Growing Chinese cabbage in open ground does not present any difficulties even for novice gardeners. But there are certain secrets that will allow you to grow vegetables from seeds. Care also includes some features.
Better environment
Growing and caring for Chinese cabbage is based on the fact that it is a crop that tolerates low air temperatures well. Seeds can begin to germinate even at a soil temperature of 4 degrees. But further development cannot occur in such conditions. The vegetable feels great at a temperature of about 18 degrees. In summer cottages, you need to choose a place with sufficient lighting and humidity.
In order for the heads to set, you need to choose the right area in the garden. It is best to plant where carrots, garlic, onions, and cucumbers used to grow. You cannot plant where radishes, mustard and all types of cabbage have been harvested.
How to grow Chinese cabbage in the garden depends on the planting material, but first you need to prepare the soil. In the fall, the selected area is sprinkled with lime components. In extreme cases, a herbicide can be used. In the spring, the soil is dug up and humus or compost is added.
The secrets of growing Chinese cabbage are related to the timing of planting. The best period is considered to be a period with short daylight hours. When daylight is more than 13 hours, the vegetable begins to bloom and shoot arrows, and the harvest is significantly reduced.
Favorable times are considered to be mid-April, the last ten days of July and early August. During these periods, daylight hours are less than 12 hours. Most often, for spring, varieties suitable for salads are chosen, and in summer, the vegetable can be planted to form a head of cabbage.
There are varietal and hybrid types of cabbage. The easiest hybrids to care for are those that are developed by crossing several varieties to obtain the best characteristics. Hybrids tolerate temperature fluctuations, are more resistant to disease and are resistant to flowering.
It is also recommended to choose early and middle varieties for planting. How long does Chinese cabbage take to grow? Early ripening will allow you to harvest within a month. The ripening period for medium varieties is approximately two months.
Preparing seedlings
Planting Chinese cabbage in open beds can be done using seedlings or seeds. How to grow the crop is decided by the vegetable grower himself.It is believed that if seedlings are grown at home, then development will occur at an accelerated pace.
To grow and care for Chinese cabbage in the open ground as seedlings, the seeds can be planted on the 20th of March. If you intend to leave the vegetable for winter storage, it is better to plant the seeds later. It is better to choose separate peat cups as a container, since the vegetable does not tolerate transplanting and picking (pinching the main root) well.
The plant feels good in soil made from humus with coconut substrate or turf soil with peat. Make a hole in the soil equal to 1 cm. It is better to place two or even three seeds in the hole. This will increase the chances of germination. Then they are covered with a thin layer of soil, mulched with peat, covered with a bag and transferred to a dark place.
The first shoots should appear in three days. As soon as most of the planted seeds appear, the film is removed and the cups with sprouts are taken to a lighted place. Do not forget about watering; do not allow the formation of a dry crust.
When the first leaves appear, thinning is carried out. The strongest sprout is left, the rest are pinched, but not pulled out by the roots. As soon as 5 leaves appear, the seedlings are ready for transplanting.
Growing options
How to grow Chinese cabbage in open ground using ready-made seedlings? In the spring, before planting seedlings, it is recommended to apply a herbicide (Tornado, Default, Announcement, Typhoon) to the ground. The herbicide is used only when there is a strong attack of weeds.
Holes are made in open beds. The size depends on the purpose of the finished crop. If you need to collect leaves for salad, then make holes in the furrow at a distance of 13 cm and a depth equal to the size of the glass. The row spacing should be approximately 45 cm.If you plan to collect heads of cabbage, then the distance between the depressions in the furrow increases to 35 cm.
The specificity of planting seedlings is to add fertilizer to each hole made. You can make a composition from superphosphate, wood ash and urea. All these components are mixed with soil and watered. You can place young seedlings together with a peat pot in a prepared hole.
After planting, water and protect from adverse weather conditions for approximately 12 days with non-woven materials until the plant takes root.
How to grow Chinese cabbage in the country if you plant the seeds in the ground right away? In the selected area, 2 cm indentations are made every 25 cm. It is useful to add humus and wood ash to them and water them generously. Two or three seeds are placed in each hole. After about five days, seedlings emerge and are thinned, leaving the strongest shoot.
From the experience of gardeners who have been growing vegetables for many years, we can judge that any method with proper care will give a good result. Galina, 43 years old: “For many years I have been planting cabbage directly from seeds in open beds. I make sure to provide shade, mulch the soil and apply fertilizer.”
Rules of care
Agricultural technology for Chinese cabbage must be carried out according to all the rules. 12-14 days after planting cabbage seedlings, it is recommended to carry out the mulching procedure. Straw, sawdust, peat, and fresh herbs are suitable as mulch. Moisture will be retained in the soil, and there will be fewer weeds. For weeds, a herbicide can be used.
It is enough to water Chinese cabbage once every seven days, early in the morning or in the evening, with warm, settled water. Irrigation is carried out at the root; moisture should not be allowed to get on the leaves.
The peculiarities of growing Chinese cabbage also include the mandatory loosening procedure. To prevent a crust from forming on the soil during the entire growing season, you need to carry out 3-4 loosening to a depth of 3 cm. After rain, you can carry out deeper loosening.
Peking cabbage is cared for using mineral and organic fertilizers. Manure, bird droppings or herbal infusions are widely used as fertilizer for Chinese cabbage, which is applied 12 days after transplantation. They allow you to enrich the soil with nutrients and protect plants from diseases. If the planting material was initially planted in well-fertilized beds, then additional fertilizing is not required.
Do I need to pick off the leaves of Chinese cabbage?, depends on appearance. If they change color and become deformed, it is better to cut them off carefully so that other leaves do not become infected.
Is it necessary to hill up Chinese cabbage? Some gardeners avoid this procedure, believing that it is useless and even harmful for this plant. Those who have planted the plant leave only positive reviews. The head of cabbage ripens faster and is protected from pests. Hilling should be carried out three weeks after planting the seedlings. Then the hilled bush needs to be loosened around. At this stage, the plant is fed with nitrogen components. Be sure to get rid of weeds.
Gentle conditions
How to care for vegetables in a polycarbonate greenhouse? Growing Chinese cabbage in a greenhouse can also be done in seedlings or you can immediately sow the seeds. If there are a large number of weeds in the greenhouse, then a herbicide can be used.
The greenhouse harvest can be harvested in just 26 days.Harvesting is recommended early in the morning or before consumption, as it withers quickly.
In a greenhouse, cultivation is carried out at a temperature of 17 degrees. If seeds are planted, until sprouts appear, the temperature rises to 20 degrees. As it strengthens and develops, it can be reduced to 10 degrees.
The growing rules include a clause that takes into account the regulation of light entering the beds. If you don't do this, the arrows will move quickly. Therefore, a shaded frame is installed.
Chinese cabbage is not resistant to diseases and pests. Therefore, Chinese cabbage should be grown in a greenhouse, observing preventive measures. For this purpose, it is better to use natural ingredients. For example, wood ash. Since cabbage has a short ripening period, when using chemicals there will be an accumulation of toxins in the head of cabbage.
In case of mass infestation of pests that spread diseases, pesticides may be used (Fury, Bankol). The crop being grown is watered or sprayed with a preparation diluted according to the instructions.
How to grow Chinese cabbage at home? One of the conditions is the selection of high-quality and suitable soil. It should be light, fertile, not sour or greasy. A mixture of peat, sand and turf soil is ideal. You can use coconut substrate.
How to properly grow Chinese cabbage at home? Growing should take place on a windowsill in large pots so that the roots feel free. The container is disinfected, for example, with a solution of potassium permanganate and holes are made so that the water does not stagnate.
The landing date is approximately mid-April, when daylight hours are still short.If it was not possible to plant at this time, then they are left until mid-August.
Growing at home involves placing 3 seeds in the shape of a triangle in one 3-liter pot. If the volume of the pot is 1-1.5 liters, then plant one seed. First, the soil is moistened and holes 1 cm deep are made. After this, the containers are covered with film and placed in a dark place. After 6 days, the first shoots should appear. The film is removed and moved to the windowsill. The culture does not require additional lighting.
FAQ
Knowing why Chinese cabbage does not set, you can decide what to do to correct the situation. There are several reasons:
- warm climate or too bright sunny day (if the days are too long and hot, it is recommended to additionally shade the beds so that a head of cabbage starts);
- cabbage loves to be watered, but not frequently, otherwise it can lead to rotting of the core;
- Heads of cabbage may not set due to the oily composition of the soil;
- In addition, the beds should not be thickened and thinning should be carried out in a timely manner.
Many people, especially beginners, are concerned about the question, why does Chinese cabbage bloom? Heads set only when there is a certain amount of daylight. Therefore, it is planted in early spring or late summer. The sprout first develops a rosette of leaves, and only then does the head begin to form. As soon as its weight exceeds 2 kg, the risk of flowering and the appearance of arrows increases. A lot of light and an air temperature of more than 22 degrees can provoke flowering.
Do I need to pick off the lower leaves of the plant? The heads of cabbage form quickly and are not too dense. Leaves need to be plucked only when they have become rotten or diseased, which is extremely rare.Therefore, answering the question whether it is possible to pick leaves, the answer is yes. But there is no need for this.
When to harvest ripe heads of cabbage? The first harvest can be harvested when the leaves are about 10 cm in size. You can pull out the plant along with the roots or cut off only the leaves. You can wait for the head of cabbage to form (about two months), it should weigh approximately 1 kg.
