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Japanese Mermaid Cabbage is a cold-resistant lettuce variety that can be grown outdoors. The leaves have a pleasant taste with a slight mustard aftertaste, they are used to prepare cold appetizers, salads and first courses.
Description of Japanese cabbage Mermaid
Japanese cabbage Mermaid has feathery foliage with serrated edges. From 40 to 60 leaves are formed in the rosette, the height of which varies between 30-40 cm. The surface is smooth, but wrinkling can be observed. The color of the foliage is green with a thin white vein. The taste is delicate, pleasant, without strong bitterness, the aroma is slightly perceptible.
Japanese cabbage variety is resistant to adverse weather conditions
The culture tolerates cold snaps well, does not suffer from extreme heat. Harvest can be harvested two months after planting.
Advantages and disadvantages
When choosing crops for cultivation, be sure to pay attention to their advantages and disadvantages. Japanese cabbage Mermaid has a lot of advantages:
- resistance to sudden changes in weather, seedlings are not afraid of lowering and raising temperatures;
- good taste without bitterness, which allows it to be used as food for people suffering from gastritis, gastrointestinal diseases and heart pathologies;
- versatility. Not only salads are prepared from cabbage, it is added to hot dishes, and also closed for the winter;
- beautiful appearance allows you to grow this variety as a decorative element on an alpine hill;
- high yield.
The disadvantages of vegetable growers include the fact that Japanese cabbage is susceptible to cruciferous flea attack. In addition, cabbage is moisture-loving, so watering is indispensable.
Yield of Japanese cabbage Mermaid
The mass of cabbage is about 1,2 kg, but there are also large specimens, the weight of which is close to 1,7 kg. When planting 4 seedlings per 1 sq.m, you can collect about 5-6 kg of foliage with petioles.
Planting and caring for Japanese cabbage Mermaid
Japanese cabbage prefers medium loamy, well-drained soil. To get a high yield, you must follow the simple rules of planting and care.
The beds are chosen in a well-lit area, because the Japanese cabbage Mermaid needs a sufficient amount of ultraviolet light. Soil preparation is carried out in the fall.
They dig up the soil, get rid of weeds and old roots, and also fertilize with humus
In early spring, ammonium nitrate is scattered on the site at the rate of 15-20 g per 1 m². With increased acidity of the soil, liming is carried out.
Seeds can be sown in a greenhouse for forcing seedlings or directly into open ground.
If it is decided to do without growing seedlings of Japanese cabbage Mermaid, they start sowing seeds in mid-April. The plant sprouts even in cold weather, when the air temperature does not exceed +4 ° C. Japanese culture is not afraid of spring frosts. It withstands short-term temperature drops down to -4°C. Favorable conditions for the growth of cabbage in the open field are warm and rainy weather with a temperature of 16 to 26 ° C. Excessively high temperatures and lack of moisture can lead to sunburn on the foliage.
A weak solution of potassium permanganate is used for seed disinfection and soil treatment.
In early or mid-March, planting material is pickled in manganese, soaked in warm water and planted in peat cups. In greenhouse conditions, they will germinate on the third day. Transplantation into open ground begins in early May.
Some gardeners practice sowing seeds before winter. The procedure is carried out before the onset of stable cold weather, but the air temperature should be close to zero. If there is a thaw after sowing, the seeds will sprout, but they will not survive the winter. Estimated landing time is the end of October or November. It all depends on the weather conditions of the region. Because not all seeds will be able to survive until spring, they are sown 2-3 times more than it would be planned for spring planting.
For the autumn procedure, an elevated area is chosen, which in the spring warms up and dries the fastest. Seeds are poured into grooves, sprinkled with dry earth, and mulched with foliage or hay on top. The garden does not need to be watered.
Care is regular watering. Cabbage loves moisture, but excessive stagnation of water adversely affects its condition. Due to waterlogging, the roots can rot and the seedlings will disappear. In addition to irrigation, the culture needs weeding from weeds, which is carried out as they appear, as well as loosening the row spacing.
Japanese Mermaid cabbage is able to accumulate nitrates in the foliage, so fertilizers can be applied to a minimum. Enough of those top dressings that were carried out in autumn and early spring, even before planting seedlings in the ground.
If the land is depleted, you can feed the Little Mermaid cabbage with a potassium-phosphorus composition.
Diseases and pests
To prevent the development of diseases on Japanese cabbage Mermaid, it is necessary to observe crop rotation. Legumes, pumpkin and nightshade plants will be good predecessors for the culture. It is not recommended to plant a Japanese variety after cruciferous ones, because they have common diseases and pests.
Blackleg
It appears mainly on young seedlings in the form of darkened and dry areas at the bottom of the shoots.
For the prevention of the black leg, preplant seed treatment with Baktofit is recommended.
When a disease is detected, damaged leaves are removed, and the plant is watered under the root with a weak solution of manganese.
Peronosporoz
Appears as a dirty white coating on the foliage, yellow spots can also be seen. Not only young, but also adult specimens can get sick. Prevention consists in proper planting and care: thickening and excessive soil moisture should not be allowed.
When the first symptoms of peronosporosis appear, Mermaid cabbage seedlings are sprayed with Bordeaux liquid or fungicides.
Fomoz
The first signs are spots and a dark root collar. Young seedlings are susceptible to disease. If detected, it is necessary to spray with Bordeaux mixture (1% solution).
For preventive purposes, use the cultivation of the earth with a solution of potassium permanganate
Pests can also reduce yields.
Cabbage Japanese Mermaid loves cruciferous flea
You can notice the appearance of insects by small holes on the shoots and foliage. The pest invasion is observed in the spring, when the air temperature warms up to +16-17 °C.
Cruciferous flea can be dealt with in a variety of ways. Insects do not like high humidity, so regular watering will prevent their appearance. It is effective to dust plants with tobacco and ash; lime can be used instead of tobacco dust.
You can dust not only seedlings, but also the ground. To do this, it is recommended to use naphthalene or tobacco dust. You can also spray the plants and the area with a mixture of laundry soap and ash. For 0,5 liters of hot water, 2 tbsp. l. ash and 20 g of soap chips.
The cruciferous flea does not tolerate the smell of garlic, so spraying can be done with garlic infusion. You can use crushed tomato leaves and green soap to create a spray mixture.
A weak vinegar solution will also scare away uninvited insects. For its preparation, 9% vinegar (250 ml) and warm water (10 l) are used.
Application
Japanese cabbage Mermaid is edible both fresh and processed.
Tops are recommended for salads, cold and hot appetizers, sandwiches, soups, borscht, vegetable stews.
Leaves are added to marinades, as well as pickles and other winter preparations.
The pleasant peppery aroma of the Little Mermaid allows you to use cabbage leaves as an addition to meat and fish dishes. When fresh, the foliage is active for making cheese sandwiches.
Japanese cabbage Mermaid is not only tasty, but also healthy. It contains carotene and a number of vitamins – C, B1 and B2, PP. Due to the high iron content, cabbage is recommended for the prevention of anemia. Salts of calcium and potassium, as well as phosphorus, included in the tops of the culture, are necessary for people suffering from cardiovascular diseases.
Conclusion
Japanese Mermaid Cabbage is suitable for growing both in open ground and in a greenhouse. Decorative foliage contributes to the fact that the culture is grown in flower beds and alpine slides.
