growing the carrot, plants grow more leaves, more roots, few stems, and it grows a taproot. A single carrot plant grows only one taproot.
The taproot is small during the early days but it continues to grow bigger and bigger as time passes. It will take about 50-80 days to grow a carrot plant from seed up to harvest.
Some carrot varieties take about 90 to 120 days to grow. It depends on varieties and some other factors like the weather which affects their speed of growth. Once the taproot is in good size it can now be harvested.
In order to gather seeds from the carrot plant, the taproot must be left in the soil growing, let in the dormancy period, and in the second year it will begin to flower and produce seeds.
Stage 5. Flowering
There are many carrot flowers on the plant and they are small, beautiful, and white in color. They are growing on a stem with many branches.
A single carrot plant can grow many flower stems and on each stem, there are a lot of branches and on the top of those branches, the flowers are growing there.
The carrots rely on their pollination from the bees. When bees move that pollen from the male flower to the female flower pollination will happen. When many flowers are pollinated more seeds will grow on the plant.
Stage 6. Seeding
If a lot of flowers are pollinated more seeds will be produced. The flowers will slowly dry and once they are completely dry and brown the carrot seeds can be collected.
A single plant can produce a lot of seeds especially when many flower stems are growing on the carrot plant. It will take two years to grow a carrot from seed before it flowers and produces seeds because it is a biennial plant.
The seeds can be used to grow carrots again in the next growing season.
The Life Cycle Of Carrot Plant
The carrot plant life cycle starts from a seed, the seed germinates, becomes a seedling, matures, it grows flowers, and produces seeds. The plant will stop growing and dry.
It will take 50-80 days to grow and harvest carrots, but for some other varieties, it can take about 90 to 120 days. Commonly orange carrots are being grown but there are also other carrots with different colors like purple, white, red, and yellow.
Conclusion: Carrots Growing Stages
In conclusion, the growth stages of carrots begin with the seed stage, where small, oval-shaped brown seeds are planted in stone-free soil. Germination follows, with the seeds sprouting and tiny roots, stems, and leaves emerging. The seedlings then develop into young carrot plants, requiring more water, nutrients, and sunlight to thrive. During the vegetative growth stage, the plants grow larger, with more leaves, roots, and a taproot forming.
This stage lasts for about 50-80 days, depending on the variety and environmental factors. Carrots can be harvested once the taproot reaches a good size. If left to grow, the plants enter the flowering stage, producing small white flowers on stems with multiple branches. Pollination by bees leads to seed production, and when the flowers dry and turn brown, the seeds can be collected. Carrots are biennial plants, taking two years to flower and produce seeds. The collected seeds can be used for future carrot cultivation in subsequent growing seasons.