Growing and caring for Japanese cabbage Mermaid, Mizuna and Cyclops f1

Vegetable crops whose names cause confusion are increasingly appearing on the seed market. This also happened with Japanese cabbage. So on the package of cabbage seeds “Cyclop f1” it is written – Japanese line, which in fact does not indicate the type of cabbage, but the authorship of the Japanese company “Sakata”. Thus, white cabbage of Japanese selection is associated among buyers with one of varieties of cabbage, called “Japanese”, without having anything to do with it.

We are familiar with most of the varieties of cabbage that are part of the Mediterranean-European group: cabbage, kohlrabi, Savoy, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, broccoli.But vegetables of the East Asian group are rare visitors to us. For an inexperienced buyer, the names of Beijing, Chinese, and Japanese cabbage often do not make any difference. That's why they are called kale or cabbage, green mustard or green Japanese salad. Although this is not a big problem, because all these plants belong to the cruciferous or cabbage family.

But for gardeners who decide to plant a curiosity on their plot, it is better to immediately understand the features of the salad vegetable crop. There isn't much choice. On store shelves you can only find Japanese Mizuna cabbage, with different leaf colors and varieties “Mermaid”, “Dude” and “Emerald Pattern”.

Japanese cabbage has a unique set of vitamins and microelements, goes well with fish, meat, and complements vegetable dishes.

"Japanese" - a type of kale

Japanese cabbage is a vegetable crop of the cruciferous family. As it grows, it forms a spreading rosette of leaves. There are two forms of Japanese cabbage: “Mibuna”, with smooth narrow lanceolate leaves and “Mizuna”, the leaves of which are dissected into lobes and have an uneven edge.

The plant is grown as an annual crop, but in a two-year growth cycle, cabbage forms a conical root crop with a diameter of up to 7 cm, which tastes like rutabaga. Leaves that grow throughout the growing season, even after cutting, are used for food.

The Japanese taste is similar to the Chinese and Beijing varieties, but does not contain as much mustard oils. Due to the unusual shape of the leaf, it looks very impressive in beds; according to Eastern tradition, it is used as an ornamental plant. The Japanese cabbage variety “Rusalochka” has been adapted for Russian growing conditions.

Japanese cabbage can withstand spring frosts down to -4 °C, is unpretentious and very productive.

Japanese cabbage "The Little Mermaid"

The Japanese cabbage variety Mermaid is cold-resistant and can be grown in open ground without any problems.

Description of the variety

This is what the main characteristics look like:

• mid-season variety, with a growth period of 55-70 days before the first harvest of greens;
• due to the large number of awakened apical buds, it forms a spreading leaf rosette of 45-60 leaves;
• leaves are smooth or slightly wrinkled, green in color with a white thin petiole, dissected into lobes, lyre-pinnate in shape with a jagged edge;
• leaf rosette horizontal or slightly raised, about 40 cm high, up to 75 cm in diameter;
• the taste of the leaves is pleasant, delicate, with a slight mustard accent for salad purposes;
• plant weight is 1-1.7 kg, per square meter of plantings you can get 5-6.5 kg of greenery during the growth period;
• The variety tolerates heat well and is resistant to flowering.

The advantages of “The Little Mermaid” include high productivity. After cutting the leaves, fresh foliage grows from the newly awakened buds. This allows you to get greens from spring to late autumn. The variety is unpretentious, resistant to unfavorable environmental conditions, cold-resistant, and heat-resistant.

Japanese cabbage is used as an ornamental plant for decorating flower beds, alpine slides, and as borders.

Features of caring for the variety

The plant is extremely unpretentious; growing and caring for it does not require much time.

1. The variety can be grown either by seedlings or by sowing in open ground.
2. Seeds germinate already at 3-5 degrees. Seedlings are resistant to short-term spring frosts. The plant develops best at temperatures of 18-20 degrees.
3. To obtain early greenery, planting is carried out at several times, starting in early spring, from April 20 to September 1. In protected ground, plants are planted according to the pattern 20 x 15 x 20, or with tapes as a compaction to the main crops.
4. In open ground, plants are planted on standard beds according to a 25 x 1 cm pattern or in rows of tapes, but leaving a distance of 40 cm between the lines and up to 60 cm between the tapes.
5. Well-warmed areas with slight shading are suitable for cultivation. Soils are preferred fertile, well-moistened, with a high content of organic and mineral fertilizers.
6. It is not advisable to plant the plant in areas where representatives of the cruciferous family previously grew. The best predecessors: legumes, nightshades, perennial herbs, cucumbers, onions.
7. Seed germination is expected within 3-4 days. As it grows, with the appearance of 3-4 true leaves, the thickened areas of the crops are thinned out.
8. Further care comes down to moderate watering, loosening the soil and weeding. Like all types of cruciferous plants, “Japanese” loves moisture, but is afraid of too much waterlogging of the soil.
9. You should also not overuse fertilizers. What was brought in for digging before planting is enough. If necessary, carry out no more than two maintenance feedings. The plant is prone to the accumulation of nitrates, so it is necessary to limit the content of nitrogen fertilizers in the soil.
10. It is important to cut off the leaves in time, allowing young shoots to grow. After all, the plant has enormous potential in the form of 18-40 buds of renewed growth.

Japanese cabbage with a pleasant refreshing taste is suitable for the very first vitamin salads of the season, being a real storehouse of nutrients. It complements meat and fish dishes well, and goes well with some types of cheese.

Because of its light peppery aroma, it is added to add a piquant taste to stews, soups, marinades, and pickles.

This unusual vegetable crop is also distinguished by its decorative appeal. It can be grown as a border along a garden path. The plant will highlight simpler and taller crops with its elegant greenery. Cabbage "Mermaid" will perfectly complement the set of herbs and vitamin salads in any area, decorating it with its beautiful foliage.