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Many gardeners grow at least one variety of cabbage on their plot. Recently, this culture has become even more popular. broccoli, colored, Beijing, kohlrabi, white cabbage - all these varieties have their own unique taste and useful properties. Most varieties can be grown even in colder climates.
In warm areas, cabbage can be grown from seed, but even there the seedling method will be more effective. So, you can get a more generous harvest. Inappropriate conditions and night frosts can easily destroy tender young seedlings. Therefore, experienced gardeners prefer to grow cabbage using seedlings, which by the time of planting will already get stronger. But in order to grow good seedlings, you need to know some subtleties, for example, how to prepare seeds for sowing, when to plant cabbage for seedlings in 2021 and how to grow cabbage seedlings. Answers to these and other questions related to growing seedlings can be found in this article.
Preparing the soil
Before you start sowing seeds, you need to do some preparatory work. The first step is to prepare all the necessary tools and materials. The next step is soil preparation. It primarily depends on how strong and healthy the seedlings will be. The soil from the garden is not suitable for these purposes. There is a high probability of the presence of infectious microorganisms in it. Having planted cabbage in such soil, you can not even hope for a good result. The plant will get sick in the early stages of growth, which is why it will not be able to grow normally.
In specialized stores, you can pick up a ready-made potting mix. In order for the seedlings to grow well, they need a light, fertile soil. Peat and sand are also added to it. Gardeners noticed that the higher the peat content in the soil, the better the seedlings grow. Therefore, some prepare soil mixtures consisting of 75% peat. But the following composition would be the best option:
- Sod land.
- Peat.
- Sand.
All components are mixed in equal amounts, and you get an excellent loose soil for growing seedlings. There are other options for preparing the soil. For example, you can add humus instead of sand. Wood ash is also very good. In this case, 1 tablespoon of ash is added to 1 kg of soil. It will not only serve as a feed, but also as a prevention of fungal diseases.
To independently prepare woody soil for seedlings, you need to bury wood in the ground in the spring so that the roots are at the top. In the summer, this soil will need to be dug 2 or 3 times. By next spring, the woody soil will be completely ready for use.
Preparing seeds for sowing
Sowing cabbage for seedlings is the most important step in growing this vegetable. But in order for it to be successful, it is necessary to prepare high-quality seed. It is necessary to purchase cabbage seeds for seedlings in 2021 only in trusted stores that take care of the terms and rules of storage. Pay attention to the seed manufacturer and also see reviews about him. Be sure to check the shelf life when buying seeds.
The further preparation process involves the calibration and processing of the material. First, all the seeds are sorted out, leaving the largest ones. Further, they carry out disinfection and saturation with microelements. These procedures will help the seeds sprout faster.
So, in order to prepare the seeds for planting, you must complete the following steps:
- place the seeds in preheated water to fifty degrees and hold them there for about 20 minutes;
- drain the warm water and soak the seeds in cold for 60 seconds;
- leave overnight in a solution of mineral fertilizers;
- Keep the seed in the refrigerator for 24 hours.
Now it remains only to dry the seeds a little and you can start planting. Seeds collected on their own are most in need of such treatment. Seed packages usually indicate whether they were processed or not. Most often, purchased seeds are already completely ready for sowing.
When to sow cabbage for seedlings
The timing of planting cabbage for seedlings directly depends on the climatic conditions of the region and the specific variety. In any case, the time of planting seedlings in the garden should be taken into account. It takes about 10 days for the seeds to germinate. The sprouts ripen within 43–46 days. It turns out that you can grow full-fledged seedlings in 55-60 days. Therefore, when deciding when to plant cabbage for seedlings in 2021, consider how long it will take to grow it.
It is very important to pay attention to cabbage varieties when sowing. Early varieties should be planted first. Early varieties of white and red cabbage are sown from the second week of March. But mid-season and late cabbage should be planted in mid-April.
Broccoli, it is customary to plant colored and kohlrabi in several passes. The first sowing for seedlings in 2021 is done in mid-March, and all the next ones every 20 days. Thus, 3 or 4 landings are carried out. Brussels sprouts begin to be planted in mid-April.
Residents of the southern regions can start sowing much earlier. In such an area, the soil will warm up much faster, and, accordingly, transplanting into open ground can be carried out earlier than in the northern regions. In heated rooms and greenhouses, planting cabbage seeds for seedlings begins in February. Sowing seeds directly into open ground is not possible until mid-May.
How to properly plant cabbage for seedlings
The methods of planting cabbage seeds for seedlings depend on the chosen container. Some of them require further picks in separate cups and some not. For sowing seeds with a pick, it is necessary to prepare special boxes no more than 6 cm in height. The prepared soil mixture is placed there, leveled and watered. Further, furrows are made in the soil about 1 cm deep and the seeds are placed there. Not everyone knows at what distance to plant cabbage so that it grows well. Although this method implies further picking, the seeds should be planted at a distance of about 2 cm. Due to the large number of shoots, they can be weak and small. In the future, cabbage will still have to be thinned out, so it is better to immediately plant it at a normal distance. Sprinkle the seeds on top with soil and tamp a little.
Approximately 2 weeks after the sprouts sprout, you can start picking. This must be done very carefully so that the root system is not damaged. You can only move a sprout with an earthen lump surrounding it.
In order for the seedlings to take root well in new containers, it is necessary to maintain the correct temperature regime. The first couple of days the temperature should be at least +17 ° C, then it can be lowered to +13 ° C.
Not everyone has enough time to pick, especially if there are a lot of seedlings. In this case, it is better to plant cabbage for seedlings in special cassettes with cells, boxes with compartments or peat tablets. With this planting method, two seeds are planted in each container. The depth of the hole is the same, about 1 cm. After planting, the soil should be watered abundantly. If the seed is of good quality, then both seeds should sprout. In the future, when it becomes noticeable which of them is stronger, the weak sprout will need to be removed.
Planting cabbage for seedlings in the second way is more popular among gardeners. Carrying out a pick can damage the root system, and the growth of seedlings will be significantly delayed. By planting directly in separate containers, you can save time and effort. Moreover, this method greatly facilitates the further transplantation of shoots into open ground.
Caring for cabbage seedlings
With the wrong temperature conditions and the absence of normal lighting, the sprouts will stretch. To prevent this from happening, you need to carefully monitor so that the room temperature does not drop below +18 ° C. After the first shoots appear, it can be reduced to +8 ° C. The place for seedlings should be well lit, but at the same time, direct sunlight throughout the day can be as detrimental as its lack.
Further care for cabbage seedlings consists of the following procedures:
- Regular watering.
- Top dressing.
- Airing.
- Hardening of seedlings before planting.
The soil should always be moist, so watering should be done as the top layer of the soil dries up. During the growth of seedlings, you need to carry out two dressings. The first feeding is necessary for the plants at the time when the first 2 leaves appear, and the second is done before hardening. As a feed, special minerals are used fertilizers.
It is necessary to start hardening cabbage sprouts two or three weeks before planting in the ground. This procedure will prepare the plants for temperature extremes and winds. Thanks to hardening, cabbage can quickly take root in the garden. At first, the seedlings should be taken outside for just a couple of hours. A week before disembarkation, the time begins to increase. Now the seedlings are not afraid of the sun or frost. She will easily resist winds and other weather conditions.
Prevention and treatment of diseases
The manifestations of the disease can appear for the most harmless reasons. Excessive watering, low air temperature, insufficient ventilation can provoke the appearance of fungi and rot. The most common diseases and pests of cabbage seedlings are:
- blackleg;
- root rot;
- cruciferous flea.
When the first signs of damage appear, you must immediately begin to act. To overcome the black leg, you will need to dry the soil in containers, loosen it, and then sprinkle the seedlings with wood ash.
The second option is suitable for combating both blackleg and root rot. The sprouts should be treated with Trichodermit or Rizoplan. They contain no harmful chemicals, they are natural biological agents. The drug contains spores and mycelium of a specially grown fungus, which eliminates pathogens by direct parasitism.
Treatment of seedlings with these drugs will help develop immunity to diseases. Thanks to the treatment with Rizoplan, the seedlings will become stronger and more resistant to fungi. It promotes better absorption of iron, and helps the sprouts fight bacteriosis and various gils.
It is very easy to make these preparations. For example, "Trichodermin" is applied to seedling pots just before picking. For 1 sprout you will need only 1 gram of "Trichodermina". A grain of barley containing the microspores of the fungus should also be added to the pot.The treatment of seedlings with "Rizoplan" is even easier than with the previous preparation. It is simply bred in water and sprayed with sprouts. For half a liter of water, you will need five grams of the drug.
A common pest of cabbage seedlings is the cruciferous flea. This insect is a small striped bug. Despite its size, it is the most dangerous pest in cabbage. To protect the seedlings from the appearance of this pest, it is necessary to pre-treat the sprouts with "Intavir".
Transplanting seedlings into open ground
Before you start planting seedlings, you need to prepare the site. The soil should be carefully dug up and leveled. Further, holes are made in the soil and 1 liter of water is poured there. Then a sprout is placed in each hole and added dropwise at the level of the first two leaves. The soil around the seedlings is lightly tamped and the sprout is watered again. For cabbage to grow well, the distance between seedlings should be about 40–45 cm, and at least 40 cm between rows.
To determine when to plant cabbage, you should pay attention to the climatic conditions of your region. However, remember that cabbage loves the sun, so plant it in well-lit areas. The soil in the garden bed should not be too wet or clayey. Such soil can provoke the appearance of fungal diseases and rot.
Conclusion
Applying the tips from the article in practice, plant cabbage for seedlings in 2021 will be a snap. We've covered how to grow cabbage seedlings to keep them strong and healthy. We learned how to use preventive drugs to avoid the appearance of fungal and other diseases. We learned when to sow cabbage for seedlings in order to plant it in the ground in time. And also how to plant seedlings in the garden.
