Horseradish Propogation

[That Flower Dude]

Hello group,

Newbie here. I just received a bag of several horseradish roots from a friend and would like to plant them in the garden. Someone told me to just stick them in the ground about 6 inches down and I would be good to go. However, I am wondering how do I keep them coming back? I mean if I put them in the ground and then pull them up when I need to use one, how does it continue to multiply? I know this probably sounds sorta lame, but I have never grown horseradish or any root before. Any information owuld be greatly appreciated.

Thank you

[John Bachman]

Have no fear of them not coming back. Fear them taking over your garden and then your house. Very, very invasive.

John

[Pam - gardengal]

You will more likely be cursing the day you planted them cuz once planted, you will never be rid of them. Horseradish produce long tap roots - it is impossible to dig the root without breaking and every broken chunk will be the start of a new plant. Harvest to your heart's content - there will always be more.

pam - gardengal

[Louis Ohland]

Never, ever, never roto-till a horseradish plant. Even hair roots as thick as a pencil lead will root and sprout. I dug down four feet and had to give up. They grow to hell and take the water from the lost souls...

They are not "invasive" as long as you do NOT make chunks of the roots. As long as you restrict yourself to making a single cut when harvesting on a mature specimen (dig down and remove all hair roots when harvesting a segment), it should continue to grow true.

And they will not die. Ever. They do not feel pity, or remorse....

impossible to dig the root without breaking and every broken chunk will be the start of a new plant.

[gregpresley]

[dstvns]

I would slightly disagree with the ornamental part. I have a large horseradish plant and it is very beautiful around June. The broad leaves are fairly weedy-looking but when the dozens of whispy white flowers come out it looks extremely nice...until the flower stalk falls over heh, then it needs some tidying up.

I don't know about the invasive part, I followed other peoples advice and kept my horseradish in a secluded place. Even in the worst of soil it has prospered, sprouting 4-foot tall vegetation every year.

Right now I have the mint and jerusalem artichokes (sunchokes) fighting over another corner of the yard, but I think the j-chokes won. Their flowers are interesting...they smell like tootsie rolls heheh.

Dan

[simy1]

well, this would count as repetition (newbie who grows horseradish and wonders how to grow them as opposed to how to stop it). Truth be told, I placed my horseradish in a fairly shady, poor soil, sandy corner of my property, and it has never really prospered. Killing it is another matter. I once weeded it unadvertently, and the root survived underground two years without getting any food. The sorrel right next to it grows like crazy.

But that is that particular corner. 99% of the time (like at my parents place, in heavy clay) the horseradish corner becomes horseradish only, you start considering horseradish sorbet as a way to use all that stuff, and finally you start having nightmares of horseradish taking over the whole yard. The spring leaves are a decent salad green when they are about two inches. This will help you tolerate the infestation.

[Mommy Bartlo]

horseradish is wonderful with roast beast.

--MommyBartlo--

[Joseph Bartlo]

Quit selectively mentiuoning bull---, pest. There's others much more important.

[Byvalve1]

no friend gives someone a bag of roots to plant all around their garden unless they are evening up the score.