How to feed cabbage seedlings to make them plump and strong

Cabbage is a common and unpretentious vegetable that is grown in open ground in all regions of Russia. To ensure an early harvest and seedlings to quickly develop in the beds, gardeners grow seedlings at home or in greenhouses.

Caring for young plants is called difficult; they need to be provided with the correct light conditions, optimal air temperature, and timely watering. Feeding cabbage seedlings is another important stage in growing. If everything is done correctly, the harvest will be excellent.

What fertilizers should you use?

Sowing on time to obtain good cabbage seedlings is not enough. Young seedlings need to be properly cared for and provided with adequate nutrition. Due to a lack of necessary components in the soil, various problems can arise, in particular, seedlings turn out to be fragile and underdeveloped.

Not all substances will benefit the crop, so it’s worth figuring out which components to add to the soil and when.

The most important element for young seedlings is nitrogen. It accelerates the growth of green mass, makes the stem dense and elastic, accelerates the formation process and enhances the protective properties. But in the case of cabbage, you must try not to overdo it with this substance, otherwise the heads of cabbage “will not come together.”

You can apply it, counting 2 weeks from the moment of sowing, after picking and for growth after transplanting into open ground. Bird droppings, mullein, ammonium nitrate and urea can be used as sources of nitrogen.

When the process of head formation begins and the surface green mass is laid, only phosphorus and potassium are used. These components enhance nitrogen activity and help the plant develop. If fertilizing is done correctly, competent and complete care is provided, there will be no problems with the harvest.

Feeding Brussels sprouts

Agricultural technology and fertilization of Brussels sprouts are practically no different from the white cabbage variety of this vegetable crop.

Before planting Brussels sprouts, 10-14 days in advance, add one per square meter. m. plot 4-5 kg of rotted manure or compost. You can replace organic matter with a mixture of one-component mineral fertilizers or complex fertilizer. This will strengthen the immunity of the vegetable crop and ensure the formation of a rich harvest.

After 10-12 days, feed the young plants with nitrogen-containing nutrition. It is advisable to alternate organic and mineral fertilizers. Use mullein, bird droppings, or ammonium nitrate.

When the head formation phase begins, Brussels sprouts need potassium and phosphorus. Potassium-phosphorus fertilizers and wood ash will help ensure the replenishment of these elements. It is possible to use ready-made liquid fertilizers and folk remedies.

Currently, there are no problems with feeding cabbage. Fertilizers of different types and price categories are available on the market. By applying advice and knowledge on adding nutrition to cabbage, it will be easy for the gardener to carry out the work itself, and the vegetable crop will reward it with a generous and healthy harvest.

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Shoots have appeared - what next?

The first feeding after germination is carried out when the seedlings have 2 full cabbage leaves. For this purpose, it is better to use a balanced mixture from a gardening store; you can use the preparation “Agricola” (for cabbage and cauliflower).

The package is diluted in the doses specified by the manufacturer, and watering is best done using a watering can with a mesh - this way, undissolved granules will not get into the soil. You can consider other compositions from trusted manufacturers, but you need to pay attention to the components of the mixture. These should include molybdenum and boron.

After 2 weeks, the plants can be transplanted (picked). If ordinary cultivated garden soil is used for this purpose, it must be enriched by adding additional ash and superphosphate in the amount of 2 tbsp. (volume is indicated for 10 liters of soil).

Advice! Fertilize the soil a few days after planting.

Fertilizer with folk remedies

Many gardeners do not want to use mineral fertilizers, especially in small areas. Therefore, they use fertilizers prepared at home . For this purpose organic matter is used:

Compost and humus.
Infusion of weeds (nettle, dandelion and woodlice).
An aqueous solution of bird droppings and mullein.
Banana peel infusion.

Folk remedies for fertilizing should be applied at the same time and in the same quantities as store-bought products.

You can stimulate the growth of young shoots with an infusion of humus or compost. Pour a liter jar of humus or compost into a linen bag, tie it and put it in a bucket of warm water, let it sit overnight. Next, the plantings are watered with this water. 10 liters of product are spent on 1 m2.
Instead, you can use a green infusion. Half a bucket of chopped weeds is filled with water and covered with film. You can add a glass of bird droppings or mullein. The mixture ferments for a day, then it is filtered and diluted 10 times with water. Watering is carried out at the root.
Herbal infusions are saturated with nitrogen, so they must be added carefully, otherwise the seedlings may stretch. Banana infusion will help normalize the growth of the crop, as it contains a lot of potassium. Bone meal will saturate the seedlings with phosphorus.
Iodine and boric acid are also used. These products are sold at the pharmacy. They saturate the seedlings with microelements, without which the plants become stretched and weakened. Add 10 drops of iodine and 1 teaspoon of boric acid to 10 liters of water. When 6 true leaves appear, this product is applied as a foliar fertilizer.

After the pick

Fertilizing should be done no earlier than on the tenth day after the procedure. The plants must first be watered, or rather, the soil mixture must be slightly moistened. You can use a simple composition.

To obtain high-quality fertilizer, dissolve in 1 liter of water:

ammonium nitrate – 2 g;
potassium chloride – 2 g;
superphosphate – 4 g.

Other proportions also apply. Some summer residents recommend reducing the concentration of potassium chloride in the solution to 1 g. After 2 weeks, feeding with the same composition is repeated, but the concentration of nitrate and superphosphate is doubled. Growth can be accelerated by applying fertilizers a third time.

In this case, the procedure is carried out approximately 3-4 days before transplanting into open ground. But some summer residents refuse manipulation, arguing that the seedlings adapt less well to new conditions.

How to choose seeds and prepare them for sowing?

Cabbage seeds

To proceed to sowing, you need to pay special attention to the cabbage variety. It happens:

early ripening;
mid-season;
late ripening.

Early ripening cabbage is less productive. Its ripening period is in June. The leaves fit loosely around the head, and its weight does not exceed 1.5 kg. The peculiarity of early varieties of cabbage is that it cannot be stored for a long time.

Mid-season cabbage is different in that it can be stored until November if the correct storage conditions are observed. Heads of cabbage can reach 3 kg, and the density of cabbage is slightly greater than that of early ripening cabbage.

Late-ripening cabbage is suitable for winter harvesting. It can be canned and stored fresh in cool places throughout the winter. The weight of one head can reach 7 kg. The leaves are hard and tightly grip the head of cabbage. This cabbage is not very good in fresh salads.

For those who are planting cabbage for the first time, it is recommended not to purchase the same seeds. It’s better to take a couple of pieces, but several types. This is explained by the fact that by planting different species, it is possible to compare yields and know exactly what to buy next year.

If the purchased seeds have been processed, they can be sown immediately. If not, then you need to soak them in water at 50° for 20 minutes, and then for 5 minutes. in cold water.

Complex fertilizers for cabbage

You can feed cabbage seedlings with the following popular mixtures:

mullein (1 l), dissolved in 15 l of clean water;
25 g of potassium per 15 liters of water;
a mixture of 250 g of wood ash and 65 g of superphosphate per 12 liters of water;
complex composition - 15 g of urea, 15 g of potassium chloride and 25 g of superphosphate per 15 liters of water.

It is necessary to take into account the rates of fertilizer application; it is important not to overfeed young seedlings.

How and what to feed Beijing cabbage?

Chinese cabbage has a short growing season, so the use of nitrogen fertilizers is not only impractical, but also dangerous. The accumulated nitrates will not have time to dissolve and be absorbed, which can lead to poisoning when eating vegetables.

Foliar feeding for this type of cabbage is also inappropriate. The only thing the plant needs is to enrich the soil during its autumn preparation for the upcoming season. To do this, during the plowing period, apply such fertilizers per square meter. m:

manure - 5 kg;
superphosphate - 30 g.

Or:

manure - 5 kg;
potassium sulfate - 30 g. It can be replaced with 4 tbsp. wood ash.

If such measures have been taken, then Chinese cabbage will quickly gain strength and grow. More about growing Chinese cabbage is written here.

Phosphorus, potassium and nitrogen as the key to the growth of young seedlings

For full development, plants need phosphorus, and it is applicable for crops of all ripening periods. An essential additive containing this substance is bone meal. In addition to phosphorus, it also contains other useful components. It must be added to the soil several days before planting.

An equally important fertilizer is superphosphate. It contains: sulfur, magnesium and phosphoric acid. To prepare the working composition, 100 grams of the bulk component are dissolved in 15 liters of water. This fertilizer is used to produce plump seedlings that can grow well.

Advice! The components that make up phosphorus fertilizers are poorly absorbed into the soil, so experienced gardeners recommend applying them in the fall, before digging. Then the compounds will show their full strength, improve soil fertility, which will lead to increased productivity.

Nitrogen is present in organic and mineral fertilizers and is the most important substance that a gardener should use at the stage of growing seedlings. Many people recommend using vermicompost. This is a popular organic compound with a high concentration of nitrogen. This feeding will stimulate growth and enhance root formation, but it is better to use it after picking.

Potassium components are not used at the stage of growing seedlings. This component is first introduced after transplanting the seedlings into open ground, 2 weeks after moving. A combination with superphosphate and urea is often used. Infuse the remedy for 24 hours.

Fertilizer after transplanting into the ground

In the beds where cabbage is planned to be planted, it is recommended to apply organic and mineral fertilizers in the fall. If this has not been done, then the situation can be easily corrected by applying nutritional supplements directly into the holes prepared for planting seedlings. For these purposes, use compost or humus mixed with garden soil, with the addition of 1 teaspoon of superphosphate (it can be replaced with azophosphate), ash in the amount of 1-2 tbsp. l This mixture is mixed with the soil in the holes before planting.

First feeding

2-3 weeks after moving the seedlings into the ground, fertilizing is required. It can be skipped if fertilizers were applied to the holes before planting.

Gardeners who are interested in what to feed early cabbage seedlings for the first time should know that plants need nitrogen. This substance promotes rapid growth of green mass. Nitrogen can be obtained from organic and mineral fertilizers.

To carry out the first fertilizing, it is recommended to pour ½ liter of fertilizer under each seedling bush, prepared by dissolving the following substances in 10 liters of water (1 option is used to choose from):

½ liter mullein in liquid form;
20 grams of potassium humate;
30 g urea;
200 g of ash obtained after burning wood, mixed with superphosphate in an amount of 60 g;
a mixture prepared from 10 g of potassium chloride and the same amount of urea, 20 g of superphosphate;
20 g ammonium nitrate.

Some people prefer to do foliar feeding during this period. Spray the leaves with a solution of ammonium nitrate. To prepare it, ammonium nitrate in the amount of 1 matchbox is diluted in 10 liters of water.

Attention! Feeding early cabbage seedlings after planting in the ground is carried out twice. Later varieties are fertilized 3 or 4 times.

Second feeding

The second application of fertilizers is carried out a month after planting or 1.5-2 weeks from the first feeding. Many people recommend focusing on the condition of the seedlings. If the leaves begin to curl into heads, then this is the optimal time for feeding.

Gardeners who are interested in how to feed cabbage seedlings for growth should know that you can use one of the following options:

in 10 liters of clean water, dilute ½ liter of poultry droppings, liquid mullein, add 30 grams of nitrophoska, 15 grams of fertilizers with microelements (Kemir, Kristalon, Mortar are popular);

for 10 liters add 2 tbsp. l amophoska;
infusion of mullein, diluted in a ratio of 1:10 with clean water;
an infusion of bird droppings made by adding water in a concentration of 1:15;
Add 1 liter of tree ash solution, 0.5 kg of compost, and chicken manure to 10 liters of water.

Pour 1 liter of the prepared mixture into each well.

To prepare an ash solution, you need to pour a glass of ash into 1 liter of water and let the liquid brew for at least 3-4 days. After the specified period has passed, it is filtered.

Third feeding

10 days after the second application of fertilizers for mid-season and late species, nutrients are added a third time. For 1 m2 of planting, 6-8 liters of prepared solution are required. You can make a nutrient mixture from 10 liters of water, to which is added:

½ liter of liquid mullein, bird droppings, 30 grams of simple superphosphate and 15 grams of various complex fertilizers;
15 g of complex fertilizers and 2 tbsp. l ordinary superphosphate;
1 liter of liquid solution of mullein and 30 grams of phosphorus fertilizer.

If there are less than 10 days left before harvest, no more fertilizers are applied.

Fourth feeding

20 days before the planned harvest date for late cabbage varieties, you can apply fertilizer again. They are necessary in order to extend the shelf life of heads of cabbage. For these purposes, potassium sulfate or ash solution is used. In 10 liters of clean water, you need to dissolve 40 grams of potassium fertilizer or 0.5 liters of a pre-prepared solution of wood ash.

Advice! Fertilizing in open ground is best done in cloudy weather. If the days are sunny, then nutrient mixtures are applied at night after heavy watering or heavy rain.

Feeding according to “grandmother’s” recipes

You can fertilize cabbage seedlings not only with industrial preparations. The culture reacts responsively to applied supplements prepared according to recipes called folk remedies.

Let's consider popular options:

Boric acid. To prepare the solution you will need the drug in powder - 1 tsp. The substances are dissolved in 200 ml of boiling water and stirred thoroughly until the crystals disappear. The resulting solution is considered a concentrate, so it is diluted in 10 liters of water before use. Used for spraying.
Kitchen soda. To prepare the product 4 tbsp. substances are dissolved in 100 ml of water. Apply throughout the entire growing season, starting from the period of preparation for planting in open ground.
Infusion of May nettle. The leaves of the burning plant are placed in a deep container and filled with water, infused for 4-5 days. The resulting solution is filtered, diluted with clean water in a ratio of 1:10 and used for watering young plants.
Ammonia. Dissolve 5 tbsp in 12 liters of water. medicine. Stir the resulting mixture thoroughly and use it for watering. Hydrogen peroxide is used in the same way.
Mullein. Used by gardeners to accelerate the growth and development of crops. 500 g of manure is dissolved in 6 liters of water and infused for 3-4 days. After obtaining the solution, add another 6 liters of water. The slurry is used to water garden crops, including cabbage. You can use chicken manure, reducing the dose by half.
Baker's yeast. They provide protection to garden plants from many diseases and significantly accelerate the growth of the root system. Efficiency is achieved due to the increased concentration of microelements in the composition. It should be taken into account that these substances reduce the supply of potassium and calcium in the area. To prepare a solution, add 3 g of instant dry yeast to 3 liters of warm water (not boiling water) and leave for 3 hours. When the reaction is complete, the solution is mixed with 10 liters of water and used. Yeast dressing is not stored.

Attention! It is better to provide additional nutrition to white cabbage through organomineral fertilizers.

Many summer residents choose folk remedies because they consider them safe, but modern fertilizers also do not affect the concentration of harmful substances in the fruits; they can be used without fear.

What do you feed Cauliflower?

Cauliflower, unlike white cabbage, has a positive effect on the application of fertilizing, the basis of which is bird droppings.

To obtain fertilizer, fill the bucket 1/4 part with organic matter and add the rest with water. Leave the mixture to infuse for 7-10 days, stirring it occasionally. After the time has elapsed, dilute the resulting concentrated solution with water in a ratio of 1:10.

The consumption rate of this natural fertilizer is 700-1000 ml per unit of plants.

Find more information about growing cauliflower here.

How to understand that plants are “starving”?

You can notice the lack of nutrients by looking at the condition of the cabbage. If the leaf blades are pale and the stem is thin, nitrogen fertilizing is needed. You can use urea by preparing a solution in a proportion of 15 g per 10 liters of water. This fertilizer can be applied repeatedly, maintaining a two-week interval.

A lack of nitrogen is also indicated by the yellow-green color of the leaves; a pinkish tint may appear along their edges. If the problem is not corrected, over time growth will stop and the cabbage will die. If there is a lack of potassium, the leaves become wrinkled, the lower plates and their edges become lighter.

With phosphorus deficiency, the leaves become dull and the shade changes to dark green, which is unusual for cabbage. The lack of timely feeding has a negative impact on the fruit-forming ability; heads of cabbage do not set. With a lack of calcium, a white spot and stripes appear on the surface of the leaves, and the edges curl. If you do not react in time, the growth point dies.