Some people are interested in the question of whether it is possible to grow cauliflower at home in their garden plot. Agrarian experts say that it is possible to get a harvest of this plant, but for this, all stages of cultivation must be followed, as well as the cauliflower planting scheme and the rules for caring for this vegetable.
Descriptive characteristics
Cauliflower is one of the varieties of cabbage.It is believed that it was bred in Syria for winter food. Back in the 12th century. it was brought to Spain, and from the next century all of Europe planted it. Currently, this plant is also planted on the American continent and in Asian countries.
Cauliflower has a fibrous root and a cylindrical stem. The stem grows from 15 to 70 cm in height. The horizontal leaves are often bent in a spiral. Their shades can range from green to bluish due to the presence of a waxy coating.
Cauliflower heads, which are massive flower stalks, are used for food. They are picked in an unripe state. Such technical ripeness of the plant occurs approximately 90-120 days after emergence. There are varieties with a white tint, cream or even purple. The seeds are obtained from the pods. It can be grown either by seedlings or by seeds.
How to plant seeds correctly to obtain seedlings
Planting seeds to obtain seedlings of early varieties of cabbage is carried out in late February. The time for planting plants with an average ripening period begins after 15 days, and after another 2 weeks, seeds of late varieties can be sown.
Before sowing cauliflower, the seeds are treated with warm water for 15 minutes, then washed with cold water and filled with liquid with dissolved nutrients. After 12 hours, the seeds are washed and placed in the vegetable compartment of the refrigerator for 24 hours.
After preparing the seed material in this way, sowing is carried out in separate pots so as not to subject the plant to further picking. The lower part of the peas is filled with drainage, and then soil with a neutral reaction is poured. It is prepared from lowland peat (4 parts), humus (1 part) and sawdust (1.5 parts).The seeds are placed to a depth of 1.5 cm, after which the soil is slightly compacted.
Cauliflower for seedlings in containers, until shoots emerge, is taken into a room whose temperature ranges from +18 to +20 degrees. After the first shoots appear, the containers are transferred to a cold part of the house, but at the same time providing access to light. If the seedlings are located in rooms with a higher temperature, then there is a possibility that the cauliflower will subsequently not be able to form inflorescences.
Caring for seedlings consists of regular and moderate watering, loosening the top layer of soil and carrying out treatment to disinfect the soil with a weak solution of potassium permanganate. After the plants have 2-3 leaves, a solution of boric acid (2 g per 1 liter of liquid) is sprayed onto the containers, and after 1-2 weeks the seedlings are treated with ammonium molybdate dissolved in water (5 g of the drug per 10 liters of water).
Picking seedlings is not advisable. Since the delicate root system suffers. If large containers are used when sowing seeds, the seeds should be placed away from each other so that the grown seedlings do not interfere with the development of neighboring plants and the roots are not injured during planting in open ground.
If you still have to pick, it should be done 2 weeks after planting the seeds. When replanting into separate pots, it is necessary to slightly shorten the root. Picked seedlings are left for several days in a room with a temperature of +21 degrees, and then lowered to +17 degrees during the day and +9 degrees at night.
How to plant seedlings in open ground
Planting cauliflower in open ground should be done 50-55 days after sowing in containers.Typically, it starts from late April to mid-May for early varieties, and the timing for mid-season and late varieties falls at the end of May, and planting ends in June.
A week before cauliflower is planted in open ground, it is fertilized with the prepared solution (3 g of superphosphate and potassium chloride per 1 liter of water). In addition, such fertilizing helps the seedlings withstand temperature fluctuations. To harden plants, they are accustomed to lower temperatures.
Required soil composition
It is recommended to plant cauliflower seedlings in the ground in warm weather. Abundant sun rays on this day are undesirable. The soil pH should be almost neutral and be 6.7-7.4.
It is advisable to plant it in beds where garlic, potatoes, carrots or legumes were previously planted. It is not recommended to plant it after tomatoes, radishes or radishes. Also, you should not plant cauliflower if beets were previously grown in the beds. This vegetable can only be replanted after 4 years.
Pre-planting preparation of the soil consists of digging it to a depth of about 30 cm. At the same time, liming can be carried out if the soil has a high acidity level. When planting cabbage in the spring, a handful of compost and wood ash are poured into the holes. Also at this moment 1 tsp is added. urea and 2 tbsp. l. superphosphate.
At what distance to plant
The distance between the holes in the row is approximately 35 cm, and the row spacing should not be more than 50 cm. The plants are buried down to the first true leaves, and the soil nearby is compacted. The container in which the seedlings are planted is thoroughly watered.
When planting early varieties, it is better to cover the planted seedlings for several days with polyethylene or other cloth until they take root.This will protect the young plant from the cold and from the invasion of certain types of pests.
Planting cauliflower seeds directly into open beds is possible only in the southern regions. In this case, the seeds are sown starting from the second half of April, since they germinate already at temperatures from +2 to +5 degrees. This method should not be used in colder conditions.
Caring for planted cabbage
In the middle zone, special care is required when planting cauliflower. The harvest depends on this. During the growth of the vegetable, loosening of the soil, watering, hilling, feeding and measures to combat insect pests and diseases are carried out.
The main condition is to carry out these processes carefully following the recommendations.
Loosening of row spacing is carried out to a depth of 8 cm. This process is carried out on the second day after watering, until the soil is completely dry.
Irrigation regime
Cabbage requires regular and abundant watering. This is done once every 7 days, but for the first time after planting the seedlings, water them after 2-3 days. When watering, water is consumed in the amount of 6-8 liters per 1 square meter. m. for newly transplanted plants, and subsequently this amount should increase.
The volume of water introduced must be adjusted depending on weather conditions. If rainwater seeps deep into the root system of the plant, then watering may not be necessary.
To retain moisture and protect the cabbage from spoilage, cover its head with the lower leaves, bending 2-3 pieces. up.
Feeding
In total, cabbage is fed 3-4 times per season. The first feeding is done no later than three weeks. It is considered optimal for the first time to add chicken manure dissolved in water (0.5 liters per 10 liters of water). Approximately 0.5 liters are applied to each plant. such a solution.
The second fertilization is carried out after a 10-day period. The same solution of mullein is used, with the addition of 1 tbsp. l. Kristalina. This time 1 liter is applied to each plant. solution.
The third time feeding is carried out using only mineral fertilizers. For 1 bucket of water add 2 tbsp. l. Nitrophoska. For 1 sq. m of bed, 6-8 liters are added.
How to deal with disease and pest problems
Cabbage gets sick very often and is affected by pests. We have to use all sorts of methods to fence the planted plants. It is possible to resist the invasion of pests, allowing plants to grow, without the use of pesticides.
A good protection against slugs and dangerous insects is dusting beds with planted plants with ashes, left over from burning wood, or crushed dried tobacco leaves.
A good effect is obtained by spraying cabbage with a strong infusion of onion peels, burdock leaves or tomato stems. Protection against diseases can only consist of the use of basic rules for growing cabbage. Even this method will help protect the plant from certain types of diseases.
Typical diseases of cabbage
Cauliflower in open ground may be affected by some fungal, viral or bacterial diseases, and it may also suffer from pest invasion. The most typical diseases affecting cabbage are:
- Alternaria blight is a disease caused by a fungus. It appears in the form of dark spots and circles on cabbage leaves. The most rapid spread of this disease occurs at high air humidity and its temperature from +33 to +35 degrees.To get rid of this disease, pre-sowing seed disinfection is carried out using one of the following agents: Bordeaux mixture, copper sulfate, colloidal sulfur.
- Kida - characterized by the formation of small swellings and growths on the roots of cabbage, which lead to the formation of rot on the roots. As a result of this process, the plant cannot receive enough nutrients and dries out. This disease spreads quickly in acidic soils with high moisture. The disease can be prevented by constantly adding wood ash to the soil. It is also not recommended to plant cabbage for 5-7 years in areas where this plant disease has been established. A little slaked lime is added to the hole for the seedlings to be planted, and the soil is periodically watered with a solution of dolomite flour (1 tbsp per 10 liters of water).
- Ring spot is a type of fungal disease of cabbage. At the beginning of the disease, many small black dots form on the stem and leaves of plants. Subsequently, the dots increase in size and can reach a size of 2.5 cm in diameter. Concentric circles are visible around the spots. Gradually, the sheets acquire a yellow tint, and the edges become uneven. Humid weather with low air temperatures contributes to the appearance and rapid development of the disease. To combat ring spot, fungicide treatment is used, and after harvesting, plant debris is carefully removed.
- Wet rot appears when the water balance is disturbed. Dark spots form on cabbage heads and stems. The next stage of this disease is characterized by decay of the affected areas. Accelerated development of the disease occurs in humid weather conditions.It can also begin due to mechanical damage to the plant. To prevent the disease from spreading further, they are dug up, and in the spring they are treated with a 0.4% suspension of colloidal sulfur.
In addition to the above diseases, cauliflower may be affected by the following types of diseases: vascular bacteriosis, fusarium, blackleg, perenospora, mosaic.
The plant can be affected by the following pests: cruciferous flea beetle, cabbage fly, aphids, moths. In order to prevent insect invasion, cabbage is treated with fungicides or folk remedies are used.
Harvest
The harvesting time is determined by the weight and size of the vegetable. Usually, cabbage harvesting begins in July. The average weight of the heads can be from 0.6 to 1.2 kg. The time to achieve the required technical ripeness suitable for harvesting for early varieties is 60-100 days, for plants with an average ripening period - from 100 to 135 days, and for late varieties it will take about 4.5 months.
The cabbage is cut with careful movements, and a couple of leaves are left near the head. Vegetables collected from the beds are immediately removed into the shade. The shelf life of the crop reaches 2 months. Storage takes place in the cellar. Cabbage heads are placed in plastic boxes and covered with film.
In apartment conditions, cabbage is frozen in the freezer, after washing and drying individual inflorescences. Cabbage can also be stored hanging. In this case, digging is done along with the root.
Sometimes the last harvest of late varieties of cauliflower does not have time to acquire technical maturity, so it ripens in a cellar. It is dug up along with the roots and planted in the cellar in a box with garden soil.
