Content
The Little Mermaid Japanese cabbage is a cold-resistant salad variety that can be grown outdoors. The leaves have a pleasant taste with a slight mustard aftertaste; they are used to prepare cold snacks, salads and first courses.
Description of Japanese cabbage Little Mermaid
The Little Mermaid Japanese cabbage has feathery foliage with jagged edges. In the rosette, from 40 to 60 leaves are formed, the height of which ranges from 30-40 cm. The surface is smooth, but wrinkles can be observed. The foliage is green with a thin white vein. The taste is delicate, pleasant, without strong bitterness, the aroma is subtle.
Japanese cabbage variety is resistant to adverse weather conditions
The culture tolerates cold snaps well, does not suffer from extreme heat. The crop can be harvested as early as two months after planting.
Advantages and disadvantages
When choosing crops for growing, be sure to pay attention to their advantages and disadvantages. The Japanese cabbage The Little Mermaid has a lot of advantages:
- resistance to a sharp change in weather, seedlings are not afraid of a drop and increase in temperature;
- good taste without bitterness, which allows it to be used as food for people suffering from gastritis, gastrointestinal diseases and heart pathologies;
- versatility. Not only salads are prepared from cabbage, it is added to hot dishes, and also closed for the winter;
- beautiful appearance allows you to grow this variety as a decorative element on an alpine hill;
- high productivity.
The disadvantages of vegetable growers include the fact that Japanese cabbage is susceptible to attack by a cruciferous flea. In addition, cabbage is moisture-loving, so irrigation is indispensable.
The yield of Japanese cabbage the Little Mermaid
The mass of cabbage is about 1.2 kg, but there are also large specimens, the weight of which is close to 1.7 kg. When planting 4 seedlings per 1 square meter, you can collect about 5-6 kg of foliage with petioles.
Planting and caring for the Japanese Little Mermaid cabbage
Japanese cabbage prefers medium loamy, well-drained soil. To get a high yield, you must adhere to simple planting and care rules.
The beds are chosen in a well-lit area, since the Japanese cabbage The Little Mermaid needs a sufficient amount of ultraviolet radiation. Soil preparation is carried out in the fall.
Dig up the soil, get rid of weeds and old roots, and also fertilize with humus
In early spring, ammonium nitrate is scattered on the site at the rate of 15-20 g per 1 m². With increased acidity of the soil, liming is carried out.
Seeds can be sown in a greenhouse for forcing seedlings or directly into open ground.
If it is decided to do without growing seedlings of the Little Mermaid Japanese cabbage, they start sowing seeds in mid-April. The plant sprouts even in cold weather, when the air temperature does not exceed +4 ° С. Japanese culture is not afraid of spring frosts. It can withstand short-term temperature drops down to -4 ° С. Warm and rainy weather with temperatures ranging from 16 to 26 ° C is considered favorable for the growth of cabbage in the open field. Excessive heat and lack of moisture can cause sunburn on foliage.
A weak solution of potassium permanganate is used for seed disinfection and soil treatment
At the beginning or in the middle of March, the planting material is pickled in manganese, soaked in warm water and planted in peat cups. In greenhouse conditions, they will germinate on the third day. They begin to transplant into open ground in early May.
Some gardeners practice sowing seeds before winter. The procedure is carried out before the onset of stable cold weather, but the air temperature should be close to zero. If there is a thaw after sowing, the seeds will sprout, but they will not survive the winter. The approximate planting date is the end of October or November. It all depends on the weather conditions of the region. Because not all seeds will be able to survive until spring, they are sown 2-3 times more than would be planned for spring planting.
For the autumn procedure, an elevated territory is chosen, which will warm up and dry faster in the spring. The seeds are poured into the grooves, sprinkled with dry earth, and mulched on top with foliage or hay. There is no need to water the garden.
Care consists in regular watering. Cabbage loves moisture, but excessive stagnation of water negatively affects its condition. Due to waterlogging, the roots can rot and the seedlings will disappear. In addition to watering, the culture needs weeding from weeds, which is carried out as they appear, as well as loosening the row spacings.
Japanese cabbage The Little Mermaid is capable of accumulating nitrates in foliage, so fertilizers can be applied to a minimum. Enough of those dressings that were carried out in the fall and early spring, even before planting the seedlings in the ground.
If the land is depleted, you can feed the Little Mermaid cabbage with a potassium-phosphorus composition.
Diseases and pests
To prevent the development of diseases on the Japanese Little Mermaid cabbage, it is necessary to observe the crop rotation. Legumes, pumpkins and nightshades are good crop precursors. It is not recommended to plant a Japanese variety after crucifers, since they have common diseases and pests.
Blackleg
It manifests itself mainly on young seedlings in the form of darkened and dry areas at the bottom of the shoots.
For the prevention of black leg, pre-planting seed treatment with Baktofit is recommended.
When a disease is detected, the damaged leaves are removed, and the plant is watered under the root with a weak solution of manganese.
Peronosporosis
Appears as an off-white bloom on foliage, and yellow spots may also be seen. Not only young, but also adult specimens can get sick. Prevention consists in proper planting and care: thickening and excessive moisture of the soil should not be allowed.
When the first symptoms of peronosporosis appear, the Little Mermaid cabbage seedlings are sprayed with Bordeaux liquid or fungicides
Fomoz
The first signs are spots and a dark root collar. Young seedlings are susceptible to disease. If detected, it is necessary to spray with Bordeaux liquid (1% solution).
For preventive purposes, use the treatment of the earth with a solution of potassium permanganate
Pests can also reduce yields.
Japanese cabbage The Little Mermaid loves a cruciferous flea
You can notice the appearance of insects by small holes in the shoots and foliage. The invasion of the pest is observed in the spring, when the air temperature warms up to + 16-17 ° C.
There are various ways to deal with the cruciferous flea. Insects do not like high humidity, so regular watering will prevent them from appearing. Dusting plants with tobacco and ash is effective; lime can be used instead of tobacco dust.
You can dust not only seedlings, but also the ground. For this, it is recommended to use naphthalene or tobacco dust. You can also spray the plants and the area with a mixture of laundry soap and ash. 0.5 liters of hot water will require 2 tbsp. l. ash and 20 g of soap shavings.
The cruciferous flea does not tolerate the smell of garlic, so spraying can be done with garlic infusion. You can use shredded tomato tops and green soap to create a spray mix.
The mild vinegar solution will also keep uninvited insects away. For its preparation, use 9% vinegar (250 ml) and warm water (10 l).
Application
The Little Mermaid Japanese cabbage is edible both fresh and processed.
The foliage is recommended to be used for making salads, cold and hot appetizers, sandwiches, soups, borscht, vegetable stews
The leaves are added to marinades, as well as pickles and other winter preparations.
The pleasant peppery aroma of The Little Mermaid allows you to use cabbage leaves as an addition to meat and fish dishes. Fresh foliage is active for making cheese sandwiches.
The Little Mermaid Japanese cabbage is not only tasty, but also healthy. It contains carotene and a number of vitamins - C, B1 and B2, PP. Due to its high iron content, cabbage is recommended for the prevention of anemia. Calcium and potassium salts, as well as phosphorus, included in the crop tops, are necessary for people suffering from cardiovascular diseases.
Conclusion
The Japanese Little Mermaid cabbage is suitable for growing both in the open field and in a greenhouse. Ornamental foliage contributes to the fact that the culture is grown in flower beds and alpine slides.
