How to properly grow cabbage seedlings at home?

There is still snow outside the window, and the gardeners are already puzzled by the question: how to grow cabbage seedlings at home so that it does not get sick and give a good harvest. Of course, you can go to the market in the spring, buy ready-made plants and immediately plant them in the garden, but it is much more interesting to do everything yourself.

Many gardeners advise not to forget about energy: all seedlings are alive, they can love or hate their owner. You can experiment at home: take two identical cassettes, one for the husband, the other for the wife. You can plant the same white cabbage seeds, you will take care of the same, on the same days, and the plants will be different. The result is especially evident if one person loves and wants to do this business, and the other does everything without mood, just out of duty. You do not know who has grown the seedlings sold on the market, how they will react to the change of owner, so it is better to plant yourself and grow from the very beginning.

Long before sowing

When the time comes to plant, there will be a huge amount of worries, every minute will be worth its weight in gold. In order not to get into complete time trouble, preparation should be started in advance. In winter, it's time to buy planting material: some companies reduce prices for seeds during the cold season, and you can look through the offers of different companies without haste and choose the best ones. If you want to order seeds in another region, do so before the New Year. Not all firms are in a hurry to send the ordered goods, mail in some regions is also not in a hurry. It will be very disappointing to receive the long-awaited package when the dates for sowing white cabbage have already passed.

Now think about how much of which cabbage you need to plant. You can't live without fresh salads - plant as much white early, Beijing and kohlrabi; love to cook cabbage rolls at home - stock up on Savoyard. Vegetable soups and stews are much better when you add broccoli, cauliflower, or Brussels sprouts to the usual ingredients. In order to feast on juicy crispy leaves on winter days, constantly have all kinds of pickles, sourdoughs and marinades on the table, grow a sufficient number of late white and red varieties.

We figured out the types of cabbage, but all alone are subdivided into a huge number of varieties. This diversity is not a whim of breeders, because they create plants for specific conditions. Each locality has its own climate, soil composition, daylight hours. One gardener needs large forks, another - small; for someone, an early harvest of white cabbage is important, but for someone the ripening time does not matter, but resistance to drought and disease is important. Take your time to familiarize yourself with the features of the offered assortment and choose the best options. It is advisable to purchase seeds of local production, they often grow seeds of regionalized varieties. Of course, you shouldn't buy seeds from random sellers offering goods in dirty, wrinkled bags with hard to read text. Use the services of specialized firms, there is less risk of buying low-quality goods, and managers can give the necessary advice.

Advice

To be sure that the seed is of high quality and the seeds can be safely planted, check them for germination at home in advance. Take 10 kernels of each grade, place them between wet wipes and store in a warm place (about 23 ° C). The number of seeds that released roots in 3 days, multiply by 10, you get the germination percentage.Some seeds may hatch later, they will sprout, but they will not give strong strong plants.

In the winter, you have plenty of time to find soil specifically designed for cabbage seedlings. Choose a product with a detailed annotation, which should indicate how to properly prepare the land for sowing and what top dressing will need to be done. At the same time, purchase growth stimulants, fertilizers, means for combating diseases and pests and other necessary drugs. Prepare tools and containers at home, everything should be thoroughly washed and disinfected. Better to grow seedlings in cassettes, the cells should be spacious enough: about 5.5 cm long and wide, at least 6.5 cm deep.

It's time to sow

Everything is ready for you, it remains to determine the timing of when to sow cabbage for seedlings. If, for some reason, you have not purchased soil and want to cook it yourself at home, you will need an equal amount of humus and sod soil taken from a site where cruciferous crops have not grown for several years. For each kilogram of the mixture, you need to add a tablespoon of ash, it contains many essential nutrients and antiseptics that prevent the pathogens of fungal diseases from developing. You can add perlite, it takes liquid from too wet soil and gives it away when the soil begins to dry out. For disinfection, spill the earth with a solution of light pink potassium permanganate.

Choose the correct sowing days. There are general recommendations: for early white cabbage - in early March, medium - at the end of the month, the late one should be planted in April. Only any gardener understands that the distance between the borders of our country is enormous, and the time for planting vegetables in the Sochi region and in Siberia differs by 2-3 weeks. To accurately calculate the timing of growing seedlings, you will have to believe the weather forecasts for the next 2-3 months, and if they turn out to be false, there will be someone to blame for the poor harvest. Select the day you plan to plant in open ground and count back 2 months, at which time you need to sow cabbage for seedlings.

Take a packet of seeds and read all the recommendations carefully before opening. The seeds may have already been treated to prevent contamination or are covered with a nutrient medium and should not be wetted before planting.

If there are no restrictions, the preparation is carried out according to this algorithm.

1. Etch in a dark pink potassium permanganate solution for 20 minutes.
2. Rinse with running water.
3. Warm up for 20 minutes in water with a temperature of + 50⁰.
4. Place in cold water for 5 minutes.
5. Dry so the grains can be sprinkled on the ground.

Fill the containers with soil and water very well, the seeds germinate only in a humid environment. If you are going to grow seedlings without picking, immediately put 2-3 seeds in the cell. Then leave the strongest specimen, the rest can be destroyed or planted elsewhere. If you are going to dive, sow them in a tray so that the distance between the seeds is about 2 cm. Sprinkle with soil about 1.5 cm thick and moisten with a spray bottle. When sowing too shallow, the seed skin will not remain in the ground, but will come out with the sprout and interfere with its development. Now you need to close the cassette with a special transparent lid or place it in a plastic bag and do not water until the seeds germinate - this usually takes about 10 days.

From seedlings to the garden

In order for the seeds to sprout quickly and amicably, the temperature of the house should be around 20⁰. Sprouts have appeared - urgently transfer the seedlings to a cool room. During the day you can pamper her with warmth of about + 16⁰, and at night let tempered: from + 8⁰ to + 10⁰ it will be enough. If compassionate housewives take pity on the plants and leave them at home warm, instead of strong stocky seedlings, thin long stems with stunted leaves will turn out.

Such cultivation of cabbage seedlings from seeds is suitable for white cabbage, red cabbage and Savoy cabbage, for other types of sharp drops are contraindicated. It is difficult to provide the necessary conditions at home - if there is no glazed loggia, it is better to relocate the seedlings to a heated summer cottage.

Advice

Cabbage seedlings need light for at least 12 hours a day. To provide good lighting and easily move plantings from one room to another, purchase a fluorescent lamp that is easy to carry and fix on any surface.

You can dive sprouts after the appearance of 2 true leaves. Make deep holes in pots with soil, the roots should be freely placed in them without folds or bends. Often the main stem is too long, the depth of the cup is not enough for it - pinch off no more than a third of the root. With such an operation, the underground part of the plants is injured, and so that the recovery is faster, dip the roots into a growth stimulator.

When watering is done correctly, the earth will not dry out, but it will not be constantly wet. Sometimes it is better not to water, but to loosen the soil. It is imperative to moisten the soil before applying fertilizers so that the concentration of the solution decreases. The first time the seedlings are fed when 2 true leaves appear, at this time the seedlings especially need nitrogen, you can use urea or slurry. If using special soil for cabbage, apply fertilizer according to the instructions. The fourth leaf has appeared - feed complex fertilizer for seedlings... Pour the composition only on the ground, drops should not fall on the plants.

There are different recommendations for when to plant cabbage outdoors: there are tips for both 4 and 6 true leaves. Most likely, both methods can be used, it all depends on the climate, soil composition and many other conditions. Choose an early or late planting option that is convenient for you, but grow several seedlings in a different way. Then you will know exactly at what stage they are properly planted in open ground. Before planting, white cabbage seedlings must be gradually accustomed to new conditions. For a day, take the seedlings out into the open air, shade the first days with gauze, then leave to get used to the cold, wind, and sun. Move to the street 2-3 days before the transfer, around the clock. Listen to the weather forecast at night: there may be severe frosts in the north and Siberia in May, protect your plantings.

Disease prevention

Basically, seedlings of white cabbage and other types of cabbage are prone to diseases caused by fungi. These microorganisms love warmth, humidity and stagnant air. The most common diseases that leave gardeners without cabbage seedlings are root rot and black leg. Treatment can be very laborious and often does not bring results; it is easier to prevent these problems.

The rules of prevention at home are not very complicated.

1. Buy seeds and soil from trusted manufacturers.
2. Seedling containers and tools must be clean and disinfected.
3. Before sowing, dress the seeds and spill the soil with a disinfectant solution.
4. Keep enough space between seedlings.
5. You do not need to water often, the soil should dry out.
6. Keep seedlings in a cool, ventilated place.

If the infection does occur, measures must be taken in the first days, until the infection has spread. It is better to destroy the infected plants, but when the disease has affected valuable specimens or a significant part of the plantings, there is a desire to save the seedlings. Move diseased seedlings to another windowsill, treat the rest of the plantings with a solution of potassium permanganate, sprinkle with ash and loosen the ground to dry.

Sick plants can sometimes be saved at home, try watering them with Rizoplan or Trichodermin. They are created on the basis of a special mycelium, which prevents pathogens from developing.Processing will improve the soil, kill the pathogen. If the disease is captured at an early stage, perhaps not too damaged seedlings will be able to overcome the disease, recover, and white cabbage will still delight you with juicy tasty leaves.

Output

Before growing cabbage seedlings at home from seeds, evaluate the size of your plot: how many seedlings will fit on the beds allocated for this culture. Calculate how much you need early white cabbage for salads, mid-season for summer borscht, and late for winter storage and sourdough. Please note that the distance between the heads of cabbage should be about 60 cm. Do not forget about other types: Brussels sprouts, broccoli, colored, kohlrabi. Store the required amount of seeds, soil and containers for seedlings in advance.

Each region has its own date when to sow cabbage for seedlings. In order not to be mistaken, do this work 2 months before the expected date of planting plants in open ground. Special preparation of seeds will increase the immunity and endurance of plants. When growing without picking, immediately sow seeds into individual cells. The distance between the seedlings should be sufficient for their normal development.

Further care for cabbage seedlings consists in watering, feeding and loosening the soil. The seedlings should be grown in cool, well-lit rooms. In the north and in Siberia, where light days are too short in spring, install fluorescent lamps above the boxes. Do not water too often, pathogens develop in waterlogged soil. Be sure to feed the seedlings, and when using special soil, apply fertilizer according to the instructions. If you follow these rules, you will plant good healthy seedlings in the garden bed, which will quickly take root and delight you with dense crispy heads.