Why cauliflower does not set in open ground What to do Photo Video

When does cauliflower begin to set?

The timing of setting cauliflower is primarily determined by the characteristics of the variety. All varietal variations of this vegetable are divided into early ripening, mid-early and late ripening:

early ripening cauliflower will be ready to harvest in 80-110 days from the moment of germination;
for mid-early varieties this period increases to 126-135 days;
Late-ripening species form heads 160-170 days from the moment the sprouts hatch.

When planting, be sure to consider that the variety is suitable for your growing region. Early varieties grown in greenhouses in the middle zone and more northern regions, mid-early
cabbage
Suitable for planting in open ground in the Moscow region and neighboring regions.
Varieties and hybrids with late ripening They are grown in the south - they are sown in the fall, and already in March-April they get ripe cauliflower.

Temperature

In order for a good head of cauliflower to grow, it is advisable to maintain the temperature regime. Seeds germinate well only on sun-warmed soil. For further growth, the plant also needs warmth. But the rosettes of leaves of most varieties offered for sale can withstand -5 degrees. However, already at +10, cabbage growth slows down, and the heads, even if they knit, turn out to be too small and coarse. It is believed that the optimal temperature for tying normal cauliflower heads is +15+18. I don’t know how to explain this, but for the author of this article, cauliflower will give birth perfectly even at +30. At the same time, watering and irrigating the plants are carried out regularly. What is definitely not suitable for cauliflower is sudden changes in temperature, that is, either a sharp increase or decrease. In such conditions, the plant experiences something like stress and does not produce a harvest. Also, in hot weather, it is recommended to cover future heads with leaves, as shown in the photo.

Why cauliflower does not set: reasons

There are quite a few reasons why cauliflower does not set heads. Let's consider them in order in order to understand how you can correct the situation and prevent mistakes in the future.

Incorrect variety selected

Sometimes gardeners buy cauliflower seeds based on its commercial qualities or other characteristics, and do not pay attention to the recommended growing region. This is often the mistake that leads to the fact that the cauliflower never forms a head.

If you plant a late variety in the cold Siberian summer, the head of cabbage simply will not have time to fully develop. Its formation will begin only after more than 2 months, when a rosette of a dozen or more leaves forms on the plant. After this, the head of cabbage will need about 3 more weeks to fully develop, but the approaching cold will prevent this.

On a note! If we talk about climate, then it is impossible to make a mistake with the choice of variety only if you live in the south of Russia. Any variety of cabbage is suitable for growing here.

Bad seed material

Poor quality seeds are another reason for the above problem. Substandard material will not make it possible to obtain healthy, strong plants. Either the shoots will be too weak, or the cabbage will be sterile. When choosing a package of seeds, be sure to pay attention to the expiration date and brand of the manufacturer.

It is better to give preference to varieties developed by domestic breeders. This type of cabbage has already been adapted for growing in our area. It is desirable that the variety be included in the State Register, and that the agricultural company itself has a good reputation. Some people make the mistake of using seeds obtained from hybrid plants for planting. F1 hybrids never pass on their properties to subsequent generations.

Poor quality seedlings

To grow high-quality cauliflower seedlings, a number of conditions must be met:

The soil must be very loose and at the same time nutritious.
To prevent the seedlings from getting sick, you must first disinfect the containers and disinfect the soil with a solution of potassium permanganate or by steaming.
For faster germination, it is advisable to soak the seeds in warm water and pickle them before planting.
If the seedlings were grown in a common container, they are planted in separate pots.
To obtain healthy seedlings, it is necessary to feed the plants twice - the first time fertilizer is applied 1.5 weeks after picking. After 10 days, fertilizing should be repeated.
As a fertilizer, you can use a solution of ammonium nitrate or a complex preparation.
During cultivation, seedlings must receive enough light, otherwise the plants will become elongated, frail and weak.

Failure to comply with the technology for growing seedlings will lead to the fact that the seedlings will not be viable or their root system will not develop sufficiently. After planting in open ground, such cabbage will suffer for a long time and take root slowly, which will inevitably affect the further growth of the crop. Such plants are unlikely to be able to fully develop and set heads.

Bad soil

It is important to choose the right place to plant cauliflower. This must be a well-lit area with sunshine. Plants need to receive direct sunlight for at least 3 hours a day, and shading should be provided during the midday hours. Due to the lack of light, the process of photosynthesis will be disrupted; in this case, the cabbage will devote all its energy to growing leaves, and not to setting a head of cabbage.

Not every soil is suitable for a capricious culture. It grows best on mixed sandy-clayey soil with a neutral acidity level. If the soil is too heavy or, on the contrary, consists of only sand, you cannot expect a good harvest from cauliflower.

Unsuitable soil must be improved. Coarse sand and humus are added to clay soil. For sandy soil, additives in the form of black soil and compost are recommended. Planting green manure will also help improve the structure of sandy soil. If the soil is too acidic, it is limed, carrying out the procedure several months before planting cauliflower.

Lack of microelements

Like any other crop, cauliflower needs macro- and microelements for full development. If seedlings are planted in unfertilized soil, the life of the plants will be disrupted. Due to a lack of nutrients, cabbage will only be able to form deformed heads of cabbage, or will not set at all.

In addition to the basic elements, the plant requires a sufficient amount of boron and molybdenum for fruiting. The soil for planting cauliflower has been amended since the fall, using fresh manure, humus or compost for this purpose.

If this has not been done, you can fertilize the soil in the spring, but only with compost or rotted manure. For 1 sq. m of plantings, 5 kg of organic fertilizer are applied.

2 weeks after the seedlings are planted in the ground, they are fed with mineral fertilizers, making up a solution of superphosphate, potassium chloride and ammonium nitrate. The consumption of each substance is 20 g per 10 liters of water.
After another 2 weeks, fertilizing with the same composition is repeated. At the very beginning of tying heads, it is necessary to apply fertilizer containing boron and molybdenum.

Irrigation mode violation

The culture reacts painfully to violations of watering rules. It is the lack of moisture that often causes heads to not set. Even a short drought can disrupt this process. By the way, not only soil moisture is important for cauliflower, but also air humidity. In warm, dry summers, watering should be done every 2-3 days, using one bucket of water per square meter of planting.

To increase air humidity, water is periodically sprayed over the cauliflower from a sprayer. For the same purpose, the ground is covered with a mulch layer. You can use cut and dried grass or chopped straw as mulch.

On a note! You should not use weeds with ripe seeds for mulching, otherwise you will have to struggle with weeding the ridge later.

Planting density

Violation of the planting pattern leads to the fact that as the cauliflower grows, it begins to lack light. When planting seedlings in the ground, it is necessary to maintain a distance between plants so that each of them can develop freely without interfering with each other, so holes in the ridge are made at intervals of 50 cm. For the same reason, the crop should not be planted next to tall plants and fruit trees, which will shade it.

Influence of weather conditions

Cauliflower does not like temperature changes or too much heat. If the thermometer exceeds the 30-degree mark, metabolic processes in plant tissues are disrupted, the rhythm of phytohormone production is disrupted, so the heads of cabbage may be ugly, small, or not set at all.
Cauliflower reacts no less sensitively to a sharp drop in temperature, especially at the beginning of cultivation. To avoid the negative impact of weather conditions, you need to choose the timing of planting cabbage so as to protect it from the effects of spring frosts and at the same time have time to get the harvest before the onset of heat.

Diseases and pests

Diseases and pests of cauliflower can interfere with the formation of heads of cabbage. Weakened plants spend all their energy fighting for survival, so ovary formation does not occur. Cruciferous flea beetles are especially annoying to the crop. Another dangerous pest is the cabbage moth larva. Caterpillars eat the leaf heart at the very beginning of the formation of the head of cabbage, which interferes with its further development.

Read more in the article: Black flea beetles on cabbage, how to treat them

Formation of several heads of cabbage

In some cases, several heads may set on a crop. The reason for the ovary of several heads of cabbage most often lies in damage to the apical sprout bud of the vegetable, from which a rosette of leaves is formed that form the head of cabbage, as a result of which new leafy shoots emerge from the reserve buds on the stem - the ovaries of the head of cabbage. A similar process occurs when the head of cabbage is cut off long before its full ripening, which occurs in July-August. After cutting, the crop has time to produce new shoots, and the vegetable grower will receive an additional harvest from smaller heads of cabbage. This manipulation is especially effective in warm autumn with any variety of white cabbage. Gardeners often use this feature to their advantage to obtain a second harvest of cabbage.

If you don’t need the presence of extra cabbage ovaries, pinch off the unnecessary shoots and leave only one

It is important to know that in this case there is a risk of death of the vegetable and if the head of cabbage does not increase in size, then it is recommended to remove the plant from the garden bed

How to feed cauliflower to make heads stand

For normal formation of heads of cabbage, it is necessary to avoid those mistakes in agricultural technology that were listed above. In addition, you can further stimulate the process of head formation by using root and foliar fertilizers.

Folk remedies

Experienced gardeners have long appreciated the beneficial effects of some folk remedies on obtaining a cauliflower harvest. In particular, the formation of heads is promoted by:

Yeast. As a result of the fermentation reaction, yeast improves the function of the cabbage root system, due to which the plant begins to better absorb nutrients. The solution can be prepared from 100 g of fresh yeast or 1 packet of dry yeast and 2 tbsp. l. sugar per 10 liters of warm water. You need to water the cabbage with the yeast mixture in the evening.
Boric acid. The substance will help protect cabbage from annoying pests at the most crucial moment. Before the heads begin to set, you should spray the cabbage tops with a solution of 2 teaspoons of boric acid and 10 liters of water. The pre-hardly soluble powder is diluted in a small amount of hot liquid. Additionally, boric acid accelerates biological processes occurring in plant tissues. The composition is used for foliar feeding.
Herbal cocktail. Green fertilizer is prepared from cut weeds. The raw materials are pre-crushed, filled into the barrel up to half, and the rest of the volume is filled with water. The infusion should be prepared within 5-7 days by fermentation. The contents of the barrel are stirred periodically. Due to the pungent odor, the composition should be kept under the lid. Once ready, the fertilizer is diluted with water in a ratio of 1:5 and used to water cauliflower.

Folk remedies can be alternated with each other, taking a break of one week between feedings.

Ready-made fertilizers

To ensure that cauliflower gets everything it needs, complex mineral supplements can be applied closer to the fruiting period. For example, such as:

Nitrophoska is a granular fertilizer based on nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. A solution is prepared from 50 g of fertilizer per 10 liters of water.
Azofoska . The basis of this mixture is dominated by nitrogen. It also contains potassium and phosphorus. The percentage of components may vary. Additionally, the composition is enriched with sulfur, which plays an important role in normalizing the process of photosynthesis. Before use, 30 g of fertilizer is dissolved in 10 liters of water.
"Orton" is a water-soluble complex fertilizer. This series produces a special fertilizer for cabbage with an optimal ratio of micro- and macroelements, as well as humic acids. Intended for feeding cabbage in the initial phase of head formation. A solution is prepared from 20 g of the drug per 10 liters of water. It is recommended to use this fertilizer 2-3 times.

The following drugs can also be used: “Kemira Lux”, “Solution”, “Zircon”. Each of them is used in strict accordance with the instructions given by the manufacturer.

What to do and how to solve the problem

The main points that need to be taken into account in cauliflower agricultural technology for the formation of full-fledged inflorescences are the following:

In order for cabbage to have large heads and dense inflorescences, it is necessary to choose the right seeds (zoned).
The soil for planting should be prepared in advance, in the fall, by carefully removing weeds and adding compost and humus.
Carefully monitor the timely application of fertilizers and minerals to the soil at all stages of plant development. The main task is to provide conditions under which all cabbage inflorescences form simultaneously, forming a dense head of cabbage. To do this, it is necessary to add boron, potassium and phosphorus, and reduce the nitrogen content - flowering will accelerate and leaf growth will be reduced.

Answers to frequently asked questions

It would seem that growing and maintaining cauliflower is not difficult, but gardeners still have questions regarding tying heads.

Why do cauliflowers have small heads?

The reason in this case may be the same as in the complete absence of the ovary. Basically, underdeveloped heads are obtained due to poor quality of seedlings. Negative factors may include unsuitable soil, lack of moisture and fertilizers. At the last stages of the growing season, the plants most likely did not have enough microelements, namely boron and molybdenum.

Why do cauliflower inflorescences stretch out?

Sometimes cauliflower, instead of producing dense heads, forms spreading bouquets of inflorescences. The cause of this disease can be several factors: lack of microelements, improper application of fertilizers.

If cauliflower blooms, what should you do?

Sometimes cauliflower goes into color. This happens due to inappropriate care or inappropriate weather. Instead of a full head of cabbage, a thin sprout with a loose umbrella is formed. In this case, the top of the plant is cut off along with the inflorescences and the failed head, leaving a stalk 15 cm long.

Soon the cabbage will produce new shoots from the lower buds. Of these, a couple of the strongest are left, the rest will need to be removed. After this, the vegetable is provided with favorable conditions by regular watering and fertilizing. In this case, the harvest will be later, but it’s better than nothing. When the heat subsides in August, the cabbage will form new dense heads of cabbage.

Temperature

In order to avoid making mistakes when growing cauliflower, it is necessary to observe the temperature regime when sowing and further caring for the plants.

Plantings do not tolerate extreme heat and prolonged drought. In such a climate, ripening heads of cabbage become deformed, become smaller, and may not set at all.

If the beds are on the sunny side, then the ovaries of the heads of cabbage are additionally covered with rosette leaves.

Cabbage also does not tolerate sudden temperature changes. Young plants are especially sensitive to weather changes. Therefore, seedlings are protected from strong drafts and gusty winds.

Variety selection

The choice of cabbage variety allows you to determine the yield. The main selection criterion is the climate zone. It is for this that the variety is selected. In addition, the choice of seed variety is influenced by:

selection of planting region. This means that a variety intended for the southern region will produce a poor harvest in central Russia;
foreign varieties require adjustment of the time of planting and harvesting to the climatic conditions of their region;
It is best to give preference to varieties that are resistant to temperature fluctuations;
the variety must be resistant to pests, as well as various diseases;
To ensure a guaranteed harvest, it is best to purchase several varieties with different ripening periods.

Bad soil

For cultivation, choose flat, well-lit areas. Without sufficient lighting, the plants will build up green mass, and there will be no strength left to set heads of cabbage.

The soil for the beds is prepared in advance.
Plants take root and grow best in clay soil mixed with sand and humus.
Heavy or loose soil is not suitable for growing crops.
Soil with a high acid content is mixed with ash or lime.

The day before transplanting seedlings into open ground, the beds must be thoroughly watered.

Benefits of growing crops

This vegetable came to domestic markets from the hot fields of Syria. Growing up in hot climates, the crop was poorly accepted in temperate latitudes. But with the work of domestic breeders, growing these healthy vegetables has become accessible to everyone.

The benefits of growing this vegetable crop are associated with the benefits of the fruit. They contain more vitamin C than their white counterpart. And it contains more iron and vitamins A and P than lettuce leaves. This product is dietary, easily digestible and is even included in the first feeding of newborns.

The vegetable is also rich in fiber (3 g per 100 g of product), necessary for the normal functioning of the digestive system. It also contains cholein, which is beneficial for the central nervous system. It is also important that the composition contains carotenoid and flavonoid antioxidants, known for their anti-inflammatory properties.

Useful tips

Preventative measures are important when growing cabbage. They will help avoid problems with growth and development.

Prepare the soil mixture for seedlings in advance, in the fall. If you can’t buy it in specialized stores, use the recipe:

1 part humus;
1 part of turf land;
ash in a ratio of 10 tbsp. l. for 10 kg of mixture.

Also prepare the soil in the garden bed in advance: dig it up, enrich it with fertilizers, and deoxidize it if necessary. On the surface, remove the remains of last year's plants: they may contain harmful microorganisms and insect larvae. Try to choose weed rhizomes.

Follow the rules of crop rotation. Change the location of the cabbage bed every year. Plant the crop where you grew last season:

onion;
tomatoes;
potato;
cucumbers

Check the condition of the plants and the soil underneath them regularly. Take appropriate action at the first sign of pest or disease exposure.

Incorrect selection of variety also causes poor cabbage growth. Pay attention to hybrids adapted to the cultivation area. Observe sowing dates.

Stunting of cabbage growth is a common problem, but in most cases it can be quickly resolved. Compliance with the rules of agricultural technology, constant monitoring of crop growth throughout the growing season and timely assistance to the plant will help to obtain a good harvest.

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