Cabbage: planting and care in open ground, cultivation, diseases, pests

Author: Elena N. https://floristics.info/ru/index.php?option=com_contact&view=contact&id=19 Category: Garden plants Published: December 23, 2015Last edits: January 06, 2021

Cabbage (lat. Brassica) is a genus of plants in the Brassica (Cruciferous) family, which includes such well-known cultivated plants as cabbage, turnips, radishes, turnips, rutabaga and mustard. About 50 species of the genus are known, distributed in Central Europe, the Mediterranean, East and Central Asia. Only species exported from Europe grow in America. Cabbage was grown for food by the ancient Egyptians, Greeks and Romans; it began to feed humanity 4,000 years ago. Cabbage was brought to our territory from Western Europe by merchants during the heyday of Kievan Rus - in the 13th century, and by the 18th century it had already become so firmly established in Russian life that a tradition was formed after the Orthodox holiday. Exaltation, which is celebrated on September 27, collectively prepared cabbage for the winter - it was chopped and salted, and at the same time, for two weeks, cheerful folk games were held, which were called kasputniki. In the 19th century, the prominent Russian vegetable grower Rytov was able to name 22 varieties of cabbage.

Planting and caring for cabbage

• Planting: seedlings of early varieties are sown from the beginning of March until the third ten days of the month, mid-season varieties - during the month from March 25, late varieties - from the beginning of April until the third ten days of the month. Transplanting seedlings into open ground - after 45-50 days.
• Lighting: bright sun from morning to evening.
• Soil: for early combs – loamy and sandy, for mid-season and late combs – loam and clay. Hydrogen index 6.0-7.0 pH.
• Predecessors: It is not advisable to grow after cruciferous crops.
• Watering: after planting in the ground, the seedlings are watered every evening for a week. Subsequently, watering is carried out in the evening or in cloudy weather once every 5-7 days, and in hot weather and drought - every 2-3 days.
• Hilling up: three weeks after planting, then another 10 days.
• Mulching: a layer of peat mulch up to 5 cm thick is recommended.
• Feeding: three feedings with complete mineral fertilizer during the seedling period, then with ammonium nitrate when the leaves begin to grow, the last one - at the moment when the leaves begin to curl into a head of cabbage.
• Reproduction: seedlings from seeds.
• Pests: aphids, caterpillars, slugs and snails, cruciferous bugs and flea beetles, cabbage leaf beetles and secretive proboscis.
• Diseases: clubroot, black leg, downy mildew, fusarium, rhizoctonia, white and gray rot.

Read more about growing cabbage below.

Features of planting cabbage

Cabbage is a rather capricious crop and each variety has its own characteristics. Therefore, when choosing a variety, the climatic conditions of a particular region must be taken into account, and when planting and cultivating, all agrotechnical requirements must be taken into account.

Choosing the type and suitable variety

Cabbage is classified not only by type (white cabbage, Chinese cabbage, cauliflower, etc.), but also by ripening time from the moment of planting. Depending on this characteristic, the vegetable crop may be as follows:

• early ripening – up to 60 days ;
• mid-season - up to 130 days ;
• late ripening - up to 160 days .

The TOP 5 varieties of early ripening white cabbage include:

• Rinda F1 – resistance to cool conditions, unpretentiousness, good taste, average head size;
• Tobia F1 – not prone to over-ripening, can be stored for up to 2 months, head weight 3.5 kg, high yield;
• Cossack F1 - excellent taste, head weight 1.5 kg, no tendency to overripe and crack, resistance to low temperatures and various diseases;
• June - excellent taste, weight 3 kg, suitable for growing both in open ground and under film;
• Zolotovorotskaya – weight about 2 kg, resistance to cracking, excellent taste.

TOP 5 varieties mid-season cabbage:

• Revenge - yield up to 600 c/ha, resistance to diseases and pest attacks, high taste, good shelf life, high content of vitamins and minerals;
• Slava 1305 - unpretentiousness, resistance to drought and low temperatures, yield 400 c/ha, can be stored for up to 90 days;
• Gift – excellent taste, resistance to adverse climatic conditions, weight up to 5 kg, shelf life up to 5 months;
• Menza F1 – high commercial and taste qualities, weight up to 8 kg, good keeping quality, resistance to drought and cracking;
• Merchant's Wife - good taste, resistance to disease, unpretentiousness, weight 3.5 kg, high yield.

TOP 5 late-ripening varieties:

• Mara - weight up to 4.5 kg, yield 10 kg/m2, high taste and shelf life, non-cracking, good immunity to various types of rot;
• Moscow late - resistance to low temperatures (down to -10ºС), can be stored until next summer, weight about 5 kg, excellent taste;
• Snow White - unpretentiousness to growing conditions, non-susceptibility to mucous bacteriosis during storage, increased juiciness, high content of vitamins, good shelf life (up to 8 months), transportability, weight up to 4.5 kg;
• Kolobok - excellent taste, weight up to 5 kg, immunity to all types of rot, non-susceptibility to cracking;
• Langedeyker - resistance to most diseases, good taste, high shelf life and transportability, weight up to 5 kg, ability to withstand heat and drought.

Important! The ripening period of the variety determines the date of its planting.

When choosing a variety, you need to start from the purpose for which you plan to use the future harvest. Heads of early varieties are characterized by medium density and are not suitable for long-term storage. As a rule, they are used for summer consumption. Mid-season varieties are optimal for preparing summer salads and for pickling for the winter, late varieties are suitable for long-term fresh storage.

Growing methods

There are two methods of cultivating cabbage: seedlings and seeds. Each of them has its pros and cons.

The advantage of seedless technology is the following:

1. Cabbage becomes resistant to cool conditions and temperature changes. This is due to the ability of seeds to germinate at +5ºС, while for planting seedlings an indicator of +12+15ºС is required.
2. The crop tolerates better not only low temperatures, but also dry conditions.
3. Vegetables grown from seeds are less susceptible to various diseases.
4. The root system that is not damaged during replanting develops much better, which allows it to easily extract moisture and nutrients from deeper layers of the soil. In this case, the frequency of watering is reduced.
5. Without replanting, cabbage is not exposed to stress, which has a beneficial effect on its growth.

The disadvantages of the seedless method include:

1. High consumption of seeds: some seeds do not germinate because they are destroyed by pests.
2. Increased vulnerability of seedlings to attacks by harmful insects.
3. The need to cover beds in regions with cold climates.

Important! In the central part of Russia, only varieties with early or medium ripening can be grown with seeds, since late crops will not have time to ripen before the first frost.

In the southern territories, seeds of late-ripening varieties are also sown in the ground.

Growing cabbage in seedlings has several significant advantages:

1. Obtaining a high-quality harvest of cabbages that meet all market criteria.
2. Saving seeds, which is especially important when planting hybrids.
3. Reduction of the growing season after planting in the exhaust zone by approximately 20-30 days.

Important! Planting some hybrids with early or late ripening is possible only by growing seedlings.

The disadvantage of this technology is the need to harden the seedlings and the relatively labor-intensive process associated with caring for them before transplanting into open ground.

Botanical description

The agricultural crop cabbage (lat. Brassica oleracea) is a biennial plant with a tall leafy stem, bare gray or bluish-green leaves. The lower fleshy, large, petiolate, lyre-pinnately dissected leaves, adjacent to each other, form a rosette - a head of cabbage around the stem, the upper leaves are oblong, sessile. Large flowers form a multi-flowered raceme. Cabbage seeds are also large, dark brown, spherical, about 2 mm long.

Cabbage contains mineral salts of calcium, potassium, sulfur and phosphorus, fiber, enzymes, phytoncides, fats, vitamins A, B1, B6, K, C, P, U and others. According to some scientists, cabbage comes from the Colchis lowland, where similar plants, called “kezhera” by local residents, still grow in variety. The cabbage species includes such well-known varieties as white and red cabbage, as well as cauliflower, savoy, Brussels sprouts, Portuguese, kohlrabi, broccoli, Chinese, Chinese and kale cabbage.

How to care for a good harvest

To get a large harvest during harvesting using agricultural technology, you must follow the rules of watering, fertilizing and mulching cabbage.

Watering

Cabbage is a plant that loves regular and abundant watering. In order for the root system of the crop to develop quickly, in the first month after planting it is necessary to water it every 3-4 days. Each bed should require at least 5 liters of liquid. In July and August, during the period of active flowering, the frequency of water procedures can be reduced, but stopping them completely is prohibited. This can lead to growth deficiency. The optimal time for watering is early morning or evening.

Fertilizer

Cabbage loves fertile and fertilized soil. Therefore, to obtain a good harvest, the plant on the site will need to be fed regularly. During the period of formation of the root system and growth of inflorescences (late spring and early summer), it is necessary to apply mineral fertilizers with a high content of potassium and sodium. During fruit formation, you will need to fertilize with organic matter - peat, wood ash, compost. The interval between procedures should be at least 2 weeks. Otherwise, you can oversaturate the plant, which will lead to its slow growth.

Loosening and mulching

It is necessary to loosen the soil during the period of abundant watering, that is, in June and July. The procedure is necessary to remove excess moisture and saturate the soil with oxygen. Loosening should be carried out 3-5 days after watering, when the soil dries out a little. The interval between preventive procedures should be 10-13 days. However, clay soil will have to be loosened more often (every 7 days).

Mulching helps control weeds. It is also carried out to saturate the soil with oxygen. You can act after abundant moisture of the soil, that is, 3-4 days after watering. It is worth noting that cabbage varieties with short stalks do not need mulching.

Protection from diseases and pests

During its development, cabbage can be susceptible to many diseases. For example:

• blackleg. Pathology contributes to slow growth and death of the root crop. For prevention, preventive spraying with manganese potassium is carried out;
• mucous bacteriosis. The disease affects plants during the active growing season. It manifests itself in the form of rotting leaves and the appearance of an unpleasant odor. For prevention, cabbage is sprayed with a solution of manganese sulfate and also fertilized with wood ash;
• kila. The disease affects the root system and contributes to the formation of rot. For preventive purposes, bushes are treated with copper sulfate.

To eliminate pests, ready-made mixtures “Fufanon” and “Iskra-M” are used.

Growing cabbage from seeds

How to sow seeds

The quality of cabbage primarily depends on the seed, so be responsible when purchasing seeds and before growing cabbage seedlings, think about why and when you want to get it - do you need an early vegetable with delicate leaves for salads or strong, dense heads of cabbage? for winter storage and salting. The choice of variety and sowing time will depend on the intended purpose of the cabbage you grow.

• Photos of calceolaria with names

Widely cultivated by amateur gardeners, white cabbage, without which no borscht is complete, comes in early varieties that are suitable only for eating in the summer, mid-season varieties that can be eaten fresh in the summer or can be salted for the winter, and late varieties that More than any other, they are suitable for long-term storage.

Sowing of early varieties of cabbage for seedlings is carried out from the first days of March to the twentieth of the month, seeds of mid-season varieties are sown from March 25 to April 25, and late cabbage is sown from the beginning of April to the third decade of the month. From the moment of sowing until the seedlings are planted in open ground, it usually takes 45-50 days.

If you have decided on your desires and purchased the seeds of the desired varieties, it’s time to think about making soil for seedlings. Professionals recommend preparing the soil mixture in the fall so that you don’t have to extract the ingredients from under the snow in winter. Mix one part each of humus and turf soil, add ash at the rate of 1 tablespoon per kilogram of soil and mix the composition well. The ash will act as an antiseptic and a source of macro- and microelements, preventing the appearance of black leg on cabbage seedlings.

You can prepare a mixture of a different composition, based on peat, for example - the main thing is that it is fertile and breathable. Never use garden soil from a plot where cruciferous crops were grown to grow seedlings, as it is likely that it contains pathogens that can affect the seedlings.

Growing cabbage begins with heating the seeds for 20 minutes in water at a temperature of about 50 ºC, after which they are immersed in cold water for 5 minutes to increase the immunity of the seed to fungal diseases. Then the seeds are immersed for several hours in a solution of a growth stimulant - Humate, Epin, Silk, etc. However, there are varieties whose seeds cannot be wetted - carefully read the instructions attached to the bag of seeds.

Water the soil generously before sowing and do not moisten it further until germination. The seeds are sown to a depth of 1 cm, then the container is covered with film or paper on top so that moisture from the top layer of soil does not evaporate, and the crops are kept at a temperature of 20 ºC.

Growing seedlings

Shoots appear already on the 4-5th day, after which the film or paper is removed, the temperature is lowered to 6-10 ºC and the seedlings are kept in these conditions until their first true leaf appears. To do this, it is best to place the container with seedlings on a glassed-in loggia, and usually a week is enough to achieve the expected result. After the leaf appears, the temperature on sunny days is increased to 14-18 ºC, on cloudy days it should be within 14-16 ºC, and at night – 6-10 ºC.

Caring for cabbage seedlings at this stage provides the plants with access to fresh air, but the seedlings must be protected from drafts. In addition, seedlings need additional illumination with a fluorescent or phytolamp: their daylight hours should be at least 12-15 hours a day.

Do not allow the soil to dry out or become waterlogged - this can be avoided by regularly loosening the soil after watering. A week after the emergence of seedlings, the soil is watered with a weak solution of potassium permanganate at the rate of 3 g of potassium permanganate per 10 liters of water, or a weak solution of copper sulfate.

Cabbage pick

One and a half to two weeks after the emergence of seedlings and the formation of the first true leaf, the plants dive, providing the seedlings with a large feeding area. An hour before planting the cabbage, the soil with the seedlings is watered abundantly, then each seedling is removed along with a lump of earth and, having shortened its root by a third of its length, it is planted in an individual cup (preferably peat-humus), buried down to the cotyledon leaves.

Picking can be avoided if the initial sowing of cabbage seeds is carried out in individual containers - when transplanting seedlings into open ground from personal pots, the root system of the seedlings is not so damaged, and by the time the seedlings are planted in the garden bed, it will have already developed to a decent size. If you grow seedlings in peat-humus pots, then you can plant the seedlings in the ground directly in them.

Planting cabbage in the ground is preceded by two weeks of hardening, the purpose of which is to prepare the seedlings for development in new conditions. The first two days in a room with seedlings, open the window for 3-4 hours, providing protection for the seedlings from drafts. Then, over the course of several days, the seedlings are taken out for an hour or two on a balcony or loggia under the sun’s rays, from direct exposure of which the seedlings must first be covered with gauze.

After a week, reduce watering, take the seedlings to the balcony and keep them there until planting in the ground.

• What green manure to sow in the fall, why to sow, what are the features of different crops

Features of growing cabbage without seedlings

In most regions of our country, white cabbage is grown from seedlings. The seedless method can be used in the southern regions of Russia, where it is possible to extend the growing season of the crop due to a long summer. The main advantages of this method are:

1. There is no need for transplanting and picking plants. All that needs to be done is to thin out the seedlings.
2. High yield of cabbage.
3. Accelerated ripening of crops.
4. Minimum human labor required to care for vegetables.

The disadvantages of the seedless method are the increased consumption of seeds per unit area, correct selection and careful preparation of the site, and the need for enhanced care at the initial stage of crop development.

Preparing seeds and soil is no different from the seedling method of growing cabbage. Sowing of grains is carried out when stable warm weather sets in from mid-April, while the grains are buried in the soil to a depth of 2-4 centimeters. The distances between adjacent rows should be multiples of 50 centimeters.

A few days after the emergence of seedlings, the first thinning is carried out, leaving two sprouts per hole. After another week, the crops are thinned out again. The purpose of this operation is to remove weakened plants. Excess plants are used as seedlings for unfilled areas. All other measures for caring for cabbage are similar to the seedling method.

Planting cabbage in open ground

When to plant

Planting early cabbage seedlings in open ground is carried out when the seedlings develop 5-7 leaves, and the seedlings reach a height of 12-20 cm. The parameters for planting mid-season and late cabbage seedlings in open ground are as follows: the presence of 4-6 leaves at the height of the seedlings is 15-20 cm. Typically, seedlings of early varieties achieve such results by the beginning of May, late varieties - from mid to late May, and mid-season varieties - from late May to mid-June.

Soil for cabbage

Before planting cabbage, you need to prepare a plot for it. It should be illuminated by the sun from morning to evening. As for the soil, loam and sandy soil are most suitable for early varieties of cabbage, while loam or clay soil is optimal for middle and late varieties. The hydrogen index on sandy soils should be ± 6.0, and on clay-sandy or clayey soils - ± 7.0. Acidic soils are unsuitable for cultivating cabbage.

This crop cannot be grown in areas infected with bacteriosis for eight years. It is also undesirable to plant cabbage where other cabbage crops were recently grown - turnips, radishes, radishes, turnips, mustard, rutabaga or cabbage. Before the area where these crops grew can be used for cabbage, at least three years must pass.

The soil in the area for cabbage should be prepared in advance, from the first days of autumn preceding planting: in dry weather, carefully dig the area to the depth of a spade bayonet, but do not try to level the surface, because the steeper the unevenness, the more moisture it can absorb over the winter and spring. Earth.

After the snow melts, the so-called “moisture sealing” is carried out - the soil surface is leveled with a rake to prevent water from evaporating too quickly from the soil. Very soon weeds will creep out of the ground and must be removed immediately.

How to plant in open ground

The scheme for planting seedlings in open ground is approximately as follows:

• 30x40 for hybrid and early varieties, 50x60 for mid-season and 60x70 for late varieties of white and red cabbage;
• 30x40 for kohlrabi;
• 25x50 for cauliflower;
• 60-70 for Brussels sprouts;
• 40x60 for Savoy;
• 30x50 for broccoli.

Try not to overcrowd the beds, as cabbage needs a lot of light and space.

Make holes in the soil slightly larger than the root system of seedlings with an earthen ball or peat-humus pot. Place a handful of sand and peat, two handfuls of humus and 50 g of wood ash in each hole, add half a teaspoon of nitrophoska, mix the additives thoroughly and water generously. An earthen ball with the root system of the seedling is dipped directly into this slurry, sprinkled with damp soil, pressed lightly and dry soil is added on top. Seedlings that are too elongated are planted so that the first pair of leaves is level with the surface of the site.

Planting seedlings in the ground

Planting scheme for cabbage seedlings
Cabbage must be planted at a large distance from each other. There should be at least 50-70 cm between individual plants. But, of course, I never approach a garden bed with a ruler. I suggest this method. Before making any plantings, I mark in advance the future landing sites directly on the garden bed. For cabbage, I do it this way: using the blade of a scoop or hoe, I draw a zigzag line along the ground.

In those places where the tops of the zigzag line are located, I will make holes and plant seedlings. This is the most correct method, which automatically produces the ideal distance.

So, at each vertex of our marking we dig holes. It needs to be dug deep enough, about 15-18 cm, despite the fact that our seedlings are still small. Why is that? We will “charge” these holes with useful substances necessary for the growth of cabbage.

We add humus to the hole, you can even add fresh manure - all this will benefit the future harvest, since we will not be planting seedlings in it. By adding fresh manure or humus, we form the bottom layer of the hole. In quantity, this should be equal to the volume of a 200 gram plastic cup without a top. Then I add wood ash on top - the amount is approximately equal to the volume of a matchbox. Then it is very important to lightly sprinkle everything on top with earth. Not a thick layer - usually a handful of earth is enough to cover the manure and ash.

The next stage is watering the hole. This condition is mandatory, since we are planting moisture-loving cabbage. Pour at least a liter of water into each hole. For future heads of cabbage, it is very important that the planting holes are well watered, since watering from above alone will not be enough.

There is one more secret. If the weather is sunny, it is better to leave the spilled holes for a while. Let an hour and a half pass until the manure inside the hole begins to release heat and spontaneously ignite, as they said before. The holes will become warm. It is very important.

Now you can plant the seedlings that we grew in the cold nursery. But we will not plant them just like that.

This is how you should remove the seedlings from the pot

There is another secret - Kornevin (Heteroauxin), a root formation stimulator. Kornevin will help ensure that any seedlings take root 100%. Since when planting seedlings, damage to the root system is inevitable. Kornevin will reduce all these troubles to a minimum. Open the bag of Kornevin and keep it ready. The seedlings should be removed from the pot as shown in the photo.

Carefully separate one plant from another

Now you should separate the individual seedlings from each other. To do this, you should lightly press on a lump of earth entangled in roots, first divide it into two parts, and then into smaller ones. Each time the clod of earth will unite less and less plants.

When separating seedlings, be sure to discard wilted, apparently diseased, or too small plants.

Lightly sprinkle the roots with Kornevin powder

Gently press the soil around the seedling

Before placing the cabbage seedling in the hole, sprinkle the roots with Kornevin powder, a small amount, just a little powder. Place the plant in the hole. Hold with one hand and sprinkle with the other up to the cotyledon leaves. Then lightly press the soil around the plant with your palms facing down. This is necessary so that there are no voids in the ground around the roots.

Cabbage loves water

Cabbage seedlings are planted

After we have planted all the seedlings, we again need to water the holes well, this time with the plants. The amount of water for each is at least 1 liter. Water carefully, do not pour on the plant, only around it, so as not to wash it out of the ground. The water will get where it needs to go – to the roots. The sooner the seedlings receive water, the better. Approximately 15-20 minutes after watering, some seedlings may settle and fall on their sides. Therefore, you should again walk along the bed, straighten the seedlings, adding soil to the stem. After another half hour has passed, you need to water the seedlings again - at least a liter per root. After this, mulch the wet tree trunk circles, for example, with dry soil. This is done to prevent a crust from forming from the sun or wind.

So, our seedlings are planted. Now all care comes down to inspections and watering. While our seedlings do not require large amounts of nutrients.

Cabbage care

Growing conditions

At first, carefully monitor the planted seedlings in order to put the fallen seedlings back in place in time. If weather forecasters predict sunny days, shade the seedlings from the sun for a while with newspapers or non-woven material. For a week, water the seedlings every evening from a watering can with a divider; after this period, if night frosts are not expected, the cover can be removed. Further care of seedlings in open ground consists of watering, loosening the soil, weeding the area, regular feeding and treating cabbage from pests and diseases. Three weeks after planting, the cabbage is earthed up, and after another 10 days the earthing procedure is repeated.

Watering

Growing cabbage in open ground will require you to strictly adhere to the watering regime, since the plant needs a lot of moisture. How to water cabbage already planted in open ground? Watering is carried out in the evening; on cloudy days, a gap of 5-6 days is sufficient between heavy waterings; in hot weather, watering will have to be done every 2-3 days. After watering, loosen the soil in the area while hilling up the cabbage. Professionals recommend using a 5 cm thick mulching layer of peat - it retains moisture in the soil longer and at the same time serves as food for developing plants.

Top dressing

7-9 days after picking the seedlings, it is necessary to apply the first fertilizing consisting of 2 g of potassium fertilizer, 4 g of superphosphate and 2 g of ammonium nitrate dissolved in 1 liter of water - this amount should be enough to fertilize 50-60 seedlings. To avoid burns, fertilize cabbage using pre-watered soil.

The second feeding is applied two weeks later and consists of double the amount of the same fertilizer dissolved in the same amount of water. If the seedlings are slightly yellowed, feed them with a liquid solution of fermented manure at a rate of 1:10.

The third, so-called hardening fertilizer is applied two days before planting seedlings in open ground, and it consists of 3 g of ammonium nitrate, 8 g of potassium fertilizer and 5 g of superphosphate, dissolved in a liter of water. A high concentration of potassium fertilizers promotes the survival of seedlings in open ground. If you do not have enough time to prepare a nutrient mixture, use ready-made liquid complex fertilizer Kemira Lux.

If you fed cabbage in the seedling stage, its development promises to be fast and intense, but after planting in open ground, feeding the cabbage does not stop. How to fertilize cabbage when its leaves begin to grow? It is best to add a solution of 10 g of ammonium nitrate in 10 liters of water to the soil - this dose is calculated for 5-6 plants. When the leaves begin to form into a head of cabbage, apply a second feeding with a solution of 4 g of urea, 5 g of double superphosphate and 8 g of potassium sulfate per 10 liters of water at the same rate.

Treatment

The first time after planting in the ground, seedlings are dusted with ash with the addition of tobacco dust - this measure will protect young plants from slugs and fleas. Cabbage is a food product, so using pesticides to treat it against pests and diseases is extremely undesirable and unwise.

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How to process cabbage in order to destroy its enemies and at the same time not poison the product that we are going to eat? There are many ways to protect garden crops from such scourges as the invasion of aphids, caterpillars, pests of larvae and gastropods - snails and slugs.

Aphids and caterpillars can be destroyed by spraying with the following infusion: 2 kg of tomato tops are poured with 5 liters of water, left for 3-4 hours, then boiled for 3 hours, allowed to cool, filtered and diluted with water 1:2. To ensure that the infusion “sticks” to the leaves and does not flow onto the ground, add 20-30 g of grated tar soap to it. An infusion of onion peels can be used in the fight against aphids and caterpillars: pour a liter jar of onion peels with two liters of boiling water and leave for two days, then filter, add another 2 liters of water and a tablespoon of liquid soap or dishwashing detergent.

To combat the larvae of the May beetle, armyworm or cabbage fly, ants are attracted to the site by burying a jar of honey or jam diluted with water. Attracted by the sweet, black ants will also eat the larvae.

A preventive measure in the fight against harmful insects can be considered by placing marigolds, mint, sage, cilantro, basil, rosemary and other herbs in the area with cabbage and around it. The tart aroma will repel aphids, butterflies, slugs, fleas and attract their eternal enemies to fight them - ladybugs, lacewings, beetles and others.

Feed the cabbage

Even if before planting cabbage you “charged” the bed with fertilizers according to all the rules so that the heads of cabbage grow large and tasty, feed the cabbage several times during the growing season.

The first feeding of cabbage is carried out 2-3 weeks after planting the seedlings in the ground. In 10 liters of water, 10 g of urea and potassium chloride, as well as 20 g of superphosphate are diluted. For each plant, use 0.5 liters of solution. Alternative – 1-2 tbsp. ammonium nitrate per 10 liters of water, 1.5 liters of solution per plant.

The second feeding is carried out 12-20 days after the first. Use an infusion of mullein (1:10), bird droppings (1:15) or a solution of Nitrophoska (2 tablespoons per 10 liters of water). 1 liter of mixture is poured under each plant.

The third feeding (mid-season and late varieties) is carried out 10-14 days after the second. 2 tablespoons are diluted in 10 liters of water. superphosphate and 15 g of fertilizers with microelements. 1-1.5 liters per plant.

The fourth feeding (only for the latest varieties going into storage) is carried out 3 weeks before harvesting. The cabbage is watered with a solution of potassium sulfate (40 g of the drug per 10 liters of water).

Cabbage diseases

Some cabbage diseases can spread so quickly that a slight delay on your part can result in the loss of the entire crop. We will tell you why cabbage is sick, as well as how to treat cabbage to save it from death. One of the most dangerous diseases of the plant is clubroot, a common fungal disease that affects early varieties of white cabbage and cauliflower even at the seedling stage: growths form on the roots of the seedlings, disrupting the nutrition of young plants, causing the seedlings to lag behind in development - they do not even form an ovary. Remove diseased plants from the area along with a lump of earth, and sprinkle the place where they grew with lime.

It is not yet possible to grow cabbage in this place, but other plants can grow without any risk, since clubroot only affects cruciferous plants.

A common occurrence is cabbage being damaged at the seedling stage or already in the garden plot by blackleg, a fungal disease of the root collar at the base of the stem. These parts of the seedling turn black, become thinner, rot, the plant slows down and dies. Such seedlings are not planted in the ground - they will die in any case. The soil in the area with cabbage killed by blackleg needs to be replaced, because it is unsuitable for growing cabbage. To prevent the disease, seeds are treated with granosan before planting in accordance with the instructions; to treat 100 seeds, approximately 0.4 g of the drug is needed, and fifty percent Tiram (TMTD) is added to the soil at the rate of 50 g per m².

Sometimes cabbage suffers from downy mildew - downy mildew. Typically, pathogens are found in seeds, which is why pre-sowing treatment is so important. The disease appears in wet weather on the outer leaves of cabbage as faint red-yellow spots. As a result of the development of the disease, the leaves turn yellow and die. As a preventive measure, seed treatment with Tiram or Planriz is used before planting. Hydrothermal treatment also gives good results - soaking the seeds in hot water (about 50 ºC) for 20-25 minutes.

If preventive measures were not taken, or they did not help, you will have to resort to treating the cabbage with garlic infusion: add 75 g of finely chopped garlic to 10 liters of water, leave for 12 hours, then bring the infusion to a boil, let it cool and spray the plants. If this measure does not produce results, treat the cabbage with a two to three percent solution of Fitosporin-M. If necessary, treatment can be repeated after two to three weeks. But keep in mind that cabbage can be treated with a fungicide only before the head is set, otherwise there is a danger of toxic chemicals accumulating in the leaves.

White and gray rot also cause gardeners a lot of trouble. White rot develops under conditions of a combination of low temperature and high air humidity and is manifested by mucus on the outer leaves of cabbage, between which a cotton-like white mycelium with black sclerotia ranging in size from one millimeter to three centimeters is formed. A head of cabbage affected by white rot rots in storage, infecting neighboring forks.

Gray rot also appears during storage: the petioles of the lower leaves become covered with fluffy mold with black beaded dots. Pre-sowing seed disinfection, advanced agricultural technology, preventive cleaning and disinfection of storage facilities before planting cabbage, compliance with storage conditions, timely detection of the disease and cleaning of affected areas will help protect the cabbage harvest from these diseases.

A dangerous disease is fusarium wilt, or yellowing of cabbage, which is caused by the Fusarium fungus. Cabbage is affected by the disease even in the seedling period, and the death of young plants from this scourge sometimes amounts to 20-25%. Symptoms of the disease are loss of turgor in the leaves and the appearance of yellow spots on them. The development of leaves in areas of yellowing slows down, diseased leaves fall off. To prevent the disease from spreading, the affected plants are dug up along with the roots and burned, the soil is steamed or changed. Autumn and spring preventive treatment of the area with a solution of copper sulfate (5 g of the drug is dissolved in 10 liters of water) helps to destroy the fungus.

Rhizoctoniosis is another fungal disease of cabbage that develops with strong fluctuations in temperature (for example, from 3 ºC to 25 ºC), air humidity (from 40 to 100%), and soil acidity (hydrogen index from 4.5 to 8 units). The disease affects the root collar, causing it to turn yellow, dry out and die, the roots turn into sponges and the plant dies. Infection occurs already in open ground, the disease continues to develop even in storage. As a preventative measure, spray the soil before planting cabbage in the soil with copper oxychloride or preparations that contain it.

Lighting requirements for growing cabbage

Growing cabbage requires compliance with certain rules to provide it with the optimal amount of light. Cabbage grows best when the daylight hours are 17-18 hours. Insufficient lighting leads to the fact that the plant stretches out, develops poorly, and the amount of harvest decreases. You cannot grow white cabbage under trees or shrubs that shade it.

Cabbage pests

You learned how to destroy aphids, caterpillars, larvae and gastropods from the section on processing cabbage. But the plant has many enemies among insects, and in this section of the article we will talk about how you can get rid of other pests from the insect world. Serious enemies of cabbage are cruciferous bugs - colorful bugs up to a centimeter in size that overwinter in the soil. At the end of April they begin to feed on seedlings, at the beginning of summer the females lay eggs, after two weeks larvae emerge from them, and after a month adult bugs appear. These insects feed on cabbage juice by piercing its leaves. The puncture site becomes dead, and if there are many such areas, the leaves of the seedlings wither, dry out and die. Bugs cause the most severe damage to cabbage during drought.

As a preventive measure, it is necessary to remove from the site weeds from the Brassica family - rapeseed, silverweed, field grass, shepherd's purse, alyssum and fireweed. After harvesting cabbage, do not leave weeds on the site, collect them and burn them. Bedbugs can be destroyed by treating cabbage seedlings before the formation of heads of cabbage with Actellik or Fosbecid.

The cabbage leaf beetle, a small ovoid bug up to 5 mm long, damages plant leaves by eating holes in them or making indentations along the edges. Leaf beetles also overwinter in the soil, and in May their females lay eggs, from which larvae emerge after 10-12 days, feeding by scraping the skin from the leaves. As a preventive measure, it is necessary, as in the case of fighting bedbugs, to remove cruciferous weeds from the site. And you can scare away leaf beetles by daily morning spraying cabbage on dew with a mixture of tobacco dust with slaked lime or ash in a 1:1 ratio. Before the heads of cabbage begin to form, you can treat the cabbage with a two percent solution of Actellica or the less toxic biological preparation Bankol.

Another enemy of cruciferous plants is the secretive proboscis - a black bug up to 3 mm long. The larvae of the secretive proboscis are dangerous, gnawing passages in the petioles of leaves, penetrating the stem and descending through tunnels made in it into the root of the cabbage. In this case, the conducting system is damaged, the leaves turn yellow, the plants stop developing and die. In the fight against this pest, it is very important to remove plant debris from the site in the fall, and then dig up the soil. During the growing season, timely weeding and removal of plants affected by the pest from the site are important. Chemical agents that destroy the secretive proboscis are Actellik and Fosbecid, but treatment with insecticides is permissible only at the early stage of seedling development in open ground.

Choosing the optimal location

Gardeners growing cabbage prepare a place for spring planting in the fall: they dig up the ground and enrich it with organic matter, adding 4-5 kg ​​of compost or humus per square meter, wood ash or mineral fertilizers (25-30 g of superphosphate and 20-30 g of potassium salt or 10-15 g of potassium chloride and 20-25 g of ammonium nitrate per 1 m2 - for late varieties these norms are increased by 40-50%). It is better to allocate flat, open, well-lit areas for cabbage beds, which in the previous season were occupied by tomatoes, potatoes and legumes (read about the principles of crop rotation in this article).

It is not recommended to plant cabbage after related vegetable crops, including leafy (arugula, watercress, Sarepta mustard) and root vegetables (turnip, radish, radish, rutabaga), from the cruciferous (cabbage) family. It is recommended to return them to their original place no earlier than after three years.

The yield and taste of vegetables depend on lighting and humidity, soil fertility, and proper agricultural technology.

Plants develop well on chernozems, including thin, organic-rich sandy and loamy soils with neutral acidity, therefore, if necessary, dolomite flour or slaked lime is added to the “acidic” soil in the fall for digging in the amount of 250-500 grams per 1 square meter.

Cleaning and storage

Three weeks before harvesting, stop watering the cabbage - this measure stimulates the accumulation of fiber in the forks, which contributes to better storage of the cabbage. When the night temperature drops to -2 ºC, harvesting can begin. Do not delay harvesting, because at lower night temperatures the heads of cabbage freeze, which negatively affects their keeping quality. Dig up the cabbage along with the roots, sort it, putting aside small heads eaten by beetles or touched by rot - this cabbage cannot be stored, you will have to eat it or pickle it. Storable cabbage is placed under a canopy for a day so that it dries and slightly winds, then its stalks are cut off 2 cm below the head, leaving 3-4 covering green leaves on it. Now the cabbage can be placed in storage.

It is best to store vegetables in the cellar - there is usually high humidity and the temperature does not drop below zero. If the temperature in the cellar does not rise above 4-6 ºC in winter, then this is an almost ideal storage for cabbage, since the optimal conditions for storing cabbage heads are air temperature from -1 to +1 ºC, and humidity from 90 to 98%. But first you need to put the room in order: there should be no mold on the walls, despite the high humidity, and no debris on the earthen or cement floor. It is advisable to whitewash the walls with a solution of quicklime, after which the cellar is fumigated with sulfur. Make sure there is good ventilation as well. If there is no ventilation system, you will have to ventilate the cellar well at least once a month.

Cabbage is stored in a single layer on racks, as well as in a folded pyramid on wooden boards or hanging, wrapped in newspaper.

In order to keep cabbage fresh for as long as possible, gardeners resort to some tricks that we are ready to share with you:

• You can tie the heads of cabbage in pairs by the stalks and hang them from the ceiling on poles. In this position, there will be air access to the heads, they can be easily inspected for damage;
• store cabbage in lattice wooden boxes placed on stands or shelves - the main thing is that they do not stand on the floor;
• the heads of cabbage wrapped in paper are placed in a plastic bag without tying it and hung from the ceiling or placed on a shelf;
• The head of cabbage is placed in a ten-liter bucket of soil, then it is covered with earth on top and the bucket is placed in the cellar. Sand can be used instead of soil.

There are a couple more storage methods, but for them the root of the cabbage is not cut off, and the covering leaves, on the contrary, are removed. After this, the heads of cabbage are hung by the roots in a draft and slightly withered. When the top leaves dry, the heads of cabbage are moved to the cellar and, tied in twos, hung by the roots from the ceiling. Or they immerse the head of cabbage in a clay mash of the consistency of pancake batter (cabbage leaves should not be visible through the layer of clay), then allow the clay to dry, hanging the head of cabbage, and take it to the cellar, where they also hang it from the ceiling. We have described to you ways to store white and red cabbage. Cauliflower is stored only in a suspended state, having previously wrapped the heads in paper.

You can, of course, store cabbage in the refrigerator, wrapped in a paper towel and placed in a loosely tied bag, but there is not much space in the vegetable department, and the shelf life of cabbage in the refrigerator is no more than two months.

How to plant cabbage: timing and technology

Planting of plant crops is carried out using 2 methods: seeds and seedlings. Each technology has its own characteristics and nuances.

Seeds

Cabbage is planted in the country in mid-spring. Approximate dates are from April 20 to May 10. The specific day depends on the weather conditions in the region of residence. For full growth it is necessary that the earth has time to warm up and thaw. Therefore, in the northern regions of the country, the landing can be postponed to mid-May.

In the process, you should focus on the main principles:

• seeds are not recommended to be placed deep into the ground, otherwise they can be drowned when the crop is watered abundantly;
• before planting seeds, you need to dig shallow holes, the optimal distance between them is 40 cm;
• Before planting the material, the soil must be treated with a peat mixture or chicken droppings.

It is also necessary to prepare the planting material itself. To do this, the seeds are immersed in water heated to +50 degrees and left in it for 5 minutes. After this, the material is soaked in cool water for 1 week. After planting, the holes are thoroughly compacted and watered abundantly.

Seedlings

Seedlings need to be planted from mid-April to the second half of May. Before the procedure, you should first prepare the soil in an open area. To do this, it is disinfected with prophylactic solutions and thoroughly loosened.

Planting is carried out according to the standard scheme:

1. Dig shallow holes at a distance of 30-40 cm from each other.
2. Wood ash or peat mixture is placed at the bottom.
3. Water the holes generously.
4. Seedlings are planted and the soil is compacted.
5. It is recommended to cover the planting material with soil for several weeks. Planting is best done early in the morning or before sunset. You need to focus on cloudy weather with high humidity.

Types and varieties

On an industrial scale in agriculture and in amateur gardens, different types and varieties of cabbage are grown, since this vegetable, like potatoes, is one of the most basic. We offer you types and varieties of cabbage for open ground, which you can grow in your dacha or near your house if you wish.

White cabbage

The most common species in our latitudes is white cabbage, which forms a thick, low stem covered with large leaves, as well as a head of cabbage, which is an apical bud that has grown to enormous sizes. Some heads of cabbage reach 16 kg, they are round and dense. White cabbage contains fiber, carotene, vitamins C and B. It is widely used in folk medicine for edema and stomach diseases, and externally for suppuration and boils. The yield of cabbage, as well as its size, depends on the variety: the most productive are the early-ripening varieties Gribovsky and Iyunskaya, the mid-ripening Podarok and Slava, the late Moscow Pozdnyaya and Amager.

Red cabbage

In many ways it is similar to white cabbage, but is more frost-resistant. Its leaves are more purple than red, the heads weighing up to 5 kg are highly dense, so they are stored longer. Red cabbage has two times less fiber than white cabbage, but four times more carotene. It also contains iodine, mineral salts, pantothenic acid, iron, cyanidin, which strengthens the walls of blood vessels. The most common varieties: Gako, Mikhailovskaya, Kamennaya Golovka.

Cauliflower

A dietary product, it is a creamy, granular, tuberculate hemispherical head surrounded by green leaves, weighing up to one and a half kilograms, consisting of rudimentary flowers practically fused together on branched short stalks. The most commonly grown varieties are: early - Movir, Early Gribovskaya, Garantiya, mid-season - Moskovskaya Konservnaya, Otechestvennaya, late - Adlerskaya Zimnyaya.

Broccoli

A variety of cauliflower, its head consists of green or purple inflorescences. It is rich in mineral salts of potassium, magnesium, phosphorus, calcium, vitamins C, A, B1, B2, PP. It has an antioxidant effect and is useful for the prevention of cardiovascular and cancer diseases.

Brussels sprouts

It looks like a long stem on which many small heads grow, similar to the heads of white cabbage. Brussels sprouts are higher in vitamin C than citrus fruits; they are also rich in protein and contain magnesium, phosphorus and folic acid; it increases the body's resistance to disease and improves mental activity.

Savoy cabbage

It has a cabbage shape, but its delicate, highly corrugated leaves of bright green color are curled into a looser head. This type contains more proteins and vitamins than white cabbage.

Kohlrabi

It looks like a spherical stem with leaves on long petioles. Contains large amounts of protein and vitamin C, glucose and calcium.

Chinese cabbage

Today a very popular product on our table. Its head is oblong, loose, the fiber is tender and pleasant to the taste. The leaves contain many useful substances, but its main advantage is that the vitamin C contained in it does not disappear during storage.

Chinese cabbage

A leafy vegetable that does not form a head. In appearance it is more like a salad, but in composition it is close to white cabbage. It contains the essential amino acid lysine, which cleanses the human body of waste and toxins and improves immunity. Chinese cabbage is considered a source of longevity.

White cabbage

Agricultural technology for white cabbage is basic. Using her example, we will analyze the requirements of a plant for soil, the growing season in different growing conditions and varietal characteristics. Let's consider what problems arise when care rules are not followed, and what misfortunes the vegetable needs to be protected from.

Cabbage, decorated in dense snow-white or red heads, is the most popular type. Plant structure:

1. The root goes down in the form of a thickened rod, with a root lobe on the lower part.
2. The upper stem with tightly seated leaves is called a stump. The lower leaves are green, rough, spreading, petiolate. The upper ones represent an overgrown apical bud in the form of a head of cabbage. Leaves grow inside it, gradually enlarging the head.
3. The next year, a stem up to 1.5 m high will grow from the head of cabbage, forming numerous inflorescences and fruits in pods in the form of small peas.

New technologies for growing cabbage

Today, agronomists grow crops using several methods: without watering, under film and under plastic bottles.

Method 1: no watering

Growing crops without watering occurs according to the following scheme:

1. In early or mid-April you will need to mark out the beds. The standard layout is 60 by 60 cm.
2. At intersections you need to dig holes and fertilize them with organic fertilizer.
3. You also need to add 1 teaspoon of ground eggshells to each hole.
4. Mix all components thoroughly.
5. Place a few cabbage seeds on the bottom and sprinkle them with a handful of humus. It will help retain soil moisture.

When the first leaves form in the hole, you need to leave only 2-3 of the strongest ones in it, the rest will have to be cut off. During the growth process, the bushes need to be hilled and loosened.

Method 2: under film

To plant large cabbage under film, you will need:

1. Dig holes at a distance of 30-40 cm from each other.
2. Fertilize them with compost and a small amount of superphosphate. This mixture will help protect the root system from pests.
3. Fill the holes with warm manganese solution.
4. Plant the seedlings and compact the soil.

The holes are watered with water and covered with plastic wrap until the first shoots appear. After this, it is removed, and the seedling is cut off from the shoots. To grow, only one must remain - the strongest.

Method 3: under plastic bottles

To grow large cabbage, you should familiarize yourself with the scheme for planting cabbage under plastic bottles:

1. Dig holes at a distance of 30-40 cm from each other.
2. Fertilize the soil with compost or peat.
3. Plant the seedlings, cover them with soil and compact the soil.
4. Water each hole thoroughly.
5. Place plastic bottles with the bottoms cut off into the ground so that the sprout is in the center of them.
6. Cover the structure with soil so that the bottle does not blow away in the wind.

They are removed when the cabbage bush grows. On hot days, the bottle can be removed for a while so that the plant can breathe.