Fertilizing cabbage after planting in open ground

It is necessary to feed the cabbage after planting in open ground with both complex mineral and organic fertilizers. You can also make your own infusion according to folk recipes. Funds are deposited up to 3-4 times per season according to the scheme described in the article.

Why do you need fertilizing

Even the most unpretentious plants need feeding. The soil always contains a certain supply of nutrients, but it is gradually depleted. After planting in open ground, cabbage quickly begins to gain green mass, after which it forms a head of cabbage. This requires a constant supply of nutrients. Feed should be mainly compounds of such elements:

1. Nitrogen – is part of all proteins and amino acids, participates in the growth process, provides an increase in stems and leaves. With a lack of nitrogen compounds, plants always lag behind in development, which directly affects the yield.
2. Phosphorus is vital for the proper formation of the root system. Phosphate fertilizers should be applied both before and after planting cabbage in open ground. Even if the soil is rich in other trace elements, but poor in phosphorus, this will lead to underdevelopment of the root system, which will affect all parts of the plant.
3. Potassium is another element that is important to feed cabbage after planting in open ground. Like phosphorus, it strengthens the roots. In addition, potassium contributes to the formation of flowers and ovaries, which directly affects the yield. With a potassium deficiency, cabbage after planting in open ground can suffer from fungal infections. Also, the element strengthens the immunity and cold resistance of the plant.

Cabbage should be fed with microelements that are introduced into the open ground. So called compounds that are not required by the plant in large quantities. However, they also play an important role in metabolic processes. Boron stimulates the formation of the ovary, growth processes, the accumulation of carbohydrates in the leaves, which directly affects the taste.

After planting in open ground, iodine must be added. It promotes the absorption of nitrogen compounds, a rapid set of green mass. Another function is to increase resistance to frost, increase shelf life. Heads of cabbage become dense and retain an attractive appearance longer. In addition, iodine acts as an antiseptic to prevent insect invasion.

Thanks to regular top dressing, seedlings quickly form heads of cabbage.

Cabbage should be fed after landing in open ground in May with calcium compounds. The trace element is involved in the regulation of water balance, reduces the acidity of the soil, so that nutrients are absorbed better.

Cabbage also needs other elements:

• manganese;
• sulfur;
• magnesium;
• zinc;
• iron;
• cobalt.

It is not necessary to introduce them separately after landing in open ground. It is easier to purchase a complex fertilizer with a balanced composition that is suitable for most soil types. But sometimes it is clearly seen that cabbage after planting is deficient in specific substances. To do this, it is necessary to determine the signs of a deficiency of one or another element, which is described in detail in the next section.

Signs of a micronutrient deficiency

When planning to fertilize outdoor cabbages, it’s helpful to be aware of the signs of nutrient deficiencies. You can identify them by their external manifestation on the leaves and stems. With nitrogen deficiency, the following symptoms are observed:

• cabbage grows slowly, development is clearly slow;
• foliage turns pale, turns yellow;
• the lower leaves may be covered with a bluish tint;
• redness can be seen on the reverse side of the leaf blades parallel to the central vein;
• heads of cabbage are small, the yield is reduced.

In this case, it is necessary to feed the cabbage after planting in open ground with nitrogen fertilizers. You can use different types of saltpeter, urea, azofoska.

With a lack of phosphorus, the following symptoms appear:

• leaves are dark green, bluish;
• petioles turn purple or violet;
• during death, black spots form on the surface;
• old leaves are affected first, then young ones;
• flowering and ripening is very delayed.

After planting cabbage in open ground, it is necessary to regularly apply superphosphates. It is especially important to do this at the stage of head formation.

With a lack of potassium, the following symptoms are noticeable:

• old leaves look burnt, young ones look dull;
• then they turn yellow, die off;
• part becomes bluish, even with a bronze tint;
• around the edges they begin to twist;
• relief, wrinkles appear on the surface;
• the veins are, as it were, “drowned” in the leaf plate;
• buds and inflorescences are delayed in development.

Scheme for determining the deficiency of elements

In this case, it is necessary to feed the cabbage after planting in open ground with potassium sulfate or potassium salt.

With sulfur deficiency, young foliage is evenly covered with yellow spots, while the veins turn purple. With a lack of magnesium, brown spots form between the leaves. With calcium deficiency, young leaves turn yellow-green at the edges. In this case, it is worth feeding with the appropriate substances or a complex composition.

Fertilization Rules

Regardless of the type of fertilizer, they should be applied according to certain rules:

1. Carefully follow the dosage indicated in the instructions.
2. If the soil is fertile, reduce the concentration by 1,5 or 2 times.
3. If the plant experiences a clear deficiency of one or another element, carry out an extraordinary foliar treatment.
4. It is advisable to feed the cabbage immediately after the planting process in open ground in the late evening.
5. After heavy watering, be sure to loosen the soil.

When to start feeding cabbage after planting in the ground

After landing on open beds or in a greenhouse and until the end of the season, cabbage should be fed 3-4 times. Due to this, useful chemical compounds are supplied relatively evenly, so the heads are quickly formed and lie longer under the storage conditions.

As a rule, fertilizers for cabbage are already applied when planting in the hole. To do this, use complex compositions, for example, nitroammophoska (a teaspoon – about 5 g). Instead, you can put humus and compost. Organics are also introduced during the preparation of the beds during digging (up to 10 kg per square meter).

But if nothing was added to the hole after planting the seedlings in open ground, you can feed after 2-3 weeks. At this point, give complex compositions or nitrogen (urea, saltpeter). Further, fertilizers are applied two more times with an interval of 10-15 days.

To keep the forks longer, add ash (200 g per 10 l) or potassium sulfate (40 g per 10 l).

Urea is one of the best sources of nitrogen

How to fertilize cabbage in open ground

The easiest way is to feed complex preparations after landing on the beds, for example, azofoska or Ideal. These are ready-made fertilizers that are used according to the instructions. If they are not there, the composition is prepared independently on the basis of different mineral components.

For greater efficiency, they are recommended to alternate with organic matter. You can feed the cabbage with both fertilizers – then the yield will be maximum. It will not be superfluous to use folk remedies. Basic recipes are described in the following sections.

Mineral feed

These are inorganic top dressings, which are represented by powder or granules. Chemically, mineral fertilizers are inorganic salts, such as potassium sulfate or ammonium nitrate. They dissolve very well in water even in cool weather, penetrate the soil and are quickly absorbed by plants.

It is recommended to feed different varieties of cabbage immediately after planting in open ground with nitrogen compounds, for example, ammonium nitrate or urea (20 g per 10 l). This volume is enough to process 1 m² landings.

Then, as a second and third fertilizer, you can feed it with a complex composition or substances containing potassium and phosphorus (per 10 liters):

• potassium salt – 25 g;
• potassium sulfate – 30 g;
• double superphosphate – 40 g.

During top dressing, the potassium component is combined with phosphate, or simply a complex fertilizer is given. You can use azofoska (30 g per 10 l) or ready-made products – Kemira, Mortar. They are used according to the instructions, carefully monitoring compliance with the dosage.

Organic Fertilizers

After planting cabbage in open ground, organic top dressing is also used. Mullein infusion is best, which is diluted 10 times, or bird droppings (20 times). Preparation takes up to two weeks. First, fresh raw materials are taken, for example, bird droppings, filled with water (the volume is 5 times larger) and left for 10 days. Stir occasionally, then dilute with water and pour 0,5 liters per bush.

Mullein and litter insist for 10-12 days

You can feed the cabbage after the process of planting in open ground with liquid potassium humate. This is an organic compound that dissolves in water and is well absorbed by the root system. For preparation, take a tablespoon (up to 10 ml) of the drug and dilute it in 1 liter of water. Water under the root or spray the leaves.

First, the manure is allowed to rot for six months, then it is applied to the soil.

Folk remedies

You can also feed different varieties of cabbage after the process of planting in open ground according to folk recipes. They are applied two weeks after transplanting seedlings, and then every 2-3 weeks until harvest. The most commonly used compositions are:

1. Weeds are cut down before flowering and seed formation, crushed and poured with water (1: 1). Insist for 7-10 days, mix. Pour through a sieve or gauze, add water (three times more in volume) and start watering.
2. You can feed different varieties of cabbage after planting in open ground with boric acid. The solution is prepared very weak – 2 g is dissolved in a liter of warm liquid. Then pour another 9 liters of water at room temperature. Do foliar spraying after planting in open ground to form a large head of cabbage.
3. You can feed with a solution of yeast – 10 g fresh or dry per 10 liters of warm water with the addition of 2 tbsp. l. Sahara. The infusion is left for a day in a warm place, then watered, spending 1 liter per bush.

Conclusion

Feed cabbage after planting in open ground should be 3-4 times during the season. The funds are applied in compliance with the dosage indicated in the instructions. It is important to understand that it is better to underfeed than to overfeed. In order for the culture to give a good harvest, it is recommended to alternate mineral compositions with organic matter.