The first ten days after cabbage seedlings are planted in the ground are a difficult period, both for the plants and for the summer resident. Until the seedlings get stronger, they need to be covered for 5 days from direct rays of the sun with any objects: covering material, old seedling boxes, buckets, boxes. If this is not done, the leaves of the seedlings in the sun may lose most of their moisture. The roots at this time are still weak and will not be able to provide the plant with the necessary moisture, and the seedlings disappear.
Until the summer resident cuts down the heads of cabbage, the cabbage may be threatened by infections (clownroot, black leg) and insects (aphids, cabbage fly, cruciferous flea beetle, cabbage moth). In order not to be left without a harvest, you need to identify pests and symptoms of diseases in the garden in a timely manner.
Why do cabbage leaves wither?
Clubroot is a very common cabbage disease., both at the seedling stage and during the period of its active growth. The main signs of clubroot can be seen on the roots. In diseased plants, compactions form on the roots.
At the initial stage, the growths are colored pale yellow; by the time the cabbage dies, they darken. Damage to the root leads to insufficient nutrition of the seedling, it stops growing, the head of cabbage does not form, and the cabbage leaves wither.
What should a summer resident do and is it possible to save diseased cabbage?
There is no point in treating if clubroot has affected seedlings or an adult plant. The disease is caused by a harmful fungus that persists in the soil for six years. The first thing a summer resident should do is remove and burn all diseased plants.
Factors causing the disease:
- acidic soil;
- high soil moisture;
- soil heated to 20-25 °
Growing cabbage on a ridge where clubroot has been detected cannot be done for 5-6 years. In autumn, the soil must be cleared of all plant debris and disinfected. Use bleach for disinfection. The critical concentration for fungus is 200 g per square meter. m.
Spring preventive measures
Plant seeds for seedlings in purchased soil. Garden soil is highly likely to contain clubroot spores. To prevent the future plant from disappearing, treat the seeds with a manganese solution and only then sow. Plant the cabbage bed where the clubroot was with tomatoes, peppers or garlic. Solanaceous crops can cure the soil of clubroot in 3 years. Plant cabbage seedlings instead of potatoes or tomatoes.
List of spring preventive measures:
- spill the ridge with Bordeaux mixture (1%) a few days before transplanting;
- prepare lime milk from water (10 l) and lime (1 glass), pour 0.5 l into each well;
- all summer long on the cabbage ridge to loosen the soil.
Why do seedlings wither?
Because of blackleg, summer residents often lose seedlings of not only cabbage; the disease affects flower crops and tomatoes. You can suspect a disease if, for some unknown reason, cabbage seedlings wither, fall, or become thin in the root zone. The reasons for the appearance of blackleg can be different. Starting with sowing fungus-infected seeds.
Summer residents often take soil for seedlings in their gardens, and it may contain a pathogen. Thickened planting and improper care of seedlings are very often the causes of fungal infections.
When an inexperienced gardener sees that the cabbage is withering, the first thing he does is begin to water the seedlings. This is a gross mistake; if the seedlings are wilted, this does not mean that they need water. Excessive watering can cause the infection to spread.
When the cabbage withers, check the soil moisture and inspect the roots of the plant. The root system affected by the fungus is easy to recognize. Thin fibrous roots are absent, the root is not developed, dark in color, there may be signs of rotting. Immediately after the diagnosis is made, all seedlings affected by the black leg should be dug up and destroyed.
If cabbage is sick with blackleg, it cannot be cured. The remaining seedlings need to be saved.Pour the boxes with seedlings with a pink solution of potassium permanganate and take them to a cool room. Provide the seedlings with adequate lighting and spray with Epin to stimulate local immunity.
Prevention
Prevention of blackleg is the most effective way to fight for healthy seedlings. Prevention measures are not complicated:
- treat the seeds before planting with a solution of fungicide or manganese;
- sow in soil treated with steam, temperature or fungicide;
- if sowing seedlings is carried out in soil taken from the garden, then do not take it from cabbage beds, take it from tomato or potato beds;
- Seedlings with a diseased root system should not be planted in the garden; they must be completely destroyed.
Why do cabbage leaves turn yellow and wither?
Young cabbage plantings look terrible. The recently planted seedlings have withered, their lower leaves are all covered with small holes. If you look closely, you can see the reason - a small black insect, the cruciferous flea beetle.
If control measures are not taken, insects can destroy young cabbage seedlings within a few days. Leaves damaged by insects dry out. Some summer residents use chemicals, others choose less toxic methods of control and use folk recipes.
Traditional methods are effective if the seedlings are only slightly wilted and the disease is caught at the very beginning. You should always have an infusion of tomato tops or dandelion roots ready. Spray each bush with them. Sprinkle the ground around the seedlings with ash or tobacco dust.
Chemistry is not contraindicated. The cabbage is still young, the heads of cabbage are just beginning to turn and, without consequences for your health, you can spray them with any of the drugs: Intavir, Komandor.The rain that falls after treatment washes away all traces of the drug, so the cabbage leaves are sprayed again.
Aphids on cabbage
After prolonged summer rains, when the sun comes out, you need to carefully examine the cabbage leaves. When the weather changes, they may be attacked by aphids. This insect will not be able to destroy an adult plant. The leaves do not dry out, but their quality decreases. Aphid colonies settle on the back of the leaves; to see the insect, you need to turn them away.
You need to fight aphids using simple methods without using chemicals. The leaves can be washed with plain water by directing a stream from a hose at them. Also wash the soil under the bushes and dust it with a layer of wood ash. Repeat treatment after 2 days.
Saving the harvest from the cabbage fly
The cabbage fly can destroy the harvest in summer; it occurs in mid-June. Flies lay their offspring on cabbage leaves. The larvae, hatching, live in the root, gradually damaging it. Cabbage infected with the pest becomes lethargic. The leaves take on a bluish tint. It is difficult to understand why the plant stops growing, since the larvae are difficult to find and they are small.
To protect cabbage from flies, a number of preventive measures need to be taken in the spring:
- Before transplanting, treat seedlings with Topaz solution (1 ampoule per bucket of water);
- when preparing the ridge, add the preparation Zemlin (3 g/sq. m) to the ground;
- During the summer period of cabbage flies, treat cabbage leaves with Iskra 2 times, the interval between treatments is 7 days.
In June, when cabbage flies are possible, experienced gardeners advise raking the soil from the stem and replacing it with another. Some people sow tansy, coriander, and marigold between cabbage rows to repel harmful insects.
You can purchase a special transparent mesh at a gardening store. The fly will not be able to penetrate the cabbage if the net is pulled over the bed and pinned along the edges. In the rain, the net can be removed, since the fly does not fly in such weather.
Copper sulfate helps against many pests. You need to prepare a soap solution based on it. Dissolve 1 tbsp in a bucket of water. l. soap shavings, take tar soap and a tablespoon of copper sulfate. Treat the leaves with the solution at 3-week intervals.
Cabbage leaves should be inspected throughout the season. At the first sign of infestation, begin pest control or infection control.
