Cabbage Larsia (Larsia) F1: variety description, photos, reviews

Description of the variety and characteristics of Larsia cabbage

Cabbage Larsia F1 is a medium (mid-season) hybrid. The leaf blades of the crop are medium and large. The socket is raised. The shape of the head of cabbage is round. The foliage has a grayish-green color with a characteristic waxy coating. The stumps are short and can reach medium length.

The taste of Larsia hybrid cabbage is pleasant, the density is rated at 4.4 points. The average yield per hectare is 350 centners. The indicator depends on the growing conditions and weather in the region. The maximum recorded yield in the Smolensk region was 761 c/ha. The weight of one head of cabbage ranges from 4–6 kg, the maximum weight is 8 kg.

Hybrid Larsia is used for commercial cultivation

The culture is unpretentious, high-yielding, and therefore has gained popularity among farmers.

Characteristic

Larsia F1 is a high-yielding cabbage hybrid. Its yield is 240-280 c/ha. The recommended planting density is 30-40 thousand plants per 1 ha. The growing season is 110-115 days - the time from planting seedlings to harvesting a full harvest. The storage period after harvesting is from 4 to 8 months. Due to its disease resistance and ability to be stored for long periods of time, it is ideal for farming. It has an attractive presentation and is very popular in the agricultural market. Also great for growing at home.

Description of the head of cabbage

Hybrid Larsia has a powerful head with a high dry matter content and a large number of thin leaves. Description of the external and internal structure of the head of cabbage:

• shape – flattened, oval-round;
• average weight – from 4 to 6 kg;
• surface – smooth;
• density – high;
• color – white with a green tint;
• cut color – white;
• veins are thin;
• stump - short;
• the internal structure is homogeneous.

The leaves of the hybrid are deep green on the outside with a strong waxy coating, dense. The shape is flat, rounded on the surface of the head of cabbage. The leaf rosette is compact, medium in size.

Application

Cabbage has excellent taste: sweet, crispy. Suitable for fresh consumption, excellent for processing (fermentation, pickling, preservation). Retains its properties during heat treatment.

Advantages and disadvantages of the variety

Like any vegetable, Larsia cabbage has its pros and cons. Before you start planting a crop, you need to familiarize yourself with its disadvantages and evaluate its advantages.

Hybrid Larsia F1 is characterized by good keeping quality, so it is grown on an industrial scale

Pros:

• versatility of application. Cabbage contains a lot of nutritional components, so it is recommended to include it in the diet all year round. Suitable for use both fresh and fermented;
• possibility of early cutting. Unripe cabbage leaves are edible. They are used to prepare delicate salads;
• resistance to major crop diseases;
• high yield;
• shortened stalk, which reduces waste and increases the yield of useful product;
• good transportability;
• long shelf life;
• the variety is not prone to cracking of the heads.

Minuses:

• the possibility of being affected by certain fungal diseases;
• demands on watering;
• the impossibility of growing in greenhouse conditions, because for normal development the heads need air exchange and a spacious area.

Advantages and disadvantages

Larsia cabbage has its advantages and disadvantages. Positive points include:

• high productivity;
• excellent taste;
• versatility in use;
• the vegetable can be cut before its full ripening period for summer salad;
• transportability;
• good presentation;
• short stalk;
• possibility of growing in open ground;
• the heads do not crack;
• there is immunity to fusarium;
• resistance to thrips.

One of the negative aspects is the short storage of the crop - only 4 months. Also, this variety is not intended for growing in a greenhouse.

Attention! Seeds from the first harvest do not convey all the characteristics of cabbage.

The heads of cabbage of the Larsia variety are large, the leaves fit tightly to each other

Planting and care

Productivity directly depends on the timeliness of planting seeds for seedlings and growing conditions. In order for Larsia cabbage to sprout and please the gardener, you need to follow simple recommendations.

Terms and conditions of landing

Larsia is a mid-season variety, so seeds for seedlings are sown in the second half of March; this can be done until mid-April. Larsia cabbage is planned to be transplanted into the ground in May, when the threat of return frosts has passed. Usually this is the second and third ten days of the month.

For Larsia white cabbage, the seedling growing method is most often used.

When planting, adhere to the following recommendations:

• seeds are sown in individual or common containers with nutrient soil mixture;
• watering should be sufficient. The earth is moistened, but stagnation is unacceptable;
• when sprouts appear, the air temperature in the room is maintained within 18–20 °C;
• The seedlings must receive enough sunlight, otherwise the seedlings will stretch. 15-hour lighting should be organized;
• When four true leaves appear, the seedlings are ready to be transferred to the ground. Approximately 30–40 days should pass from the moment of planting.

How to plant correctly

A high yield can only be obtained from proven planting material.

Hybrid Larsia F1 cannot be grown from seeds collected on the site. Important! Cabbage planting material of this variety should be purchased annually.

To increase the germination of seeds, they are pre-soaked and disinfected. Branded planting material is most often already processed. There should be a corresponding note about this on the packaging. If Larsia cabbage seeds are not processed, they are placed in a weak salt solution (3%) for 10 minutes. The floating material is unsuitable for use, and the sunken material is collected for further planting. To disinfect the seeds, they are soaked for 20–30 minutes in a manganese solution. After this, rinse with clean water and leave to dry.

It is recommended to pre-harden Larsia cabbage seeds. To do this, planting material is placed on a damp cloth and placed in the refrigerator for a day.

To grow seedlings, buy a special soil mixture or prepare it from humus and turf soil in a 1:1 ratio. For 1 kg of soil add 1 tbsp. l. ash. The earth is watered with a solution of manganese or placed in an oven for calcination.

The seeds are sown in a common container, and after germination they are planted in peat pots. For the first days, the box with seeds is kept in a warm room; after germination, the temperature is temporarily reduced to +10 °C. This technique prevents the seedlings from stretching excessively. Before sowing, the soil is thoroughly moistened and watered a second time only after germination.

When thinning, leave 2 cm² of area for each specimen

They dive approximately 10–12 days after planting. By this time, the seedlings should have at least two true leaves. When transplanting, plants are buried down to the cotyledon leaves. Roots that are too long are shortened by a third.

Important! If the seedlings are not pruned, then thinning is repeated. Leave at least 5 cm between neighboring plants.

Fertilizing seedlings is carried out as follows:

1. 7–8 days after diving, seedlings need nutritional composition. To 1 liter of water add 4 g of superphosphate, 2 g of ammonium nitrate and 2 g of potassium fertilizer. This volume is intended for 50 seedlings. The seedlings are pre-watered with water.
2. After 14 days, re-feeding is carried out using the same composition, but the amount of ingredients is doubled.
3. Three days before the planned planting in the ground, the seedlings are fed with a mixture of saltpeter (3 g), superphosphate (4 g) and potassium fertilizers (7 g). The specified amount of fertilizer is diluted in 1 liter of water.

The site for Larsia cabbage is chosen to be light, with fertile soil, without lowlands. It is best to use beds in which cucumbers, peas, onions or carrots previously grew. If cruciferous crops were cultivated on the site, such land for cabbage can only be used after four years.

Attention! To avoid stagnation of moisture, when growing in lowlands, planting on a ridge is recommended.

The area for cabbage is prepared in the fall. They dig it up and add humus.

10 days before moving the seedlings into the ground, they must be hardened off. To do this, they begin to open the window in the room, first for a short time, then for several hours. To get used to daylight, seedlings are taken outside or to the balcony. Watering is stopped a few days before transplanting.

On the day of planting, the soil is moistened. The procedure is carried out during cloudy periods or in the evening. 50–60 cm are left between the holes. The seedlings are deepened to the first leaves, and the soil is gently pressed with your hands. The soil is watered. If there was no precipitation during the day, then the holes are moistened the next day.

Aftercare

In the future, watering is adjusted depending on weather conditions.

In the absence of rain, the soil is moistened after 6–7 days

Fertilizing is applied according to the schedule: 2, 4 and 7 weeks after transplanting to the garden bed.

The first weeding is carried out at the moment when the seedlings have taken root and started to grow. At this time, weeds are removed from the site and the ground is loosened. A week later the procedure is repeated.

After about 20–25 days, hilling is necessary. It is carried out with the aim of forming additional roots in seedlings. For Larsia cabbage, one hilling is enough, since the crop has a short stalk.

Optimal conditions for growing hybrid Larsia (F1)

In order to get a good harvest, it is necessary to provide the crop with optimal growing conditions. Cabbage is a rather capricious vegetable that requires special attention:

1. The vegetable must receive enough light. Do not plant cabbage near trees, fences or other objects that will create shadow. In shaded areas, cabbage tries to stretch out to reach the sun. This is fraught with poor tying of the head of cabbage.
2. Important attention should be paid to watering. Unlike other crops, cabbage cannot develop without high-quality watering. The purpose of watering is to keep the soil around the plant moist, preventing it from drying out. If you over-water the vegetable, this can lead to rotting of the stump or cracking of the head of cabbage itself.
3. After watering, you need to loosen the soil. Soil compaction, which occurs due to frequent watering of the crop, negatively affects the development of the vegetable, since oxygen begins to flow worse to the root system. For this reason, it is necessary to periodically loosen.
4. Cabbage also needs mineral fertilizers.

Diseases and pests

According to the description of the variety and reviews, Larsia cabbage (pictured) is resistant to thrips and bacteriosis. Occasionally, plantings may suffer from caterpillar infestations.

When cruciferous flea beetles appear, seedlings need to be sprayed

For insect repellent treatment, “Aktara”, “Aktellik”, “IntaVir” are used.

When planted in acidic soil, cabbage may suffer from clubroot fungal disease. To avoid this, seedlings are treated with Bordeaux mixture (3%) before planting in the ground.

If the beds are over-wetted, cabbage may become covered with downy mildew. In this case, a gray coating appears on the bottom of the leaves, and yellow spots are visible on the other side. For treatment, spraying seedlings with Bordeaux mixture (1%) is used. It is very important not to overdo it with watering.

Plant care

Caring for planting cabbage consists of controlling humidity and proper hilling, as well as timely fertilizing.

Irrigation rates

Proper watering is the key to obtaining a high yield, since cabbage is a moisture-loving plant and requires a lot of water to form large heads of cabbage. At the same time, excessive waterlogging can lead to stunted vegetable growth.

Important! Flooding of the root system for 6–12 hours leads to the beginning of its death!

There are three watering methods:

1. The simplest option is along the furrows, however, this requires an even surface and does not provide uniform moisture. When watering in furrows, it is difficult to moisten the roots of young seedlings after planting. This method is not suitable for sandy loam and sandy soils.

2. Sprinkling Suitable for areas with any terrain and any soil. This method allows you to regulate the desired rate, regulate humidity and refresh plants in the heat. The disadvantage of this method is the crust after watering, unevenness in strong winds and significant energy consumption.

3. Drip irrigation is the most rational, allowing you to save water and supply it only to the plant. However, this method also has the highest cost and is also demanding on water quality.

In the first 2 weeks after transplantation, cabbage is watered every 3-4 days, spending about 6-8 liters per 1 m².
Subsequent watering under normal weather conditions can be carried out once a week at the rate of 10–12 liters per 1 m². Watering is best done in the morning or evening, with the desired water temperature being about +20°C. In hot weather, it is also recommended to carry out refreshing sprinkling (in the morning or evening). Watering is reduced during the period of cabbage ripening.

Read more about how often to water cabbage.

Fertilizer application

The amount of fertilizer needed for proper vegetable growth depends on the fertility of the soil and its preparation before planting. The most effective feeding is during the period of maximum leaf growth and during the formation of the head of cabbage.

The recommended feeding schedule is as follows:

• 2 weeks after planting the seedlings, feed with mullein solution (1:10, 500 ml per 1 seedling). This fertilizing can be skipped if fertilizers were added to the hole during planting;
• the second feeding is carried out a month after planting and is identical in composition to the first;
• the third feeding occurs 2 weeks after the second. Add 30 g of superphosphate per 10 liters of water to the same mullein solution and pour 1–1.5 liters per bush;
• The same solution can be used for the fourth feeding after 20 days.
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Loosening and hilling

When the seedlings have taken root well, weeding and first loosening are carried out. The depth of loosening for the first time is 4-5 cm. After a week, the process is repeated to a depth of 6–8 cm. Subsequent loosening is carried out until the foliage of neighboring plants closes to a depth of 8–10 cm.

Hilling allows you to get additional roots and is carried out 25 days after planting the seedlings in open ground. It is performed after watering or fertilizing, raking the soil to the first true leaves. Since Larsia F1 has a short stalk, a second hilling is not required.

Did you know? Sauerkraut originated in China and was originally soaked in rice wine. It was this kind of lunch that was fed to those who built the Great Wall of China in the 3rd century BC. e.