Planting Chinese cabbage: seeds, seedlings, stalks

Chinese cabbage was common in Asian countries until the 70s of the last century. Now, after the breeding of early ripening and productive hybrids, its cultivation is experiencing an unprecedented rise. Beijing is actively grown, both on an industrial scale and in personal gardens. This unpretentious plant grows well and quickly. Considering the characteristics of the crop, you can get two harvests per season. It is important to know the small secrets and problems of the vegetable, and keep them in mind when planting and growing.

• 2 What kind of soil does Chinese cabbage like?
• 3 Planting dates

  3.1 Video: about the timing of planting Chinese cabbage

Features of Chinese cabbage and the main methods of sowing it

Chinese cabbage, like other members of the cabbage family, is a long-day plant. This means that for fruiting (seed ripening) the crop needs daylight hours longer than 13 hours. If its duration is 12 hours or less, then the plant will not concentrate on reproduction, but the growth of leaves and ovaries will be active.

If, when growing Chinese cabbage, all work is carried out according to the rules, then the harvest will be early and rich.

Since Chinese cabbage is primarily grown for its leaves and heads, this feature of the crop should be taken into account when choosing a method of growing and sowing. There are two main ways to grow Pekinka:

• seeds;
• seedlings.

Note! Not everyone knows that if you buy a head of Chinese cabbage in a store, you can not only eat it, but also grow a new plant from it.

Seeds, seedlings and cabbage stalks can be planted both in open ground and in protected ground. Let's look at all the methods and rules for sowing crops, talk about their features and advantages.

Varieties of Chinese cabbage for growing at home

Like any crop, types of petsai differ in terms of ripening. There are varieties:

• Early ripening;
• Mid-season;
• Late ripening.

Depending on the time of harvest, certain rules are followed when growing crops.

To make the right choice, you need to familiarize yourself with the distinctive characteristics of the variety.

Early ripening

Mid-season

Late ripening

An important criterion when choosing a variety is its resistance to bolting. When the temperature drops, the "Peking" shoots shoots and blooms, which significantly reduces the yield.

Of the modern varieties, the hybrids that best resist bolting are:

• Custar F1;
• Optico F1;
• Victoria F1;
• Gilton F1;
• Miraco F1.

The second parameter that requires attention is the method of use. If the variety is intended for fresh use, then it will not be possible to store it. It must be recycled immediately.

Hybrids with good shelf life can be stored for several months in a prepared room.

What kind of soil does Chinese cabbage like?

When preparing the soil for growing vegetables, you need to take into account the following preferences:

• neutral soil acidity. Therefore, when digging up a plot in the autumn, you need to lime the soil and add dolomite flour or fluff lime to it;
• good breathability and looseness;
• fertility. When preparing the soil for each square. meter you need to add a bucket of humus. It is recommended to add wood ash immediately before planting.

Important! Fertilizers to feed the plant must be applied before planting. Chinese cabbage has the ability to accumulate nitrates, so the use of mineral fertilizers for its cultivation is not recommended.

The introduction of humus significantly improves the quality of the soil cover on the site

If we talk about the type of soil, the most suitable for growing Pekinka is loam. When choosing a site, be sure to take into account the height of the groundwater. If there is too much moisture, the roots of the plant may rot. In addition, the soil under the influence of moisture will become intensely supercooled or overheated, which is very undesirable for the crop.

Loose soil is used to grow seedlings. Preference can be given to coconut substrate, in which selected and healthy Chinese cabbage seedlings grow. It is advisable to mix the substrate with humus in a 2:1 ratio. To improve the nutritional value of the mixture and its liming, add a glass of ash to the bucket of soil mixture.

The composition of the coconut substrate includes dried and crushed remains of the surface of the coconut, which give the mixture looseness, breathability, and have a drainage effect

Note! Comfortable soil can be obtained by mixing turf soil with peat (1:1). The mixture will be loose and nutritious.

Diseases and pests of lettuce

Chinese cabbage, like other cruciferous vegetables, can be affected by various diseases and pests during the growing season.

First, let's get acquainted with the main diseases of this vegetable:

1. Blackleg affects emerging sprouts of cabbage seedlings. The main symptom of the disease is blackening and narrowing of the crop stem, which makes it difficult for nutrients to reach the leaves and causes plant death. To prevent the development of blackleg, you need to disinfect the soil and seed material and follow the rules for caring for seedlings. The development of this disease is promoted by low temperatures and high air humidity, as well as dense plantings of young plants.
2. A bacterial disease of clubroot causes thickening to appear on the root system of cabbage. As a result of this effect, the cells become deformed and do not allow nutrients to pass through easily. The affected plant turns yellow and begins to dry out. The development of the disease is facilitated by high soil moisture and low-quality seeds, as well as acidic soil. To prevent the development of the disease, before planting seedlings, the soil is calcined in the oven and then spilled with a solution of potassium permanganate. Wood ash or lime is additionally added to acidic soil.
3. The fungal disease gray mold affects the aboveground part of the crop during the period of fruit ripening or during storage. Symptoms of the disease are the appearance of brown spots on cabbage leaves. After some time, a grayish coating forms on the affected areas. Spraying the plantings with fungicides, for example, Amistar, will help defeat the disease.

Among the pests that affect Chinese cabbage are:

1. Small bugs, fleas. These insects jump on the leaves and suck the juices out of the plant, which leads to slow wilting and stunting of the crop. Flea beetles are especially dangerous for young cabbage with tender leaves. These parasites must be eliminated immediately at the first sign of their presence. To spray plantings, you can use preparations such as Karate or Decis.
2. The cabbage cutworm parasitizes plants in the form of a caterpillar. At first the larvae are yellow, then their color changes to green. Caterpillars live on the outside of leaves and chew them until holes appear. As a result of the vital activity of parasites, excrement appears on the cabbage, which provokes the appearance of putrefactive areas. The crops are processed from May to June, using chemicals such as Festal, Karate, Decis. Cabbage cutworm pupae overwinter in the upper layers of the soil. To destroy them, deep autumn plowing of the bed is necessary.

Chinese cabbage is considered a fairly demanding plant to care for. To get such vegetables you need to have basic knowledge of growing them. Put our tips into practice and you will get a good harvest of Chinese cabbage.

Landing dates

To obtain high-quality greens and heads of Chinese cabbage, you need a short daylight hours, so the best time to plant the crop is early spring (second decade of April) and the last months of summer. Sowing the crop at the specified time will help to avoid the main problem - bolting of the plant.

Chinese cabbage is a fast-ripening vegetable, but it also has varieties with early (40–55 days), medium (55–60 days) and late (60–80 days) ripening periods. When determining the time of planting a crop, it is necessary to take into account the characteristics of the selected variety: early varieties are preferable for spring sowing, and late varieties are preferable for autumn sowing.

Helpful information! New varieties of Chinese cabbage of Dutch selection are resistant to bolting.

To get an early harvest, you need to opt for the seedling growing method. Seeds for seedlings are planted 25–30 days before the possible date of planting the plant in open ground or a greenhouse, that is, in mid-March for early heads of cabbage or after June 15 for autumn harvest in open ground. For subsequent planting of seedlings in a greenhouse, sowing seeds for seedlings can be organized even earlier - in mid-February, so that the seedlings can be planted in the ground in the second half of March.

With the seedless growing method, the first sowing of seeds can be carried out in well-warmed soil. For the middle zone, this is the end of April or the beginning of May, and the second sowing is organized from the 20th of July to the 10th of August.

Video: about the timing of planting Chinese cabbage

Harvesting and storing cabbage

The crop tolerates cold quite well; summer harvesting is possible in October at a temperature of +2... +3 oC. The crop can survive frost, but do not delay harvesting if there is excessive rainfall for the season.

Harvesting begins after the fruit has hardened - the head of cabbage becomes dense and the required time has passed according to the sowing calendar. The fruits are harvested by cutting.

Like any cabbage crop, the Beijing variety does not like excessive moisture during storage. It should not exceed 80-85%. Summer sowing lasts longer than spring sowing; you can simply wrap it in cling film and put it in the refrigerator. Early harvests are best eaten fresh.

Preparation of seed material

Chinese cabbage seeds do not require special pre-sowing treatment. They can be planted directly into the ground. If you are unsure of the quality of the seeds, you can check them for germination. To do this, the seeds are placed between layers of moistened cloth and gauze and placed in a warm place. If the seed is of high quality, then within 3–4 days sprouts will begin to appear. Such seeds can be immediately planted in prepared containers.

Note! If necessary, antifungal preventive treatment of seeds can be carried out. To do this, they are kept in hot water for 15 minutes (+48–50 degrees), and then placed in cold water for 2 minutes. Seeds treated in this way should be dried before planting.

When using self-collected seeds, they should be carefully sorted and sorted.

Basic rules for planting Chinese cabbage in autumn (before winter)

Chinese cabbage is planted in the soil not only in spring, but also in autumn . The main condition is the correct choice of seeds. Mid-season and late varieties tolerate winter cold best.

Seeds are planted in the soil when stable cold has set in and there is no danger of premature seedlings. The soil is prepared in advance. The ridge is dug up with a shovel full and the same fertilizers are applied to the soil as when planting in the spring.

Then make grooves 2-5 cm deep and cover the bed with thick plastic film . When stable cold weather sets in, the seeds are placed in holes, covered with soil and compacted well.

Important! Before autumn planting, the seeds are not treated with growth stimulants and are not soaked.

In spring, seedlings must be protected from frost using special covering material or greenhouse film. After the plants get stronger, they are thinned out.

As additional protection, Chinese cabbage plantings are mulched with straw, hay or sawdust.

Sowing seeds in the ground

Spring sowing of seeds directly into the ground can be done in the southern regions. In the average climatic zone, favorable weather for sowing will not arrive until May, and with this period the growing season will fall into long daylight hours, and it will be difficult to avoid bolting of the plant. If a seedless cultivation method is possible, preferably narrow ridges are prepared and seeds are planted in them in the following ways:

1. Tape-line, in which wide distances are provided between the tapes (about 50 cm) and narrower ones between the lines (about 30 cm). Sowing of seeds is carried out densely, as thinning will be carried out in the future.
2. Group planting in holes, which are made at a distance of 25–30 cm from each other. Place 2-3 seeds in each hole.

Before sowing, it is recommended to mix Chinese cabbage seeds with sand and moisten the soil in the furrows.

It is recommended to bury peking seeds no more than 2 cm. After filling the seeds with soil, the ridges should be pollinated with wood ash. This is an effective way to protect future seedlings from the cruciferous flea beetle. Shoots will appear 4–7 days after sowing.

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As soon as 1–2 true leaves form on them, the first thinning is carried out. When choosing the strip-line growing method, first leave about 10 cm between the plants, and when closing, carry out a second thinning and leave the plants at a distance of 25–30 cm from each other. When planting in holes, immediately after the true leaves appear, one seedling is left in each hole, and the rest are plucked out.

You need to thin out the sprouts after the second leaf grows, removing the weakest plants from the group

Seedling care

After the first shoots appear, the seedlings are moved to a well-lit windowsill. At this stage of development, the room temperature must be maintained at +7...+8 degrees. A loggia or glazed balcony is best suited for this.

Further care of the seedlings consists of periodic watering with warm, settled water. The soil should be moistened as the top layer of the nutrient substrate dries. After carrying out these procedures, it is necessary to carefully loosen the soil, which will prevent moisture stagnation.

When the seedlings have two or three true leaves in the pot, leave one of the healthiest plants and pinch out the rest.

Dive

We have already said earlier that Chinese cabbage seedlings do not tolerate transplantation well, so the seeds are sown immediately in separate containers. This allows you to bypass the dive process.

Planting seedlings in open ground

Chinese cabbage seedlings can be planted in open ground at the age of 3 weeks, provided that by this time the seedlings have at least 5 true leaves. It is recommended to harden off the seedlings before planting. About a week before planting, they begin to take it out into the fresh air: first for several hours, gradually increasing the stay time. 2–3 days before planting, stop watering the seedlings and water the plants only at the time of transplanting into the ground.

For seedlings, prepare holes at a distance of 25–30 cm from each other, fertilize them with humus and ash, and moisten them. If necessary, the seedlings are carefully removed from the planting container and placed in the hole so that all the leaves are above the surface of the ground.

Chinese cabbage seedlings are very tender and fragile, so they should be planted carefully

After planting, it is advisable to cover the seedlings with film or spunbond in order to:

• protect seedlings from lower night temperatures;
• shade from the sun;
• protect the roots from excess moisture during the rainy season;
• protect seedlings from pests.

Covering the bed with film or agrofibre will provide additional protection for seedlings from pests and weather disasters

Video: planting Chinese cabbage seedlings in open ground

Features of care

There are no special cultural requirements for care. It is important for the plant to follow basic rules:

• Regular watering;
• Weeding and loosening;

• Feeding;
• Prevention from diseases and pests.

The only subtlety that distinguishes cabbage seedlings from other species is the need to regularly loosen the soil after watering. Optimally – once a week. Loosening should be done carefully, trying not to damage the delicate roots.

Watering

Peking cabbage is watered when the top layer of soil dries.
Watering should be regular and plentiful. But, it is necessary to take into account that plants do not tolerate waterlogging. Settled warm water is used for irrigation, and the best time for the procedure is considered to be early morning or evening.

For Chinese cabbage, root watering and additional sprinkling are recommended. It is good to use a spray bottle in the irrigation room. Spraying allows the Peking plant to receive moisture through the leaf blades, which increases their juiciness.

Top dressing

If the petsai is grown on a windowsill in nutritious soil, then regular feeding of the plants is not required.
The crop is early ripening, so it does not have time to use all the nutrients contained in the soil during growth. But this is provided that the next batch of seeds is sown in new soil. If the seedlings look weak, then fertilize them with mineral complexes. Dilute fertilizers according to the instructions, reducing the concentration by half. Organic natural elements are better, because cabbage is prone to the accumulation of harmful substances. Therefore, it is better to find formulations with natural ingredients or replace the primer.

Foliar spraying with a solution of boric acid is also useful for lettuce. To prepare the composition, 2 g of powder is dissolved in 1 liter of hot water and additionally diluted with 9 liters of cold water. Spray the plants from a spray bottle onto the leaves.

Temperature

Chinese cabbage is a frost-resistant plant. Plants can easily withstand ambient temperatures of -4°C. The most comfortable temperature for the development of “Beijing” is considered to be +20°С…+22°С.

Particular attention should be paid to the temperature regime when growing cabbage indoors. The room is constantly maintained at +15°С…+20°С. Increasing heat leads to the formation of flower stalks and coarsening of the leaves of Chinese cabbage. In addition to temperature, it is necessary to maintain optimal air humidity. It is 75%-80%. The stability of important indicators is ensured by regular ventilation and adherence to the watering schedule.

Treatment against pests and diseases

Chinese cabbage contains a complex of essential oils, so many pests avoid the plant. But you should carefully inspect the pots in order to notice the problem in time. For the “Peking”, the flea beetle and cabbage moth, cutworm, secretive proboscis, wireworm, slugs and cruciferous flea beetle are dangerous. When cultivated on a windowsill, pests can get onto cabbage from the soil if it is not prepared correctly for sowing. The second factor is nearby growing plants.

Cabbage moth caterpillar

Cruciferous flea beetle

Secretive Proboscis

Wavy flea beetle

Cutworm

Slug

Wireworm

Diseases that affect Chinese cabbage are blackleg (especially at the seedling stage), Fusarium wilt, mosaic, Alternaria, black ring spot and downy mildew.

Fusarium wilt

Blackleg

Mosaic

Black ring spot

To protect your petsai from diseases and pests, preventive measures or folk remedies are required - wood ash, mustard powder or salt. Substances are sprinkled on the soil around the plant.

The most effective way is considered to be careful adherence to agricultural techniques for growing Chinese cabbage at home. Proper watering is especially important.

Features of planting cabbage in protected soil

A vegetable will feel great in a greenhouse if you can create a comfortable temperature for it (no higher than +20 degrees) and humidity (around 70–80%). The process of planting seeds or seedlings of Pekinka in a greenhouse does not differ from the process of planting in open ground. The only difference is the landing time, which we discussed above.

Note! Planting Chinese cabbage in protected ground will allow you to harvest the vegetable several weeks earlier than in open ground.

Video: autumn sowing of Chinese cabbage in a greenhouse

Tips for growing Chinese cabbage at home

For those who have decided to start growing Chinese cabbage at home for the first time, some recommendations will be useful:

1. Thickened planting of lettuce allows you to save space. When the plants have 9-10 leaves, they are thinned out one at a time. Rejected specimens are used for food.
2. In summer, when it is very hot, cabbage is sown on the balcony or loggia. Agricultural technology, like on a windowsill.
3. To limit the length of daylight in summer, place cabbage plantings on window sills on the north or east side of the room. In winter, it is better to plant cabbage on a south-facing window.
4. Plant marigolds in large containers around the perimeter to improve the soil health and repel pests.

By following simple rules, you can get an environmentally friendly harvest of Chinese cabbage at home.

How to plant Chinese cabbage from a stalk

Beijing cabbage is so life-loving that it can please you with a harvest even from its stalk. Moreover, the technology for obtaining such a harvest is very simple. To plant the stalk you need to prepare:

• a deep container that will fit the bottom of a head of Chinese cabbage;
• nutritious, loose soil. This can be a mixture of turf soil with peat or sand in equal proportions;
• a pot for planting, which will be slightly larger in size than the bottom of the head of cabbage;
• dark package;
• sharp knife;
• the head of Chinese cabbage itself.

The bottom of almost any dense head of Chinese cabbage is suitable for growing green leaf mass.

Note! The selected head of cabbage should not show signs of disease: spots, specks and other symptoms of future decay.

The planting process consists of the following steps:

1. Separate the bottom of the head of cabbage. The cut piece must be at least 6 cm. This is the starting material for growing greenery and the future head of cabbage.
2. Fill the container with water and place the lower part of the stalk in it.

   Only the bottom of the stalk should be immersed in water

3. Place the vessel in a cool room. High temperatures will inhibit the growth of the stalk. The best place for it is a north-facing window sill or a closed balcony, if it maintains above-zero temperatures.

Literally in a day or two, roots will appear at the bottom of the bottom, followed by green leaves. They can be picked almost immediately and eaten.

Important! A planted stalk quickly produces a flower arrow. It must be removed. If you allow it to develop, the greens will become coarse and tasteless.

To grow greens, the stalk can be left in a container with water. If you want to grow a head of cabbage, then the bottom with the emerging roots is transplanted into a container with soil. This is done carefully, since the roots of Chinese cabbage are tender and brittle. Therefore, the stalk with roots is first placed in a container, and then sprinkled with earth so that only the roots are covered with the soil mixture, and the entire upper part of the stalk is above the ground.

About a week later, after a sufficient number of roots have appeared, the stalk can be planted in the prepared soil mixture

Note! When growing in a pot, it is not always possible to achieve good results. A greater percentage of guarantee of obtaining a head of cabbage is provided by transplanting the stalk into open ground.

The planted plant is not watered for some time and watering is resumed after it begins to produce new green leaves. A growing stalk can have its daylight hours artificially shortened. To do this, it is recommended to cover the plant with a dark bag for 12–13 hours a day.

Important! Provided there is a short daylight hours and the temperature regime is observed (no higher than +18 degrees), after 40–45 days you can get a head of Chinese cabbage. Most likely it will not be very dense, but its weight can reach 1 kg.

You can also plant Chinese cabbage from the stalk to obtain seeds. To do this, the flower shoot that the plant produces is not broken off, but allowed to ripen. After some time, you will be able to collect the seeds and use them for planting in your garden.

The seeds can be allowed to ripen and then sown in open ground or a greenhouse

Video: growing Chinese cabbage from a stalk on a windowsill

Chinese cabbage: pests and their control

The main pests are slugs, aphids and cruciferous flea beetles. In the case of this crop, the use of pesticides is not recommended. The main protection of Chinese cabbage from pests is as follows:

• Compliance with crop rotation - you cannot plant the variety in soil where cruciferous crops previously grew;
• planting seeds at certain times of the year;
• the use of the mentioned shelters;
• sprinkling the soil with ash or its mixture with pepper, which together kills pests;
• joint planting - often slugs do not touch the crop if garlic and cucumbers grow nearby;
• loosening the soil for the winter kills most of the slug larvae.

With proper planting and care, you can keep the crop healthy. It should be noted that it is necessary to get rid of pests en masse - to cultivate the entire land, including adjacent areas. This will prevent problems from recurring.

Features of growing seedlings

The seedling method has a number of advantages, in particular – shorter harvest ripening times.

Cabbage tolerates cold conditions well: already at a temperature of 4ºC the seeds begin to germinate. For full growth and formation of heads of cabbage, a higher temperature is required - 15-20ºC. If the air warms up above 25ºC, with long daylight hours, the plants throw out arrows with inflorescences, which deteriorates the quality of the leaf part.

When growing seedlings, it is useful to know the following rules:

1. Cabbage seedlings can hardly tolerate picking. Therefore, for its cultivation, it is advisable to prepare not general containers, but pots (preferably peat or tablets) - they will make the transplanting process less painful.
2. Containers with seeds are placed in a warm place, protected from light until germination.
3. After germination of the crops, the containers are transferred to a lighted place. At this stage, seedlings need cool conditions - the air temperature should not exceed 7-8ºC. You can keep it on a glassed-in balcony.
4. The crops are watered with settled water at room temperature when the top layer of soil dries out a little. If a crust forms on the surface, carefully loosen it.
5. If, when sowing, two or three seeds were placed in pots (for greater reliability), then after two or three true leaves appear at the seedlings, the strongest ones are left in the containers. The rest are carefully plucked out, trying not to touch the roots of the remaining sprouts.