What is the best way to grow cabbage with seedlings or seeds?

Cabbage

- a vegetable loved by many, which has long been called a garden lady. Delicious and healthy, it is far from the last place in our diet. It is successfully used in traditional medicine. Riddles are written about her. And a rare gardener will refuse the opportunity to grow a lady-cabbage on his land of his own free will.

A rich harvest begins with healthy, strong seedlings But without good seedlings, it is often simply impossible to get an excellent harvest of this unique vegetable, so let's talk about the secrets of growing healthy and strong cabbage seedlings.

1. The correct choice of variety

Before buying seeds, decide what kind of cabbage you want to get in the end, for what and when you need it. It is on this that, first of all, the timing of sowing cabbage for seedlings will depend. It's one thing if you want to feast on early cabbage in salads, and quite another thing if you need cabbage for fermentation and long winter storage.

The time of sowing cabbage for seedlings depends on its variety. White cabbage is early-ripening, mid-ripening and late-ripening. Early varieties are low-yielding, they have rather small (weighing about 1.5 kg) heads of medium density. Mid-season cabbage varieties are suitable both for summer consumption and for pickling, but late varieties are the best suited for long-term fresh storage. This issue is discussed in more detail in the article How to choose varieties of white cabbage.

Depending on the ripening period of cabbage, the timing of its sowing also differs - remember this.

2. Buying quality seeds

Last but not least, the quality of the seedlings will depend on the seeds, and therefore the yield of cabbage. Therefore, get a good seed.

We buy only high quality seeds

How to buy seeds correctly, so as not to acquire expired, lost germination due to improper storage, or even counterfeit seed, is described in detail in the publications:

• 10 most popular seed producers
• How to buy seeds online
• 10 rules for buying seeds
• 10 common mistakes when choosing seeds
• 7 essential rules for choosing seeds
• Top 5 Questions and Answers About Seeds

3. Preparing the correct soil mixture

To grow strong cabbage seedlings, you need to properly prepare a nutritious soil mixture.Ideally, the soil for cabbage seedlings should be prepared in the fall, but if for some reason you did not have time to do this, you can start compiling it right now. Mix 1 part of turf and humus, add a little ash (10 tablespoons for every 10 kg of soil) and mix the substrate well. In this case, ash will be a source of not only micro- and macroelements, but also an excellent antiseptic that can prevent the appearance of a black leg on cabbage seedlings.

Seedling soil is an important element of success

Of course, you can prepare any other nutritious soil mixture - not only sod soil, but also, for example, peat. The main thing is that the resulting soil is breathable and fertile. And also, when preparing potting soil for cabbage seedlings, never use the garden soil on which cruciferous crops were previously grown: it probably contains infections characteristic of cabbage, and the likelihood of getting seedling diseases increases significantly.

And in this video, our expert Tatyana shares her experience in compiling soil for seedlings:

As you can see, it is really undesirable to take land from the garden.

Would you like to know even more about the intricacies of preparing soil mixture for seedlings? Then read these articles:

• How to prepare the soil for seedlings
• It's time to prepare the soil for seedlings

4. Choosing the optimal sowing time for cabbage seedlings

There is no point in sowing cabbage seedlings in early January - it's too early, or at the end of May - it's too late. Every gardener knows this common truth. But, although we know the approximate dates for sowing seeds, sometimes it is quite difficult to determine a specific date. Let's talk about everything in order.

Remember:

• early varieties of cabbage should be sown for seedlings from the beginning of March until about the 25th-28th of the month,
• seeds of medium varieties can be sown approximately from March 25 to April 25,
• well, cabbage of late varieties - from the beginning to the 20th of April.

The main thing is to sow on time

If such dates for sowing cabbage seeds seem to you excessively blurred and incomprehensible, then you will appreciate the recommendations from the article When to sow vegetables for seedlings - it describes an algorithm that helps to calculate the optimal sowing time for your conditions.

Well, I will give one more hint: you can determine the time of sowing cabbage for seedlings based on the fact that about 10 days pass from the time of sowing the seeds to the emergence of seedlings (plus or minus a couple of days), and from the emergence of seedlings to the time of planting, about 50-55 days. Based on this, it is necessary to sow cabbage for seedlings 60-65 days before the desired planting in the ground.

Cabbage w / c Russian Size®27 rbl WATCH
Russian Vegetable Garden

White cabbage Buffalo heart, 0.5 g18 rbl WATCH

Cabbage Mother-in-law (b / c)11 rbl WATCH
Sedek

Cabbage b / k Sugarloaf®19 rbl WATCH
Russian Vegetable Garden

5. Mandatory seedbed preparation

In the case of cabbage seeds, it is not worth relying on "chance" - before sowing, be sure to process them using one of the generally accepted methods of pre-sowing seed preparation.

For cabbage seeds, pre-sowing preparation is required

Thanks to simple manipulations, you can practically eliminate dangerous cabbage diseases (such as black leg, powdery mildew, and so on) already in the seedling period, which means you will be able to grow healthy and strong seedlings.

If you have purchased already processed seeds (this should be indicated on the package), it will be enough just to warm them up for 20 minutes in hot water (at a temperature of about +50 ° C). After warming up the seeds, cool them in cool water for 5 minutes - this will increase the cabbage's resistance to various fungal diseases. Just keep in mind: not all seeds processed by the manufacturer can be wetted! For some species, this is completely unacceptable, therefore, in order not to be mistaken, read about what types of industrial seed treatment are used, and what are their features.

6. Correct seeding

It would seem that there is no need to bother there: I bought the seeds, prepared the soil mixture and go - this, as you want. Not certainly in that way.In order for cabbage seedlings to be strong and stocky, it is better to grow it with a pick - only then the volume of its roots will be large, the seedlings themselves will grow more squat and strong, and it will be easier to transfer the transplant to a permanent place. How to sow cabbage correctly?

Early cabbage seeds should be sown in a tray or grower. Before sowing, the soil is well watered, and we try not to moisten the soil until the shoots appear - this will prevent the disease of the seedlings with a black leg. Why water the soil abundantly before sowing? The thing is that for germination, cabbage seeds need a lot of water - about 50% of their weight.

Sow cabbage correctly!

When seedlings appear, they need to be thinned out, leaving each feeding area of ​​about 2x2 cm.After 2 weeks, when the seedlings have already grown a little, they must be dived, planting according to the 3x3 cm scheme, for example, in cassettes. When diving, do not forget to deepen the stem of the seedlings to the cotyledons! After another half month, the seedlings must be transplanted again, but already in pots (peat pots, plastic or paper cups or any other suitable container) - ideally, the size of the new container should be 5x5 cm.

Before picking the seedlings, it is advisable to treat the cups with a weak (blue in color) solution of copper sulfate or any other drug that prevents the appearance of fungal diseases.

If you do not have the desire to dive cabbage, then it is better to initially sow it in separate pots. When the time comes for planting seedlings to a permanent place, its root system will be of a large volume, and due to the fact that the plants grew in separate pots before transplanting, it is almost not injured (transplanting will turn out in a gentle way).

7. Light for seedlings

In order for cabbage seedlings to grow strong and stocky, it is not enough to plant them correctly - you need to carry out additional lighting, because there is little usual daylight at home for cabbage. With the help of an ordinary fluorescent lamp, we illuminate the seedlings for about 12-15 hours a day.

8. Timely watering

"Cabbage loves water and good weather" - this proverb-statement is equally true both in relation to already grown cabbage heads, and in relation to its seedlings.

Cabbage loves water and good weather Water the plants as needed, but try to prevent both the soil from drying out and its waterlogging. In order not to overdo it with watering, loosen the soil more often.

9. Maintaining optimal temperature

When growing cabbage seedlings, you need to monitor the air temperature in the room. The optimum temperature before the emergence of cabbage shoots is considered to be +18 ° C ... + 20 ° C, when the shoots appear, the temperature must be reduced: during the day to +15 ° C ... + 17 ° C, at night - to +8 ° C ... + 10 ° C (we are talking only about white cabbage!). Such seemingly sharp changes in day and night temperatures will make it possible to strengthen the seedlings and help prevent the seedlings from pulling out.

High temperatures are harmful to cabbage seedlings

Regarding the seedlings of cauliflower, please note: it does not tolerate low temperatures, and this will only lead to a decrease in yield - the heads will be small and loose. The temperature regime for growing cauliflower seedlings, of course, can also fluctuate during the day and night. On average, the temperature should be kept 5-7 ° C higher than that of a white cabbage.

10. Mandatory feeding

When growing cabbage seedlings, do not forget to feed them, because it is during the seedling period that young plants really need a balanced set of various nutrients, which should come in the most easily accessible form.

The first feeding should be carried out approximately 7-9 days after the pick. You can prepare fertilizer as follows: dissolve 2 grams of potassium fertilizers and ammonium nitrate in 1 liter of water, as well as 4 grams of superphosphate. One liter of nutrient solution is enough to feed 50-60 plants.In order not to burn the young roots of the seedlings, water them first, and only then feed them.

Fertilizers for cabbage seedlings are required. The second feeding should be done 2 weeks after the first. For her, we prepare a new nutrient solution from the same fertilizers, we just double their amount per liter of water. If the cabbage seedlings start to turn a little yellow, they can be fed with a solution of fermented slurry (1:10).

The third feeding should be done a couple of days before planting cabbage seedlings in the ground, and for this we prepare a solution: add 3 grams of ammonium nitrate, 5 grams of superphosphate and 8 grams of potassium fertilizers to 1 liter of water. The dose of potash fertilizers in this case is increased so that the seedlings take root better in the open field, which is why such a top dressing is called hardening. If you do not want to bother with the preparation of dressings, you can use a ready-made liquid complex fertilizer, for example, "Kemira Lux".

11. Hardening

Hardening of seedlings means a set of measures due to which the root system of plants develops better and their high survival rate is ensured. Cabbage seedlings begin to harden about 10 days before planting in the ground.

Strong seedlings require hardening

In the first day or two, we simply open the window in a room with cabbage seedlings for 3-4 hours. In the next few days, we take out the seedlings on the balcony (loggia, veranda, etc.) for a couple of hours, thereby exposing them to direct sunlight. Taking out the seedlings in the sun for the first time, we slightly shade them with gauze so that the bright spring sun does not burn the young plants.

From the sixth day of hardening, we reduce watering (we control so that the soil does not dry out) and take out the seedlings to the balcony. There she will be until the moment of landing in the ground. By the way, before planting in the ground, cabbage seedlings should have 4–5 leaves, and before planting, they must be well watered.

12. Prevention of diseases and their timely treatment

If you overdo it with watering, did not keep track of the temperature, poorly ventilated, and so on, as a result of which the seedlings got sick: black leg, root rot or other ailments - do not hope that the disease will go away by itself, save the seedlings immediately.

Blackleg

To combat the black leg, dry the soil inside the tray (pots), sprinkle the seedlings themselves with ash and loosen the substrate.

Root rot

In the fight against root rot (and black leg too) of the seedlings, treat them with trichodermin or rhizoplan. These are environmentally friendly biological preparations, the effect is based on the action of a specially grown mycelium, which, while developing, releases substances that inhibit various pathogenic organisms.

Treatment with trichodermine allows you to create a protective zone around the roots of plants from microorganisms, and treatment with rhizoplan promotes the absorption of iron by seedlings, due to which they develop immunity to the same black leg. In addition, Rhizoplan makes it possible for seedlings to fight not only with black leg, but also with various bacteriosis, stem and root rot.

How to add drugs

Trichodermin should be added to the soil mixture before picking cabbage seedlings into pots, at the rate of 1 g of the drug for 1 plant. Together with trichodermin, it is necessary to add a grain of barley treated with microspores of the fungus to the soil - it is cultivated on it. You can simply water the plants with Rizoplan or spray the seedlings with the preparation, after diluting 1 g in 100 ml of water.

Cruciferous flea

In the fight against the cruciferous flea (small striped bugs) - the worst enemy of cabbage seedlings, you will be helped by the early treatment of the seedlings with Intavir.

I told you all the secrets of growing strong cabbage seedlings - at least those that I knew 🙂 I would be glad if you share your secrets of growing cabbage seedlings in the comments.

And a little more about planting and growing cabbage:

• How to choose a cabbage variety and grow seedlings?
• How to grow cabbage seedlings in an apartment without a balcony?
• Seed preparation for sowing - video selection
• Cabbage is the head of everything

Cabbage is a very healthy vegetable that should be on our dinner table all year round. But the cabbage group has one biological feature. All species are strongly affected by diseases and pests. In production conditions, in order to get beautiful, healthy-looking cabbage heads without traces of diseases or damage by sucking and gnawing pests, it is treated with chemicals 2 times a week, and they are far from harmless. Therefore, we encourage you to grow cabbage yourself! And you need to start with her seedlings. This article will tell you how to grow healthy cabbage seedlings.

Seedling cabbage

Content:

• Seed selection criteria
• What can be containers for cabbage seedlings
• Preparing soil mixture for cabbage seedlings
• Sowing dates for cabbage seedlings
• How to sow seeds for seedlings
• The correct temperature regime for seedlings
• Pickling cabbage seedlings
• Lighting and watering
• Protection of cabbage seedlings from diseases and pests
• Top dressing and hardening of seedlings
• We transplant cabbage seedlings into open ground

Seed selection criteria

In all regions of Russia, early, middle and late cabbage is grown through seedlings. To obtain healthy seedlings, seed material is best purchased in specialized stores. When purchasing seeds or seedlings, be sure to choose zoned varieties. As a rule, they are highly resistant to pests and diseases. In addition, the seeds are already fully prepared for sowing, and will not require extra time and money for this. When purchasing seeds, pay attention - the packaging must indicate:

• variety and group name (early, middle, late);
• growing region;
• the date of sowing and planting in the ground (data are approximate);
• approximate harvest time.

It is best to grow cabbage of all ripening periods in your home garden, and in order to take up less area for culture, use thickened plantings.

The technology for growing seedlings of the cabbage group is almost the same for any region, since artificial greenhouse conditions can be recreated regardless of the growing area. Therefore, the proposed technology does not focus on the type of cabbage (white cabbage, kohlrabi, Savoy and others), but only on the process of growing seedlings. The main differences in grooming begin with permanent planting, especially in open ground.

What can be containers for cabbage seedlings

Cabbage has very delicate, easily damaged leaves, so you need to think in advance how you will grow seedlings:

• without picking;
• with a pick;
• in separate containers;
• in boxes, etc.

Given the fragility of young leaves, it is optimal for cabbage to be grown without picking one plant at a time in separate containers. It should be noted that picking cultivation has its advantages in some cases. If the seedlings are sown early and, due to weather conditions, cannot be transplanted permanently, then picking stops the growth of plants. The seedlings are stocky, with a thick, straight stem. Easily transfers the subsequent transplant to the beds.

Seedling cabbage, 1 week after sowing

Seedlings require a well-aerated, lightweight substrate with a large supply of nutrients, permeable, but sufficiently moisture-consuming. Such a soil mixture can be obtained from the following ingredients:

• leafy or sod land, as the basis of the soil. Both types of soil can be used in equal proportions;
• old ripe humus or vermicompost. High moor peat can be used instead of these components;
• to create friability, add river sand, sawdust, perlite.

The ingredients are mixed in the following proportions 1: 2: 1.

You can offer a simpler composition - for 20 parts of sod or clean without the use of herbicides of garden soil, add 5 parts of ash (the main source of macro- and microelements), 1 part of lime and 1 part of sand.

The mixture is mixed and disinfected in one of the available ways:

• freezing;
• by calcining;
• steaming;
• etching.

The last stage in the preparation of the soil mixture is the application of fertilizers. For 10 kg of the disinfected substrate, add urea or ammonium nitrate 15-20 g, granular superphosphate 20-25 g, potassium sulfate 10 g and 25 g of lime. If these ingredients are not available, you can add 30-35 g of nitroammophoska to the soil mixture.

7-10 days before filling the containers for sowing, the soil mixture dried after disinfection is treated with antifungal (black leg, bacteriosis, etc.) biological products: phytosporin, alirin, gamair, according to the recommendations. Add a dry preparation "Emochka-Bokashi" or another preparation containing useful microflora to the moistened mixture. Beneficial microorganisms improve the composition of the soil and at the same time destroy the pathogenic microflora. Thorough preparation of the soil mixture ensures that seedlings with a healthy root system are obtained.

You can read more about preparing soil mixture for seedlings in the article: How to prepare soil for seedlings?

Sowing seeds for seedlings

Sowing dates for cabbage seedlings

• We sow early cabbage varieties for seedlings in late February-early March;
• medium - from the third decade of March to the end of April;
• late - during the first or second decade of April.

The proposed sowing dates for cabbage seeds are approximate and depend on the variety, ripening time, lighting, temperature regime of the region. When sowing, be guided by the length of the growing season of the crop. Early ripening varieties are ready for harvesting in 90-120 days, medium ones - 150-170 and late ones - 160-180 days. You can sow each species at a time at one time or carry out conveyor sowing of seeds of each species with a gap of 10-12 days. Then there will always be fresh cabbage salad to the table.

Seedlings of broccoli cabbage

We fill containers with the prepared substrate: boxes, cups, peat pots and other containers. We sow the seeds in the boxes in an ordinary way, leaving 3-4 cm between the furrows, and 1-2 cm in a row. When using a single-nest container, lay out 2 seeds in the center. After germination, we remove the weak seedling. The seeding depth is about 1 cm. After sowing, we cover the boxes and other containers with foil, create greenhouse conditions.

The correct temperature regime for seedlings

To obtain healthy seedlings, the temperature regime of the soil and air at different stages of seedling development is very important.

• From sowing to germination (5-7 days), the soil temperature in the improvised greenhouse is maintained at +18 .. + 20 ºC, and air temperature: +7 .. + 9 at night, +8 .. + 10 ºC in the daytime.
• After germination, when the seedlings are 12-15 days old, we reduce the soil temperature in the daytime to +15 .. + 17 ºC, and at night - to +12 ºC. During this period, the air temperature during the day fluctuates within the range of +8 .. + 10 ºC, and at night +7 .. + 9 ºC.

Pickling cabbage seedlings

We dive two-week-old seedlings (the phase of expanded cotyledons or the first leaf) into cassettes or pots 5x5, 7x7 cm, depending on the variety and development of the seedling. At the seedlings, we pinch the tip of the root, carefully burrow it into the soil up to the cotyledons. We carry out the picking of seedlings according to the 5x5 scheme. From picking to hardening of seedlings, the soil temperature is maintained at +10 ºC at night, and +14 .. + 16 ºC during the day. The air temperature is approximately +7 .. + 10 ºC.

Caring for cabbage seedlings

Lighting and watering

If the weather is cloudy, the seedlings need additional lighting. Lack of lighting hinders the development of seedlings. For additional illumination, you can use a fluorescent lamp 12-15 hours a day.

The entire period of care, the substrate under the seedlings must be moist. Excessive moisture should not be allowed, especially at low temperatures.A weak root system of seedlings with an excess of moisture is affected by root rot. Therefore, before the emergence of shoots, the soil is moistened with a spray bottle. In the future, watered moderately once a week.

Most often, cabbage seedlings are affected by fungal diseases: black leg, mucous and vascular bacteriosis, fusarium wilt.

In order not to lose part of the seedlings as a result of diseases, we carry out the following measures:

• water the seedlings with a solution of biological products with phytosporin, trichodermine or planriz according to the recommendations;
• we dry the soil with dry sand or moisture-consuming mulch;
• we reduce the frequency and intensity of watering;
• increase the temperature in the room.

In addition to diseases, cabbage seedlings must be protected from pests. More than 6 of their species destroy the crop crop: cruciferous fleas, cabbage fly, cabbage moth, cabbage scoop and cabbage whiteworm, cabbage aphid, etc.

We process seedlings with intavir and phytoverm biological products in a tank mixture when the first pests appear. Bitoxibacillin, lepidocid, dendrobacillin are effective with leaf-gnawing, different types of moths, cruciferous flea beetle, white beetle. Chemicals should not be used on cabbage, as they remain inside the forming head of cabbage or inflorescence.

Top dressing and hardening of seedlings

With a weak development, cabbage seedlings are fed in the phase of 2-3 leaves with a solution of chicken manure or mullein. In their absence, the first feeding is carried out with a solution of 20 g of ammonium nitrate, 20-25 g of granular water-soluble superphosphate, 5-10 g of potassium chloride per bucket of water. This complex solution can be replaced by dissolving 30-35 g of nitroammophoska in 10 liters of water. The second feeding in the same composition is carried out after 10-12 days and the third (if necessary) after 15-20 days. After foliar feeding, be sure to wash the plants with water and mulch the soil.

12-15 days before planting in the ground, the seedlings are hardened, that is, they are taught to develop at low temperatures, greater oxygen availability, and brighter lighting. During this period, the air temperature at night should be no more than +7 .. + 8 ºC, and during the day in sunny weather +14 .. + 15 ºC, in cloudy +12 .. + 14 ºC. 2-3 days before transferring to open ground, the seedlings are treated with a 1% solution of Bordeaux liquid.

We plant early seedlings in open ground at 45-55 days of age. Plants have an elastic squat stem, 5-7 leaves with a monochromatic leaf blade, without spots, a well-developed fibrous-branched root.

Seedlings of medium and late varieties - 35-45 days old, ready for planting have 18-20 (20-25) cm in height, 5-6 true developed leaves, elastic stem, well-developed root system.

Dear readers, this article contains a lot of digital material. But this is an average approximate data. In each particular case, they will be different, albeit close in meaning.

Cabbage is the most ancient vegetable garden culture. The vegetable is prized for its high content of proteins, sugars, vitamins and mineral salts. Its medicinal properties are also well known. The technology of plant cultivation is quite simple, but not everyone knows how to grow cabbage seedlings at home so that it does not go into the arrow and form a dense forks. Let us dwell on the main stages and agrotechnical methods of the seedling period - from the preparation and sowing of seeds to sending the seedlings to the garden bed.

Cabbage seedling ready to be transplanted to a permanent location

General requirements

The seedling method of cultivation is used to obtain early vegetables, to promote heat-loving crops to regions with an unfavorable climate. Due to the fact that in the initial phases of growth the seedlings take up a small area, it is possible to optimize conditions and care.

When sowing cabbage for seedlings at home, you should remember the growing rules in relation to this particular plant.

1. Of all the vegetables in the open field, cabbage is the most sensitive to light.Therefore, the most suitable place for her is not a window sill, but a greenhouse, a greenhouse, a nursery in an open space. As a last resort, a balcony or loggia with a southern exposure.
2. The colder the better. For cabbage seedlings, lowering the temperature to 0⁰C is less harmful than heat above 18⁰C.
3. The best age of seedlings for transplanting into open ground is 55-60 days for early-maturing varieties, 35-40 days for mid-season and late cabbage. Overgrown seedlings take root worse, get sick, and their yield decreases.
4. Cabbage can be grown, but it is undesirable to grow it in a seedless way. She loves to dive - this stimulates branching and strengthening of the root system.

Important! Determine the need for seedlings. The common planting density for early and cauliflower is 50 roots per 10 m², medium and late - 25-30. Add about 15–20% to the calculated amount - some of the seeds will not sprout, something will die during transplantation.

Preparatory stage

Before planting cabbage for seedlings, prepare the soil, planting dishes and seeds.

The soil

Targeted soil is purchased in specialized stores or harvested independently in the fall. For the soil mixture, you need to take one part of the garden land, 2 parts of humus and a little river sand. Half the volume of humus can be replaced with high-moor peat. For enrichment with macronutrients, up to 70 g of superphosphate and a glass of wood ash are added to a bucket of prepared substrate.

For sowing seeds, you will need a low (10–12 cm) tray and individual containers for transplanting - nutrient pots, plastic, paper, film cups or other similar devices. None of this is necessary when growing cabbage seedlings in a greenhouse or on a cold bed under a film cover.

Note! To protect seedlings from blackleg disease, pollinate the soil with colloidal sulfur after sowing.

Seeds

You can buy ready-made seeds, processed by the manufacturer. Their distinctive feature is a colored shell or multilayer coating (granule). In this case, dry sowing is practiced. In all other options for planting cabbage for seedlings, a mandatory stage is pre-sowing seed preparation.

The causative agents of diseases such as vascular bacteriosis, black spot, downy mildew are carried by seed. An effective method of prevention is thermal disinfection. The seeds are heated in water heated to 50⁰ for 20 minutes. Some gardeners recommend, to enhance the effect, instead of water, take a weak (1%) solution of potassium permanganate. After warming up, the seeds are washed with cool water (2-3 minutes) and dried.

Sowing

The soil, poured into a box, a tray, is slightly compacted, with the edge of the ruler, longitudinal rows are made 1.5 cm deep and at intervals of 3-4 cm. The seeds are laid out quite thickly, every 1-2 cm, covered with the same soil mixture, carefully watered. At this stage of growing cabbage seedlings, seeds need warmth and high humidity for germination. Therefore, the box is covered with foil and placed in a warm place (up to 22⁰C) until the first shoots appear.

Many gardeners practice sowing in individual containers, where the seedling will develop until the moment of planting. Potting soil is poured into a plastic cup, cassette, a hollow is made with a stick or finger and 1 to 3 seeds are placed. Further, the germination process is identical to box seeding.

Sprouts of cabbage

Sowing dates

An actual question for novice summer residents is when to plant cabbage for seedlings. A good seedling before planting should be stocky, compact, with a thick stem and 4-5 true leaves. Based on climatic conditions, variety and optimal age of seedlings, we give approximate dates for sowing seeds and planting seedlings in open ground.

• Early maturing white cabbage and colored. Sowing - mid-March, disembarkation of seedlings - late April - early May.
• Mid-season varieties. Sowing - in the 20th of April, disembarkation - early June.
• Late cabbage is sown on April 15-20, planted from mid-June.

Temperature regime

Cold resistance is a distinctive feature of the culture. She not only withstands low temperatures, but needs them for effective vegetation. Immediately after germination, cabbage seedlings should be provided with a thermal regime not higher than 10–16 ⁰ during the day, and 6–10 at night. It largely depends on the choice of the landing site.

Table: temperature regime for seedlings

Seat selection

For early maturing varieties, cabbage seedlings are cultivated in a heated greenhouse. The beds with loose nutritious soil are prepared in advance. The seeding depth is 1–2 cm. If diving is expected, sow rather thickly. But from the greenhouse, the seedlings can be immediately transplanted to the garden bed - in this case, sparse sowing is recommended with an interval of 3-4 cm between seedlings.

Self-made seedling greenhouse

The varieties of the middle and late ripening period are sown in greenhouses or cold nurseries. In mid-April, a film or glass shelter will completely protect the seedlings from night frosts. The walls and volume of the soil of the nursery will maintain the necessary heat balance. A lifting cover will provide ventilation.

The modern way is to grow seedlings in cassettes. The device consists of small cells, each of which is ideal for one seedling in terms of soil volume. Soil, seeds are sparingly consumed, seedlings do not need to be dived. The cassettes are placed in greenhouses or greenhouses, but you can also on a balcony or veranda.

Trays for 32 plants each

Late crop varieties in the southern regions are sown on sunny, well-warmed open beds. Covering materials are used to protect seedlings from freezing temperatures.

Important! If there is no other place besides the windowsill for seedlings, create a temperature regime by airing. Another option is to take the landing boxes outside during the day, and to bring it indoors at night.

Seedling care

Young plants love moisture and good ventilation. Water them with plain or melt water. A couple of times per season, to prevent root rot, crops are spilled with a manganese solution (0.5 g / l of water).

Dive

One of the most time consuming processes of growing cabbage seedlings is diving. This is done in the first leaf phase. The central root of the seedling is cut off by a quarter and placed in an individual container, deepening to the cotyledonous leaves. The cut plants are watered abundantly and placed in a warm place protected from the sun for a couple of days. After the seedlings have taken root, they are exposed to the cold.

Moscow, Russia, on the site since 11.01.2017

The cultivation of white cabbage usually begins with the preparation of the seedlings. It is almost unrealistic to grow strong seedlings in a city apartment, it is too hot there, but in greenhouses it is not at all difficult to do this. You just need to sow the seeds on time and put a little effort into caring for young plants.

Is it necessary to grow cabbage through seedlings

The question of the compulsory cultivation of cabbage seedlings is connected with two points: what kind of cabbage we are talking about, and in which region we live. The fact is that many late varieties of white cabbage have a life cycle of about six months, or even more. This means that even if the harvest is planned for mid-October, it is necessary to sow seeds in early April, which is difficult to do directly in the garden in the middle lane. Early varieties stay in the garden for a much shorter time, but if they are sown immediately to a permanent place, then the harvest can no longer be called early.

However, it turns out that even in the southern regions, where March sowing in the garden is quite possible, cabbage is often grown through seedlings; however, they do not do it at home. They just sow seeds in a garden bed, and then plant them, that is, they actually grow through seedlings. What for? The fact is that with a transplant, cabbage heads work better: a seemingly traumatic operation is only beneficial to the seedlings.

Is it possible not to bother and immediately sow seeds in the holes in a permanent place, and harvest in the fall? You can do that too. But often with such a simplified approach, the plants are weaker (their roots do not develop so well), and as a result, the yield is reduced. Thus, it should be recognized that growing cabbage through the seedling stage is optional, but highly desirable.

When to sow: lunar calendar 2018

You should immediately decide on the order of sowing cabbage seeds of different ripening periods. Not everything is unambiguous here, although there is logic. Seedlings of any varieties are planted in a permanent place at the age of 40 to 50 days. If the cabbage is early, then you need to take all the benefits of this term and get vitamin products as early as possible. This cabbage will not be stored, the heads of cabbage are usually small, not very dense, they are happily eaten in the form of salads. Therefore, early varieties are sown first for seedlings. Usually in the middle lane this happens in mid-March, but if there is such an opportunity (southern region or greenhouse), it can be done in February.

Early cabbage has small heads of cabbage, but the meaning is not in size: the road is a spoon for dinner

Late varieties of cabbage are intended for long-term fresh storage in cellars. Its heads of cabbage reach ripeness in the autumn months, they even end up in the beds under light frosts, which does not bother them at all: they should be put into the cellar as late as possible. Therefore, sowing too early is unnecessary. However, based on the length of the growing season, it turns out that the approximate sowing dates for the late varieties are in mid-April.

Late varieties grow in dense heads of cabbage, they stay in the garden for a long time, so they also have to be sown early.

Medium-ripening cabbage is grown for autumn consumption (it is stored worse late) and fermentation, which is usually done in autumn. Therefore, these varieties are harvested in September-October, and in order for it to ripen by this time, the seeds can be sown a little later than in the case of late varieties. Sowing dates are around the end of April. Obviously, all the above dates are approximate: in the south they move somewhat in one direction, and in the conditions of the Urals or Siberia - in the other.

At the end of the twentieth century, a boom began among gardeners, associated with the publication of various kinds of sowing calendars associated with the life cycle of heavenly bodies. The most popular was the Lunar calendar, which links the favorable and unfavorable days of gardening concerns with the constellation in which the Earth's satellite, the Moon, is located.

There is undeniable evidence that the growth of various crops is differently associated with the phases of the moon, but how serious this influence is is difficult to judge: as a rule, approximately the same harvest is obtained from those summer residents who strictly follow the calendars, and those who simply have no time to follow them ...

Counts, that the periods of new moon and full moon are prohibited for sowing, transplanting and any other operations with plants. These days, the flora seems to freeze and prepare for the change of the lunar phase. If you strictly follow the lunar calendar, then in 2018 the following days are allowed for sowing cabbage:

• in February - 21, 22, 25, 26;
• in March - 20, 21, 25, 26;
• in April - 18, 21;
• in May - 19, 24.

It would be sad to look at these dates (and they are given in many authoritative sources!). If you follow them strictly, then the most necessary time falls out of sowing: the beginning and middle of April. And if the gardener on the 18th and 21st should be at work ... Fortunately, other publications publish their versions of the calendar, less strict, and the April numbers in them look like this: 7, 8, 18, 20-21 April.

We will not argue that “everything is lying about the calendars”, but we will treat it with restraint.

Well, that’s better, there are days at the beginning of the month. All this would be ridiculous, but after all, after looking through a dozen magazines and Internet sites, you come to the conclusion that many write the way they want, and if this is so, then there is not much point in strictly following such calendars. There is a time - we focus on a favorite, trustworthy source. No - we sow when we have free time, relying on scientific data and our experience.

Preliminary preparation

Preparation for sowing cabbage for seedlings consists in the purchase and processing of containers, seed material and soil.In terms of packaging, nothing special is required. Yes, it is very convenient to use peat tablets or pots. But cabbage is normally a transplant, so you can even grow it at home in shared boxes. And since picking is only good for her, it is best to prepare small boxes and any cups about 7 x 7 cm in size. In a greenhouse, nothing is needed: seeds are sown directly into the ground.

Seed preparation

There are many recipes to read about seed preparation. They include calibration, decontamination, soaking, hardening, etc. Let's ask ourselves a question: do we have time for all this? If the seeds are harvested in their own garden, then almost all of this, indeed, will have to be done. But how many summer residents prepare their cabbage seeds, which she gives only in the second year? After all, it is necessary to preserve a healthy stump until spring, plant it, take care of it ... The store now sells seeds for all tastes, and in the case of cabbage varieties, they are not that expensive.

Yes, until recently there were companies that could hardly be trusted, and instead of cabbage, you could buy, for example, turnips. Most of these organizations have now left the market. True, re-grading happens, and you can run into a completely different variety that you wanted, but, from the point of view of quality, the seeds, as a rule, are sold quite suitable, and they do not require any additional preparation. Cabbage seeds remain viable for 4–5 years, and fresher seeds are usually marketed.

Cabbage seeds are medium in size, easy to handle

Calibration is advised to be carried out by immersing the seeds in salt water. Well, this method is good for light seeds like peppers or tomatoes! In cabbage, almost all the seeds will drown, only chipped off will remain to swim, and there are very few of them. Do I need to disinfect purchased seeds? I haven't done this for years. But those who wish, fearing for the presence of infectious agents in the bag, can do this. The recipe is usual: 15–20 minutes in a dark purple solution of potassium permanganate at a temperature of about 48–50 ° C, followed by rinsing.

Many gardeners are advised to soak the seeds before sowing, including in micronutrient solutions. Of course, this will not harm at all, but it will not give much effect either. As, however, and hardening of soaked seeds in the refrigerator. Cabbage is so cold-resistant that such measures will only take your time, and in our fast age it can be spent on something more necessary.

High-quality cabbage seeds, if they are not found on some cherished shelf and have not been stored there for many years, will sprout without any preparation, dry, and the difference of one or two days will not make us any better. Therefore, it is worth listening to all the advice, but letting them pass through yourself, deciding whether to carry out this or that stage.

Soil preparation

But careful preparation of the soil for sowing is already more serious, especially if the soil is taken from the garden. At least, it is absolutely impossible to take it from the garden where cruciferous plants (cabbage, radish, radish) grew. To grow a small amount of seedlings, you can buy soil in the store, but if you have something to cook from, you should not waste your money. Moreover, we are talking only about growing seedlings at home, and this is rarely done: cabbage seedlings are simply very hot at home.

So, if home sowing is supposed, then the best soil composition is sod land, peat and sand, taken in equal proportions. In addition, a half-liter can of wood ash must be added to a bucket of such a mixture. You can also have a couple of tablespoons of superphosphate, but you can do without it, it is better then to fill the lack of fertilizers with dressings.

For growing cabbage seedlings, it is not advised to use humus, even of good quality: while it grows more pampered.

Self-prepared soil must be disinfected. The choice of method is not for everybody.Freezing the soil is easy, but it does not kill all possible pathogens. Steaming in the oven at a temperature of about 100 ° C is safer, but at this time it will not be so pleasant to be in the kitchen. In addition, hot processing kills beneficial microorganisms in the soil. Probably the best way is, after all, spilling with a solution of potassium permanganate.

Unlike seed dressing, the concentration of the solution should be lower for the soil. It makes no sense to give numerical values: how does the average Russian man in the street take a sample of 0.5 g at home? It should be a pink solution. Not faintly pink, but such that the color is intense enough. But through the solution poured into a liter jar, it was possible to discern what was behind it. Here's a rough guide. It is better to spill the soil with a warm solution, but not hot. So that it becomes visibly wet. After that, she will have to dry out for a couple of days, otherwise it will not even be possible to make furrows for sowing.

For soil disinfection, a medium solution is suitable, and for seeds - the one on the left

Growing cucumber seedlings from the outside can seem like a daunting process. Do not give up! We have prepared a material where you will find the rules for preparing and sowing seeds, as well as care features for different methods:

How to grow early and late cabbage seedlings at home

Cabbage seedlings are simply grown in the open field, at least in late and mid-late varieties and in not too northern regions. At home, in a city apartment, this has to be done only for early production, but growing high-quality seedlings at home is daunting. The best option for most regions is a small greenhouse or unheated greenhouse.

On a windowsill in a house or apartment

If there is a need to grow seedlings on a windowsill, then this should be the coldest and most lighted windowsill in the house. And the owners will have to put up with constantly open windows: a comfortable temperature for a person for cabbage seedlings is destructive.

It makes no sense to immediately sow seeds in separate pots, unless these are peat tablets. Anyway, 10 days after germination, they will need to be transplanted with pinching off the tip of the main root: this is the only way to grow relatively strong seedlings at home. Therefore, sowing is carried out in a small box. Two weeks of seedlings stay wonderfully withstand rectangular cardboard boxes of milk, kefir, juice, etc. time. Moreover, in the sowing container, a soil layer of more than 4 cm is not needed. The sowing technique is simple, but care for the seedlings is not very:

1. We sow seeds in moist soil, in grooves, at a distance of about 3 cm from each other. The embedment depth is about 1 cm.

   For primary sowing, any container at hand will do.

2. We fall asleep with soil, compact. You can cover with glass, but they will ascend like that. We have a few days of quiet life, as long as a box of crops can be at room temperature.
3. As soon as at least a couple of sprouts hatch, the box is exposed to the brightest light and in the cold: 10–12 ° C during the day and 6–8 ° C at night. If you miss at least one day, you can throw it away and sow again. For a day in the warmth, the seedlings stretch up to 5 cm, and they can no longer be saved.
4. If everything is fine with the temperature (only the owners are cold), care is simple: do not overheat for the first week, in the future it is possible to several degrees higher, but not more than 16 ° C. The night heat is especially terrible.
5. Water lightly, just so as not to dry out the soil. And as much light as possible! If the seedlings are too dense and are already shading themselves, do not wait, we thin out.
6. While there is time, we are preparing a new home.Individual cups are best, but a more spacious drawer with a depth of at least 7-8 cm will do.
7. Ten days later, the first true leaf will peck over the cotyledon leaves. This is a signal that it is time for the seedlings to dive.
8. The pick is usual: we carefully dig out the seedlings. If the root is small, you can hardly touch it, and pinch the middle and long ones, tearing off a few millimeters from the top. We plant in the hole, squeeze the soil with our fingers, water carefully. If we dive into a common box, the scheme is approximately 6 x 6 cm.

   You need to dive early: there should be a maximum of one real leaf

9. For the first few days we set it in partial shade, the temperature is 18–20 ° C. Then we return to the cold lighted windowsill.
10. In the phase of two true leaves, we feed with any complex fertilizer according to the instructions for it. A week before planting in the garden, we repeat the feeding.
11. Immediately after the second feeding, we accustom the seedlings to even more severe conditions, taking them out to the balcony for a while.

Seedlings ready for planting should have a stocky appearance, a thick stem and 5-6 succulent leaves.

Good seedlings, low but strong

The advantage of growing seedlings on the windowsill is only one: it is under supervision all the time. But it creates a lot of inconveniences.

Video: growing cabbage seedlings

In the greenhouse

If there is a small unheated greenhouse in the country, it is better to use this option. True, you will need to visit seedlings often: ideally, at least every other day. The greenhouse cultivation of early cabbage seedlings makes the greatest sense; varieties of a later ripening period in the middle lane and in the south can be sown already in open ground, under a temporary shelter.

Sowing early varieties of cabbage in the greenhouse can be carried out at any time, which is determined only by the climate of the region and the current weather: the seeds must germinate at a temperature inside the greenhouse of at least 10 ° C, otherwise their sprouting will take too long, and under unfavorable conditions, some of the seeds may die. You can sow both in a box (just like in an apartment), and directly into a prepared seedling bed.

The first method of growing seedlings is no different from growing on a windowsill: the same sowing, the same care, adherence to temperature, humidity and light conditions. But picking is possible both in cups or a large box, and directly in the garden, as it is more convenient for the gardener.

If the sowing of seeds is carried out in a garden bed, it is necessary to prepare the soil in it in the same way as for the box: to make it loose and safe. It is better to replace the soil in the planting bed altogether, preparing it in the same way as at home: from earth, sand, peat and ash. Before sowing, spill it with a solution of potassium permanganate, let it dry, loosen it and sow the seeds according to a convenient scheme.

The latter implies that seedlings can be grown in the garden without picking, if only the temperature is strictly observed. If, by the time of the formation of real leaves, the seedlings have not stretched out at all, the pick may not be carried out. Obviously, if it is supposed to do without picking, it is necessary to immediately sow the seeds less often, according to the 6 x 6 cm scheme (or thin out the seedlings after they rise and grow slightly).

In a greenhouse, seedlings can be grown both in pots and in a garden bed

Growing in a greenhouse involves systematic airing by opening doors or windows. The risk of infection with a black leg is no lower than at home, and this sore attacks, first of all, with excessive soil and air moisture. Growing cabbage seedlings in a greenhouse is more convenient than at home, but these advantages appear only if the owner can systematically monitor its condition.

Video: cabbage seedlings in a greenhouse

Outdoor cultivation

In the garden, you can immediately sow cabbage seeds in a permanent place as soon as the weather permits.To reduce the risk, several seeds are placed in each prepared well and for the first time the wells are covered with a cut plastic bottle. This approach saves time, as it does not require subsequent replanting, but, as a rule, in early spring it is still so difficult to work with the soil that it is easier to prepare a small seedling bed than a large bed for growing cabbage in the "inside and out" mode.

Video: growing cabbage in the ground without seedlings

Of course, the possibility of growing seedlings in the garden also depends on when you can get to the site: sometimes the roads dry out too late. But as a rule, sowing is already possible in central Russia in mid-April. It is better to prepare a small bed in the fall, having dug it well with the addition of a fair amount of wood ash. Then, on the very first spring arrival at the dacha, you can only slightly loosen the soil and, having made grooves, sow seeds in them.

By the way, cabbage rows can be alternated with rows of relatively cold-resistant annual flowers: asters, phloxes, godetia, etc. If you take a little risk, you can sow “Funny guys” dahlias, marigolds, and salvia.

After sowing, the bed must be covered with plastic wrap. But it is better to pull it at a height of 10-15 cm. Ideal for such a temporary shelter are window frames with opening sashes, which were thrown away in large quantities during the boom in the installation of plastic windows. Having nailed boards with a width of 10 cm and above around the perimeter of such a frame, we get a wonderful portable greenhouse.

Under such a shelter it will not be too hot, and one should not be afraid that the seedlings will stretch out. No, it is at home one day of delay with a decrease in temperature leads to the death of seedlings. Outdoors, when we arrive at the site next weekend, we may not see the seedlings yet, depending on the weather. Well, after another week, seedlings will appear necessarily; by that time it will be already warmer, the shelter can be removed.

For the first week, you can cover crops with any available material.

In the open field, watering of seedlings is almost never required: there is enough winter moisture in the soil. It is only necessary to periodically loosen the soil in the aisles and remove weeds. Top dressing is desirable: just like at home, in the phase of two true leaves and after another two weeks. It is not necessary to dive, but thinning is necessary: ​​in the rows it is necessary to leave 6–7 cm between the plants. It will be possible to plant seedlings in the garden at the usual time.

The advantage of open ground is colossal: the seedlings never stretch out. She has enough light and it's not hot yet. No need to mess with sowing containers, carry boxes back and forth ... Disadvantages? Actually, they are not.

Benefits of using cassettes

Let's go back to the apartment conditions. Speaking about individual pots, we completely forgot to discuss what they should be. But gone are the days when housewives themselves rolled the semblance of cups made of plastic wrap or paper. Now the most economical ones collect plastic cups from sour cream, cottage cheese, etc. all year round. It is important that they are not too small: a volume of at least 200 ml is needed.

Regular cassettes are a box divided into cells

But it is even more convenient to use the so-called cassettes: in them, individual cups are combined into a common matrix such as a drawer. They are easy to transport, but each bush in them lives in its own home, and the roots do not intertwine. And the most convenient, if they also have removable bottoms. Not completely removable, but easily pushed out by pressing the finger together with a lump of earth and a bush of seedlings. Seedlings can be easily removed from such cups without damaging the root system. The relative disadvantage (they cost money) is compensated by their durability: such cassettes serve for many years.

And this is how individual cups with an easily retractable bottom look like: they are also placed in a common tray

Using peat tablets

Peat tablets are compressed peat with the addition of fertilizers and, sometimes, growth stimulants. Available in various sizes: from 2.5 cm in diameter. Before use, the tablets are placed in a tray and gradually filled with plenty of water. The water is absorbed, the tablets grow up (from the sides they are limited by the braid) and turn into cylindrical peat containers for sowing seeds. A small depression is made for the seed in one of the ends.

Water tablets swell and turn into nutritious pots

For cabbage, it is necessary to use tablets with a diameter of 4 cm or more. Just in case, 2-3 seeds are sown in each tablet, and then the excess plants are cut off. The tray with tablets is kept at room temperature and in the light until shoots appear. Then the temperature is drastically reduced and the seedlings are grown under normal conditions.

The tablets are poured "from below" by pouring water into the tray; the right amount of moisture is absorbed into the peat.

There is no need for top dressing: the material of the tablets contains a sufficient amount of nutrients. A dive is not required when using tablets, but if the roots begin to sprout and intertwine with the roots of neighbors, the seedlings, along with the tablet, will have to be transplanted into a larger pot of potting soil. The convenience of using peat tablets is obvious. The only drawbacks are that the tablets are relatively expensive, and it makes sense to buy them only in small quantities.

Looking to grow healthy tomato seedlings? In our next article, you will find a detailed guide, as well as information on different methods:

Features of growing seedlings in different regions of Russia

The technology for growing cabbage seedlings does not depend on the region: the recipes are pretty standard. Naturally, the timing of sowing seeds and the place differ: in the south there is no point in sowing cabbage in apartment conditions, but in the north it often has to be done.

So, in the Moscow region, seeds of early cabbage are sown in late March or early April, and this can be done only at home or in a greenhouse. But late cabbage is sown in open ground as soon as the weather permits. In the Kuban, planting in the garden is possible already in March, and in Siberia or the Urals - not earlier than the end of April. If in the middle lane and in the south, hardening can be carried out before planting seedlings in open ground (this is a desirable stage), but in the Siberian region it is mandatory.

In the southern regions (Krasnodar and Stavropol Territories, Astrakhan Region) in mid-March, you can even plant seedlings in open ground, so sowing seeds in an unheated greenhouse is possible in mid-February. In these regions, on the contrary, it is advisable to finish all business with cabbage in the spring: adult plants cannot stand extreme heat either. But in the conditions of, for example, the Leningrad region, late cabbage, sown for seedlings with a slight delay, may not have time to form properly, therefore, seeds are sown here in March or April, but greenhouse conditions are used for this.

Helpful hints

If you observe the temperature regime, give enough light and water in moderation, cabbage seedlings grow strong and healthy. Unless, of course, some kind of infection was introduced with the soil. We have already discussed the issue of stretching seedlings: if it has grown a few centimeters in the first day, it is better to throw it away. If the stretch is small, you can carefully pour clean soil to the roots, water lightly and immediately correct the blemishes with heat and light.

The main danger for cabbage seedlings is the black leg. Its first sign is blackening of the root collar, thinning of the stem, and then drying it out. At the first suspicion of a disease, diseased specimens should be carefully pulled out and thrown away, the soil should be watered with a light pink solution of potassium permanganate, and clean river sand should be carefully added to the roots of the remaining plants.An even more reliable remedy would be to transplant healthy plants into clean soil.

Seedlings that are sick with a black leg cannot be saved, but you can try to save neighboring, still healthy plants

Sometimes the seedlings take on an unnatural blue-violet hue. If this is not a characteristic color for the variety, the color is most likely associated with deviations from the regime. Perhaps there is simply not enough nutrition, and liquid feeding is able to rectify the situation. Yellowing of seedlings can also be associated with a lack of any nutrients or irrigation errors.

Sometimes the leaves of cabbage seedlings are covered with small holes. There are several reasons, but only one serious one: it is possible that a cruciferous flea was brought with the soil. It can be destroyed in seedling boxes only by spraying with chemicals: for a start, you can try a relatively safe Bordeaux liquid or even an ash infusion. It is undesirable to use harsher chemicals on seedlings.

Other pests of cabbage plants rarely affect seedlings, and if they are found, it is necessary to study the relevant literature and apply specific chemicals. But if the seedlings are clearly dying, unfortunately nothing can be done. In most cases, the owner was to blame when he did something wrong. Well, sometimes - accidentally caught pests, which were not noticed in time. Most often, seedlings die from a black leg. But when grown outdoors, seedlings almost never die.

In our next material, you will learn about all the rules for planting bell peppers for seedlings and the features of caring for it:

Growing cabbage seedlings is not difficult, unless they do it in a warm city apartment. Comfortable conditions for seedlings and their owners are radically different. But if conditions of good light and coolness are created, cabbage seedlings grow strong and healthy: the rest of the operations do not require anything supernatural when caring for it.