White cabbage is a must in every vegetable garden. It is good fresh, as a filling for pies and as a side dish for meat dishes; sauerkraut is especially healthy and tasty.
The cabbage white beauty has a long growing season. It is possible to obtain a bountiful harvest of cabbage only by growing strong and healthy seedlings at home. And you will learn how to do it correctly from the materials in this article.
Arrangement of seedlings
We take the seedlings and arrange them so that all the plants get the light and the leaves of the seedlings do not intertwine or even touch. This is necessary to provide light and warmth. This will be the best care.
The plant is growing and needs to be planted in time in the main soil - greenhouse soil from the container, because the stems can stretch out enough and even 2-3 fruits will form on one cluster, and the plant itself will spend entirely on the formation of these particular fruits. We constantly remove small stepsons. The upper stepson can be left; it forms a second stem located next to the flower stem.
When transporting to the dacha, so that the plants do not break and feel comfortable, try not to water the seedlings a few days before transportation; it is better to dry them, the stems will not be brittle and the plant will better tolerate a stressful situation.
From the middle or end of May, you can safely begin planting tomato seedlings in a film greenhouse or greenhouse. If you have a warm greenhouse, heated, and if you have a warm heated bed, using biofuel, based on plant residues, then you can start planting tomatoes in early May. It all depends on the specific greenhouse and weather conditions.
A prerequisite for good production and good fruiting is that soil and bed preparation must be carried out immediately before planting tomato seedlings. We dig up the ridge, loosen it, level it with a rake, then you need to add mineral fertilizers so that fruiting is abundant and good.
Sprout care
When the first shoots appear in the shape of a loop, any coverings are immediately removed. After the bulk of the seeds germinate, the seedlings need to be cooled . When it is not possible to open the window, it is taken to a bright, colder room or outside, if the weather permits. At a temperature of 3–5°C, seedlings are cooled for 4–5 hours, at 10–14°C for 8–10 hours.
Cool the seedlings once so that they do not stretch and receive the first hardening.
During the growth process, the soil should not be allowed to dry out. Water the seedlings in the morning, evening or afternoon in cloudy weather when there is no sun .
Cabbage, unlike nightshades, can also be watered over the foliage.
Cabbage requires moisture, but excessive waterlogging can destroy it . This is possible in sealed plastic boxes, where water collects at the bottom even when the top layer dries out. This is not a problem if the root system is shallow, but it will affect it when the roots reach the water at the bottom.
Expert advice: how to grow cabbage seedlings at home
Cabbage is the real queen of vegetable gardens: it is a favorite vegetable that has a rich range of nutrients and is the basis for a number of tasty and healthy dishes. Growing it is not so difficult, however, in order to get a rich harvest on your plot, you need to know how to grow cabbage for seedlings at home.
Experienced gardeners know dozens of secrets that guarantee good results at the end of the season. There are no trifles in such a matter, and first of all you need to pay attention to several important points.
Determining the timing of sowing and choosing seeds
The right variety of cabbage is an important component of success. The timing of planting will depend on what kind of cabbage you want to plant: early-ripening or late-ripening. The first option is more suitable for salads and other summer dishes, the second - for pickling and long-term winter storage.
Early varieties of cabbage require at least 40-50 days before planting, medium varieties - about 30 days, late varieties - up to 45 days.
Knowing the characteristics of each variety, you can easily calculate when it is most profitable to start sowing:
- Early ripening varieties are planted in mid-March. First, they are placed in boxes that are placed on the windowsill. It is more profitable to spread planting over several days, then the harvest can be harvested at short intervals.
- Mid-season cabbage varieties are planted as seedlings around the third decade of April. Until the beginning of May, the crops will be in boxes, after which they need to be picked, after which the plants can be kept in a cold nursery.
- Late-ripening varieties are planted, like early ones, at the end of March or early April. However, for them, picking is carried out only after the plants have at least 3-4 true leaves. It is customary to plant such cabbage more rarely than other varieties, so there is no need for early picking. The grown cabbage is also subsequently transplanted into a cold nursery.
The highest quality seeds are selected for seedlings, this is the key to maximum germination. It is best to purchase seed material in specialized stores, and it is better to immediately choose seeds from proven brands.
New varieties are of interest to every summer resident, but many of them may turn out to be unsuitable for the climate in a given region or too capricious.
Preparing soil for seedlings and treating seeds
The next important condition for a good harvest is the right soil. Cabbage prefers neutral soils rich in nutrients. For seedlings, you can purchase ready-made soil mixture. The packages contain all the necessary information about the composition and required fertilizers, as well as the features of agricultural technology. But you can also prepare the soil yourself.
The optimal soil for growing cabbage will be:
- A mixture of humus and turf soil, taken in equal proportions.
- Wood ash can be used as a fertilizer: it is not only a source of useful microelements, but also an antiseptic that will prevent various diseases.
- Some gardeners replace humus with peat, but this can cause seedlings to become infected with blackleg.
- It is recommended to heat the prepared soil mixture over a fire or pour it with a 1% solution of potassium permanganate: this is additional protection against pathogenic bacteria.
Seeds also require preliminary preparation before planting. They are placed in a gauze bag, which is lowered into a jar of warm water. The seeds are kept in water for about 20 minutes, after which they are taken out and laid out on a flat surface, for example, on a saucer. The seeds are covered and placed on the bottom shelf of the refrigerator for 12 hours. This operation contributes to a significant increase in germination.
To further strengthen the seedlings, the seeds can be pre-soaked in a nutrient solution.
To do this, you can take the “Ideal” fertilizer: a teaspoon of the amplifier is dissolved in a liter of water, after which the seeds are placed in the solution for 20 minutes. After this, they need to be rinsed and dried. To protect against microorganisms, hay can also be treated with special agents.
Planting cabbage seeds for seedlings
To plant cabbage, you need to select shallow containers 4-5 cm high. These can be either wooden boxes or plastic containers. For planting, you need to make furrows up to 1 cm deep, the distance between the seeds should be about 2 cm. Immediately after planting, the soil must be thoroughly watered: seeds need a lot of water to germinate. At the same time, there is no need to water the ground before the emergence of seedlings, otherwise the risk of “blackleg” disease increases.
The seeds are covered with soil, and after watering, the boxes are covered with film or other transparent material to create a mini-greenhouse. The seedlings need to be ventilated sometimes; the wait for the first shoots usually takes about three days.
When the seeds begin to germinate, the seedlings must be moved to a cool place, the temperature should not exceed 20 degrees. Otherwise, the plantings will grow too quickly and will turn out to be weak and thin.
The first time of transplantation is carried out after two weeks: the grown seedlings are transplanted at a distance of 3 cm from each other, you can transplant them into separate pots. The second transplant is carried out after another half a month: it will be convenient to use peat cups for this ale, which can then be transferred to open ground.
If you don’t want or have the opportunity to bother with replanting, you can immediately plant the seeds in separate pots; each seedling requires approximately 5 square meters. see spaces. Such plants will be stronger, since their root system was not damaged during transplantation.
Conditions for good seedling growth
It is not enough to plant seedlings correctly in boxes and pots; you need to provide them with good conditions for growth. Experienced gardeners have identified several patterns that will contribute to a good harvest in the future:
- Correct lighting mode. Since cabbage is planted in the spring, when daylight hours are not yet very long, it can be provided with additional light for good growth. Extending daylight hours with a fluorescent lamp to 12-15 hours will enhance growth and achieve good results.
- Growing seedlings require proper watering. The earthen ball should not dry out; water it often enough. To avoid root rot, the soil must be loosened frequently.
- Maintaining temperature conditions. Lowering the temperature in the room is only beneficial for white cabbage; the optimal condition for normal growth will be about +17 degrees, and at night the temperature can be lowered further. At the same time, cauliflower is more thermophilic: it requires a temperature of at least 25 degrees for good growth.
- Hardening of seedlings. 10 days before transplanting into open ground, the plantings need to be prepared for changing conditions, and it is important to do this gradually. In the first few days, it is enough to open the window for a while so that the plants get used to the temperature outside. In the following days, the boxes with seedlings are taken out to the balcony or veranda. To prevent the plant from being burned by direct sunlight, at first it is slightly shaded with gauze.
These conditions promote optimal growth of the seedlings, and they will be prepared for moving into open ground.
Proper feeding of cabbage seedlings
Young plants need additional nutrition: for successful growth, they require a full range of microelements, which can be provided by properly selected fertilizers.
Feeding is carried out several times, it is designed to help plants adapt to changing growth conditions:
- The first time you need to feed young cabbage seedlings is already 7-9 days after picking. For a liter of water you need to take 2 grams of ammonium nitrate and potassium fertilizer, as well as 4 grams of superphosphate. A liter of fertilizer solution is used for approximately 60 plants, so it is important to avoid excess amounts. To prevent plant roots from being damaged, they are first watered, and only then fertilizers are added to the soil.
- The second feeding is carried out after 2 weeks. The composition of fertilizers for the nutrient solution will not change, but you need to double their amount. Also, first the plants are watered, then a nutrient solution is added to the soil. If yellowing of seedlings is observed, they can be helped by adding a weak (1:10 concentration) solution of slurry to the soil.
- The third feeding is carried out just before planting the seedlings in open ground. To improve survival rate, you need to dissolve 8 grams of potassium fertilizers, 5 grams of superphosphate and 3 grams of ammonium nitrate in water. Such fertilizing can be replaced by applying ready-made complex fertilizer.
Fertilizing stimulates growth, so it is necessary to carry it out. Stronger seedlings will form heads faster in the future, and they will be larger.
Control of common cabbage pests
Cabbage seedlings are threatened by several common diseases: blackleg and other types of root rot, in addition, young plants often suffer from cruciferous flea beetle infection.
The fight against pathogenic microbes is carried out using a product called trichodermin. Use according to the instructions is safe, this is an environmentally friendly protection of cabbage from damage. Trichodermin is applied to the soil before picking. 1 gram of the drug is required per 1 seedling.
Another remedy for combating pathogenic bacteria is rhizoplane.
1 gram of this drug is diluted in 100 grams of water, after which the solution can be both watered and sprayed on plants. Intavir is used to combat cruciferous flea beetles and other types of garden parasites.
These are the basic rules for growing cabbage seedlings, which in the future will help you get a good harvest and please yourself with the most delicious and juicy cabbage. The rules apply to both early-ripening and late-ripening varieties; everyone will be able to prepare high-quality seedlings for planting on the site. Cabbage is a healthy and very tasty vegetable that is worth all the investment.
More information can be found in the video.
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Preparing the land for planting
When cabbage seedlings are ready for transplanting, you need to prepare the soil. In advance, in the autumn, you need to dig the ground deeply. In the spring it is necessary to control weeds; before planting, depressions are made in the soil corresponding to the size of the roots of the seedlings.
If the soil is acidified, it needs liming. In the spring you need to add nitrogen fertilizers to the soil, in the fall - phosphorus and potassium fertilizers, this also promotes the growth of cabbage.
Many summer residents are wondering how to feed cabbage? She really loves organic fertilizers, so humus is perfect for this purpose.
If the site is fertilized with humus or manure, then on such soil this vegetable will feel very good and, accordingly, grow.
Temperature maintenance
The optimal temperature for seed germination is considered to be 18-20°C. After white cabbage sprouts, the temperature should be lowered slightly: to 15-17°C during the day and to 8-10°C at night. This difference between day and night temperatures will help harden the seedlings and prevent them from stretching.
If you are growing cauliflower seedlings, keep in mind that they do not tolerate low temperatures well. To grow it during the day and night, the air temperature should be 5-6 degrees higher than when growing white cabbage.
Problems when growing cabbage
Healthy cabbage seedlings have bright green leaves with a bluish bloom, they are stocky and strong. A change in the appearance of plants indicates emerging problems.
- The leaves are turning yellow.
Pallor and yellowing of cabbage leaves indicates a lack or excess of moisture and a lack of nitrogen in the soil. If watering is organized correctly, the seedlings are fed with a solution of chicken manure (1 to 15).
Important! Yellowing and dying of cotyledon leaves is a natural process.
- The seedlings are stretching out.
A clear lack of light and too high a temperature. Eliminate the cause of stretching by installing additional lamps and placing the seedlings in a cool place.
- Cabbage has stopped growing.
Soil poor in nutrients leads to slower growth of seedlings. The seedlings are fed with complex mineral fertilizer.
- The cabbage falls, a brown “belt” is visible on the stem.
Blackleg disease is a common disease of seedlings caused by overwatering. As a preventative measure, the soil is regularly loosened and sprinkled with ash or sand after watering. During cultivation, seedlings are watered with Fitosporin 2 times.
Step 1: Choose the right variety
Before purchasing seed, you must decide what kind of cabbage you want to get, when and for what purpose you will use it. This is what primarily affects the sowing time. If you want to enjoy a salad with early cabbage, that’s one thing, but if you intend to use it for storage or fermentation, that’s another.
Cabbage varieties. 1. Wild annual. 2. Headed. 3. Colored. 4. Kohlrabi. 5. Brussels. 6. Savoy.
As for white cabbage, it can be early, mid and late ripening. Representatives of the first category are low-yielding, with an average density of heads, and the size of the fruits is small (weigh a maximum of 1.5 kg). As for mid-season cabbage, it is suitable for canning and summer use, but late types are optimal for long-term fresh storage.
Note! The timing of not only ripening, but also sowing of cabbage for seedlings differs. This should not be forgotten. Although these terms are interrelated.
Disease Prevention
As noted above, cabbage is susceptible to diseases, which are mainly caused by fungi. In most cases, blackleg and root rot are observed.
Black leg of cabbage seedlings
It is quite difficult to cure cabbage from them; often treatment does not bring any results. Therefore, these diseases are easier to prevent.
- Soil mixture and seed material should only be from trusted manufacturers.
- Pots/boxes for seedlings, as well as the tools you use in your work, must be disinfected and clean.
- Immediately before sowing, the soil should be disinfected and the seeds should be treated.
- It is important that the distance between seedlings is sufficient.
- Frequent watering is undesirable, because the soil must have time to dry out.
The distance between plants should be sufficient, because cabbage does not like thickening
But if the seedlings do become sick, take appropriate measures immediately before the disease spreads. Ideally, all diseased plants should be destroyed, but if we are talking about valuable specimens or most of the plantings, you can try to save the seedlings. First of all, move the diseased plants to another place, and spill the remaining plantings with a solution of potassium permanganate, sprinkle with wood ash, and then loosen the soil to dry.
Wood ash
Note! You can also try to save diseased plants with products such as “Rizoplan” or “Trichodermin”, created on the basis of a special mycelium that prevents the development of pathogens. This will improve the soil health and destroy pathogens.
Now you know how to grow healthy cabbage seedlings with your own hands
Optimal sowing dates for cabbage
The timing of sowing cabbage seeds to obtain seedlings depends on the climate of the particular area and the variety of vegetable. There are early, mid-ripening and late-ripening varieties that differ in the duration of the growing season.
It is considered correct to plant cabbage in open ground, which has from 5 to 7 true leaves. This development corresponds to the age of 6-8 weeks. Taking into account the additional time for seed germination (about 5-7 days), it turns out that the optimal time for sowing cabbage seeds is 8-9 weeks before planting in the ground.
The vegetable is not afraid of frost, but develops better at a temperature not lower than +18 degrees.
Depending on the climate, cabbage seeds are planted:
- in the Moscow region and central zone in April;
- in the Urals and Siberia - in the second ten days of April;
- in southern Russia, seeds are sown in March.
Early ripening varieties of cabbage produce a harvest already in late June - early July. They are sown very first, planting seedlings as soon as the soil warms up.
Advice. The installation of high, warm beds can significantly speed up the planting of cabbage seedlings. They are constructed from a layer of plant residues, straw and manure, with fertile soil poured on top. Due to the height of the structure and the burning of manure, the bed is much warmer for the roots of the plant than ordinary soil.
There is no need to rush into planting late varieties (they are grown for storage and pickling). If the heads of cabbage are poured too early, before the first frost arrives, they will not be stored well.
