Good afternoon, my reader. Usually cabbage is grown using seedlings, but this is not necessary. There is also such a method as seedless cultivation. Let's figure out what it consists of and what features it has.
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Pros and cons of seedless growing
Sowing cabbage directly into the ground has several advantages:
- Saving time and labor. No need to waste energy on growing seedlings and transplanting them into the ground.
- Saving space. There are always not enough window sills for seedlings.
- Accelerated ripening. Cabbage that has not been transplanted experiences less stress, does not need hardening and acclimatization - and ripens almost two weeks earlier.
- Taproot cabbage formed without transplanting is more drought tolerant.
However, there are also disadvantages:
- More seeds will be needed. Some of them will not rise, some will perish.
- Outdoor cabbage will need extra care.
- The requirements for the place and time of sowing are becoming more stringent: mistakes can no longer be corrected.
Seed preparation
It is necessary to start with the selection of seed material. You should work like this:
- Sizing seeds by size. Only the largest go into the ground. The rest can be sown somewhere for the sake of experiment, but there is no particular hope for them.
- Seed treatment. 15-20 minutes in a 3% solution of potassium permanganate, then 20 minutes in hot (about 50 degrees) water. This is how bacteria are destroyed.
- Hardening. Wet seeds are spread over cheesecloth or paper napkin and placed in the refrigerator for 12 hours on the bottom shelf (not in the freezer!) This is a stratification that accelerates seed development.
Garden bed preparation
The plot is chosen on a sunny, level place rich in nutrients. The ideal option is a place where potatoes, onions or cucumbers were grown last season. The plot is loosened at least 15 cm, then the clods are broken and the bed is leveled.
Sowing seeds
Cabbage seeds are sown in holes (it is convenient to mark them with an empty plastic bottle) or grooves. It is necessary to sow according to the scheme:
- between rows - from 60 to 80 cm;
- between holes - from 35 to 40 cm.
If the weather is still cold, the soil is warmed up. To do this, stretch the film on small supports above the future plot and leave it for 3-4 days. The soil heats up under the sun, and the film will not let the heat go away.
Sow seeds like this:
- The grooves or holes are watered with clean water. It is best to use water that has stood in a container in the sun for a couple of days and warmed up.
- Seeds are placed in the grooves 1-1.5 cm at a distance of 8-10 cm from each other. Then there will be no need to thin out.
- 3-4 seeds are laid in the holes - here thinning cannot be avoided, but one seed will die for sure.
- Sprinkle the seeds with a mixture of high-moor peat and humus and gently tamp the soil.
To speed up germination, you can put a microstealer from a plastic bottle with a cut off bottom over each hole. You can also use liter plastic glasses with punctured holes in the bottom (in the early days, the holes are plugged with cotton wool until it gets warmer). Planting in the beds is covered with a film.
Immediately after sowing, the garden is not watered: the water will wash out the seeds.
Seedling care
After three true leaves are formed on the seedlings, the holes are thinned out: first two shoots are left, then only one. If the soil is loose, you can try to root extra seedlings in empty areas. On dense soil, it is easier not to pull out, but carefully cut off excess seedlings with scissors: pulling out, you can damage the roots of the remaining seedlings.
If the seedlings are covered with a film, it must be removed at least once a day, allowing the seedlings to breathe.
In the first 2 weeks after the shoots appear, it is necessary to water the beds every 2-3 days, pouring about 7-8 liters per square meter of the garden. If bottles or glasses are used as micro-greens, it is not necessary to remove them: water will seep under them.
You also need to fight cruciferous flea beetles by dusting the plants with ash. Slugs are also harmful - the same ash, nettle or eggshell mulch will help from them.
After thinning is over, you need to carry out the first feeding. Use nitrophosphate, "Solution", "Kemiru-universal". From this moment on, the seedless cabbage seedlings are looked after in the same way as for ordinary cabbage beds.
Do you grow cabbage without seedlings?
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