Today, in modern summer cottages you can find a huge number of different vegetables. Some grow cucumbers and tomatoes, while others are attracted to Brussels sprouts, the cultivation and care of which requires certain skills and abilities from the vegetable grower. Therefore, before growing Brussels sprouts, it is necessary to study the features of growing Brussels sprouts.
Sowing seedlings
To grow Brussels sprouts in open ground, you need to decide on the timing of planting them.Brussels sprouts Cassio seedlings should be grown from the beginning of April until the end of the next month. This time will be enough to obtain high-quality seedlings. In Siberia, it is recommended to plant several months later.
Preparing seeds
Brussels sprouts Hercules, Rosella and many other varieties must be prepared for planting. First, you should start calibrating the planting material in order to immediately get rid of defective seeds. To do this, a saline solution is poured into a small container. Then the seeds are placed in it and soaked in liquid for about 5-10 minutes. During this time, all the bad seeds will float to the surface, and the good ones will remain below.
Having gotten rid of the defective seeds, all the remaining ones need to be checked for germination. A soaked cloth is placed in a small plate, on top of which all the seeds are laid out. They are covered with a cloth and soaked for three days. The highest quality planting material should swell well during this time.
It is recommended to plant Brussels sprouts in open ground, the seeds of which have been disinfected in advance. This procedure is necessary to rid all seeds of possible pathogens of fungal or bacterial diseases. Many vegetable growers use manganese solution for this. The procedure is carried out step by step and in a certain sequence. First, a weak solution of manganese is poured into a small container, after which the seeds are placed in it for half an hour. All cabbage seeds are then removed, washed and dried.
Also, before planting cabbage, it is necessary to speed up the germination of its seeds. To do this, they should be soaked in warm water for about 10 hours.In this case, it is recommended to change the liquid every 3 hours so that it does not have time to cool completely.
Soil preparation
The planted seed should be grown in neutral or fertile soils. In all other soils, seedlings grow much worse. Also, to improve the yield and growth of the plant, you can use pre-prepared soil, which can be purchased at almost all country stores.
Cabbage does not tolerate soils with a small amount of mineral elements, and therefore, in order to produce many heads of cabbage in the future, you will have to apply fertilizer to the soil yourself. It is recommended to prepare a soil mixture that will consist of equal amounts of sand, turf soil and peat. You can also add a little humus and compost to the soil. However, in this case, you should be very careful, since these components have a beneficial effect on the development of blackleg.
Sowing
The agricultural technology for planting seeds is quite simple. It must be planted in small containers, no more than 5-7 cm deep. You must add the soil mixture that was prepared earlier to each of the containers. After this, the entire soil is watered with potassium manganese solution and infused for 5-10 minutes.
Then they begin to make holes for planting seeds. Their depth should be about 1 cm and width - 2-3 cm. When all the seeds are planted, the holes are sprinkled with a small layer of earth and watered with heated water. Then all containers are covered with plastic wrap and transferred to a bright room. They are opened only after the first shoots appear.
Planting seedlings
Growing Brussels sprouts in open ground should be done in the second half of spring, when the outside temperature will always be above zero.
Site selection
Brussels sprouts should only be grown in areas that are ideal for them. For early varieties such as Casio, sandy loam or light loamy soil is suitable. Such soils are cleared of snow earlier than others and warm up very quickly.
Late and mid-season varieties of Brussels sprouts grow best in heavy loamy soil or meadow soil. It is not recommended to plant them in a garden with soil that has a high acidity level. Quite often, due to too acidic soil, heads of cabbage do not set.
Brussels sprouts must have suitable predecessors. It is recommended to plant it in areas where carrots, cucumbers, onions, legumes or perennial herbs were previously grown. If cruciferous vegetables were previously grown in the chosen location, this may lead to poor fruit set.
Site preparation
In the Moscow region and other nearby regions, it is necessary to prepare the site at the dacha in the autumn. During this period, the soil is fertilized and dug up. The site is fertilized with manure and other organic matter, after which all the land is harrowed and dug up. You should also be sure to level the area so that there are no strong depressions or holes in it.
It is imperative to clear the area of the remains of other plants and weeds, as they are one of the main carriers of various diseases.
The next stage of site preparation takes place in early spring. At this time, it is necessary to fertilize the soil. A bucket of compost with humus is added to the soil. Also, a little wood ash with superphosphate and urea is added to the open ground.
Planting
To understand how to plant cabbage correctly at home, you need to familiarize yourself with the main features of this process. Planting should only be done in the evening or on cloudy days to avoid bright sunlight. The fact is that fragile seedlings should not be in the sun for the first few hours after transplanting.
First you need to start marking the beds. The distance between each bed should be about 50-70 cm so that the bushes do not interfere with each other. After marking them, you need to start creating holes. They should not be very large, since seedlings have a small root system. Add a little organic fertilizer to each hole and mix it with the soil. Then the seedlings are placed in them and sprinkled with soil.
Features of care
In order for large heads to form on the bushes, you need to properly care for the plant from sowing to harvest. After all, it is planting and care that influence the quality of the resulting fruits.
Watering
Caring for Brussels sprouts must include regular watering of young seedlings. In order for the bushes to grow well, they need to be watered every 3-4 days for two weeks after planting. At the same time, at least eight liters of liquid should be consumed per square meter. Very frequent watering can affect the appearance of new lower leaves. If there are too many of them, you will have to periodically pick off the leaves.
Watering can be increased more often only in early June, when most of the fruits are set. The procedure will have to be carried out several times a day - in the evening and in the morning. In this case, it is necessary to use water heated to room temperature.
Loosening
When growing and caring for Brussels sprouts, it is necessary to loosen the soil, as growing cabbage plants need this. Especially after heavy rains. The procedure is carried out regularly 2-3 times every few weeks. To get rid of crust on the ground, you don't need to loosen it too deeply. It will be enough to loosen the soil to a depth of about 5-7 cm.
The first hilling is carried out a month after planting the seedlings in the garden. The second time the procedure is carried out eight days later. Due to hilling, additional roots may appear on the side of the bushes. To prevent them from appearing, during loosening you should retreat 5-10 cm from the base of the plant.
Top dressing
It is necessary to feed the soil regularly when growing cabbage. For the first time, fertilizers are applied to the ground two and a half weeks after transplanting the seedlings. During this period, organic fertilizers diluted in water are used. The second time the procedure is repeated after 10-15 days. In this case, bird droppings with mullein and superphosphate are added to the soil.
Harvesting
The harvest should be done three and a half months after the seedlings are planted on the site. After such a period of time, all the heads of cabbage that have formed look fully ripe. First you need to remove the heads of cabbage that are located at the bottom of the bushes. Then you can trim off the higher fruits. It is very important to have time to harvest before the first frost. Indeed, at low temperatures, the heads of cabbage begin to quickly deteriorate. All collected heads of cabbage must be trimmed. Their leaf rosette and upper bud are removed. This is done to ensure that the crop is stored longer.
Conclusion
Get a good cabbage harvest not that difficult.To do this, you need to look at photos and videos of growing and caring for Brussels sprouts in open ground.
