Growing early cabbage: from choosing a variety to planting in a greenhouse. Cabbage in a greenhouse: growing features Planting early cabbage in a greenhouse

04.10.2023

Today there are a great many types and varieties of cabbage - white cabbage, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, red cabbage, Peking cabbage, Savoy cabbage, kohlrabi, broccoli. The crops are unpretentious, are not afraid of cold weather and tolerate frosts down to minus 2-3 degrees. One of their main differences is the growing season - the time from germination to harvest. The choice of species or variety for growing cabbage in a greenhouse depends on this criterion. Plants with a minimal growing season are cultivated in closed ground structures.

Cabbage bed in a greenhouse

If you follow simple rules of agricultural technology, you can grow any variety of the species you like in a greenhouse. However, it is not advisable to plant plants of late varieties in closed ground - it is better to cultivate them in open beds so as not to occupy useful space. The following types of cabbage are well suited for greenhouse cultivation:

Beijing;
early varieties of white cabbage;
early varieties of color;
leafy;
Brussels sprouts

Beijing cabbage is most often cultivated in a greenhouse. This species has a minimum growing season - 40-50 days pass from germination to harvest. In well-equipped winter facilities, Chinese cabbage can be cultivated all year round.

Chinese cabbage harvest

The growing season of early varieties of white cabbage averages 100-110 days. Suitable varieties for greenhouse cultivation are: Iyunskaya, Vesnyanka, Ditmarscher Frewer, Dymerskaya, Oracle, Parel F1, Kazachok F1.

The harvest of early white cabbage is not suitable for long-term storage, so it is grown in large volumes exclusively for commercial purposes.

Cauliflower is more demanding on growing conditions, white cabbage varieties. To obtain stable high yields, you need to maintain a moderate temperature (16-18 degrees) and not allow the beds to be illuminated too brightly, since heat and sunlight can lead to the formation of small heads.

Brussels sprouts have a long growing season (about 150 days), and the plants develop slowly. In the southern regions, Brussels sprouts are grown in open ground during the warm season, but in the northern regions without greenhouses, it is very problematic to obtain a harvest of this crop.

Brussels sprouts are a valuable food product

Kale is distinguished by its unpretentiousness - its varieties tolerate both decent frosts (down to minus 15 degrees) and heat and drought. It can be grown by seedlings, as well as by sowing seeds directly into the ground in a permanent place. The growing season of this plant is, depending on the variety, from 120 to 150 days. Three crops can be harvested in year-round greenhouses per year.

Harvest success starts with seedlings

The process of cultivating any type of cabbage in a greenhouse begins with growing seedlings. This is a very important and responsible period, because the quantity and quality of the harvest directly depends on the quality of seedlings.

Selecting quality seeds

Now we should say a few words about the correct choice of seeds. When purchasing seed, you need to pay attention to the following points:

quality - buy seeds exclusively in specialized stores;
pay attention not only to the colorful picture, but also to the quality of the paper from which the packaging is made and its tightness;
Each bag must have clear information about the manufacturer and a printed expiration date;
varieties should be selected not by the picture, but by the description, which indicates the growing season, growing conditions, etc.

Treatment of cabbage seeds before planting

This procedure will help improve germination and prevent the development of dangerous diseases. First, the seeds are calibrated by placing them in a three percent solution of table salt for 5 minutes. In this case, the floating seeds are drained, and those that have sunk to the bottom are washed and dried.

Preparation of a solution of potassium permanganate

To improve germination, disinfected seed material is soaked in warm water (20-22 degrees) for 12 hours. In this case, you can and should add wood ash to the water (two tablespoons per liter).

The last stage is hardening; the seeds are kept for a day in the refrigerator on the bottom shelf, after which they are dried and sown in prepared beds or containers.

Preparation of nutrient soil mixture

Cabbage “loves” fertile soil, so to grow seedlings, the soil mixture must be prepared correctly. Its main ingredients are as follows:

turf land - one part;
humus - one part
ash - 10 tablespoons for every 10 kg of soil.

Sapling ready for planting

In this case, ash is not only a source of macro- and microelements, but also an effective antiseptic that prevents seedlings from becoming infected with such a dangerous disease as blackleg. You can also buy suitable ready-made soil at a gardening store.

Proper care of seedlings

Before planting, the soil mixture is well moistened. After the seedlings appear, the plantings are thinned out, leaving a feeding area of about 2x2 cm for each sprout. When the third leaf appears (after about two weeks), the seedlings are planted in cassettes or separate pots - the feeding area required for the normal development of seedlings is 5x5 cm.

Healthy, strong seedlings can only be obtained under the following conditions:

air temperature for seed germination – 20-22 degrees;
temperature after emergence during the day – 10-15 degrees, at night – 7-9 degrees;
daylight hours for 12-15 hours - additional lighting is necessary in winter;
timely watering - the soil should never dry out.

Seedlings are planted in a permanent place at the age of 55-65 days. The exception is cauliflower, the optimal age of seedlings of which should be 40-45 days. It is very important not to let the seedlings outgrow - they will not tolerate transplantation well.

Planting cabbage seedlings

Some experts practice a seedless method of growing cabbage in a greenhouse - the seeds are sown immediately in a permanent place. This method is ideal for cultivating Chinese cabbage, the seedlings of which do not take root well when transplanted. Often the seedless method is also used when growing leafy varieties.

Agricultural technology of cabbage in a greenhouse

Despite its unpretentiousness, any type of cabbage requires certain conditions for normal development. This concerns nutritional properties, soil acidity and moisture, and its oxygen saturation. It is mandatory to maintain a certain, not very high air temperature and ensure optimal lighting of the beds.

Preparing the soil before planting

In greenhouses, as well as in open ground, it is very important to observe crop rotation. This will help avoid problems with diseases and pests. You should ensure that the cabbage does not return to its original place earlier than after 4 years. The best predecessors for it are onions, cucumbers, potatoes, beans, beans, and peas.

For cabbage, soil with neutral acidity is ideal - pH 5.5-7. You can achieve the required indicators on acidic soils by adding lime at the rate of 4-5 kg per 10 square meters. In addition, this procedure is an excellent prevention of many diseases.

Organic fertilizers - compost and well-rotted manure - will help increase fertility and improve structure. They are applied two months before planting seedlings when digging the beds - 10-12 buckets of fertilizer will be needed per 10 square meters.

Scheme of planting seedlings in a greenhouse

Required microclimate indicators

Cabbage grown in a greenhouse will develop well only if certain conditions are met:

The required air temperature is plus 16-18 degrees. At levels above plus 25, growth slows down, heads of cabbage form very slowly, the lower leaves fall off, which affects the quality and quantity of the harvest.
Optimal humidity, not only of the soil, but also of the air - the most suitable method is sprinkling. Ideal indicators in this case would be: soil moisture – 80 percent, air humidity – 80-90 percent. Moreover, watering should be uniform; the soil should not be allowed to dry out or, conversely, be moistened excessively frequently - this can cause either a delay in development or cracking of the head of cabbage.
Normal lighting is one of the main elements of success. You won't be able to get a rich harvest in the shade. The exception is cauliflower, which needs to be protected from bright sunlight during the development of inflorescences. Other species develop slowly when there is a lack of light in the greenhouse; the optimal light regime for them is considered to be 15-16 hours of daylight. Therefore, when growing crops in year-round greenhouses in early spring or late autumn, additional lighting will be required.
Regular feeding - at least three to four times during the growing season. For this you can use mineral fertilizers in the following proportions: per liter of water 1 gram of potassium chloride + 4 grams of superphosphate + 2.5 grams of ammonium nitrate. 1 liter of the prepared solution is poured under each plant. Moreover, fertilizing should be done at regular intervals.

Sprinkler irrigation in a greenhouse

Possible problems during cultivation

Growing cabbage in a greenhouse while maintaining an optimal microclimate is a relatively simple matter. However, from time to time, for various reasons, plants can be affected by diseases and pests. To successfully combat them, you need to clearly know the signs of infection in order to quickly take measures to eliminate the problem.

Typical diseases of cabbage

Diseases are the main problem of greenhouse cultivation. The most dangerous diseases include:

clubroot;
blackleg;
fusarium wilt (yellowness).

Clubroot is the most dangerous disease of this culture. Most often it affects white cabbage and cauliflower. Signs of infection: slow growth, wilting and yellowing of leaves. On the roots of plants, growths of various shapes are noticeable - vesicular, spindle-shaped, spherical.

Kila is a fungus whose spores can be brought into a greenhouse from open ground or when planting seedlings purchased from unscrupulous sellers. The disease develops especially actively on waterlogged, infertile soils with high acidity. The main prevention is maintaining the above-described indicators of the microclimate, soil acidity, and careful attention to the disinfection of seeds before planting them for seedlings.

This is what clubroot looks like on its roots

Blackleg– a seedling disease that affects sprouts and seedlings at a young age. The main signs are blackening and thinning of the base of the stem, accompanied by the appearance of a characteristic constriction. In this case, the stem rots and the sprout is easily pulled out of the soil. The disease actively develops in dense plantings, sharp temperature fluctuations, and poor ventilation. If infected seedlings are found, they should be removed immediately.

Fusarium wilt - rapid death

Fusarium wilt is a harmful disease that most often affects white cabbage and cauliflower. The causative agent of the disease is a soil microorganism that enters the greenhouse from open ground through garden tools and shoes. It affects the system that controls the movement of water from the roots to the ground part - as a result, the plant withers.

The main sign of Fusarium wilt is that the leaves become yellow-green in color and lose turgor. Diseased leaves fall off, and the growth of the plant as a whole is greatly slowed down. The disease is especially dangerous at elevated temperatures; all plants can die.

The main methods of preventing the above diseases are:

thorough pre-sowing preparation of seeds;
maintaining optimal conditions for growing cabbage in a greenhouse;
use of a separate tool for work in closed ground.

Healthy kale

Head crop pests

For greenhouse cultivation of cabbage, pests are not as dangerous as for open beds. However, it is necessary to carefully monitor the plantings, preventing insects from entering the premises. The greatest danger to cabbage is:

cruciferous flea beetles - black small bugs (size up to 3 mm) with rear jumping legs;
cruciferous bugs are brightly colored insects with yellow, red or white stripes, dashes or spots on their backs.
cabbage fly is a pest similar to an ordinary fly; the danger is posed by the larvae that it lays at the base of the stem.

Cruciferous flea beetle on cabbage

Bugs and fleas suck the juices from the leaves, and cabbage fly larvae gnaw at the base of the stem. These harmful insects enter the greenhouse through doors and ventilation vents. You can fight them using various products sold in specialized stores.

Cabbage is a healthy and easy to grow crop. You can get a good harvest in open ground, but cultivation in greenhouses will allow you to grow cabbage not only for your own needs, but also open the way to developing a profitable business.

Growing white cabbage seedlings in an optimal greenhouse is quite simple, since it tolerates rapid temperature changes more easily than other plants. When growing high-quality cabbage seedlings in a greenhouse, the main thing is not to forget to promptly combat cruciferous flea beetles, which can cause significant damage to plants. For growing high-quality seedlings, a greenhouse is the most optimal place, since it creates good microclimatic indicators. Any gardener can grow cabbage seedlings. At the same time, in a good greenhouse you can grow seedlings not only for yourself, but also for your neighbors. In this way, costs will be minimized as much as possible. To do this, you need to know how to properly grow cabbage seedlings in a greenhouse.

Stages of growing cabbage seedlings in a greenhouse

Obtaining high-quality seedlings in a greenhouse has its own characteristics that need to be taken into account, taking into account the main stages of growing these plants:

Careful selection of cabbage varieties and hybrids

Not every variety or hybrid can produce good seedlings in a greenhouse, so you need to choose only those varieties that are specially bred for growing in such places. You need to select:

high-quality seeds (varieties rather than hybrids are better suited for growing seedlings in a greenhouse);
seeds of early, middle and late varieties.

Preparing soil in a greenhouse

For growing cabbage seedlings in a greenhouse, ordinary fertile soil is quite suitable, but it is better to mix it with peat and ash in the calculation:

Listen to the radio broadcast:

Chinese and Beijing cabbage. (Mikhail VOROBYEV)

4 parts fertile soil;
1 part peat;
1 kilogram of wood ash, for the entire area allocated for a greenhouse.

Choosing the optimal timing for sowing cabbage seeds

For cabbage with different ripening periods, different seed sowing times are needed:

seeds of early varieties can be sown from the end of March to mid-April;
seeds of medium varieties of cabbage can be sown from the beginning of April until the end of the month;
seeds of late varieties of cabbage can be sown from early April to early May.

Sowing cabbage seeds

Cabbage seeds must be dry before sowing in a greenhouse. Cabbage seeds should be sown in the following sequence:

First you need to make the required number of lines, the distance between which should be from 15 to 20 centimeters, and the depth should not be more than 3-5 centimeters.
After this, the lines must be watered abundantly.
High-quality seeds should be sown sparingly (there should be 3-5 per 1 centimeter square).
After sowing, the rows need to be sprinkled with soil, only so that the seeds are immersed to a depth of no more than 2 centimeters and no less than 1 centimeter.
Each line with a new variety must be marked with a flank with the appropriate inscription.

Caring for cabbage seedlings in a greenhouse

After germination, young seedlings need careful care:

The greenhouse must be tightly insulated to ensure optimal temperature both during the day (16-20) and at night (10-12).
Seedlings need to be watered in a timely manner so that the soil does not dry out.
When the first true leaves appear (earlier if necessary), you need to treat the cabbage seedlings with an insecticide against cruciferous flea beetles.
When the seedlings have 4 true leaves, you need to add a 3-5 centimeter layer of soil, sand, peat or fine sawdust to the greenhouse. This is done so that the seedlings form an even stem.
If the seedlings in the greenhouse are too dense, they need to be thinned out. To do this, poorly developed seedlings are pulled out or cut off at the root. After thinning, the seedlings need to be watered abundantly.
If necessary, you can spray the seedlings after 1-2 weeks with a solution of biofertilizers. This way the seedlings will develop better and faster.

Hardening off cabbage seedlings

Hardening is vital for cabbage seedlings grown in a greenhouse. It is carried out in 3 stages:

The first stage begins when the daily temperature is above 15 degrees. Then, on sunny days, the seedlings should be opened first for 15 minutes, and then every week the time should be increased by 10-15 minutes, depending on the weather.
The second stage begins when, even at night, the temperature does not drop below 8 degrees. Then you need to leave a small window in the greenhouse all day and night for constant air ventilation. In addition, the seedlings need to be opened completely for 1-2 hours.
The third stage begins 1-2 weeks before planting seedlings in open ground. Then The seedlings should be completely open most of the day.

Planting cabbage seedlings in open ground

Growing seedlings in a greenhouse ends with planting them in open ground. This must be done following the rules:

Pull out seedlings only when the rows are watered abundantly.
It is advisable to transplant cabbage seedlings on a cloudy day or in the second half of the day, when the sun is already close to sunset.
For better survival, it is advisable to treat the roots of seedlings with growth stimulants.
The holes need to be watered generously.
It is advisable to mulch the soil of the seedlings so that the moisture does not evaporate quickly.

As some experience of gardeners shows, it is easier to get high-quality white cabbage seedlings in a greenhouse, even with minimal care and expense. N At the same time, in no case should we forget about pests such as cruciferous flea beetles. It is imperative to protect the seedlings from them in a timely manner so that it is not too late, otherwise these pests can destroy young seedlings in a few days. All other procedures for growing cabbage seedlings are similar to growing any other seedlings.

Unique information about cabbage. Read

Fresh vegetables are a storehouse of vitamins necessary for the normal functioning of the body. Therefore, it is very important to be confident in the quality of the products you eat. One of the most popular and healthy vegetables is cabbage.

In order for it to reach the table as early as possible and its quality to be one hundred percent, it is not necessary to run to the market. You can grow cabbage in a greenhouse at your dacha. This process is not difficult to carry out, especially if armed with the necessary information.

The best varieties for planting

Early varieties of cabbage are usually planted in greenhouses, which are eaten in early summer. The most popular among vegetable growers are the following:

Soil preparation

The most suitable soil for planting cabbage is sandy loam. It is better to place greenhouses on a hill so that the soil dries out faster in the spring. This will speed up the start of the planting process.

Soil cultivation for planting cabbage should begin in the fall so that most soil pests do not survive the frosts. It’s good if cucumbers, onions, potatoes, carrots or legumes grew in this area before the cabbage, since many nutrients remain after them.

Cabbage requires loose sandy loam soil.

All previous vegetation from the garden must be removed immediately after harvesting. Then the soil is dug up - the deeper the better. The topsoil layer should be about 20 cm. Simultaneously with plowing, you need to fertilize the soil. For this purpose, mineral preparations and various organic substances, such as manure or rotted contents of compost pits, are used.

Site preparation continues in the spring immediately before planting. If the soil is stale and hard, it needs to be dug up again. If the arable layer is not compacted, just loosen it.

Preparing seeds for planting

To obtain high-quality seedlings, the seeds must first be prepared before planting. They are chosen according to the principle - the larger, the better. Usually, high-quality ones have dimensions of up to one and a half millimeters and look darker than others.

The best seeds for sowing are large and dark

To do this, use a special calibration sieve, or lower the seeds into salt water and use only those that do not float. It is important to dry the seeds after this method.

The next step is heat treatment. It will help protect the plant from fungal and other diseases in the future. The process itself consists of placing the seeds in water at a temperature of about 50 degrees for 20 minutes.

After this time, the seeds are immediately immersed in cold water for 2-3 minutes. Afterwards, they are dried until crumbly. To dry the seeds faster, spread them in a thin layer on a towel.

If you wish, you can play it safe and treat the seeds with a special preparation that will kill other possible pathogens of the plant. But for home use, it is better to reduce the use of chemicals.

Film greenhouse for cabbage

What types of greenhouses are there?

Early cabbage seeds are planted in greenhouses at the end of February. Later - in March.
Basically, biofuel and frame greenhouses are used for early summer sowing. The first ones are a small pit, at the bottom of which biofuel is placed, sprinkled with earth.

Then the bed is covered with film. The second option is easier to use. The frames are installed at a height of at least 30 centimeters above the ground and are also covered with film. You can also grow seedlings in pots on windowsills and balcony loggias. But it is more difficult to create the necessary conditions.

Planting seeds

It is better not to plant seeds in ordinary soil. A special soil mixture is prepared for greenhouses, consisting of turf soil, sand and peat in equal quantities. After a layer of this mixture has been poured, wait for the desired temperature to occur under the film. If the soil already has 20-25 degrees of heat, you can safely start planting seeds.

Cabbage seeds are sown in a row in the soil mixture to a depth of about one centimeter. A sufficient distance between sowing lines is 3 centimeters. There is one between the seeds.

Seedlings can be grown in a tray

Shoots will appear in 4 or 5 days. All this time, the temperature in the greenhouse should be the same as when planting – 20-25.

After the entrances it is reduced to 10 degrees. After a week, the greenhouse should become warmer again. The optimal temperature during the day is from 14 to 17 degrees, at night – 9.

When the seedlings are 14 days old, the sprouts can be transplanted into separate containers, for example, with a peat mixture. But this is not necessary - simple thinning will be enough.

But if picking (transplanting) plants is still done, then an hour before this you need to water the seedlings with a weak solution of potassium permanganate. By the way, such watering once a week for seedlings will not be superfluous. The sprouts need to be removed from the soil along with clods of earth.

And the lower leaves are planted in the new soil. After transplanting, the temperature in the greenhouse increases a couple of degrees to allow the plants to take root. After this, the previous mode returns.

It should be noted that the temperature regime in the greenhouse is very important. If it is too hot there, the seedlings become thin and grow tall, making them unsuitable for further transplantation. Accordingly, at low temperatures, growth slows down significantly or does not occur at all.

Crops need to be acclimated to cold

Before the plants move to a permanent greenhouse, they must undergo a certain hardening - get used to the influence of the external environment. The greenhouse needs to be ventilated more often and the temperature in it reduced by a couple of degrees.

Before the transplantation process, plants can be “fed” by spraying with a special solution of urea and potassium sulfate - one tablespoon per bucket of water. You need to use about a glass of water for one sprout.

Transplanting

The seedlings are ready for planting if the plants already have 3-4 leaves. Early cabbage is usually planted in greenhouses in early April. Green seedlings with a purple tint are considered good seedlings. The greener one has weak roots and may not take root. The seedlings do not need to be watered for a whole week before planting; it is necessary to water them generously immediately before removing them from the soil.

Seedlings are planted in rows with a distance of 60 centimeters between them. It is most convenient for further work with seedlings if there is a gap of 30 centimeters between the seedlings. The sprout is placed in a hole filled with water with fertilizer, preferably along with the soil in which it sprouted.

That is, there is no need to shake off the soil from the roots. Just as with picking, the stem is covered with earth to the base of the first leaves. Next, you need to lightly compact the soil around the root in order to ensure maximum contact between the plant and the new soil.

Ready crops are planted in the ground

Seedling care: watering and pest protection

Seedlings need to be watered at least twice a week. Moreover, about 8 liters of water are consumed per square meter. It's better to do this in the morning.

Once every 10 days you can feed cabbage with sulfate solutions or tinctures of mullein and urea. After each such fertilizer, the soil must be loosened.

Spud the seedlings when they are 20 days old, and again after another 10.

Seedlings need to be fertilized

For active growth of cabbage, seedlings can be fed with various fertilizers from time to time. These can be superphosphate, potassium, and nitrogen fertilizers.

Wood ash can be used as fertilizer. Cabbage leaves are sprinkled with it. Plus, such fertilizer will protect plants from various pests, although they are quite rare in greenhouse cultivation.

If you add naphthalene to the ash, you can get rid of cabbage flies, white flies and cutworms. Tobacco dust with lime will help repel the cruciferous flea beetle.

With proper greenhouse cultivation of cabbage, problems with seedlings rarely occur. But you should still know the enemy by sight. There are several most common diseases that affect cabbage:

But if you pre-heat the seeds, as indicated above, such problems should not arise.

One of the main rules for caring for cabbage is to avoid shadows. This plant is light-loving. Also, a high yield will be ensured by regular watering and ventilation of the greenhouse.

Harvest

You need to harvest early cabbage when a loose head of cabbage has formed. For medium and late varieties, the head should be quite dense. But the main thing in this matter is not to keep the head of cabbage on the stem so that it does not start to crack. Otherwise, such cabbage will not last long.

By the way, with a careful cut of the head, the plant may well form a new head of cabbage.

Growing cabbage in a greenhouse provides much more guarantees for a positive result than in open ground. After all, all the necessary temperature conditions are observed in the greenhouse. And determination, lack of laziness and compliance with the above simple rules guarantee an excellent harvest.

Cabbage seedlings in the photo

White cabbage is grown by seedlings in two steps. First, they are sown, grown, and then in the cotyledon phase they are planted in a box, or better yet, in nutrient pots, which are placed tightly in a warm place and covered with a nutrient mixture. Next, you will learn how to grow cabbage seedlings at home, and what conditions need to be created for this.

The timing of planting cabbage seeds for seedlings is determined based on the fact that 8-12 days pass from sowing the seeds to the emergence of seedlings, and another 45-50 days from germination to the formation of full-fledged seedlings. Therefore, it is necessary to sow seeds in boxes to obtain seedlings 55-60 days before planting them in. Based on this time run, it is easy to calculate the required time for sowing seeds.

How to properly plant cabbage seedlings so that they grow strong? After emergence of seedlings, the air temperature should not exceed 6-7 °C. This temperature regime is especially important at night. If you cannot withstand the temperature conditions, the seedlings will stretch. In this case, at best, you will get seedlings of low quality, at worst, they will die.

When planting cabbage seedlings, the reduced temperature is maintained for 6-7 days, then it is raised during the day to 15 °C, and at night to 12 °C. As a rule, before picking, seedlings are watered very moderately with water at room temperature or not at all. Air humidity should not exceed 70-75%, that is, the air should be dry.

After 10-12 days, when one or two true leaves appear on the seedlings, they are planted in cubes, pots, cups, boxes or in a home greenhouse. When growing cabbage seedlings at home, this picking (transplantation) is necessary for plants to improve lighting, increase the feeding area of the roots, and strengthen the root system.

To do this, pots or cups are filled with the same nutrient mixture as for sowing seeds, the seedlings are watered with a solution of potassium permanganate and picking begins. Make a hole in the soil with a thin stick and plant seedlings in them, deepening them to the cotyledon leaves. Very long roots are pre-pinched by one third of their length. When planting, you must carefully ensure that the roots are evenly spaced, do not bend, and are well covered with soil mixture.

Watch the video “Cabbage seedlings at home” to better understand how this agricultural technique is performed:

How to properly plant cabbage seedlings at home: growing technology

After planting cabbage seeds for seedlings, the soil is carefully squeezed from the sides of the plant in the area where the roots are located. Young gardeners often press not the root of the seedling, but the stem, which is not allowed. All underdeveloped seedlings should be thrown away when picking.

Water the seedlings only when the soil dries out; the water temperature should be 18-20 °C. After watering, good ventilation of the room is required.

How to plant cabbage seedlings at home correctly, observing all the subtleties of growing? Remember that excess soil and air moisture when growing cabbage seedlings leads to blackleg disease and death.

As you can see in the photo, when growing cabbage seedlings at home, about once a week the seedlings should be watered with water with potassium permanganate:

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If a black leg does appear, then you must immediately sprinkle the soil with dry calcined sand in a layer of 1-1.5 cm. If you grow seedlings in boxes without picking, then at this stage of development they must be thinned to a distance of 5-6 cm.

When growing seedlings in pots or cubes, you can increase the area of soil and air nutrition by increasing the spaces between them in the box by 2-3 cm, which must be immediately filled with soil mixture.

During the first 10-12 days after picking, the seedlings grow very slowly, then their growth proceeds more intensively. During the first weeks, 2-3 true leaves are formed on the seedlings, and before planting in a permanent place there are already 4-5 true leaves.

To grow cabbage seedlings, the necessary conditions are:

Correct soil composition: forest humus, sand, turf soil, peat, free from clubroot pathogens (check by sowing Chinese cabbage - symptoms after 40 days).
Optimal sowing dates: for early cabbage - March 20-April 1, for late cabbage - April 1-15, for mid-late cabbage - April 20-May 1, for mid-season cabbage - May 1-5. The optimal age of seedlings is 40 days.
Thickened sowing should not be allowed: the optimal sowing pattern is 4x4 cm or 5x5 cm.
It is necessary to organize illumination when growing seedlings so that the seedlings do not stretch out, fall down and die.
Do not over-moisten the soil when growing seedlings, which can cause blackleg disease.
Do not water seedlings with cold water - this also contributes to blackleg disease.
The optimal temperature for emergence is +22-25 °C, after germination +14-18 °C during the day and +12-14 °C at night.

Following the correct agricultural techniques for growing cabbage seedlings, a week before planting the seedlings in open ground, watering is stopped in order to restrain their growth. Before sampling the night before, the seedlings are watered generously. And 2-3 hours before planting in the ground, the seedlings are again watered abundantly with water. If you grew seedlings in pots, then refrain from excessive watering, as the pots may fall apart.

Seedlings must be fed during cultivation. The first feeding is carried out when the second true leaf appears. Feed with urea (30 g per 10 liters of water), this amount is enough for 2-3 m2. Before fertilizing, the seedlings should be watered, and after fertilizing, lightly sprinkle with water to wash off the fertilizer solution from the leaves.

The second feeding is carried out 15 days before planting seedlings in open ground. To do this, dissolve 10-25 g of urea and potassium sulfate or potassium chloride in 10 liters of water, using 1 liter of solution for 5 plants.

Bird droppings have proven to be very useful for fertilizing cabbage seedlings. To do this, pour one part of the fertilizer with 2-3 parts of water and leave for 2-3 days. Then it is diluted with water in a ratio of 1:10, and the feeding is ready.

Before feeding seedlings, you should take into account the condition of the plants, their growing conditions and the purpose of the variety. If there is a lack of light or forced high soil moisture, the dose of nitrogen in fertilizing should be reduced, and potassium should be increased.

It is good to use wood ash as a potassium fertilizer, which also contains all the necessary microelements.

Seedlings with 4-5 true leaves are ready for planting

Seedlings with 4-5 true leaves are ready for planting. And potted seedlings of early cabbage can be planted with 6-7 leaves.

2 weeks before planting in open ground, they begin to harden the seedlings. To do this, she is taken out into the open air, accustoming her not only to low temperatures (5-6 °C), but also to direct sunlight, gradually increasing the duration of her stay in the open air.

If there is a sufficient amount of good biofuel (horse or cow manure on straw bedding), early cabbage seedlings are grown in a greenhouse. To do this, in mid-March, the greenhouse is filled with horse manure, heated, a mixture of humus and turf soil in a ratio of 3:1 is poured on top in a layer of 12-15 cm and it is slightly compacted. Then it is watered with mullein infusion (1:10) and hot water. When sowing cabbage for seedlings in a greenhouse, it is better to dip the roots in a liquid mash of mullein and clay, which significantly improves the survival rate of the seedlings.

Cabbage seedlings in a greenhouse in the photo

Then the soil is marked into squares with a side of 10 cm. In the center of the squares, depressions are made with a stick, 2-3 seeds are placed in each of them and covered with humus. Then the greenhouse is covered with frames and insulated with mats in two layers.

After 3-4 days, the mats are removed and the greenhouse is covered with them only at night or in severe frost. When seedlings appear, leave 1-2 plants in each hole; add a mixture of soil and wood ash in a 1:1 ratio to avoid plant disease with blackleg. After 6-7 days, leave one plant in the hole and add soil again.

How to grow cabbage seedlings in a greenhouse, following proper cultivation techniques? After the first true leaf appears, the seedlings are fed with a solution of nitrophoska and wood ash (10 g of nitrophoska and a quarter cup of ash per bucket of water). After the formation of the second leaf, the plants are fed a second time with the same solution and with a long knife, the soil is cut to the depth of the manure along and across the greenhouse, making cuts at the same distance between the plants.

The nursery requires constant care and attention. The soil in it must be constantly maintained in a loose state, weeds must be removed in a timely manner and the appearance of cruciferous flea beetles must be monitored.

To obtain good seedlings, plants need to be lightly hilled. During the growth period, seedlings in the nursery must be fed twice with mineral fertilizers diluted in water (10 g of urea, 20 g of superphosphate and 15 g of potassium sulfate per 10 liters of water).

When growing seedlings under film covers, special attention should be paid to ventilation of the nursery and moistening the soil on hot days.

On warm days, the shelter from the nursery is generally removed to avoid overheating; when it gets colder, it is covered again with film. When sowing cabbage for seedlings and caring for seedlings on cold nights, the seedlings are covered with mats or non-woven covering materials made of polymer fibers.

Seedlings should not be overgrown, as they stretch out and do not take root well when planted in the ground.

5 - 6 days before planting the seedlings in a permanent place, the soil is again cut with a knife into the same squares. When caring for cabbage seedlings, the air temperature in the greenhouse should be maintained at 15-18 °C during the day, and 10-12 °C at night.

Seedlings of mid-season and late-season cabbage varieties in the Non-Chernozem region can be grown in open ground in insulated beds (nurseries) without picking. To do this, the nurseries will be placed in fertile areas protected from the wind, free from perennial weeds and woodlice. The bed for the nursery is prepared in the fall, adding up to 100 g of lime and up to 50 g of nitrophosphate per 1 m2 for digging.