Menzania cabbage: reviews, planting and care, yield

Description of Menzania cabbage

Among the main characteristics of the Menzania variety are the following:

The main disadvantage of the Menzania F1 variety is its short shelf life - 2 months. The reason is the reduced density of the head of cabbage. If the cabbage is kept dark, cool, and dry, the fruits can be preserved for up to six months.

Harvest and storage

Mid-season cabbage variety should be harvested in late August - early September. The shelf life of the culture is 2–4 months from the date of collection.

When the lower leaf plates of cabbage begin to turn yellow, this means that it is ripe and ready for harvest. The vegetable can be uprooted from the garden along with the roots or the stalk under the head can be trimmed. The cut should be made at a distance of 3 cm from the head of cabbage - this will extend the shelf life of the vegetable.

Did you know? Georgia, Greece and Italy compete for the right to be called the birthplace of cabbage.

Cut cabbage should be immediately placed on a wooden surface to dry. Next, the vegetables are moved to the basement, where they are placed on racks. The air temperature inside the room should remain up to +7°C, the humidity should be 80%.

So, Menzania F1 cabbage is a mid-season variety that is distinguished by its excellent taste and high resistance to infections and pests. Due to the plant’s hardiness, its cultivation is carried out in both the southern and northern regions of the country.

Advantages and disadvantages

Gardeners love the hybrid because of its many advantages. The main ones are:

1. Cabbage has high taste, according to the scale it is given 4.5 out of 5 points. The taste is sweet with a slight bitterness, which quickly dissipates after picking.
2. Universal purpose. Hybrid Menzania is used fresh and for fermentation. During long-term storage, sauerkraut remains crispy and retains its beneficial properties.
3. High yields: 48 tons per hectare. The weight of one head of cabbage varies from 2 to 4 kg. Less commonly, but it is possible to obtain vegetables weighing 8 kg.

4. Hybrid Menzania is resistant to a number of specific diseases, frost and mild drought.
5. With high humidity, the heads of cabbage do not crack.
6. The presence of fine veins is valued by professional chefs.

Although the Menzania hybrid has more positive aspects, there are still disadvantages. The disadvantage is its low storage capacity, which adversely affects its transportability.

Important! Cabbage's drought tolerance is not as high as seed producers note.

Dry regions do not grow Menzania, since without regular watering it will not be possible to achieve high yields.

Tips and reviews from experienced gardeners

Feedback from farmers about Menzania F1 cabbage speaks of the versatility of the crop and easy cultivation.

Andreev Vasily, Altai Territory, Zarinsk: “It’s a good hybrid, I’ve been growing it for several years now, no problems have arisen. The yield is always pleasing; the heads of cabbage often exceed 3 kg, are dense and tasty, and do not crack. We store it in the cellar for up to six months, but be sure to maintain humidity and temperature, otherwise they can easily begin to rot.”

Maria Kolchikhina, Nizhny Novgorod: “Menzania decided to plant white cabbage when she read the technical specifications from. Grew up. Cabbage is like cabbage, nothing particularly caught my attention. I watered it regularly, hilled it only once, removed the weeds on time, then I got tired of it and continued to grow in the grass. I didn't notice anything special about the taste. I was pleased with the good keeping quality: most of the heads of cabbage can withstand until spring.”

Planting and caring for Menzania cabbage

The Menzania hybrid is grown in seedlings. To prepare seedlings, seeds are disinfected in a solution of potassium permanganate (at the rate of 2 g per 5 liters of water). Specially prepared soil consisting of garden soil and humus, taken in equal quantities, is poured into small seedling boxes.

Seeds are sown at a distance of 2 cm and watered thoroughly. Leave 4 cm between the grooves. Containers with cabbage seeds are covered with black film or placed in a dark place. The temperature for keeping future seedlings should be about 25 °C.

After germination, the box is placed in a warm and well-lit room. When the seedlings of the Menzania hybrid have reached the required size and 4 true leaves have formed on it, they begin planting in open ground.

Planting in open ground

Transplantation of seedlings begins in early April, when spring frosts have passed. In different regions, the dates may be shifted to a later time, but planting must be done before mid-May.

Important! Cabbage is planted at a distance of 30-40 cm. The seedling depth is no more than 15 cm.

The best precursors for Menzania cabbage are legumes, pumpkin or nightshade vegetables. This fact must be taken into account when placing the cabbage bed.

In some regions where the warm season allows the plant to fully ripen, Menzania cabbage is grown without seedlings.

Water Menzania at least once a week

Watering and loosening

Water the cabbage at the root with warm water. Young bushes are irrigated daily in the morning or evening hours, when there is no bright sun. As they grow, watering is reduced to once a week, but at the time of tying the forks, water twice. Humidification is stopped a week before collection.

Each time after watering, the soil in the holes is loosened to a depth of 2 cm. Damage to the root system leads to a decrease in the growth of Menzania cabbage. Such actions allow you to activate the circulation of oxygen in the soil. To minimize inhibition of young shoots, weeds are removed as they appear.

Top dressing

Fertilizers for the hybrid are applied 4 times during the growing season:

1. Two weeks after planting in open ground, Menzania cabbage is fed with minerals. The solution is prepared with 10 liters of water. Take 30 g of nitrate, 30 g of superphosphate, 20 g of potassium. ½ cup is poured onto each plant at the root, then the soil is loosened.
2. After 7 days, the feeding procedure is repeated, but the amount of minerals is doubled.
3. At the moment the leaves turn yellow, Menzania cabbage is watered with organic matter: 0.5 kg of humus and 0.1 kg of peat are diluted in a bucket of water.
4. Complex mineral fertilizers are applied 2-3 weeks before harvesting. Potassium (7 g), superphosphate (7 g) and urea (5 g) are diluted in a bucket of water. 1 liter is poured under each bush.

Important! You cannot fertilize cabbage in bright sun; fertilize it in the evening. Fertilizer is poured along the edge of the hole, avoiding contact with the plant.

Agricultural technology

Watering

The main feature of cabbage is its strong need for water. While other crops can survive for a certain period of time without water, cabbage cannot do this. There are no drought-resistant varieties of this crop. Also, when watering this vegetable, it is important to understand that it does not need quantity, but quality. That is, it is advisable to water less, but more often, and not abundantly, but rarely.

Normal soil moisture for growing cabbage is 75%. Before tying heads of cabbage, it can be watered once a week. After the heads of cabbage begin to form (the active phase of the growing season), watering becomes more frequent. The vegetable is watered 3 times a week, ensuring constant soil moisture.

It is best to water cabbage in the morning or evening, when the sun is least active. If a drip irrigation system is used, then the time of day does not play any role, since the vegetable is watered at the root, and there is no risk of burning the leaves in the sun.

Watering is stopped 2 weeks before harvest. This helps the cabbage protect itself from cracking heads and last longer in the basement.

Soil care

After the transplanted seedlings get used to the new place, you can begin caring for the soil. First of all, it is loosened and cleared of emerging weeds.

We recommend reading: Description of the cabbage variety Krautman F1

Loosening allows the root system to “open” access to oxygen, and weeding removes weeds that oppress young seedlings.

After the first loosening, it is advisable to loosen the soil at least once every 7-10 days.

Three weeks after planting the seedlings, they are earthed up. The plant is hilled for the second time 2 weeks after the first.

Fertilizer

The hybrid is fertilized three times during the growing season:

1. The first time was 14 days after transplanting the seedlings into the OG. The first feeding consists of a nitrogenous solution. To do this, dilute water and chicken manure in a ratio of 15:1. Nitrogen promotes leaf growth.
2. The cabbage is fertilized a second time 2 weeks after the first. In this case, use a solution of mullein, but in a ratio of 1:10.
3. The last feeding is carried out after the heads of cabbage have formed. Fertilize the vegetable with the same mullein in a ratio of 1:10.

Diseases and pests

Immediately after planting hybrid seedlings in open ground, they are attacked by black flea fleas and aphids. Oxychom is used for fighting.

In case of massive infestation of the Menzania hybrid by aphids and flea beetles, industrial insecticides are used. Treatment is carried out at the beginning of the season so that the poison does not accumulate in the leaves. In addition to special preparations, a folk remedy made from wood ash, laundry soap and water perfectly destroys pests.

Caterpillars may appear on cabbage and massively destroy the crop in a matter of days. To eliminate them, an infusion of tomato tops is effective, which is prepared within 24 hours at the rate of 2 kg of tomato leaves per bucket of water. Spray over the heads of cabbage.

Attention! Aromatic herbs are planted around cabbage beds: mint, rosemary, marigolds, which successfully repel flying insects.

Breeders claim that Menzania cabbage is resistant to diseases, but powdery mildew develops if agricultural practices are violated.

When diseased bushes are identified, they are completely pulled out and destroyed, and the planting is treated with a 1% solution of Bordeaux mixture or a solution of copper sulfate. Store-bought fungicides include Tiram or Planriz.

Cabbage is regularly inspected for pests and diseases in order to be treated with special means in a timely manner.

Advantages and disadvantages of the variety

White cabbage Menzania f1 has a number of advantages over other types of crops, which made it popular in a short time

But it also has certain disadvantages that need to be taken into account.

Menzania cabbage leaves cover the head well

Main advantages:

• excellent taste;
• high productivity;
• the fruits do not crack;
• versatility of use;
• average size of heads of cabbage;
• resistance to temperature fluctuations and diseases;
• the crop can easily be transported.

Flaws:

• short shelf life;
• low resistance to drought;
• the need to purchase seed annually.

Characteristic

Menzania cabbage is mid-ripening. The full growing season lasts 130-150 days (incomplete - 100-105 days).

The rosette of the plant is horizontal, with large gray-green leaves. Their surface is covered with an intense waxy coating.

The head of the hybrid is round-flat in shape, completely covered, and has a whitish color in cross-section. Outer and inner stumps of medium length. The weight of a mature head varies between 2-4 kg. Naturally, it is possible to grow larger fruits, up to 8 kg, but only under favorable cultivation conditions.

The taste of the head of cabbage is high. The vegetable was given 4.5 points out of 5 for taste.

Productivity is high. From 1 hectare of plantings you can collect 40-48 tons of quality products. This is 5-8 tons more than the Podarok and hybrid SB-3 varieties produce. The maximum yield was noted in the Volgograd region. There, from 1 hectare of plantings they were able to collect 71 tons of this cabbage. The yield of commercial products, on average, reaches 90%.

It is recommended to grow Menzania cabbage according to the 50 - 60x40 cm pattern. That is, from 25 to 30 thousand plants are grown on 1 hectare.

The hybrid is intended for both raw use and processing. Ideal for fermentation. Cabbage has no bitterness.

The vegetable is disease-resistant and does not suffer from cracking of the head.

The shelf life of the heads of cabbage of this hybrid is approximately 6 months (naturally, in favorable conditions).

Reviews from gardeners

Vladimir Ivanovich, Voronezh, 43 years old.

Pretty good cabbage. We've been growing it for 2 years now, no problems. It didn’t hurt (but our cabbage never gets sick), the harvest was good. The heads are 2-3 kg, of course smaller than expected, but dense and tasty. It is not stored in the cellar for 6 months, as is often written in the description. But it will last about 4 months, at most 5. Perhaps the conditions of our cellar are not ideal for her.

Victoria Dmitrievna, Kyiv, 38 years old.

Cabbage is like cabbage. I can’t say it’s bad, but I didn’t particularly like it either. Heads of cabbage up to 3 kg, sometimes even 4 kg, were grown without special care. Watered regularly, fertilized twice, hilled only once. Well, naturally, I removed the weeds, but only when there were seedlings, then they grew in the grass. The taste is normal, but there are tastier varieties.

Menza F1 cabbage is grown by both large industrial enterprises and gardeners in different regions of Russia, Ukraine, and Moldova. Mensa F1 has been cultivated for more than half a century. During this time, it gained wide popularity due to its advantages and ease of care.

Description of cabbage hybrid Menza F1

The high-yielding mid-late hybrid has long been known to gardeners and is considered a classic . White cabbage is a plant of the Cruciferous family; the leaves are eaten.

Origin

Mensa F1 (from the Dutch “mensa” - “table”) is a hybrid bred by Dutch breeders in the middle of the 20th century. In 1960 it was entered into the State Register. The USSR State Commission for Variety Testing recommended the hybrid for cultivation throughout Russia. Scientists are working on Menza as a promising source material, creating hybrids for the Far Eastern region.

Chemical composition and beneficial properties

Cabbage contains all the necessary substances that are beneficial to the human body.

100 g of product contains:

• carbohydrates (glucose, fructose, sucrose) – up to 7%;
• vitamins:

• PP – 0.8 mg;
• beta-carotene – 0.02 mg;
• A (RE) – 4 mcg;
• B1 (thiamine) – 0.03 mg;
• B2 (riboflavin) – 0.04 mg;
• B5 (pantothenic acid) – 0.2 mg;
• B6 (pyridoxine) – 0.1 mg;
• B9 (folic acid) – 11 mcg;
• C – 46 mg;
• E (TE) – 0.1 mg;
• PP (niacin equivalent) – 0.8 mg;
• N (biotic) – 0.1 mcg;
• K (phylloquinone) – 77 mcg;
• choline – 10.8 mg.

• macroelements:
• calcium – 47 mg;
• magnesium – 15 mg;
• sodium – 12 mg;
• potassium – 300 mg;
• phosphorus – 32 mg;
• chlorine – 38 mg;
• sulfur – 36 mg.
• microelements:
• iron – 0.7 mg;
• zinc – 0.4 mg;
• iodine – 3 mcg;
• copper – 74 mcg;
• manganese – 0.16 mg;
• selenium – 0.4 mcg;
• fluoride – 11 mcg;
• molybdenum – 9 mcg;
• boron – 201 mcg;
• cobalt – 3 mcg;
• aluminum – 571 mcg;
• nickel – 16 mcg.
• 16 free amino acids – 0.3 g.

In folk medicine, cabbage is valued for its antiseptic, anti-inflammatory, and healing properties . Improves the functioning of the digestive, cardiovascular and endocrine systems. Helps with:

• headache;
• insomnia;
• stomach and duodenal ulcers;
• diseases of the liver, joints;
• wounds, ulcers and burns;
• reduced immunity;
• lack of vitamins;
• constipation and hemorrhoids;
• jaundice;
• overweight;
• bronchitis, etc.

If you have enterocolitis, pancreatitis, or a tendency toward increased gas formation , eating cabbage is not recommended.

Features of application

Various dishes are prepared from Mensa F1 leaves. Due to the lack of bitterness, they are eaten raw. This hybrid is suitable for pickling and fermentation , sale and transportation over long distances.

Ripening time and yield

Cabbage has a medium-late ripening period, with a growing season (from the moment the first shoots appear) of 105-115 days. By mid-August - September it is finally formed and matures .

Productivity is very high . Experienced gardeners harvest from 80 to 90 tons of high-quality cabbage from 1 hectare of plantings.

Resistance to disease and cold

The hybrid has good immunity, is resistant to powdery mildew, bacteriosis, mosaic, but is susceptible to clubroot. Tolerates frosts down to -2°C, making it suitable for growing in various climatic conditions, even in Siberia and the Urals.

Description of appearance and taste

The head of cabbage has a dense structure, flat-round shape, and an average weight of 4-5 kg . The outside is light green and the inside is white. Cabbage leaf has:

• average size – up to 40 cm in diameter;
• wavy edge;
• gray-green color;
• waxy coating providing good shelf life;
• crispy, juicy texture;
• sweet taste without bitterness.

The vegetable has a small external stalk; the heads of cabbage do not crack. The taste, as well as the product quality, is excellent .