Detailed description and characteristics of cabbage Valentine f1

The cultivation of cabbage carries too many subtleties, so for a long time you simply do not know whether the efforts spent can lead to a good harvest. But with a variety like Valentina F1, there are practically no misfires, and the result can be seen long before the harvest. This variety of late-ripening cabbage is a hybrid and has rightfully managed to gain well-deserved popularity among gardeners. The description and characteristics of this variety can be found below.

Description and characteristics of the Valentine cabbage variety

Cabbage Valentina F1 was bred at the N.N. Timiryazev Breeding Station by breeders A.V. Kryuchkov, G.F.Monakhos and D.V. Patsuria. Already the first tests of this hybrid confirmed the high productivity of the variety. and its suitability for growing in various climatic zones.

From the shoots germination to the maturation of the Valentine F1 hybrid, 140-180 days pass, and it can be grown both in open ground and in a greenhouse. The head of cabbage has a flat-oval shape, rather dense, weighing 3-5 kg. Outside, it is covered with dark green leaves that have a bluish waxy bloom, which is a varietal feature of the Valentine hybrid. In the cross section of the forks, it is white.

Valentina F1 matures to stable frosts and easily tolerates short-term freezing during a sudden cold snap, which does not affect further storage in any way. If adult plants easily tolerate frosts down to -5 -8 C °, then seedlings - up to -3 C °.

Initially, cabbage has a slight taste of bitterness, which completely disappears during storage. Therefore, it is recommended to eat this hybrid no earlier than 3 months after harvest. During this period, the forks will become tender, juicy and sweet, without coarse veins.

Like any other plant, the Valentine F1 has its own advantages and disadvantages.

The benefits include:

• good frost resistance;
• high yield;
• long shelf lifeduring which the taste of the heads of cabbage only improves;
• fruit resistant to cracking;
• heads of cabbage good carry transportation;
• resistance to many diseasesincluding fusarium;
• good stability of the fork thanks to low leg;
• the ability to use it in different forms - fresh, pickled, salted, pickled, fried.

But in addition to the positive qualities of the variety, it is also endowed with disadvantages:

• demanding on the soil, grows best on loam and peat;
• does not tolerate frequent soil moisture;
• sun-loving;
• needs a lot the amount of moisture at the stage of fork formation;
• at temperatures over 30 C ° forks "go" into the leaves;
• during the entire growing season Valentine variety needs watering and feeding;
• long harvest time.

Sowing seeds for seedlings

Late variety forks are always grown through seedlings. But before starting planting work, you need to choose the right seeds. If they are purchased in a store from trusted suppliers, then such seeds do not need preliminary preparation, which includes the following steps:

• hardening;
• disinfection;
• warming up;
• soak.

Most often, the shelf life of seeds is 3-4 years, during which the crop will retain all the varietal qualities of the hybrid.

The time of sowing seed for seedlings directly depends on the expected date of planting. Considering that it is planted in the ground at the beginning of June, the optimal time for sowing seeds is 6 May, however, this can also be done in April.

The deadline for sowing seeds for cultivation is May 21, which is St. Nicholas Day.

After the seeds are selected, you need to prepare the land for sowing them. For these purposes, a loose and nutritious soil substrate is needed, the acidity index of which does not exceed 6 pH. You can purchase a ready-made earthen mixture in a specialized store, or you can prepare the substrate yourself:

1. Mix equal parts humus and earth and for 5-6 kg of the mixture you need to add glass of sand.
2. Mix 1 part of the turf land with 3 parts of peat and for every 3-4 kg of the mixture add 1.5 cups of sand.

After the earthen substrate for sowing is ready, it is worth evenly distributing the seeds over the surface of the moistened soil. On top of the seeds, a 1 cm layer of prepared substrate should be poured, and then carefully watered from a spray bottle.

The container with the sown seeds is covered and placed in a dark but warm place with an air temperature of 15 ° C. At the same time, one must not forget to control the emergence of seedlings that hatch later. 3-7 days. When the first shoots appear, it is worth taking the container with seedlings to a bright place so that the plants do not stretch out.

Picking seedlings and planting seedlings in the ground

After 2 true leaves appear on the seedlings, the seedlings should be dived. This is the name of transplanting seedlings in a separate container and pinching the roots, which allows you to enhance the growth of the plant.

To do this, it is recommended to do the following:

1. Water the seedlings abundantly, wait until the moisture is absorbed, and then gently pull out the seedling along with the lump of earth adhering to the roots.
2. Trim about a third of the root system.
3. Place the roots in the groove in the ground until the cotyledon leaves, and then cover them with earth.
4. The composition of the earthen mixture should be the same as used for sowing seedlings.

When the third pair of leaves appears on the plants, then cabbage seedlings that have reached a height of 13-16 cm can be planted in a garden bed. But before doing this, you must first prepare the soil for planting plants. Valentina F1 cabbage prefers loamy soil, which retains moisture well. The plant bed should be well lit by the sun, as this variety does not tolerate excessive shade.

It is best to prepare a place for planting seedlings right in the fall, while observing the crop rotation. Cabbage grows best after onions, cucumbers, carrots, tomatoes, legumes and cereals, which enrich the soil with nutrients necessary for cruciferous plants. If you plant the Valentine F1 hybrid after its “relatives” (swede, radish and radish), then it will grow and bear fruit poorly, since the earth will not have enough useful microelements.

Autumn preparatory work for planting seedlings is as follows:

1. Digging the garden to the maximum depth.
2. We must fertilize the earth, for which compost is introduced in the fall, at the rate of 1 bucket per 1 meter of the garden.
3. In the spring in the ground additionally introduced 2 spoons of superphosphate per 1 square meter of area, as well as a glass of pure ash.

When planting the Valentina F1 variety in a permanent place, it should be that at night the air temperature does not fall below 3 C °. It is better to do the work in the evening, after sunset, or choose a cloudy day for planting cabbage.

Seedling planting scheme Valentina F1 - 65-70 cm between rows and 40 cm between plants... With a thicker planting, heads of cabbage can develop poorly and lose their weight. After transplanting, it is important to water each plant abundantly.

Cabbage care

In order to get a good harvest from the Valentine variety, some effort should be made. These include watering, loosening, weeding, hilling and feeding.

After planting the seedlings, daily watering is essential. Also, a high need for an abundant amount of moisture occurs during the period of setting and growing heads of cabbage. If at this time there is a lack of water, then all the cabbage can go into the leaves. Also, a lack of moisture can lead to the ripening of loose and not juicy heads of cabbage.

It is best to water the formed forks early in the morning or late in the evening, while the water consumption should be about 5 liters per 1 plant. After the water is completely absorbed, it is necessary to loosen the ground to a depth of 6 cm, since excess water for the Valentine F1 variety is destructive - its roots quickly rot and the plant dies.

It is worth completely stopping watering 3-4 weeks before harvest. During this period, the heads of cabbage will have time to acquire sugar content, retain their marketable form and will be better stored.

Weed control also plays an important role, after all, they quickly deprive plugs of sunlight and are often the source of various diseases. Loosening the soil will help to cope with weeds, which will only benefit the cabbage.

Another measure of care is hilling, which helps the stalk to hold the heavy head well. Hilling is carried out about 2 times per season:

1. The first time hilling is done later 7-10 days after disembarkation seedlings to a permanent place when it takes root well.
2. The second hilling is performed after 1-1,5 monthswhen the head of cabbage begins to form. With the help of hilling, it is possible to protect the head of cabbage from excess moisture and prevent the plant from falling to one side in strong winds.

Hilling depth - no more than 6 cm, the diameter of the soil raking is about 1 plant - 30 cm. It is best to do hilling after heavy rain or abundant watering.

Additional feeding is carried out 4 times during the growing season. For heads of cabbage to form well, they need nitrogen, phosphorus, calcium and potassium. Since all these elements are also present in cow dung, it is possible to alternate the introduction of mineral and organic fertilizers under the cabbage.

Harvesting and storage

You can start harvesting in late September or early October. It is best to store heads of cabbage in the basement, at a temperature not lower than +1 C ° and not higher +5 C °. Otherwise, the cabbage can either freeze or start to rot.

Main storage methods:

• on the rack;
• in limbo;
• in boxes.

Some housewives wrap each head of cabbage with paper or cling film, which will preserve the juiciness of the forks. Before storing, you should carefully check all heads of cabbage and select the defective ones. Also, all surface leaves are removed from each of them, leaving 2-3 of them on each fork.

The variety Valentine F1 is stored for 7 months, and due to the good taste and useful properties of the head of cabbage, this hybrid is attractive for growing both in industrial and private households.