There is nothing better than fresh vegetables at the beginning of summer, when all the crops have just begun to grow, and juicy and crisp cabbage of the Express F1 variety is already on the table. The hybrid was bred specifically for fresh consumption and is ultra-early. The plant quickly forms seedlings and easily adapts when transplanted to the garden; the heads are small, but with excellent characteristics.
Early maturing hybrid
Pros and cons of the variety
Express cabbage is suitable for fresh consumption. Heads of cabbage are used to prepare salads, soups, and stews. The hybrid is not suitable for preservation or fermentation. The first harvest is harvested 60 days after emergence. According to the timing of ripening, the variety is classified as an early ripening species. Productivity is at the level of cabbage variety Start F1. Up to 5-6 kg of vegetables are harvested from 1 m².
pros
Description of the advantages of the Express variety:
- high taste index;
- friendly ripening of heads of cabbage;
- the opportunity to get two harvests per season;
- yield of commercial products over 88%;
- the heads remain intact;
- suitable for industrial cultivation.
Minuses
Description of the disadvantages of cabbage Express:
- exclusively for salad purposes;
- low resistance to diseases;
- not intended for winter storage;
- does not tolerate high temperatures.
External characteristics of the vegetable
The bush forms a raised rosette of medium size, with small elliptical leaves of pale green color, and has a waxy coating characteristic of cabbage. The fruits are round in shape, weighing 800–1500 grams, the upper leaves are light green, and when cut they are white with a milky tint.
The taste is excellent, the cabbage is tender, crispy, very juicy, with a sweet and refreshing aftertaste. The vegetables have a short stalk, so there are no wide veins on the leaves and waste is minimal. The forks are of medium density, not very loose, but not hard either, like late-ripening varieties.
The hybrid is recommended for fresh consumption and cooking: soups, borscht, fillings for pies, casseroles, dumplings, cabbage rolls, vegetable pancakes, stews. The tender leaves are suitable for coarse cutting into salads and stewing with other foods.
Cabbage is ideal for cabbage rolls
The pulp of the vegetable contains a wide supply of vitamins and minerals, providing support for the body, strengthening the immune system and saturating it with all the necessary components.
Features of cultivation
Express cabbage is grown using the seedling method. The soil for the culture is prepared in advance. Sand, forest soil, and peat are mixed in equal proportions. A little ash is added to the mixture and left in a cool room for the winter. Ready-made soil from the store is also sent to freeze. Low temperatures will destroy pathogens.
Seeds of the Express variety are pre-calibrated. Use a sieve with a cell diameter of 1.5 mm. Instances smaller than the specified size will produce weak plants. Selected seeds are heated for about 20 minutes in water at a temperature of +50°C. After a couple of hours, keep in the refrigerator.
Preparing seedlings
Seeds of early cabbage variety Express F1 are sown for seedlings in the first ten days of April. Make a hole in the ground up to 2 cm deep. The seed material is evenly laid out and sprinkled with soil.
The crops are shed with a weak solution of potassium permanganate and covered with film.
Before emergence, the room temperature should not exceed +25°C. After 5-7 days, with the appearance of sprouts, the covering material is removed. Containers with seedlings are moved for a week to a room with a temperature no higher than +10°C. Subsequently, young plants are grown at daytime temperatures from +15 to +17°C, and at night temperatures from +12 to +14°C.
Site preparation
Express cabbage loves fertile soils. It is preferable to choose an area with reduced relief. The optimal predecessors for the crop are cucumbers, tomatoes, potatoes, and legumes.
In the fall, the bed under the cabbage is dug up to a depth of 25 cm. The soil is left unloosened before winter. In the spring the area is leveled. Before planting seedlings, the soil is dug up to ¾ of the depth from the autumn tillage.
Heavy soils are not dug up in the fall. In the spring, the soil is allowed to mature and then dug up to a depth of 18 cm.
During spring tillage, manure, peat, and humus are added. Organic fertilizers are combined with mineral ones. Add superphosphate, potassium salt, ammonium sulfate.
Transplanting
Young seedlings of Express cabbage are transferred to open ground from late May to early June at the age of 40-45 days. Plants are arranged in a checkerboard pattern. The distance between seedlings is made from 50 to 90 cm. The hybrid needs space for the free arrangement of leaves and ventilation.
The planting hole must correspond to the size of the seedling's root system. The recess is spilled with warm water. Remove the seedlings from the container, lower them into the hole and cover them with soil. The soil around the plants is compacted.
Care
The first time after planting, the seedlings are shaded from direct sunlight. Spraying is carried out to speed up the adaptation of Express cabbage plants. The soil around the stems is dusted with tobacco dust. The procedure will repel the cabbage fly.
Watering
The moisture-loving vegetable does not tolerate drought well. For the Express F1 cabbage variety, the required level of soil moisture is not lower than 80%.
Before the formation of heads of cabbage, the hybrid is watered every other day. In dry conditions, irrigation is carried out daily. During prolonged rains, the number of waterings is reduced to once every 3-4 days.
At the stage of head formation, the water consumption rate per 1 m² is 12 liters. Regular watering and compliance with plant water consumption standards will ensure high crop yields. Excess moisture reduces the shelf life of heads of cabbage. Two weeks before harvesting the vegetable, watering is stopped.
Loosening and hilling
The procedures promote intensive growth of the plant’s root system and soil air exchange. Increased productivity is achieved by following the correct agricultural practices for caring for Express cabbage. Hilling prevents lodging of heads of cabbage, reduces the risk of disease, and helps preserve the harvest.
Description of the hilling process:
- the first procedure is carried out after rooting of young plants in the ground;
- performed after watering or rain;
- rake the top layer of soil to the stem to the level of the first true leaves;
- avoid falling asleep on the growing point.
Top dressing
The first feeding of Express F1 cabbage is carried out 14-21 days after transplanting into open ground. Nitrogen-containing urea is added. The second time the introduction of nutrients is carried out 2-3 weeks after the first stage. Fertilizing is carried out with organic fertilizers.
Symptoms indicating a lack of nutrients:
- potassium - the tops become covered with brown spots;
- phosphorus - leaves dry out;
- nitrogen - stunted growth and pale foliage color.
Foliar feeding of plants with boric acid is carried out. 1 tbsp. l of the drug is diluted in a glass of warm water. The resulting solution is diluted with 10 liters. water. Spray the bushes with a spray bottle or broom.
Description of the Express cabbage variety
This is an ultra-early ripening hybrid that was bred in Moscow in the early 2000s. If the ripening period of early species usually lasts from 70 to 130 days, then in this variety breeders were able to reduce this period to 60-90 days. During this time, Express F1 cabbage is fully formed and ripens, acquiring its unique taste, saturated with moisture and nutrients.
Attention! Cabbage Express F1 contains about 5% sugars. This has a positive effect on the taste of the hybrid.
The plant itself has a compact size, a small raised rosette and wide oval leaves. Heads of cabbage Express F1 are round in shape, uncovered, weigh on average from 900 g to 1.3 kg or more. It all depends on the specific growing conditions. Thanks to the shortened stalk, the forks are quite dense. This is a rare feature for early ripening varieties. The internal structure of the fork is thin, and the cut has a delicate milky tint.
Heads of cabbage Express F1 are round in shape, weigh about a kilogram
The variety is used extremely rarely for cultivation in greenhouses, but this cabbage feels excellent in garden beds. Planting dates may vary, allowing you to get the first harvest as early as July.
Diseases and parasites
The early-ripening variety Express cabbage exhibits poor resistance to common crop diseases. The hybrid is susceptible to cabbage aphids and cutworms.
Kila
Fungal spores persist in the soil for many years. The disease is difficult to recognize at the initial stage. Plant roots become covered with growths. The affected Express cabbage is removed.
You can avoid a dangerous disease by observing crop rotation on the site, carrying out pre-sowing treatment of seeds and soil. Reduce the amount of pathogenic fungus by adding humus or compost. Onions, garlic, beets, and spinach are planted in the area next to the Express cabbage.
Fomoz
Dry rot affects both young and mature plants. Appears as light gray spots. In autumn, the soil is sprayed with chemicals. Decoctions of horsetail and hot pepper are used.
Cabbage scoop
Greenish or brown butterfly larvae eat the juicy tops of the Express variety. The voracious pests are collected by hand, and chemicals are used to kill the caterpillars.
Harvesting and storage
Harvesting of heads of the Express cabbage variety begins in mid-July. Choose a dry, warm day. The forks are cut off, leaving a 3 cm stump on the head of the head. Covering leaves are not removed.
Selected heads of cabbage are stored in a humid, ventilated room. Dry air leads to mold. Vegetables are placed in wooden boxes or in nets with large holes.
The Express variety, with proper care, gives a high yield. The hybrid is suitable for industrial cultivation of young cabbage. Farmers will be pleased with the opportunity to get a double crop harvest in one season.
Characteristics of the variety
Cauliflower Express MS is an early ripening vegetable. Its main quality is high stable yield. During the selection, Chinese cauliflower and domestic white cabbage were used. This made it possible to obtain an oriental delicacy that could adapt to our climatic conditions.
Express is loved by gardeners for its resistance to many diseases and autumn frosts. The only disadvantage of f1 hybrids is the need to buy new seeds every year, because in the second generation the hybrids lose all the qualities of the mother plants. Cauliflower is picky about the composition of the soil and the application of fertilizers, so the growing process is more complicated than that of a traditional cabbage crop.
External description
Express cabbage is distinguished by compact inflorescences and high taste, contains a large amount of vitamin C, and effectively removes toxins without disturbing the intestines. It is actively used for cooking, salting, freezing with further processing in the winter.
Description of the hybrid variety Express f1:
- the socket is raised above the ground level;
- heads are round, aligned;
- inflorescences are painted in a white-cream shade;
- average weight 300-500 g.
