Cauliflower can be grown in open ground in seedlings and get a good harvest of heads of cabbage, consisting of small inflorescences. According to its agricultural technology, the culture resembles early white cabbage, however, it is more demanding of growing conditions and needs competent care.
Growing conditions
If you decide to grow cauliflower, you need to take into account the basic rules of agricultural technology:
- It is desirable to cultivate the vegetable in a seedling method. Sowing seeds can be done several times with an interval of 10-14 days. To get an early harvest, seeds should be sown for seedlings from mid-May, and planted in the ground in early May. For summer use, seeds can be sown in the ground from mid-May, and for late - from late June to early July. Transplant seedlings to a permanent place at the age of 30-35 days.
In the southern regions of Ukraine and Russia, seeds can be sown directly in the soil, since they can germinate at a temperature of + 2 ... + 5 ° С. In cooler regions, it is better to choose a seedling method.
- To choose loose soil with cauliflower rich in humus with a neutral or slightly acidic reaction. If necessary, lime the plot in the fall, and in the spring add organic fertilizers containing boron, molybdenum and copper, since the plant is especially sensitive to their deficiency.
- Grow a vegetable at air temperature + 15 ... + 18 ° С. If it is under prolonged exposure to low temperatures, this will lead to the formation of small tasteless heads of cabbage. Elevated temperatures will also adversely affect their development - at + 25 ° C and above, especially in low humidity, they will cease to grow rapidly and become loose.
- To place the culture in sunny areas protected from cold winds and drafts. Avoid thickened or shaded plantings, since under such conditions the photophilous plant will stretch and will be more susceptible to various diseases. In addition, the shaded heads will grow small, and in complete shade they will not tie at all.
With a long daylight, the heads will form earlier, but also decay faster into flowering shoots. In the case of a short daylight hours, they will turn out to be denser and larger, but they will form much later.
When to plant?
To harvest throughout the summer-autumn period, seeds for seedlings should be sown 3 times. The exact timing of planting work must be calculated depending on the variety of culture:
Varieties | Seedling dates | Dates of landing at a permanent place |
Early hybrid | March 5-30 | in 25-60 days, that is, from April 25 to May 15 |
Mid-late | from April 10 to May 10 | in 35-40 days, that is, from May 20 to June 15 |
Later | from May 25 to June 10 | in 30-35 days, that is, from July 1 to 10 |
Thus, seeds of early varieties must be sown for seedlings at the end of February, on average 40-50 days after transplanting to a permanent place, varieties of medium ripening period - after 2 weeks, and late varieties - after a month.
How to grow seedlings?
To get a good harvest, it is extremely important to grow strong seedlings. This process can be divided into several stages, each of which requires special attention.
Substrate preparation
It can be purchased at the store or prepared independently, but in advance - from the fall. The soil for seedlings should be nutritious, moisture-intensive, loose and with a neutral reaction (pH about 6-6.5), since cabbage does not tolerate acidic soils. With this in mind, you can prepare the following formulations:
- lowland peat, sand and humus - 1: 1: 10;
- lowland peat, rotted sawdust, mullein - 3-5: 1-1.5: 1.
All types of peat can be used in the preparation of the substrate, since it absorbs moisture well, is breathable and does not condense. When using the lowland variety, sawdust should be added (up to 1/3 of the composition).
The finished substrate must be steamed for 2 hours, and then make nitrogen fertilizers. Here are some popular options:
- urea or ammonium nitrate - 20-25 g;
- complex fertilizers - 50 g per 1 liter.
In addition, on 10 l of high peat, you can add 300-450 g of dolomite flour. If there are no microelements in the top dressing, it is worth adding an additional 1 cup of wood ash, since this is an organic source of potassium, which also lowers the acidity of the soil and increases the concentration of phosphorus, boron and manganese in it.
Store the finished substrate until spring in a place protected from rodents.
Seed treatment
For sowing, it is better to choose only large and heavy seeds. They need to be subjected to such processing:
- In order to disinfect, soak dry seeds for 15-20 minutes in hot water (+ 45 ... + 50 ° С). This will help to destroy viruses on their surface, which can continue their activity in the soil and provoke various diseases in a growing culture. Soaking can be done in a thermos.
- After soaking, immediately cool the seeds in cold water and dry them.
- Soak the seed in a solution of mineral fertilizer for a day, otherwise after scalding they will not be able to release a flower arrow. For example, for peeling and germination, seeds can be soaked in a Nitrofoski solution (1 tsp. Per 1 liter of water). The raw material can simply be soaked in a solution of Fitosporin to get a double effect - to treat from diseases and organize the necessary mineral top dressing.
- When the seeds are bent, subject them to hardening. To do this, they need to be transferred to a cool place for a day, where the temperature is kept at + 2 ... + 5 ° С. For example, they can be put on the bottom shelf of the refrigerator. Next, the seeds need to be taken out, kept warm for a day and again removed for a day in the refrigerator.
Strong seedlings will grow from properly processed seeds, which will more endure unfavorable conditions.
Sowing seeds
In the optimal time they can be sown for seedlings, adhering to this order:
- Prepare containers for growing seedlings. The best option is peat pots or plastic cups with a diameter of at least 6 cm, since in this case there is no need to pick a plant. In extreme cases, you can use a deep box.
Cauliflower does not like picking, because for her it is a lot of stress, which can lead to a delay in development by 1-1.5 weeks.
- Puncture the substrate in the oven for 5 minutes. Acceptable temperature - 60-80 ° С. Thanks to this technique, the soil will be cleaned of pathogenic microflora, which will increase the disease resistance of future seedlings.
- Place drainage at the bottom of the prepared container, and then fill up the substrate.
- On the soil surface, make small indentations with a depth of 0.5 cm, throw 2-3 seeds into each of them, compact the soil and mulch with a thin layer of sand. If planting is carried out in a common box, then the seeds can not be placed too densely, otherwise when transplanting seedlings to a permanent place, their roots can be damaged. So, sowing should be done in rows, making furrows at a distance of 3 cm from each other and laying out seeds with an interval of 1 cm.
- To preserve soil moisture, cover the crops with a transparent film.
Find out how to plant seeds in cassettes so as not to pick in the future, from the video below:
Seedling Care
It consists in carrying out such agricultural activities:
- Organization of optimal temperature conditions. Before the appearance of the first shoots, the temperature should be maintained in the range + 18 ... + 20 ° С. When seedlings appear (usually 7-10 days after sowing), remove the protective coating and rearrange the seedlings closer to the light source, and lower the temperature to + 6 ... + 8 ° C, otherwise the seedlings will stretch unnecessarily, and the root system will be underdeveloped. After 5-7 days, the temperature regime needs to be changed again: during the day, maintain at + 15 ... + 18 ° С, and at night - + 8 ... + 10 ° С.
- Topping. If all seeds in the hole sprout, you need to leave only the strongest sprout, and pinch the rest at ground level. You can’t pull out extra sprouts, since this way you can damage the root system of the plant.
- Watering. Seedlings do not tolerate excess moisture and excessive dryness, so it should be moderately watered with settled water at room temperature once a week. To maintain moisture in the soil, it will not be superfluous to mulch it with river sand or vermiculite. Loosening the soil is not necessary, since the roots of the plant are located close to the surface and can be easily injured. After watering, it is worth ventilating the room. Acceptable humidity is 70-80%.
- Top dressing. Cauliflower is particularly demanding on boron and molybdenum, so when 2-3 real leaves appear, the seedlings should be sprayed with a 0.2% solution of boric acid (2 g per 1 liter), and when 3-4 real leaves appear, a 0.5% solution of molybdenum acid ammonium (5 g per 10 l of water). The week before the transplantation, it is necessary to completely exclude the introduction of nitrogen fertilizers, but 2-3 days before this, the plant can be fed with phosphorus and potassium (2-3 g of superphosphate and 3 g of potassium chloride per 1 liter of water) to increase its cold resistance.
- Dive. Cauliflower seedlings do not tolerate picking, as they have a very weak and superficial root system. So, from the very beginning, the seeds should be sown in separate cups. However, if they were nevertheless planted in a common box, then with the advent of 2 real leaves, seedlings will have to be dived. To do this, you need to prepare separate containers deeper, so as not to injure the roots when transplanting seedlings in open ground. After picking, keep seedlings at a temperature of + 21 ° C. When it takes root, then during the day the temperature should be maintained at + 17 ° C, and at night - + 9 ° C.
- Hardening. For 10 days after planting in a permanent place or at the age of 40 days, seedlings with 5 real leaves should be taken out for several hours on the balcony or in the greenhouse, so that it gradually gets used to the open air.
Hardened seedlings can tolerate frosts down to -5 ° C.
Bed preparation
While the seedlings are growing, you need to do the preparation of the site. For cauliflower, it is better to choose fertile soils with a slightly acidic or neutral reaction (pH 6.7-7.4). If the soil is acidic, it needs to be made even in the fall by adding lime or dolomite flour when digging. This procedure must be carried out a few days after top dressing the soil.
Lime will act faster, but dolomite flour will enrich the soil not only with calcium, but also with magnesium.
The best predecessors of culture are:
- roots;
- legumes;
- cereals;
- onion;
- garlic;
- siderates;
- early varieties of cucumber.
The bad predecessors include:
- tomato;
- beets;
- radish;
- radish;
- all kinds of cabbage.
In the area where bad predecessors used to grow, cauliflower can be grown after at least 4 years old.
Soil preparation involves the following activities:
- In the fall, add organic and mineral complexes, including 150 g of phosphate and 100 g of sulfate or potassium chloride per 1 sq. Km. m
- In May, the weather is unstable, and cauliflower does not tolerate frosts, so the soil should be insulated in advance. To do this, build tunnel shelters by tightening the beds with plastic wrap, black lutrasil or black spanbond to suppress weeds. It is better to choose a non-woven material, as it is well-permeable to moisture and air, without forming condensation.
The tunnel shelter will not only warm the earth, but also protect it from cruciferous fleas, which are dangerous for cabbage.
- In early spring, add 1 tbsp. Under each plant. nitrogen fertilizers and up to 1 kg of humus. Some gardeners recommend adding rotted manure or a mixture of humus, peat and compost to the soil at the rate of 10 kg per 1 sq. Km. m. Before planting in the ground, you can also make (per 1 sq. m):
- on a bucket of humus or compost;
- 2 cups of wood ash;
- 2 tbsp. superphosphate;
- 1 hour of urea.
The added additives must be thoroughly mixed with fertile soil. It is advisable not to dig the beds, but to loosen them superficially, breaking the lumps. Large and dense heads of cauliflower can grow only on dense soil.
How to plant cauliflower in a permanent place?
Cauliflower can be grown in seedlings or seeds. In the first case, to plant in a permanent place is seedlings aged 45-50 days. If they are overgrown, this will significantly worsen the quality of the product, since after transplanting such sprouts lose 2-3 leaves, due to which only a small head of cabbage is formed, which will quickly crumble. So, it is best to transplant seedlings with 4 real leaves. If planting is done by seed, then the planting material must first be processed in the same way as in the case of planting on seedlings.
Regardless of the method of cultivation, planting work must be carried out on a cloudy, but warm day, adhering to the following scheme:
- Plant seedlings or sow seeds in 2 rows, the distance between them is 50 cm. The interval between the holes is 20-40 cm, depending on the type of cabbage. If the variety has a large rosette of leaves, the plant can be placed even less often. In general, the optimal landing pattern is 50x25 cm.
- Deepen the seedlings to the first true leaf, compact the soil surface so that the plant sits firmly, and water. If preliminary preparation of the soil was not carried out, pour a pinch of ash into each well, mix with the ground and moisten at the rate of 1 liter of water per well.
- If the work is carried out in April-May, cover the bed for several days with a non-woven cloth to protect young shoots from possible night frosts and cruciferous fleas.
As an individual greenhouse for each seedling, you can use homemade products from a plastic bottle with a capacity of at least 1.5 liters. Its bottom needs to be cut, and the cover screwed to obtain a completely tight cover. For ventilation, you just need to temporarily unscrew it.
Such a greenhouse has a layered structure, so it retains heated air for a long time, and also protects the plant from winds.
Cauliflower Care
Cauliflower is more demanding in care than white cabbage, however, the ongoing agricultural activities remain unchanged. Each technique requires separate attention.
Watering, loosening, mulching
The first time after planting, the plant should be watered 2 times a week at the rate of 6-8 liters per 1 sq. In the future, the frequency of watering should be reduced to 1 time per week. At the same time, weather conditions should also be taken into account. On rainy days, it is not necessary to moisten the soil at all, and on dry days, it is watered every few days to prevent the formation of a dry crust. In any case, watering is best done in the evening using water heated in the sun.
Excessive soil moisture should not be allowed, as this will disrupt the root system and delay head formation.
The root system of cauliflower is close to the surface of the soil, so loosening can be completely omitted. In an extreme case, after watering or rain, the bed can be loosened to a depth of 8 cm, while removing weeds.
To promote root growth, cabbage should be regularly spud. In addition, it is worth mulching the bed to maintain optimal soil moisture. To do this, the earth around the plants should be sprinkled with a peat mixture, humus or other mulching material.
Shading
This is a mandatory requirement for growing snow-white heads.As soon as the first inflorescences are tied, it is necessary to shade them with 2-3 adjacent leaves in one of the following ways:
- break the leaves and make a curtain out of them;
- to collect leaves in a bunch and tie with an elastic band or clothespin.
If you ignore this technique, the heads will grow in direct sunlight, so they will be covered with dark spots and will turn yellow.
Top dressing
Cauliflower needs to be fed, without which it is unlikely to be able to get a good harvest of inflorescences. During the growing season, it is carried out at least 3 times. The fertilizer application is as follows:
- The first top dressing should be made no later than 3 weeks after disembarkation, or on day 10. The best fertilizer at this stage is the mullein solution. For its preparation in 10 l of water you need to dissolve 0.5 l of liquid mullein, 1 tbsp. complex fertilizer containing boron and molybdenum. The composition must be applied under the root of plants at the rate of 5 l per 1 sq. m or 0.5 l per head.
- 2 weeks after the first top dressing, add a second. In the same solution you need to add 1 tbsp. Kristina. Make it at the rate of 1 liter per copy.
- After another 2 weeks, feed the cabbage with another composition, for the preparation of which the mullein should be diluted with water in a ratio of 1: 8. For 10 l of such a solution, take 40 g of superphosphate, 30 g of ammonium nitrate, 20 g of boric acid and potassium chloride. Mineral fertilizers can also be used as a third top dressing, for example, by dissolving 2 tbsp in 10 l of water. Nitrofoski. Make it at the rate of 6-8 liters per 1 square. m
As soon as the heads are tied up, cabbage no longer needs to be fed with nitrogen fertilizers so that harmful nitrates do not accumulate in it. Meanwhile, the plant can be sprayed with a special solution, for the preparation of which in a small amount of hot water you need to mix 1 g of boric acid, 1 part of calimagnesia and 1 tbsp. superphosphate extracts. Add water to the mixture to get 10 l of solution, and spray the plant.
Protection against diseases and pests
Among the diseases for cauliflower, the danger is:
- Alternariosis. Fungal disease, which manifests itself as black or dark brown spots on the leaves of cabbage, as a result of which they die. It develops in a humid environment at a temperature of + 33 ... + 35 ° C. In order to prevent the seeds before planting, you need to disinfect Planriz. The plant can be treated with preparations containing copper. These include:
- Bordeaux liquid;
- colloidal sulfur;
- copper sulfate.
- Kila. With this disease, growths and swellings appear on the roots, which lead to rotting of the root system, so the plant no longer receives nutrients from the soil, turns yellow and dries. It develops mainly in humid and acidic soils. For the prevention of keel, when planting seedlings in the holes, it is worth adding a little slaked lime. If the disease still affected the cabbage, dolomite flour (1 cup per 10 liters of water) should be regularly added under its root. In addition, throughout the growing season, it is advisable to make soil and wood ash.
In the area where the keel was discovered, do not grow cauliflower for 5-7 years.
- Ring spotting. The fungal disease is activated in a humid environment and appears as black dots on the leaves and stems of the plant. As cabbage develops, these lesions expand in diameter up to 2.5 cm, and concentric circles form around them. As a result, the surface of the sheet plate turns yellow, and its edges become uneven. In order to prevent soil and seeds before sowing, you need to disinfect. To combat the disease, cabbage must be treated with fungicides, and after harvesting from the site, remove all plant residues.
- Mucosal bacteriosis (wet rot). It develops when the water balance is disturbed, as a result of which small watery spots of a dark color appear on the heads of cabbage. Black oblong formations can also be observed on the stems. Such places gradually begin to rot, blacken and emit an unpleasant odor. Wet rot progresses in wet weather and mechanical damage to the plant. For prevention, cabbage in the spring should be treated with a 0.4% suspension of colloidal sulfur. If spots appear, the lesion sites need to be cut with the capture of a healthy area. After harvesting, carefully remove all plant residues from the beds.
- Vascular bacteriosis. Fungal disease develops in prolonged rains. Chlorotic spots appear on the ground parts of cauliflower, which provoke necrosis. Leaves fade, and heads are affected by black rot. If bacteriosis affects the plant at an early stage of development, then the heads do not form at all. To prevent such consequences, seeds and soil must be decontaminated. With the development of the disease, the plant needs to be treated with drugs such as Trichodermin and Planriz.
- Fusarium (jaundice). It is provoked by a fungus that penetrates the vascular system of the plant, due to which the leaves acquire a yellow-green color, and then become covered with dark specks and fall off. The veins are darkening, and the heads are deformed. To prevent jaundice, Fitosporin-M should be added to the water for watering the plant. If it appeared, then cauliflower should be treated with Fundazol (Benomil).
- Blackleg. The disease affects the plant at a seedling stage, manifested by blackening of the root neck in conditions of excessive humidity. As a result, it becomes soft, and the seedling dies. To prevent the black leg, the seeds must be treated with a potassium permanganate solution or Pseudo-bacterin-2 before sowing, and the soil should be disinfected (for example, formalin solution or steam). If the disease appeared, it is urgent to remove and destroy the affected seedlings.
- Peronosporosis (downy mildew). It affects the ground parts of the plant in conditions of high humidity. Slightly depressed spots form on the leaves. On the underside they are covered with a whitish coating, which gradually turns gray. As a result, the leaves dry and fall off. For prevention, seeds and soil must be decontaminated. When signs of the disease, cabbage needs to be treated with a fungicide, for example, a 0.5% suspension of Ridomil Gold.
- Mosaic. A typical viral disease for outdoor plants. Its first signs are observed a month after transplanting seedlings to the garden. Veins on the leaves brighten, and a dark border appears around them. As a result, they cease to grow, and the leaves become wrinkled, become covered with necrotic spots and die off. The heads are small and deformed. The disease is often provoked by sucking insects, therefore, cabbage needs to be protected from aphids, time to remove cruciferous weeds from the site and follow all the rules of agricultural technology. The disease is not treatable, so the affected specimens will have to be destroyed.
The danger to cauliflower is also represented by numerous pests, which include:
- Cruciferous fleas. These are small bugs of the leaf beetle family that eat seedlings and leaves of cauliflower. To scare them away, seedlings need to be treated 2 times with a solution of Trichloromethaphos with an interval of 10 days. These pests do not tolerate the smell of garlic and tomatoes, so they should seal cabbage beds. In addition, after watering, the plant should be sprinkled with sifted ash.
- Fly. Lays eggs in the lower part of plant stems, clods of soil and cracks in the soil. Larvae appear after 8-12 days and attack the root system, which is destroyed, which leads to the death of young plants and the destruction of adults. To repel flies, planting cauliflower should be densified with celery, as pests do not tolerate its smell. In addition, the soil around the seedlings should be poured 2-3 times with a 0.2% solution of Karbofos at the rate of 1-1.5 cups per copy. The interval between watering is 7 days.
- Aphid. A dangerous pest that not only sucks the juice from the plant, but also causes the spread of viral diseases. To prevent the aphid invasion, after harvesting, the site must be completely cleared of plant debris and cruciferous weeds. In addition, the planting of cauliflower should be condensed with a tomato, the smell of which repels the pest. In the fight against it, you can also use infusions and decoctions with the addition of grated laundry soap based on:
- Luke;
- garlic
- hot peppers;
- herbs (wormwood, yarrow);
- tobacco dust;
- mustard;
- potato tops.
In the case of a large invasion of aphids, it will be necessary to use insecticides, which include Aktara, Tanrek, Biotlin.
- Caterpillars. Belyanka, scoop, moth - insects whose caterpillars eat leaves of cauliflower, often leaving only veins from them. In addition, pests bite into the heads, damaging their external and gustatory qualities. In the fight against them, cabbage should be treated with a 0.5% solution of Entobacterin-3. In addition, you need to destroy the masonry, and remove the tracks manually.
To scare away various slugs from cauliflower, planting aisles should be sprinkled with lime, mustard or wholemeal ash. Then the cabbage heads will have a beautiful presentation.
When and how to harvest?
The seed packaging indicates the time when you need to harvest. They need to focus on the gardener. In addition, the following signs will tell about the technical ripeness of cauliflower:
- head diameter is 8-12 cm;
- head weight - from 300 to 1200 g.
In this case, it is necessary to take into account the ripeness of cauliflower, depending on which variety it belongs to:
- early varieties ripen in 60-100 days;
- medium-ripening varieties can be harvested after 100-135 days;
- late varieties reach ripeness in 4.5 months, so cauliflower will be on the table until the New Year.
It is not worth delaying the harvest, since overgrown heads loosen, darken, decay and bloom. So, as they ripen, they need to be cut together with 3-4 rosette leaves 2 cm below the last leaf. Work is best done in the morning, but if frost has begun, you can wait until noon.
If cabbage has formed side shoots, it is worth leaving some of the strongest of them so that they give new inflorescences.
If the cabbage is intended for storage, you can not cut it, but dig it with the roots, leaving the outer leaves. Then it needs to be laid out in wet sand and transferred to a cool place. In addition, dug out cabbages can be hung upside down in a dark, frost-free room.
It happens that late cauliflower, which needs to be cleaned before the first frost, does not have time to give out a full head by this time. In this case, it needs to be grown. This is done as follows:
- Add some boxes of garden soil to the cellar.
- Water the planting on the garden bed, and after 2 days, dig out the heads with a large lump of earth and transfer to the cellar.
- Transplant cabbage into boxes, immersing them in the ground on the very leaves.
- Regularly moisten the planting, because to achieve full maturity the cabbage needs an air humidity of at least 90-95%. At the same time, the room should have an air temperature of 0 to 4ºC and good ventilation.
Nutrients will come from the leaves into inflorescences, so in 2 months the underdeveloped heads of cabbage will turn into decent heads that you can enjoy all winter.
How to grow a vegetable to get a good harvest is described in the video below:
Rules for storing cauliflower
To preserve cauliflower, the following rules should be considered:
- cut heads should not be left in the sun, as they will turn yellow and become unusable;
- to store crops for up to 2-3 months in a cellar, plastic or plywood box, covered with plastic wrap (the optimal indoor temperature is from 0 to 0.5ºC, and humidity is 90-95%);
- if there is no suitable place for storage, freeze the cauliflower and keep in the freezer for 1 year, but first you need to disassemble the heads for inflorescences, rinse under running water, dry and put into cling film;
- like white cabbage, cauliflower can be kept suspended for 1 month, for which you need to dig out the heads from the beds, cut off their roots and remove the upper leaves, and then tie them to the stump with twine or rope and hang them so that they do not in contact with each other.
Cauliflower is a rather capricious and demanding crop, so when growing it, you must take into account all the rules of agricultural technology - from sowing seeds to seedlings and replanting them in open ground before harvesting. If you take proper care of the plant, you can enjoy cauliflower dishes not only all winter, but all year.