Features of Valentina cabbage, growing technology

Description and characteristics of Valentina F1 cabbage attracts the attention of individual gardeners and farmers involved in large-scale cultivation of vegetables. But is this hybrid really that good? Is it worth allocating space for him on the plot?

In 2004, the register of the State Variety Commission was replenished with a new hybrid of white cabbage. It was bred by specialists from the N.N. Timofeev Breeding Station. Farmers liked the description of Valentin’s cabbage. After all, patent holders promised high yields in almost all regions of the Russian Federation. The only exceptions were Mordovia, Tatarstan, Ulyanovsk, Penza and Samara regions, that is, the entire Middle Volga region.

The history of cabbage Valentina

The authors of the Valentina hybrid are breeders from the Timofeev station. The enterprise is under the management of Timiryazev Agrarian University (Moscow). This cabbage was included in the State Register in 2004. In 2011, it was so surprising with its yield that it was featured in a video for the MOSREG news channel.

Video: news from the Moscow region about the incredible yield of Valentina cabbage

Valentina is gaining great popularity today due to its ability to maintain freshness for a very long period. Gardeners who grow this cabbage primarily talk about this quality. A head of cabbage that has lain in the cellar until next summer has the same taste as one freshly cut from the garden.

The main advantage of Valentina is its high shelf life; the heads of cabbage are stored until July

Distinctive features

This variety ripens in late autumn . It is distinguished by its good appearance and taste. Cabbage foliage is juicy and sweet, without bitterness. Valentina is not only a tasty variety, but also very healthy, as it contains a large amount of vitamins.

The vegetable is also distinguished by its distinct aroma. It is worth noting that the riper the cabbage, the better its taste. Valentina has a high level of productivity. Since this variety is compact in size, up to 3 seedlings can be planted on 1 square meter of land. Cabbage is perfectly stored throughout the winter period. It can lie until June.

Characteristics of the Valentina hybrid

Valentina cabbage differs in appearance from many other varieties and hybrids. Its rosette is raised, the leaves are directed upward, painted dark green with a gray tint, and covered with a very noticeable waxy coating. The head of cabbage is also extended upward and has an ovoid shape. It grows very densely without cracking! Valentina stands on a knife, of medium height, that is, the cabbage needs hilling.

Heads of Valentina cabbage are compact, but very dense, there is an outer stump, the leaves have a gray tint

When cut, the head of cabbage is white, the stump is short. The taste is excellent, without bitterness. Valentina is called a record holder in three categories: stable yield, shelf life and disease resistance. The weight of one head of cabbage is 3–4 kg. During industrial cultivation, an average of 800 centners are collected per hectare, and in good years - 1.0–1.5 tons.

Farmers and hobbyists like Valentina cabbage for its even heads and stable yield.

For personal consumption, it’s easy to make a calculation: 10 seeds will grow 30–40 kg of Valentina cabbage. 4–5 plants are placed per square meter. The yield per square meter is 12–20 kg. But for this, Valentina will need excellent illumination and favorable temperature for 140–180 days after germination: +18… +20 °C.

There is one controversy associated with this cabbage. In the register of breeding achievements, in the characteristics of the hybrid, it is indicated that Valentina is recommended to be grown only in the central part of the Russian Federation, and on the same page there is a whole list of admission regions, which includes almost all of Russia: from the Caucasus to the North, as well as the Urals, Siberia and the Far East East. This information is repeated in other Internet sources and misleads gardeners.

I live in Siberia, and Valentina met cabbage last year. For growing in our region, a very late hybrid with a growing season of six months is a stretch. In order for the harvest to ripen by the end of September, it is necessary to sow at a time when there is still a thick layer of snow on our plots. That is, it is physically impossible to sow in a summer greenhouse, hotbed or under temporary shelter. A favorable outcome can only happen if there is a heated greenhouse or powerful lighting on the windowsill, otherwise the cabbage seedlings will stretch out and lie down.

When buying Valentina cabbage seeds, keep in mind that this hybrid needs six months of good weather, that is, sunny and above-zero temperatures.

The opportunity to keep seedlings on a balcony or plot under light cover in Siberia appears at the earliest at the end of April. That's why I sowed Valentina in April. The cabbage grew, to put it mildly, very slowly. During our short summer, by autumn, forks with a diameter of 15–20 cm had grown. But I was happy about that too. Watching the pace of Valentina’s development, I thought that there would be nothing to collect at all. Based on my experience, I can conclude that the hybrid grows without problems in areas where the growing season lasts at least 140 days. These include the Central region and, of course, the south of Russia, but not Siberia and the North of the Russian Federation.

The growing season is conventionally determined by the time between the transition of the average daily temperature in spring and autumn through +5 °C; less often, boundary temperatures of 0 or 10 °C are used for this.

https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%92%D0%B5%D0%B3%D0%B5%D1%82%D0%B0%D1%86%D0%B8%D0%BE%D0 %BD%D0%BD%D1%8B%D0%B9_%D0%BF%D0%B5%D1%80%D0%B8%D0%BE%D0%B4

Advantages and disadvantages (table)

Advantages and disadvantages

Among the advantages of culture are the following:

• Beautiful presentation.
• Resistance to long-term transportation.
• High yield.
• Excellent taste that lasts a long time even after processing.
• Long shelf life.
• Versatility of use.
• Does not crack.
• Good immunity to most diseases.

Among the disadvantages are the following:

• Seedling growing method.
• Requires a lot of light.
• If there is excess moisture, vegetables cannot grow fully.

About the timing of sowing and planting Valentina cabbage seedlings

The seed bag contains recommendations to sow this hybrid on March 13–15. When the seedlings are 30–40 days old, they need to be transplanted to a permanent place. The growing season does not include a week for seed germination. In addition, if in the process of growing seedlings you are planning a pick, that is, you will transplant the seedlings into a greenhouse, hotbed or larger container, then add another 7 days. In fact, from sowing to harvesting Valentina, a minimum of 154–194 days passes, and from sowing to planting in a permanent place when grown with one pick — 44–54 days.

Video: sowing late cabbage for seedlings between strawberry rows (March, Ukraine)

If sown in mid-March, seedlings will need to be planted in the garden bed in early to mid-May. Growing without picking saves a week. This means that the seedlings will be ready for planting in late April - early May. If there is still a threat of severe frosts in your region at this time, then place arcs over the bed and stretch the covering material.

Cabbage seedlings tolerate frosts down to -3... -4 °C, and adult plants - up to -5... -7 °C.

Growing this hybrid, I became convinced of the need to clearly compare the growing season with the sowing date. Sowing on time is already half the success in growing late cabbage. In the case of Valentina, you cannot be late. It will not catch up or overtake other fast-growing varieties, no matter how much you feed and water it.

Description of the variety

Characteristics

Cabbage Valentina F1 is considered a late-ripening hybrid (from germination to harvest 140 - 175 days), bred at the Timofeev breeding station. The variety is included in the State Register and zoned in the Central region.

Valentina's heads of cabbage grow with a flattened top and a clearly visible waxy coating

During the season, cabbage grows large oval heads, flattened on top. Usually the weight of one specimen is around 3 kg, but there are also 5-kg ones. The color of the outer covering leaves is gray-green. These leaves are medium in size and have wavy edges. The head of cabbage itself is light green in color and has a high density. A waxy coating is clearly visible on the leaves. The stalk is short, white.

The harvest is harvested in early October. Productivity is at a good level - from one hectare it is possible to collect 680 - 810 centners. On average, the yield of marketable products does not fall below 90%.

Advantages and disadvantages (table)

Preparing containers, soil and seeds

For sowing with subsequent picking, you will need small plastic containers with a side height of 3–5 cm. If you want to grow seedlings without picking, then immediately take larger containers: individual cups, pots (180–200 ml) or a common box, a container with a depth of at least 15 cm The same container will be required for picked seedlings. Be sure to have drainage holes. If you are using used containers, rinse them and disinfect them with a solution of soda ash (1–2 tbsp per 1 liter of water), potassium permanganate (1 g per 1 liter) or copper sulfate (10 g per 1 liter). After disinfection, rinse the containers with clean water.

One of the options for containers for seedlings is cassettes, the cells in them are arranged compactly, each has drainage holes

The soil for cabbage should be loose and fertile. You can buy a ready-made mixture for seedlings or prepare your own. Mix turf soil with humus or compost in a 1:1 ratio. For looseness, add perlite or vermiculite. Mix a bucket of this mixture thoroughly with a glass of wood ash. Be sure to heat the resulting mixture in any way available to you up to 100 °C. This should be done a week before the sowing date. And before or during planting, in order to populate the sterile soil with beneficial bacteria, spill it with a solution of Fitosporin (1 teaspoon of powder per 1 liter).

Video: steaming soil for seedlings in a water bath

Careful preparation of old containers and soil for cabbage is a necessary agricultural practice. Most fungal diseases (clumproot, black leg, all kinds of rot) are transferred to cabbage from the ground. It is in lumps of soil that pathogenic microorganisms live and multiply.

As for seeds, I germinate even those covered with colored glaze before planting. This is the only way to plan your plantings, and not to farm according to the principle: as much cabbage as it sprouts, I will have as much cabbage. If I need 10 heads of the Valentina variety, then I soak 15 seeds, wait for the first 10 to germinate and sow, and throw away the rest. As a result, there are no longer boxes of crops on my windowsills, which are unclear when they will sprout and how many there will be.

Possible diseases and pests

Despite the fact that the Valentina F1 variety is very resistant to Fusarium wilt, it is still susceptible to attack by pests and diseases, like any other crop.

Table: cabbage diseases Valentina F1

Photo gallery: cabbage diseases

When Alternaria disease occurs, spots with conical circles inside form on the leaves.

Vascular bacteriosis affects cabbage heads at high temperatures and high humidity

Leaves infected with powdery mildew dry out quickly

Heads of cabbage affected by rhizoctonia cannot be saved

Roots affected by clubroot cannot nourish the plant

Gray rot can destroy the entire crop

Cabbage variety Valentina F1 is quite resistant to all types of pathogens. If you follow the rules when growing and take preventive measures, it will not get sick.

Table: cabbage pests

Photo gallery: insects on cabbage

Cabbage moth moth

The white butterfly is completely harmless in appearance, unlike its caterpillars

The clutch of white butterfly eggs is located on the reverse side of the cabbage leaf

The white butterfly caterpillar secretes a sticky, toxic substance that makes it very difficult to shake off the plant.

Inconspicuous gray butterfly - cabbage moth

Cabbage moth larvae gnaw oval holes in leaves

Cabbage moth caterpillars gnaw holes in cabbage heads and pollute the entire space with their excrement.

Cruciferous flea beetles turn cabbage leaves into lace

Cabbage fly larvae settled on the roots of the plant

Cabbage fly larvae settle at the root collar of the plant and bite into the stem, making spiral passages in it.

Cabbage leaves, infested with a colony of aphids, curl and the plant dies.

Slugs, gnawing holes in the heads of cabbage, make them completely unsuitable for storage.

Video: fighting midges and slugs, as well as caring for cabbage

Sowing and growing Valentina seedlings

Sow seeds to a depth of 1 cm in rows or evenly distributed over the entire area. The distance between seeds is 1–2 cm. Planting pattern for growing without picking is 5x5 cm or in individual containers. After sowing, cover the container with film and keep it at a temperature of +20… +25 °C. There are recommendations to place the seedling box in the refrigerator or keep the seeds there before germination. But we are dealing with Valentina, whose growing season is already quite long. In the refrigerator, seeds will germinate up to 10 days, in heat - 3-5 days.

Video: sowing cabbage with pre-soaking seeds

Immediately transfer the emerging seedlings for 2–3 days to a well-lit place with a temperature of +10… +15 °C. If this is not done, Valentina will stretch out and lie down. The optimal temperature for all subsequent days of the seedling period: +15... +18 °C, at night - about +10 °C. This is where the refrigerator recommendation will help. If you are growing seedlings in an apartment and you still have the heating on, then at night you can put the seedlings in the refrigerator on the bottom shelf, and in the morning they can be moved again to a bright window.

In warm weather and with a lack of light, cabbage seedlings stretch out

Keep the soil constantly moist; it is advisable to mulch it with vermiculite or coarse sand. Pick at the stage of appearance of the first true leaf. For 1–1.5 months of growing seedlings, 1–2 feedings will be required:

1. A week after picking or the appearance of the first true leaf.
2. 10 days after the first, but no later than a week before landing at a permanent place.

Use the well-known fertilizer for seedlings Fertika Lux (1 tbsp per 10 liters of water). As soon as the outside air temperature rises to +15 °C or higher, take the cabbage out into the open air. If possible, move it to a plot, greenhouse or greenhouse. Gradually accustom the seedlings to direct sunlight.

As soon as the temperature outside is favorable for cabbage, take it out into the open air.

Diseases and parasites

The cabbage variety Valentina cannot be called well resistant to various diseases and parasites. Of course, when creating Valentina cabbage, experts included a gene responsible for a high level of resistance to parasites and diseases. And it cannot be said that the vegetable is very often subject to their attacks. For example, the plant has an ideal level of resistance to blackleg, white rot, gray rot, Alternaria, and vascular bacteriosis.

The most dangerous diseases for the Valentina cabbage variety are spot necrosis, clubroot, and blossom end rot. To combat them, you need to purchase specialized chemical products in garden-themed stores, and also try popular recipes.

When the roots on cabbage leaves (not internal ones) die, the plant has blossom end rot. The spreader of this disease is the cabbage fly, namely its larvae. You can get rid of this disease using phosphate rock or tobacco dust.

If there are brown or black spots in some places on the cabbage leaves, then the plant has pitting necrosis. You can get rid of this disease with the help of potassium fertilizers.

If there are a large number of growths on the root system of cabbage, the plant has clubroot. It stops the consumption of moisture, then the growth of the plant, and then completely destroys it. The spreader of this disease is a fungus. It can land on seeds or be airborne. Unfortunately, an effective remedy has not yet been invented to treat the plant from this infection and therefore it will have to be removed and burned. Purchase an antifungal agent from a garden-themed store and disinfect the soil on which the affected plant grew.

Planting seedlings and further care

For cabbage, choose the sunniest place. The best predecessors: potatoes, cucumbers, legumes. For each square meter of bed, add 2 buckets of humus and 0.5 liters of wood ash. If the soil is acidic, then add another 300–400 g of dolomite flour. If there is a deficiency of humus, add it to the hole (1-2 handfuls) or use store-bought complex mixtures for cabbage, for example, Gumi-Omi. Valentina's planting pattern - 60x60 cm.

Humus can be applied not throughout the entire bed, but in the holes

Replant the seedlings carefully, try not to injure the roots. After all, any microcrack is an open door for pathogenic fungi. Add Fitosporin or potassium permanganate to the water for watering planted plants. Shade the cabbage for the first days after planting. If the leaves wither in the heat, pour warm water from a watering can with a strainer.

For the first 2–3 days after planting, seedlings need support in the form of frequent sprinkling and shading.

I have read many times that you should not water plants in the heat. Drops of water act as lenses, causing burns to appear on the leaves. In 20 years of my practice, there has not been a single case of burns from daytime watering. I always spray or lightly water newly planted and wilted plants several times a day, just to moisten the leaves. Plants come to life, restore turgor, and take root faster.

Cabbage bed care

Cabbage care includes:

• weeding,
• loosening the soil and hilling,
• watering,
• fertilizing

The soil around growing cabbage must be loosened and freed from weeds. To strengthen the root system, it is useful to hill up the plants, raking the soil up to the lower leaves. To prevent a crust from forming, the cabbage beds are sprinkled with chopped cut grass. Such mulch not only protects the soil from drying out, but also provides additional nutrition to the plants.

Video: some tricks for growing cabbage

Watering

Cabbage is a moisture-loving plant. Therefore, it needs to be watered frequently, every day in hot weather, especially during the period of leaf growth and head laying. Water for irrigation should be clean and cool, but not lower than 12 oC. Sprinkling works best for cabbage. Especially in hot weather, which this plant does not tolerate well. Already at temperatures above +25 oC, cabbage stops setting a head. A cool shower on hot days will help solve this problem. But you cannot use sprinkling while tying the fork. Water constantly getting between the leaves can cause various rots. Stagnation of water at the roots is also not recommended. The soil should be moist but loose. After tying and pouring the plug, watering should be limited, but not stopped if the weather is dry.

Table: fertilizers for cabbage variety Valentina F1

If you add fresh manure to the hole when planting cabbage, the cabbage will grow large, fleshy leaves, but will not set a head of cabbage at all.

Some features of caring for Valentina F1 cabbage

• To prevent the heads of cabbage from cracking due to waterlogging, you need to reduce the flow of juices from the roots to the leaves of the fork. To do this, cut off the roots with a shovel or lightly roll the head of cabbage in the ground until the characteristic crunch of bursting roots occurs;
• The lower leaves of the cabbage are not torn off, only the yellowed, dried ones, which fall off on their own, are removed;
• To prevent the formation of layers of dry or wet darkened leaves, so-called cuffs, inside the fork, it is impossible to separate the head of cabbage from the roots when harvesting during freezing, when the leaves are frozen. You need to wait for warmer weather or dig up the plant with its roots and place it in a cool place until the head of cabbage thaws completely.

Harvesting and storing Valentina cabbage

Valentine can be removed in three terms:

• For salads, borscht and other dishes - at any time when the heads of cabbage grow to the size you need.
• For long-term storage, cut before the first autumn frosts. Frozen and thawed cabbage will not be stored well and will begin to rot.
• For pickling, collect Valentina after the first frost, when its growing season ends.

To keep Valentina fresh until the next harvest, cut the heads of cabbage in sunny weather. Leave the stem 2–3 cm high. Remove all leaves except 2–3 coverts. Place the heads of cabbage, cut side up, in a clean and dry container, transfer them under a shed, to a barn or other shady, dry and ventilated place. The cabbage should lie there for 5–7 days for the cuts to dry. Wrap each head of cabbage in several layers of cling film. Store in a basement or cellar at a temperature of +2… +4 °C.

Valentina's heads of cabbage, wrapped in cling film, are stored in the cellar for 8–9 months

How to distinguish from other varieties?

1. Late ripening variety.
2. Relatively small in size.
3. The characteristic foliage color is gray-green.
4. The leaves are juicy and sweet, without bitterness.
5. Tolerates winter well.
6. Can be stored for a long time (what other varieties of cabbage can be stored for a long time?).
7. Has high productivity.
8. A clearly defined wax coating.
9. The taste of cabbage itself is sweetish.