How to properly grow Chinese cabbage at home?

Cabbage is a vegetable from which you can make a lot of excellent salads. However, it is not only famous for its amazing taste, but also provides the body with useful substances and vitamins. Today there are a huge number of different varieties of vegetables, they are all simply saturated with vitamins and differ from each other in appearance. One of the most beneficial for the body is Peking cabbage, which in recent years has become more and more popular among culinary experts around the world.

What is Chinese cabbage

Peking cabbage is a biennial plant that is grown as annuals. Depending on the variety, it has light yellow or bright green leaves. This plant is a loose head of cabbage with juicy tender leaves that have a white vein. The edges of the leaves are beautifully wavy or jagged.

The peculiarity of the variety is that it does not have a stump. The head of cabbage of the plant is thrown into soup or pickled, and the leaves are used mainly for making salads. Asia is famous for pickled Peking cabbage. They call this dish kimchi and many believe that it prolongs life.

How Chinese cabbage grows

Feature and history of origin of the vegetable

Peking cabbage appeared in China several thousand years ago, then it came to Korea and Japan, and eventually spread to Asian countries. After a while, this vegetable became popular in Europe, as well as in our country.

Beneficial features

Why is Beijing becoming more and more popular? This plant is a source of nutrients and vitamins. The main advantage of the variety is that even in winter it does not lose its vitamins and benefits the body.

The most important useful substances that are included in its composition include:

• protein;
• mineral salts;
• vitamins C, A, K, PP, as well as a group of B vitamins;
• amino acids;
• organic acids.

In addition, "Peking" also has medicinal properties. It helps:

• with cardiovascular diseases;
• stomach ulcer;
• strengthens the immune system;
• prolongs the life of a person.

Very interesting is the fact that this vegetable contains lysine, which helps cleanse the blood and destroys foreign proteins.

Chinese cabbage kimchi

The right way to plant Chinese cabbage at home

What gardener does not dream to please himself and others with new achievements and grow Chinese cabbage at home. To grow this plant from seeds, you can plant them immediately in open ground, or you can grow seedlings first. Planting Chinese cabbage at home both in Belarus and the Moscow region and in the Urals and Siberia follows the same scheme.

The only difference is when to start sowing seeds and when the vegetable begins to bloom. If you decide to use the first method, then you should punch holes in the garden at a distance of 30 cm from each other and pour humus into them. Seeds are sown to a depth of no more than 2 cm. They are sprinkled with ash on top and covered with a film. After a week, you can see the first shoots.

Seed planting scheme

What to do and how to plant seeds in the country or in the garden to get a good harvest? It is necessary to choose the right sowing time. The term for planting cabbage in the garden:

• in spring from and to April 20;
• in summer from July 19 to August 9.

Chinese cabbage seeds

Growing and caring for seedlings

If you want to get an early harvest, then "Peking" for seedlings should be sown at the end of March. And if you dream of enjoying the harvest in winter, then the seedlings should be planted in the second half of June.

Loose soil is suitable for this plant, therefore for sowing it is best to use a mixture of humus (1 kg) with coconut substrate (2 kg).

The seeds are immersed in the ground no more than 1 cm and placed in a dark and warm room. When the first shoots appear after 3 days, they should be transferred to a lighted place.

You need to take care of Chinese cabbage no more than ordinary white cabbage or cauliflower.

It is necessary to water the seedlings when the upper earthen lump dries out. However, 4 days before transplanting seedlings, watering is stopped.

In general, the sprouts will be ready for planting in a month, when they have 4 leaves each.

Seedling cabbage

Why is it not necessary to make a dive?

This plant does not like picking and takes root in a new place for a long time. Transplanting or planting seedlings while preserving the roots will not work. It will take a long time to settle in a new place. Therefore, it is not recommended to dive it - it is better to initially sow it in separate containers or peat tablets.

When to plant outdoors

Before planting seedlings in open ground, it must be hardened. To do this, young sprouts are taken out into fresh air, first for a couple of hours, then the time spent outdoors is gradually increased. When they are able to spend a day on the street, then the seedlings will be ready for planting in a permanent place.

As for the soil for this vegetable, it must be well-drained and loose. Loamy soil is an excellent option. In addition, a plant of this variety should not be planted in the place where tomatoes and beets used to grow.

The soil for planting such a wonderful variety begins to be prepared in the fall. To do this, dig up the soil and add lime to it. When the soil is dug up in the spring, then humus is added to it.

Growing Chinese cabbage

How to grow and care for a Peking in a greenhouse

"Peking" feels great in the greenhouse. However, for this, you must strictly adhere to 2 rules:

1. Observe the temperature regime from 15 to 20 degrees - therefore, an unheated greenhouse will not work;
2. Air humidity should be within 70-80%.

If these norms are not observed, then a peduncle may form, and the plant will also be subject to various diseases.

The advantage of growing Chinese cabbage in a greenhouse is that you can independently adjust the length of daylight hours and maintain the optimal temperature. A greenhouse will also help keep your crops free of frost. And if it is heated by you, then you can grow this plant even in winter.

Chinese cabbage in the greenhouse

Care rules

This plant is very fond of moisture, coolness and light.Young sprouts are especially sensitive to temperature changes and frost. Therefore, in order to protect them and allow them to bloom, it is necessary to cover them with a non-woven fabric.

In addition, the canvas will also protect the vegetable from direct sunlight on particularly hot days. It also helps to remove excess moisture and hide sprouts from the cruciferous flea that loves to profit from it. Mulching the soil can also be helpful to retain moisture and prevent weeds.

To get an excellent harvest, the vegetable must be watered once a week with warm water.

Top dressing also has a fruitful effect on it. The first feeding is carried out 14 days after planting in open ground.

Infusions from chicken manure, grass or mullein are especially useful. A liter of such fertilizer is poured under each plant. If cabbage was planted in spring, then feeding must be done 3 times, and if in summer, then 2 times.

If you want to get a good ovary, then it is worth adding 2 g of boric acid to a liter of hot water and 9 liters of cold water and treating the "Peking" with this solution.

Covering planted seedlings

Harvesting and storage

In order for the vegetable to lie in the cellar for as long as possible, it is better to give preference to the varieties that are harvested in September. And also the more leaves remain with the head of cabbage, the longer the plant will be stored. In addition, it will lie longer if placed in a room with high air humidity. Moreover, each head of cabbage is well wrapped in plastic wrap. You should also inspect each head of cabbage every 14 days, remove dried or rotten leaves.

Never store Peking next to apples. They secrete a substance that causes the leaves of the plant to wilt.

You can also store cabbage in the refrigerator or on the balcony. The main thing is that condensation does not form on it, and the temperature does not drop less than 0 degrees.

In general, when storing cabbage on a balcony or refrigerator, you need to follow the same rules as when storing in a cellar.

You should also know that the vegetable will lie in such conditions from 1 to 4 months. If you want it to last longer, then you can use the following storage methods:

• leaven;
• drying;
• freezing.

Sauerkraut

The first way is leaven. It is one of the simplest storage methods. The sourdough recipe is very simple: you need to pour 10 kg of shredded cabbage with 600 ml of water and add 100 mg of vinegar, 2 tsp each. salt and sugar, as well as 2 cloves of garlic squeezed through a press. Further, under the press, all this should stand in a room with room temperature for about a day, and then 14 days in the cold.

To dry the "Peking", it is cut into strips and placed in an oven heated to 100 degrees and the door is slightly opened. It will be ready in 4 hours, after which the dried vegetable is placed in cotton bags.

For freezing, chopped cabbage is thrown into salted boiling water for 3 minutes. After that, the vegetable is dried and frozen.

As you can see, Chinese cabbage is a wonderful plant that will look like decoration on any table. Do not be afraid to take up the cultivation of Peking, because it is not picky about care and is very useful. Therefore, each gardener should allocate a place in his summer cottage of Peking cabbage.

Peking cabbage is an unpretentious agricultural crop that is easy to grow on your own personal plot. Due to the short growing season, up to two harvests of this vegetable can be obtained in one season. The plant takes root in almost any type of soil and does not require complex care and regular feeding. In this article, we will look at the processes of growing Chinese cabbage from seeds and planting in open ground.

Growing from seeds

The seedling method is preferred in regions with cold springs and late summer.Plus, this method avoids the formation of arrows and accelerates the formation of a head of cabbage. To obtain a summer harvest, seeds must be planted in late March or early April, in order to obtain cabbage for winter storage, seedlings are formed towards the end of June.

Selection and preparation of seeds

It is correct to buy planting material for growing only in specialized stores, since storage conditions are observed there. On the packaging, you need to carefully check the expiration dates and the suitability of the variety for your region, as well as the planned ripening time.

Before planting, the seeds must be carefully selected, and then disinfected in a 1% solution of potassium permanganate for 30-40 minutes. There is also a dry method - for this they need to be kept in the open sun for 5-7 days.

When growing Chinese cabbage in infertile soil, it is recommended to additionally process them with stimulating drugs. For this purpose, Rizoplan, Trichodermin or Immunocytophyte are used.

Preparation of soil and containers

Peking cabbage is best grown in acidic or neutral soils, so it is best to use a mixture of turf and peat in equal proportions as a soil for growing seedlings. It can be replaced with humus and coconut substrate in a 1: 2 ratio.

If you are preparing turf soil at home, then it is advisable to disinfect it with a 1% solution of potassium permanganate, and then pour abundantly with warm water.

It is recommended to use peat tablets or pots as containers for growing. Planting cabbage in a common container is not recommended, as this culture does not tolerate picking well.

Sowing seeds and caring for seedlings

Seeds for cultivation are sown in individual containers of 3-4 pieces to achieve 100% germination. The seed is planted in the prepared soil to a depth of 0.5 cm, and then sprinkled on top. After that, they must be poured abundantly with warm water and removed to a warm place where there is no direct exposure to sunlight. At this stage, it is permissible to close the sowing with plastic wrap, which it is advisable to remove during the day.

The first shoots are formed 3-5 days after planting. Containers with seedlings must be taken out to the light, and also observe the temperature regime. The most optimal temperature for the growth of seedlings is 18-20 degrees. Throughout the entire growth, it is necessary to use an additional light source, for which it is most convenient to use artificial lighting lamps placed on top of the seedlings.

Watering should be carried out as the top layer dries, for this it is advisable to use only clean and warm water. As soon as 2-3 healthy leaves are formed in the seedlings, it should be thinned out, leaving one of the healthiest plants in containers. The procedure must be carried out carefully so as not to damage the root system of the main seedling.

Top dressing is carried out only once after the formation of the first leaves. For this purpose, potash fertilizers (2 grams per 1 liter of water) or superphosphates (4 grams per 1 liter) are used. One liter of top dressing is enough for 50-60 seedlings.

Landing in the ground

It is not recommended to pick seedlings, since Peking cabbage does not tolerate this process well. After the formation of 4-7 strong leaves (it takes 25-30 days), the seedlings can be transplanted into open ground. Before this, you should prepare the site, as a soil it is advisable to choose a place with acidic or neutral soil, on which root crops or legumes previously grew.

Seedlings need to be hardened before planting - 2-3 weeks before that, they should be regularly taken out into fresh air and gradually increase the procedure time. A few days before transplanting, the seedlings are recommended to be kept outdoors, and also to completely stop watering.

Peking cabbage is planted in the garden in separate holes at a distance of about 25 cm from each other or using a checkerboard method.After this, the plants should be covered with a substrate, watered abundantly with warm water and mulching.

Outdoor cultivation

The plot in the country where Chinese cabbage is grown should be well lit, the plant prefers acidic or neutral loose soils. It is advisable to observe crop rotation - roots and legumes are considered the best predecessors of cabbage.

The plant grows and matures quickly, so you can get two crops in one season. Early disembarkation is carried out on April 15-20, in cold regions - until March 20. The second landing is permissible from July 20-25 to August 10-15, in areas with cold summers, the dates can be shifted by 7 days.

At the same time, it is important to take into account the characteristics of the variety. Early hybrids are ready for harvesting in 40-50 days, and late ones only in 70-80 days. Mid-season varieties are often used; they yield in 55-60 days.

Soil preparation and planting seeds

Before planting, the soil must be completely dug up and cleaned of weeds. In disadvantaged areas, it is advisable to add ammonium nitrate or superphosphate during this process. Cabbage is planted in separate holes, at a distance of 25-30 cm from each other, before planting, add 300 grams to it. humus or compost, as well as 2-3 tablespoons of ash, and then pour abundantly with water.

Pre-disinfected seeds are embedded in the soil by 1-2 cm, and sprinkled with wood ash on top and covered with a film or other covering material. The first shoots appear in 5-7 days, after which the seedlings can be left uncovered.

Care

Peking cabbage is an unpretentious plant that has good frost resistance, but care is necessary to obtain a rich harvest.

It consists of the following points:

1. To control the temperature and optimum soil moisture, regardless of the planting method, it is recommended to use a cover material. It allows you to maintain a temperature regime, protects seedlings from direct sunlight and precipitation.
2. Peking cabbage responds well to soil mulching. It is advisable to carry out the first procedure 2 weeks after disembarkation.
3. Watering should be carried out as the top layer of the earth dries up. In the middle lane, cabbage is watered no more than 1-2 times a week with warm water.
4. 2 weeks after planting seeds or seedlings, you need to carry out the first top dressing. To do this, use an infusion of mullein in a ratio of 1:10 or an infusion of chicken droppings at a rate of 1:20. One plant requires up to 1 liter of top dressing. For spring planting, the procedure is carried out 3 times, and for summer planting - twice.
5. In order to avoid the appearance of pests, especially the cruciferous flea, preventive treatment of Chinese cabbage is necessary. For this purpose, it is recommended to use biological products, for example, Fitoverm or Bitoxibacillin with a dosage according to the instructions. When pests appear, it is necessary to carry out treatment with chemical agents (Inta-Vira, Iskra).

Adult plants can tolerate light frosts down to -4 degrees, so harvesting is done quite late - vegetables are preserved much better in the soil.

Peking cabbage is cut when the head of cabbage is firm to the touch. Plants harvested at the end of summer can be stored until the end of winter. The optimum storage temperature is 5-7 degrees, and it is advisable to wrap each head of cabbage with cling film or newspaper to avoid decay.

Peking cabbage or Chinese cabbage is a useful and early ripening crop that is easy to grow on a private plot, subject to agricultural technology. It is important to follow the rules for preparing and sowing seeds, as well as competently cultivating the soil and caring for the plants.

Peking cabbage appeared on the Russian market relatively recently, but has ceased to be exotic. Adherents of a healthy diet are happy to include it in their diet.In terms of composition, Peking cabbage is in no way inferior to white cabbage, it contains a large amount of proteins, a whole set of vitamins and mineral salts. No wonder in the Celestial Empire it is considered a source of longevity. The main advantage of a vegetable is the ability to maintain its beneficial properties throughout the winter. Peking cabbage is delicious in any form: pickled, sauerkraut, salted and, of course, in vegetable salads. Delicate green leaves add spice and sophistication to each dish. It is especially indispensable in winter and early spring, when the human body is so in need of fresh greenery. This annual vegetable crop has a short growing season of no more than 2 months and can be grown all year round.

Is it possible to grow Chinese cabbage on a windowsill

Peking cabbage is easy to grow by yourself, and for this you do not need to have a summer cottage. A vegetable garden with vitamin greens can be arranged directly on a windowsill or a closed balcony. A window on the south side is quite suitable for a culture; it does not need additional lighting - even with a short winter day, it has enough light. She feels great in a room or on a loggia and yields a harvest in 25-30 days.

Peking cabbage can be grown on a windowsill even in winter - it does not need a long day of light

Moreover, green cabbage leaves can be obtained not only when grown from seeds. The used head of cabbage can give a start for a new harvest. For this, the lower part of the head of cabbage is cut off by 5–7 cm and lowered into the water. Very quickly, roots and young leaves appear from the stump. Of course, the harvest will not be so plentiful and cabbage rolls are unlikely to be prepared, but for a salad or a sandwich, fresh herbs will be enough.

Peking cabbage stalks can be re-harvested by placing the used head in the ground or in a container with water.

Very often, purchased Peking cabbage is loaded with chemicals. Growing indoor greens will allow you to eat organic foods and support your weakened immune system during the winter months.

Video: we grow Peking cabbage from a stump

What varieties are suitable for growing at home

To grow Chinese cabbage on a windowsill, it is best to use early ripening leafy varieties with small rosettes, since a large area of ​​nutrition is needed to form full-fledged dense heads of cabbage.

The following varieties are suitable for home cultivation:

• The spring is a variety of early ripening, the harvest gives in 28 days. Forms a rosette with a diameter of 20–35 cm, weighing 150–200 g. Light green leaves with a wrinkled surface, sourish in taste. The changes in the environment do not affect the plants - they easily tolerate a lack of light and a drop in temperature;

  Peking cabbage of the Rodnik variety has light green leaves, sourish in taste

• Vesnyanka is a leafy variety that has a short period of time - after the emergence of sprouts, it reaches ripeness in 25–35 days. The weight of the fruit is small - 250 g. The variety is valued for its high content of vitamin C and excellent taste characteristics of juicy delicate greens. Resistant to flowers;
• Khibinskaya is the precocious variety most often grown in the apartment. A cold-resistant lettuce plant is the earliest source of vitamins: in winter, already 20–35 days after sowing the seeds, an elongated cylindrical head of cabbage with a spreading rosette is formed. The tender, succulent leaves are mainly used for making salads;

  Khibinskaya cabbage - cold-resistant salad plant

• Semi-cabbage - a variety with a small rosette 25 cm high, weighing 40–100 g. Ripening periods vary depending on the season: in winter, a longer period of 58–70 days is required for the formation of the crop, in spring - only 30–40 days. Large, rounded leaves, narrow at the base, expanding at the top. They have a very delicate taste;
• TSKHA 2 is a mid-season variety.The plant is up to 45 cm high with large, elongated leaves, wavy at the edges. The leaves are collected in a rosette, forming a loose head of cabbage, white-yellow in section, weighing about 800 g;
• Lenok is an early ripening variety for salads, forms a rather dense rosette of leaves weighing up to 0.3 kg. The ripening period of the crop is only 39 days. The variety is stress-resistant, easily tolerates a lack of light, is practically not susceptible to disease.

Planting Chinese cabbage at home

The result of growing Peking cabbage depends on the quality of the soil, the correct sowing of seeds, compliance with the required temperature regime and further care.

Soil preparation

The culture prefers to grow on loose, fertile soil with neutral acidity. The best substrate for it will be a mixture of fertile soil, humus and sand in a ratio of 1: 2: 1. If the land is taken from the garden, it must first be disinfected with a solution of manganese or Fitosporin (1 drop / 1 l). At high acidity it is necessary to add ash (1 tablespoon / 1 l).

Soil mixture for Chinese cabbage seeds can be prepared by yourself from turf, humus and sand in a ratio of 1: 2: 1

You can mix in equal parts soil, vermicompost and coconut substrate. The soil provides plants with mineral nutrition, biohumus contains additional nutrients, and the coconut substrate loosens the soil and accumulates moisture.

Peking cabbage grows very well in ready-made bio-soil, which is sold in garden stores. It is made on the basis of low-lying peat with the addition of vermiculite and vermiculite. Contains all essential trace elements and accelerates plant growth. Such soil does not require additional disinfection.

Bio-soil is saturated with microelements and promotes intensive plant growth

Instead of a soil mixture, peat tablets are often used, which are compressed peat enriched with an antibacterial component, a growth stimulator and mineral fertilizers. The tablet has a shell that prevents it from scattering. Peat tablets, placed on a tray with water, swell and increase in height up to 8 cm. The seeds are laid out in a depression made in the center of the tablet.

Peat tablets contain nutritional supplements and are well suited for growing Chinese cabbage seedlings

When growing seedlings in peat tablets containing nutritional supplements, there is no need for additional fertilization and growth-accelerating preparations.

Choosing a container for growing

One of the best options for sowing cabbage is a 200 ml plastic cups. When grown in separate containers, there is no need to pick plants, during which delicate roots are often injured.

Plastic cups must have drainage holes for water drainage

Only as they grow, the seedlings are transplanted together with a lump of earth into larger pots with a volume of 1 liter and 3 liters. The cups should have drainage holes so that excess water does not accumulate. You can also use improvised material: cut plastic bottles, yogurt jars, milk cartons.

The grown cabbage from the glass is transplanted into a large container

It is also convenient to grow cabbage in cassettes, filling each cell with soil and sowing seeds in it. Such cassettes already have drainage holes and it is easy to remove plants from them for transplanting into a larger container.

As a container, ordinary seedling boxes are also suitable, which are placed on a pallet. More seedlings can be grown in boxes, but they must be dived. For Chinese cabbage, this process is quite painful, as it often leads to damage to the root system. The roots of Peking cabbage are thin and fragile, break easily, which leads to a growth retardation of seedlings.

More seedlings can be grown in seedling boxes, but then they will need to be dived

Sowing seeds

Peking cabbage seeds are not soaked before sowing. They are sown into moist soil in rows to a depth of 5–10 mm with an interval of 4 cm, leaving 10 cm between rows. Sprinkle with soil, water and cover with foil. They are placed in a warm place (20-22 ° C), monitoring the soil moisture and opening the greenhouse every day to ventilate and remove condensation.

On the third day, seedlings appear. The film is removed and the seedlings are placed for 5 days in a cooler room with a temperature of + 10–12 ° C during the day and + 6–8 ° C at night. In the future, the optimal temperature regime for cabbage is provided: + 18–20 ° С in the daytime and + 14–18 ° С at night.

Peking cabbage seeds are not soaked before sowing.

This culture is hard to tolerate picking, so it is preferable to sow seeds not in a common container, but 3 seeds in each cell. The survival rate after picking is no more than 70%.

You can immediately sow seeds in separate pots. One seed is planted in a container with a volume of 1 liter, 3 seeds in the shape of a triangle are placed in a three-liter pot. When the upper layer of the substrate dries up, irrigate with warm, settled water, then carefully loosen the moist soil, providing air access to the roots.

Peking cabbage seeds are buried 1 cm in the soil

When the grown seedlings develop 2-3 true leaves, only one plant is left in the pot. Weak seedlings are not pulled out of the soil, so as not to accidentally touch the roots of the remaining plant, but pinch off.

Video: sowing Chinese cabbage for seedlings

Peking cabbage pick

If the seedlings were grown in a common box, with the appearance of 2 true leaves, they are dived into separate pots. Previously, the soil is well moistened and with the help of a spatula, the plants are removed from the glass along with an earthen lump. At the same time, the plant is held by the stalk. Seedlings are transplanted in larger containers filled with a nutrient mixture. Sprinkle with soil until the cotyledon leaves, compact and watered. At first, the transplanted seedlings are shaded from the sun's rays.

After the growth of two true leaves, the seedlings of Peking cabbage dive, transplanting them into separate cups

You can transplant seedlings into one large box, but at least 30 cm must be left between them so that, as they grow, they do not interfere with each other.

Video: We dive seedlings of Chinese cabbage from a snail into glasses

Care features

Like any crop, Chinese cabbage needs good care. The moisture and nutrition regime is responsible for the harvest.

Watering

For active development of plants, it is necessary to create soil moisture of 80–85% and air moisture - 75%. For this, abundant, but infrequent watering is carried out, and then the room must be ventilated.

For all its love of moisture, Peking cabbage does not tolerate stagnant water, so watering should be abundant, but infrequent.

Cabbage loves moisture, but does not tolerate stagnant water, therefore, watering is carried out only after the top layer of the soil has dried. It is very important to constantly monitor soil moisture on a regular basis, since with a lack of moisture, the crop is poorly formed, and its excess often leads to the development of root rot.

Temperature regime

Peking cabbage is a cold-resistant plant, for seed germination a small plus temperature of +4 ° C is enough, but intensive growth and development occurs only at a temperature of + 15-22 ° C. At higher temperatures, cabbage turns into color, especially in conditions of long daylight hours. It is also undesirable to keep the seedlings in a cool room with a temperature of less than 10–12 ° C for a long time. A decrease in temperature even for 5 days leads to the formation of premature arrows.

At air temperatures above 22 ° C, Chinese cabbage may turn into color

Top dressing

Peking cabbage needs to be fed during the growing season. Fertilizers are applied by watering or spraying. It is advisable not to use minerals - cabbage accumulates nitrates very quickly.To accelerate the regrowth of leaves, it is recommended to use liquid vermicompost every 2 weeks. It is useful to sprinkle Peking cabbage with a solution of boric acid (dissolve 2 g in 1 liter of boiling water and add 9 liters of cold water).

During the growing season, Peking cabbage should be fed with liquid vermicompost every 2 weeks.

If there are no organic fertilizers, when the fifth true leaf appears, top dressing is carried out with a 1% solution of urea and potassium sulfate, after 10 days - again. After fertilization, the soil is well watered from a sprinkler so that the mineral composition does not get on the plants.

Treatment against pests and diseases

The main pests of cabbage are aphids and cruciferous flea beetles. In the fight against them, it is better to use herbal remedies: decoctions of chamomile, wormwood. Spraying with ash infusion (300 g / 10 l) will help get rid of insects. The ash solution will not only help to cope with pests, but also saturate the cabbage with potassium, which is so necessary for it in the formation of the crop. In the event of a mass invasion of pests, chemical agents with a gentle effect on the environment can be used: Fury (1 ml / 10 l), Bankol (0.7 g / 1 l).

To combat cruciferous flea, you can spray cabbage with ash infusion (300 g / 10 l of water)

Excessive soil moisture and sudden changes in temperature, thickened planting of plants can cause the appearance of a black leg in seedlings. To get rid of the disease, you can water the cabbage with a 0.5% solution of potassium permanganate.

With improper watering and sudden changes in temperature, cabbage sprouts are often affected by a black leg

Excessive watering can provoke the development of a fungal infection - downy mildew. Stagnation of water in the soil and high air temperature contribute to the activation of the fungus - the causative agent of the disease. First, yellow or brown spots appear on the upper side of the leaf, then a grayish coating begins to quickly spread from the lower side. Therefore, at the first manifestations of the disease, cabbage should be treated with the biofungicide Fitosporin (3 g / 5 l).

Growing Chinese cabbage on a windowsill is not so difficult. Of course, you won't be able to get a big harvest in an apartment. But by surrounding the plants with care and creating comfortable conditions for them to grow actively, you can provide yourself and your family with vitamin greens in the winter.

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Due to the climatic features of the zoned regions, the cultivation of Peking cabbage in our country has its own difficulties. Ignorance of them can cause not only an unsatisfactory harvest, but also its complete absence due to damage from diseases or pests.

How to grow Chinese cabbage in the country - planting and care

Biologically characteristics of the species

The plant forms a rosette of upright leaves, the usual hard head of cabbage is completely absent, the height is within 30-50 cm. The leaves are soft, without an unpleasant specific taste, they are used for food both raw and cooked.

Chinese cabbage

1. The plant is early maturing. The earliest varieties yield 40 days after germination. Late varieties ripen on day 60. This early maturity allows in some zones to grow three crops per year in the open field. In greenhouses, year-round cultivation is possible.
2. Lowering the temperature to + 13 ° C can be a trigger for the appearance of arrows and peduncles. The same effect is caused by long daylight hours. Agronomists advise temperatures for maximum yield of + 15–20 ° С. Breeders have created special hybrids that are resistant to temperature drop, which minimizes the likelihood of flower stalks. In areas with a risky climate for agriculture, it is recommended to use these varieties.

How to properly grow Chinese cabbage

Among the advantages, Peking cabbage also has significant drawbacks - it cannot be stored under normal conditions, requires refrigeration chambers, a strictly set temperature, the presence of inert gases in the air, etc. our compatriots dishes.

How to store Chinese cabbage

Peking cabbage is planted for gradual use on greens or on heads of cabbage. In the first case, the leaves are cut as needed, in the second case they wait until the head of cabbage is formed. This will take no more than 60 days. The head of cabbage is not stored for a long time, you need to keep this in mind when planning the number of beds for this vegetable.

Think about how you will use the crop

There are a lot of varieties and hybrids, if you wish, you can leave a few inflorescences for the seeds to ripen. Just keep in mind that hybrids do not retain their qualities; for breeding, use only varietal Peking cabbage.

Cabbage leaves contain 3.5% protein, 2.4% sugar, almost a full range of mineral salts and amino acids. During heat treatment, a large amount of nutrients are lost; it is better to cook food raw.

Peking cabbage is better not to be heat-treated.

Growing technologies

The plant can be grown using two technologies: direct sowing into the ground or seedlings. Each method has its own characteristics and preconditions for use. A specific decision on the method of breeding must be made taking into account the climatic zone of residence, the characteristics of the site and your practical farming skills.

Direct seeding

Recommended for use in regions with warm climates. Seeds in the ground can be sown from late April to mid-June. It is advisable to divide the time into several periods, due to this it will be possible to have fresh cabbage for a longer period of time. The last sowing date is August 10. Today the climate is warming a little, the terms can be shifted. But this is at your own peril and risk, no scientist can give a long-term forecast of temperature changes in each separate region. Practitioners advise not to take risks and not go beyond the traditional time frame for sowing Chinese cabbage.

Seeds need to be sown in shallow grooves, the distance between them is at least 25 cm. The fact is that this vegetable needs a lot of space, too thick seedlings not only deafen each other, but also cause the growth of inflorescences.

Sowing seeds in grooves - photo

After the emergence of seedlings, compulsory thinning of plants is required. How is it done?

1. Thinning should be done only after rain, if there has been no precipitation for a long time, then the beds should be watered abundantly, and field work should be performed only the next day.
2. The distance between individual shoots is at least twenty centimeters. Leave only the most developed and healthy ones, at the slightest suspicion of a disease, the plant should be removed, not thrown into the aisles.
3. It is recommended to do weeding along with thinning. The weeds at this time are still small, pulled out without effort. As soon as the cultivated plant gets stronger and grows, there is no need to do weeding anymore. Large leaves of Chinese cabbage inhibit the development of other plants.

Young Chinese cabbage should be thinned out

There is another option for direct sowing of cabbage - not in the grooves, but in the holes. In each hole, you need to throw 2-4 seeds, during thinning remove the weakest. The distance is 20-25 centimeters, as recommended by the cultivation technology. Experienced vegetable growers advise to try both methods of sowing seeds in the first year, and then use the one that you like more and give better results.

You can make holes using a regular egg tray.

The depth of planting seeds in open ground is 1–2 cm; to accelerate the emergence of seedlings, it is recommended to cover the garden bed with plastic wrap or modern agrofibre. The second option is much preferable - agrofiber allows sunlight, air and moisture to pass through and protects the surface of the beds from morning frost. In addition, agrofibre has a very low specific gravity, which allows sprouts to develop under it, the stems are even, not deformed. The first shoots may appear 3-10 days after sowing, depending on the temperature conditions, specific calendar dates are set.

Growing Chinese cabbage in the open field

The main pest of Chinese cabbage is the invisible cruciferous flea. Do not sow after mustard, radish and other cruciferous crops. Wood ash perfectly protects against flea beetles. Not black coals, but gray, almost weightless ash. This is both protection and fertilization. For band sowing, thinning is best done in two stages. For the first time, the sprouts are left at a distance of 10 cm from each other. When the leaves grow and join together, you can do a second weeding. The distance between the plants should already be at least 25 centimeters. As always, the weakest shoots are removed.

Peking cabbage care

Growing seedlings

A laborious method, used in areas with insufficient sum of positive temperatures. Seedlings can be sown much earlier and transferred to the ground after the onset of stable warm days. You need to know that this plant is very capricious for a seedling technologist, it is much more difficult to work with it than, for example, with tomatoes. The roots of Peking cabbage are very thin and fragile, break easily, and broken off necessarily lead to inhibition of plant growth.

Chinese cabbage sprouts

Chinese cabbage - cultivation

In this regard, it is recommended to grow seedlings in peat tablets or pots and transplant the prepared plants into them without pulling them out of the ground. The survival rate after picking is no more than 70%, and this is subject to all the requirements of agricultural technology. For beginners, the survival rate will be even lower, sometimes the results will be an unpleasant surprise. The absence of the operation of picking seedlings has a beneficial effect on the final results.

Seedling of Chinese cabbage

How the seedlings are prepared

If in the future, Beijing cabbage will grow in greenhouses, then the seeds can be sown from the end of January, if the plants are planned for open ground, then the dates are shifted to the end of March.

1. Priming... We need loose in structure, in quality - very fertile. It is good to take coconut extract, but you can replace it with more familiar garden mixtures.
2. Sowing seeds... The seeds are very small, for even sowing it is recommended to mix them with coarse washed river sand without clay.

   Sowing seeds for growing seedlings

3. Watering. Average, too high moisture content of the earth can slow down the growth of seedlings, delicate thin roots rot, the plant is sick. But it is also impossible to overdry. Watering can only be done with a shallow watering can by sprinkling or a sprinkler.
4. Temperature conditions. Favorable temperature + 20-22 ° С. The containers with the sown seeds are immediately covered with foil. As soon as the first shoots appear, the film is removed. If possible, it is recommended to use mini-greenhouses, but it is not always possible to find boxes with such dimensions, because the height of the peat cups is quite large.

   Growing Chinese cabbage by seedling method

5. Light... Chinese cabbage during the growing season is considered a photophilous plant. If the seedlings are sown during the winter months, then artificial light is indispensable. It is better to use modern economical lamps. In addition to saving energy costs, such lamps have another advantage - they do not heat the seedlings.Incandescent lamps emit powerful infrared waves, which makes it very difficult to regulate the temperature of the seedlings. To increase the illumination, you need to bring the lamps closer to the sprouts. But this cannot be done, because overheating may occur. It turns out a vicious circle and you have to sacrifice one indicator: either reduce the illumination, or increase the temperature.

   Seedling illumination

6. Top dressing... You can feed it once before the start of hardening. If the soil is poor, feed it twice. It is not worth preparing a mixture of mineral fertilizers on your own. It is much more effective, safer and easier to purchase ready-made formulations and use them according to the attached instructions.

Transplanting

When transplanting plants grown in peat pots, the root system is minimally injured

Cabbage loves light neutral soils rich in organic matter in acidity. Soils must pass water well, not allow it to stagnate. Excess water is the cause of plant disease. Choose legumes and root crops as predecessors. It is not recommended to plant Peking cabbage after cruciferous plants (radishes, radishes, turnips, etc.).

Planting seedlings in the ground

Before planting, the seedlings must be hardened. To do this, two to three weeks before the transfer, the plants are taken out into the fresh air. At first, you need to keep them for only a few hours and completely protect them from direct sunlight. Gradually, the holding time increases, the plants begin to adapt to the sun's rays. The last few days before planting seedlings, you can already try to leave it outside overnight.

Mulching will be very useful for Chinese cabbage.

In the open field, the distance between individual plants is 30 × 25 cm, in order to save space in greenhouses, the distance is reduced to 20 × 20 cm. Peking cabbage is not afraid of frosts down to -4 ° С, the optimal growing temperature is + 15-22 ° С. A large amount of sunlight and temperatures above + 25 ° C will cause sunburn, and this negatively affects the final yield.

Watering Peking cabbage seedlings

If the summer is rainy, then the plants need to be protected from waterlogging, otherwise the root system may rot. If you correctly adhere to the recommended agricultural technology, then even in the middle zone of our country, you can easily collect two crops per season.

Protecting plants from pests and diseases

We will not write about modern drugs, they are very effective, but they have one drawback - harm is caused not only to pests, but also to consumers. Let us dwell on the traditional agrotechnical methods of protecting Peking cabbage.

1. Compliance with crop rotation. A very simple but very important way. The vast majority of diseases tend to accumulate in the soil. The greater the concentration of pests and diseases, the more you need to use various chemicals, the more they get into plants and further along the food chain. In addition to this factor, crop rotation plays another very important role. Each plant for vegetation requires a different amount of minerals by weight and chemical composition. For some, nitrogen is important, for others potassium, and so on. This means that different beds in the same area have different indicators for the presence of nutrients in the soil. Only through the correct preparation of the crop rotation can an optimal combination of minerals be created for the plant without additional feeding.
2. Compliance with sowing dates. Seeds begin to grow only when the temperature at a given soil depth reaches optimal values.

Versatile Cabbage Pest Control Methods

Strong plants are much less likely to be damaged by pests and various diseases, and the right technology increases the resistance of cabbage to adverse conditions.

Video - How to grow Chinese cabbage

Video - Growing Chinese cabbage: the basics and secrets of the harvest