Cabbage is a unique vegetable and a valuable dietary product that every gardener wants to see on his plot. You plant one, two or three beds of cabbage on your plot, carefully water the seedlings and hope for a rich harvest that you will reap in the coming fall.
But now your hopes are slowly but surely fading. Cabbage produces only leaves, but there is no hint of the formation of heads of cabbage. How can you avoid losing the entire harvest in this case? Why does cabbage not set heads and what should be done to avoid such a problem and help the plant bear fruit?
When cabbage leaves begin to curl into a head of cabbage - timing
The timing of head formation on a cabbage plant depends on the variety. Early (early-ripening), mid-ripening and late varieties of white cabbage are grown in household plots.
- Early varieties are intended for fresh consumption. Small heads of early ripening cabbage begin to curl 40-45 days after emergence or 15-18 days after planting seedlings in the ground.
- Mid-season varieties intended for fermentation curl their forks 60-65 days after seed germination.
- Late varieties form heads in August. Late varieties are harvested at the end of September - October; such cabbage is perfectly stored until summer.
Poor quality planting material
White cabbage very often does not set heads due to the fact that the seeds from which the plants were obtained turned out to be of low quality. The problem also appears if you buy bad seedlings. Because of this, the quality of planting material must be assessed even before it is planted in the beds.
The fact that the seeds are bad is indicated by their low germination rate. In this case, even if the seedlings obtained from them have an attractive appearance, this will not mean that the harvest will be good. Having received rare shoots, you need to replant the cabbage by purchasing seeds from another manufacturer.
When you buy ready-made cabbage seedlings, you need to choose only strong plants that have not stretched and have a healthy green color. Their leaves should be of normal density. The soil in pots with seedlings should not be too dry.
Reasons why cabbage does not set a head
Below are the most likely reasons for the absence of forks in cabbage.
Poor quality seed material
By purchasing non-certified seeds, there is a high risk of getting a weakened plant that is not able to set a head. Seeds collected from hybrid plants do not fully inherit the varietal qualities of the parent plant. What will come out of such seeds is unknown.
Old seeds that have been stored for more than 3 years may also not form forks.
Cabbage seeds should be purchased at garden centers. You should collect seed from your own plants only from varieties that fully pass on their qualities to their offspring.
Incorrect dates for planting cabbage
Late sowing of cabbage, especially late varieties, can lead to the absence of heads on the plant. They just won't have time to get started.
Depending on the climate of the region where cabbage is grown, seeds for seedlings are sown 40-45 days before planting in the ground. Seedlings are planted in the garden in May - June (before the 10th). Planting seedlings at a later date has a negative impact on the development of the plant.
Bad landing site identified
Cabbage is a light-loving crop. For planting, choose an area open to the sun, with a flat surface. Shading a cabbage bed even for several hours a day leads to weak growth of the above-ground part of the plant and the absence of a head of cabbage.
The culture needs a bed with fertile soil, with a neutral or slightly acidic reaction.
Good predecessors of white cabbage are:
- legumes (peas, beans, lentils);
- pumpkin crops (cucumbers, pumpkin, zucchini);
- potatoes and tomatoes.
Do not place cabbage after growing plants from the Cruciferous family: radish, radish, rutabaga.
If green manure is sown on the site, then mustard and colza are not placed in front of the cabbage.
Irrigation mode violation
Cabbage is a well-known “water bread” that requires regular, abundant watering. Plants especially need moisture during the period of leaf curling and the beginning of head formation. When the bush grows 9-10 leaves and a rosette begins to form in the middle, the crop is watered 3 times a week, using 5-8 liters of water for each plant.
In hot weather, a cool shower is beneficial for white cabbage. Irrigate the plants in the evening using a watering can or hose with cool water.
An excess of moisture for a crop is just as harmful as its lack. In waterlogged soil, root rot develops and plant growth slows down.
Planting density
The arrangement of cabbage plants depends on the variety and is 40 by 40 cm for early ripening varieties and 70 by 70 cm for late ripening cabbage. When planting densely, plants shade each other. The foliage reaches towards the light, it becomes smaller, the forks do not curl.
To save space in the garden, it is allowed to plant greens and bush beans in cabbage beds.
Weather
Full development of cabbage occurs in the temperature range from +15 to +25 degrees. At low temperatures, the crop stops growing until warming occurs.
Heat and dry air have a detrimental effect on the development of white cabbage. To alleviate the condition of the plant, in the evenings it is watered with cool water over the foliage. You can install a small moisture spray (snail type) on the cabbage bed to increase air humidity.
Acidic soil
In acidic soil (pH above 6.5 units), cabbage becomes infected with clubroot. The disease entails inhibition of growth, shredding of foliage, and underdevelopment of forks. The clubroot pathogen can enter the site along with soil, diseased seedlings, and humus. Swellings form on the roots of the plant, which prevent the cabbage from fully absorbing nutrients.
With normal soil acidity, clubroot develops slowly and does not cause serious harm. Reduce soil acidity by pre-planting site treatment. For 1 sq. m add 300-400 g of lime or 500 g of wood ash. Application of rotted manure, up to 7 kg per 1 sq. m normalizes the acid-alkaline balance of the soil.
Diseases and pests of cabbage
In addition to clubroot, cabbage is at risk of being affected by powdery mildew, fusarium, black spot, and vascular bacteriosis. All these diseases can destroy the plant or negatively affect the harvest.
It is necessary to regularly inspect the plantings for yellowed and dried leaves and the appearance of mold on the stump. Having discovered the first signs of the disease, the plantings are immediately treated with a broad-spectrum fungicide. In case of serious damage, the diseased plant is dug up by the roots and burned, and the soil is treated with a solution of potassium permanganate or phytosporin.
Cabbage is seriously damaged by harmful insects: cruciferous flea beetle, bugs, slugs, moths. Even at the stage of planting seedlings, the flea beetle can seriously damage the leaves of the plant and the growth bud. In this case, the cabbage not only slows down its growth, but also loses its ability to curl the head of cabbage due to damage to the core.
Read more in the article: Cruciferous flea beetles on cabbage, how to treat them
Read more in the article: Slugs on cabbage, how to deal with them
If the cabbage plants have holes in the leaves, cobwebs, and insects can be found on the foliage, it’s time to treat the plantings with insecticidal preparations: Inta Vir, Aktara, Aktellik. You should observe the waiting period and do not apply treatment later than 2 weeks before harvesting.
The following are used as traditional pest control methods:
- dusting cabbage with tobacco dust, dry mustard, red pepper powder;
- spraying with infusion of garlic or wormwood;
- planting calendula and marigolds in a cabbage bed.
Signs of absence of ovary
Cabbage is an unpretentious vegetable, but this does not mean that it does not need proper care. Heads of cabbage do not set well if basic requirements are not met. When a full-fledged head of cabbage does not form in the middle of young seedlings, it is important to understand the reason. Sometimes, instead of a head of cabbage, the vegetable forms only a rosette of leaves, and sometimes you can notice a dried or rotten heart or a couple of loose ovaries.
In the open ground
The plant is vulnerable and requires attention and care. It is important to choose the right site for planting; the quality of the future harvest depends on this. It is important to follow the information on sowing seeds and caring for seedlings. It is important to monitor the density; it causes the absence of ovaries, since the plantings shade each other . In open areas, it is important to consider the proximity to other crops. Does not tolerate lack of crop rotation.
In greenhouse conditions
When cultivating in greenhouse conditions, seedlings are first grown, the quality of which will determine the success of the harvest. Next, the seedlings are transferred to the greenhouse. One of the main care requirements is maintaining the temperature regime; it is important not to overheat the plant. Another requirement is maintaining the required level of humidity.
The soil should be moist, but not allow moisture to stagnate. Timely nutrition with nitrogen and potassium also contributes to the timely setting of heads of cabbage. In a greenhouse, sufficient lighting must be provided, since this vegetable is a light-loving plant.
How to feed cabbage to make heads of cabbage set
In order for white cabbage to please with dense, weighty forks, the crop must be placed on humus-rich soil and fertilized 2-4 times during the season. The exact amount of fertilizing depends on the degree of fertility of the site. On fertile loams and black soils, it is enough to feed the cabbage twice; on poor sandy lands, fertilizing is carried out 3-4 times. Late varieties require more nutrition than early ripening cabbage, as they form larger heads of cabbage.
Folk remedies
Opponents of mineral fertilizers use manure, compost, and wood ash to fertilize cabbage.
The first fertilizing is carried out 10-14 days after planting the seedlings in the garden. At this time, the plant is actively growing its leaf apparatus and especially needs nitrogen. This element is found in manure, chicken droppings and compost.
Apply fertilizer in the form of an aqueous solution in the following proportions:
- 1.5 kg of cow manure is infused in 10 liters of water for several days; before watering the cabbage, the infusion is diluted by half with water;
- 1 kg of chicken manure is infused for 2-3 days in a bucket of water; before watering, 8-9 liters of clean water are added to 1 liter of fertilizer.
Mature compost from plant residues and food waste is used to mulch the cabbage bed, using 5-7 kg of fertilizer per 1 square meter. m.
Important! It is necessary to water the cabbage with fertilizer after watering with clean water so that the nutrient solution reaches the moist soil. It is better not to get fertilizer on the leaves.
Often gardeners use an extract from vermicompost, purchased in a store or prepared independently. To do this, the humus produced by California worms is dissolved in warm water (1 kg per 5 liters of water) and left for 12 hours. The resulting infusion is used to feed the cabbage, using 1 liter for each plant.
The second feeding of cabbage plants is offered when the heads of cabbage begin to curl. At this time, the plant needs a complex of phosphorus and potassium. The natural carrier of these elements is wood ash. They take only ashes from burning wood or grass, hay, straw. These products contain no toxic substances to plants.
You can simply sprinkle the cabbage bed with ash, using 2 cups per 1 square meter. m. After light loosening, water the cabbage. The ash dissolves and penetrates to the roots of the plant.
Another feeding option is to prepare an ash infusion. 0.5 kg of ash is poured into 3 liters of warm water and left for 2 days. Then the infusion is passed through a sieve and poured over the cabbage.
One of the effective methods of feeding cabbage during the filling period is feeding with yeast or grain fertilizer. 10 g of yeast or 1 kg of crackers are infused in a bucket of warm water for about a day. The resulting solution is poured under each plant, 0.5 liters.
Ready-made drugs
Ready-made mixtures of mineral fertilizers specifically designed for white cabbage are available for gardeners. They contain the main elements: nitrogen, potassium and phosphorus, in a combination optimal for the crop. They are often supplemented with microelements.
The following fertilizers for feeding are popular among gardeners:
- OMU (Buy fertilizers);
- Hello;
- Agricola.
The packaging of the preparations contains detailed instructions and dosage for dissolving the fertilizer in water. It must be strictly followed.
The following fertilizers are often used: superphosphate, nitrophoska, urea, saltpeter. Urea or carbamide is used at the stage of active foliage growth, in early summer. To prepare the working solution, 1 tbsp. a spoonful of the drug is dissolved in 10 liters of water. Azophoska can be used in the same concentration.
During the fork formation phase, the cabbage is fed with a mixture of superphosphate and potassium sulfate, taking 40 g and 20 g of powder, respectively, per 10 liters of water. Sometimes nitrophoska is used in the amount of 2 tbsp. spoons (without a slide) per 10 liters of water.
Many gardeners speak positively about the preparation "Ovary" , which is recommended to spray cabbage during the period of curling the leaves into a head of cabbage. The drug promotes better formation of forks.
Irrigation mode violation
Incorrect watering - too little or, conversely, too much - leads to the fact that the ovary does not develop. When there is little rain, and there is no watering, and the soil dries out greatly, the cabbage weakens and cannot lay a head of cabbage. At the same time, if there is too much water in the soil, then the plant also does not set its forks. Because of this, it is very difficult to grow crops in areas with close groundwater.
Normally, plants need to be watered 2 times a week, and if the weather is dry, then 3-4 times. It is especially important that the vegetable receives a sufficient amount of water during the period of ovary formation.
How to speed up head setting
An old grandfather's trick aimed at speeding up the setting of a head of cabbage. When the cabbage plant has grown at least 12 leaves, several rosette leaves are collected into a “bouquet” and tied into a bundle with rag tape or a soft elastic band. This operation encourages the plant to form forks more quickly. The method is troublesome and is not suitable for large cabbage plantations, but it is effective in a personal garden with several dozen plants.
Adviсe
By following tips and recommendations for growing vegetables, you can achieve not only high-quality formation of a head of cabbage, but also get a decent harvest of cabbage.
- When planting cabbage seedlings, add 15 g to each planting hole: superphosphate, urea, potassium chloride.
- Starting from mid-July, stop fertilizing with nitrogen, as this substance will only promote foliage growth, inhibiting the process of head formation.
- In rainy summers, you should tear off some of the lower leaves of the cabbage. This method will promote good air circulation in the root zone of the plant and help the formation of the fruit.
Incorrect planting dates
An error in planting time can completely destroy the harvest. Early varieties must be planted strictly before March 10, otherwise there is a very high risk that, even with proper care, the ovary will not form. Mid-ripening and late-ripening varieties should be sown between March 25 and April 25.
Also, a gardener can use the following rule when planting cabbage seedlings - the seeds must be sown no later than 60 and no earlier than 65 days before the seedlings are planted in a permanent place.
It is no longer possible to correct the situation if the cabbage planting time is incorrect. It will not be possible to force the plant to plant forks, and the harvest will be minimal.
Bad landing site
Cabbage is one of the garden crops that are picky about where it is planted. Because of this, if the wrong area is chosen for the garden bed, you may not get a harvest. The plant should not be planted in the shade, in drafts or completely unventilated areas. The soil needs loamy, light soil.
Also, when choosing a place for planting, it is necessary to observe crop rotation. It is best to plant cabbage after the following crops:
If the seedlings are already growing in an unsuccessful area and it is too late to replant them, then it is worth trying to correct the situation with fertilizing. They are added regularly during watering. The use of mineral compositions gives good results. The main thing is not to overfeed the plant.
Acidic soil
Acidic soil is not suitable for planting heads of cabbage. On it, cabbage easily gets sick and cannot bear fruit normally. As a result, there is deterioration in growth, shredding of leaves and the appearance of underdeveloped forks. The roots of a plant in acidic soil are deformed, which does not allow it to fully absorb the substances necessary for development. This is especially noticeable in the middle of cabbage growth.
To reduce the acidity of the area, it must be treated before planting seedlings. For this purpose, lime is added to the soil in an amount of 300 g per 1 square meter. Also, to normalize the acid-base balance, you can add rotted horse manure to the soil - 7 kg per 1 square meter. This will also serve as plant food.
