Few people know why cabbage has purple leaves and what to do in this case. Cabbage is a favorite vegetable of many gardeners. It is planted everywhere. In terms of care, the culture is quite picky. The only thing that worries gardeners is that the plant is quite easily susceptible to disease and pest attacks. The appearance of purple leaves is a reason to be wary. There may be several reasons for this phenomenon.
How to choose a variety for seedlings
To ensure that the plant does not get sick, and the heads of cabbage grow strong and strong, you need to carefully consider the choice of seeds for seedlings.It is this factor that determines the yield, the quality of which does not always correspond to the expected.
Before purchasing seed material, a summer resident must determine for what purpose it is necessary to grow cabbage:
- for use in the summer as a component of vitamin salads;
- for fermentation and preservation in salted form;
- for storage in the basement during the long winter months.
Cabbage varieties a lot today. They differ in terms of ripening, head density, pungency of taste and other characteristics.
Very early varieties form tight heads of cabbage already at the beginning of the summer season, mid-season varieties become edible by mid-July, and late ones have to wait almost until frost. Harvested at the end of October, such heads of cabbage can easily be stored throughout the winter.
Landing in the ground
Proper planting determines the success of growing cabbage. Young plants must be planted in the ground at a distance of at least 0.5 - 0.7 m from each other. Of course, you shouldn’t approach the garden bed with a ruler, but you must follow this rule by eye.
Before planting, it is necessary to make holes into which, in addition to plants, many useful substances will be sent. This includes humus, fresh manure, and mineral fertilizers. Every gardener knows what exactly the soil in his garden needs, and in accordance with this he will make a choice of fertilizing, which will make the receipt of nutrients more rational.
It is important that the plant should not be immersed in humus. This organic fertilizer simply helps form the bottom layer of the hole in which the seedling will be placed.
The amount of fertilizer applied is approximately 1 plastic cup. You can add a little wood ash, about the size of a matchbox.You can cover all this with one or two handfuls of earth.
At the next stage, the hole must be watered. Due to the fact that the culture is moisture-loving, each hole should receive at least one liter of water. Watering the cabbage from above will not be enough. If seedlings are planted in hot weather, you can let the holes sit so that the manure begins to produce the heat that young plants need so much.
When removing seedlings from a pot, the root system should be treated with growth stimulants, of which there are many sold - the gardener just has to choose. With the use of these drugs, the survival rate of seedlings becomes significantly higher.
Separate plants from each other during planting in the ground with extreme caution. Having separated the seedlings, you should lightly press on a lump of earth to remove the plant from the pot. It is very important to keep the root system intact.
During the process of planting seedlings, you should pay attention to their condition. Sick, weak and small bushes need to be removed. It is necessary to plant only the largest, strongest seedlings. Before placing them in the hole, the roots can be treated with a growth stimulator.
Having placed the plant in the hole and holding it with one hand, with the other you need to sprinkle the trunk up to the cotyledon cabbage leaves. The ground needs to be leveled and slightly pressed. This is necessary so that the roots stand firmly and no voids form in their place.
By following agricultural practices after planting seedlings, you can more likely guarantee the health of the plants and their resistance to disease.
Causes of purple leaves
The totality of the harmonious action of various components within the seedling is manifested in the form of a color scheme. Each plant has its own range.In such a very capricious culture, the green color determines the action of 4 components:
- nitrogen;
- magnesium;
- potassium;
- phosphorus.
These elements form the basis of the vitamin balance of cabbage. This means that a change in leaf color signals a change in this equilibrium. Zoologists believe that the appearance of a purple tint is a signal of a lack of phosphorus.
Thus, the main reasons why cabbage leaves turn blue are as follows:
- The first and most basic reason is an acute lack of phosphorus and nitrogen. If such suspicions arise, the plants must be fed with complex formulations that contain these substances.
- Violation of growing conditions can cause a purple tint to appear on cabbage leaves. This is a moisture-loving plant, and if there is a lack of moisture during cultivation, it begins to experience stress. Low temperatures, stress caused by replanting, and excessively high humidity will negatively affect the condition of the plant.
- A disease known to everyone as blackleg. It is impossible to cure a plant from it. Caused by a fungal pathogen, blackleg attacks plant roots and blocks the supply of food.
What to do
If the cabbage turns purple, you need to deal with the cause of this condition. For this you will need:
- fertilizer containing phosphorus;
- colloidal sulfur;
- covering material (agrospan).
It’s not hard to guess what to do if cabbage has purple leaves. Since most often the lilac color of leaves is due to the fact that they lack phosphorus, the solution to the problem lies in feeding the plants.At first, a change in shade occurs only in the veins, then in the central part of the leaf; at the last stage of the disorder, the edges of the leaves turn yellow, after which they die.
If the leaves turn purple, only one solution can be offered - fertilizing with phosphorus fertilizer. This can be either superphosphate or a product made independently based on droppings, manure and other similar components.
It is interesting that normal plant development can occur with a small amount of phosphorus, but its deficiency can quickly destroy cabbage.
Violation of cultivation conditions negatively affects the condition of future heads of cabbage. If cabbage seedlings have turned blue, methods such as adjusting the room temperature, balancing the diet, and regular watering can help. It is worth normalizing all the processes that are vital for cabbage heads, and the cabbage leaves will restore their color.
Stress caused by moving seedlings can lead to a change in the color of the cabbage leaf, which becomes similar to lilac. This is difficult to fix, but can be easily foreseen. If the movement has already taken place, and all other growing conditions meet the requirements, then within a few weeks the plant’s condition will return to normal.
An adult plant turns blue due to exposure to low temperatures. To avoid such complications, you can cover your cabbage beds with spandbond. The cold will not be a problem if the plants are protected.
If the cause of the blue leaves is a black leg, it is impossible to save the plant, as well as to avoid dead leaves, but you can try to protect other heads of cabbage. To do this, you first need to pull out the infected specimen, and treat the remaining ones with a solution of colloidal sulfur.
