Cauliflower is used in dietary nutrition, it is rich in various proteins and vitamins that are useful for the body. But growing such a vegetable on the site is not easy, the heads can be small, and the inflorescences are dark. In order to achieve the desired result, it is necessary to apply various methods of plant care. This is the only way to get good inflorescences of large and dense heads.
Cauliflower needs elements such as boron, phosphorus and potassium - when added to the soil, flowering accelerates and there is less greenery. This contributes to obtaining a high-quality and rich harvest.
Growing cauliflower seedlings
Usually, cauliflower is grown using seedlings. In order for the plant to produce crops all summer and autumn, you can plant about three times, while the seed must be of high quality.
Seeds of an early variety are sown from the beginning to the end of March, and planting on open ground is carried out after 25-60 days. That is, planting work can be carried out from late April to mid-May.
If the variety is medium, then seeds are sown from mid-April to mid-May, and planting in an open area is performed after 40 days. That is, planting work is carried out from late May to mid-June.
When growing late varieties, sowing is done at the end of May, and disembarkation in an open area - after 30 days, that is, from the beginning to the end of July.
The time for planting seeds depends on which variety is chosen, so you need to immediately decide when you need to get the desired fruits. That is, the early varieties are suitable for spring salads and other dishes, and the later ones are suitable for salting or storage in the winter. The heads of early cabbage will be small, up to about 1.5 kilograms. The medium or late variety has large and dense heads, and the crop can be kept fresh for a long time.
The sowing material must be of high quality, the quantity and yield of the plant depends on it.
Before sowing seeds, they must be disinfected and hardened by changing the temperature. To prevent cauliflower disease, the seeds must be soaked in a manganese solution. Then the seeds are placed in hot water for 20 minutes, then in cold water for 5 minutes, in the future the plant will be resistant to fungal infections.
It is also necessary to take into account that after a dive, the plant may die, as it does not tolerate this process well. Therefore, the seeds are immediately planted separately; for this, peat tablets or containers with the necessary soil are used.
Cabbage does not tolerate acidic soil, this indicator should be neutral. The soil for sowing seeds can be prepared independently; for this, the following components are used:
Method 1
- Lowland peat 3 parts.
- Rotted sawdust 1 part.
- Mullein 1 part.
Method 2
- Lowland peat 1 part.
- Sand 1 part.
- Humus 10 parts.
You can immediately use fertilizing with mineral elements: potassium, saltpeter or superphosphate.Such feeding can be done in the future. If mineral fertilizers are not used, then ash must be used. This will help increase the level of potassium, phosphorus and boron in the soil, and also reduce acidity.
It is important to maintain the correct temperature after sowing the plant. Before sprouts appear, the temperature should be from 18 degrees. When the shoots come out, it is removed to a cool place where the temperature is up to 8 degrees, this will prevent the plant from stretching. Then create 18 degrees in the daytime, and 10 degrees at night. Finding seedlings in a room with a high temperature (from 22 degrees and above) prevents the appearance of inflorescences and a good harvest.
The plant needs elements such as boron and molybdenum, therefore, after the leaves appear, they are sprayed with a 0.2% boric acid solution. In one liter, 2 grams are diluted. When four leaves appear on the sprouts, they are sprayed with a solution of molybdenum ammonium, 5 grams of the element are diluted in a bucket of water.
Preparing the garden and planting cauliflower seedlings
Seven days before the transplant, nitrogen fertilizing is removed. And three days before the transfer work, the plant is fertilized with superphosphate and potassium chloride, 3 grams are added per 1 liter of water. This contributes to the resistance of cabbage to cold weather.
Plants are transplanted in warm, but not too sunny weather. The beds are made in a well-lit area, they are fertilized with rotted manure or a mixture of compost, peat and humus. Ash is poured into each recess for seedlings, the plant is covered with earth to the first leaves, then watering is carried out.
Outdoor Cauliflower Care
Watering and loosening
Immediately after transplanting, a shade is created over the seedlings using a film or canvas. It also prevents flea beetles from growing on the plants. Watering is carried out about once every seven days. If there is an excess of moisture in the soil, then the heads develop slowly, and the roots may collapse. Since the root elements are located shallowly, it is better not to loosen it. To keep the earth in a loosened form, it is mulched with peat, humus or other components.
Top dressing and fertilizers
The plant is fertilized about three times during the season, the first time it is done ten days after the cabbage is transplanted into open soil. Then feeding is performed with an interval of 14 days. When the heads are tied, the fertilizer is stopped so that nitrates do not appear in the plants. Mullein is used for fertilization, one part of it is diluted in 10 liters of water. You can also use bird droppings, adding various mineral elements, one part of organic food is diluted in 15 parts of water.
For mineral fertilizer, about 20 grams of urea, the same amount of potassium chloride and 50 grams of superphosphate are diluted in a ten-liter bucket. About a liter of top dressing is poured under each bush.
Shading
So that the head has a white color and is not damaged by insects when the first flowering appears, it is covered with leaves, which are slightly broken. The leaves can be connected with clothespins or sticks, making holes.
Pest control
When fungal signs form on the plants, you can use a special agent "Fitosporin" for spraying, it helps well in the fight against such a problem.
To prevent the appearance of caterpillars or other cabbage insects, spray with a tincture of burdock leaves or Enterobacterin. To prepare the tincture, burdock leaves are placed in a 1/3 bucket, filled with water, and left for a day. After that, the solution is sprayed from a pump or spray bottle, if such devices are not available, you can use a regular broom.
Harvesting and growing cauliflower
Cauliflower is harvested depending on its ripening period, which is indicated on the package.That is, until the moment when the head becomes loose, and the unblown flowers open. With a strong plant, after cutting off the head, a re-crop can be grown.
To do this, one strong shoot is left on the bushes, which comes from the bud of the stumps, and all the rest are removed. Then, proper care is carried out, as for an ordinary plant, that is, watering and feeding is carried out.
During re-cultivation, with proper care, the head can weigh up to 400 grams. Cabbage of a late type is harvested before the start of frost, and the head does not always have time to reach full value, so the bushes can be grown. To do this, a bush with earth is removed from an open area, moved to a special greenhouse, if it is not there, you can use a cellar. Plants are laid tightly to each other, lightly sprinkled with soil, and watering is performed.
In order to grow a vegetable, it does not need lighting, it only needs to ensure that regular hydration is carried out. After two months, a good strong head is obtained from a small head of cabbage.
