How often cabbage is watered and what water to get a crop

What water to water

Cultivation of cabbage, both its seedlings and in open ground, requires compliance with the water regime. The gardener must know what kind of water to water the cabbage. Since even if all the recommendations are followed, the wrong water can lead to undesirable consequences. At the same time, the characteristics of the water do not depend on which variety was chosen for planting (white, red, colored, etc.).

Watering cabbage should be correct not only after it is planted in the soil, but also at the seedling stage. Watering cabbage in open ground or even at the seedling stage is necessary with water of a certain temperature. This parameter remains important for all cruciferous vegetables, not just cabbage. Please note that cold water can cause inadequate development of the root system. As a result, the forks will tie weak or not tie at all. In addition, watering any cabbage (cauliflower, red, etc.) with cold water can provoke the development of various diseases. In this situation, even the death of immature plants is possible. This is especially important when planting seedlings in open ground.

Therefore, it is not recommended to water the cabbage with water from a tap or from a well. In this situation, you need to let the water warm up by pouring it into buckets and allowing time to settle. You need to warm up the water in black buckets, not iron gray ones. The black color attracts sunlight and the water warms up faster. But this applies to the northern and eastern regions. In the south, this method will lead to too rapid heating of the water. Too hot water also negatively affects the germination of vegetables in open ground. This applies to all varieties (color, white, etc.). Therefore, be careful. Watering cabbage is best organized with water having a temperature in the range from 18 to 23 ° C. Only such water can and should be watered plants in the open field.

How often

In addition to what water cabbage should be watered with, many gardeners are concerned about how often this should be done. After all, untimely watering is fraught with many negative consequences and can even lead to the death of the planted seedlings or an already adult plant. At the same time, different varieties of cabbage (white, cauliflower, red, etc.) may have some differences in how often this crop should be watered. But in general, the rules remain the same for all varieties, with minor nuances.

The need for cabbage in water and, accordingly, the frequency of watering is determined by the age of the plant. For seedlings and an adult plant, watering is carried out according to various schemes.

Most often, cabbage needs to be watered in the following situations:

• after planting seedlings;
• after the start of head formation.

In these situations, it will be correct to water the plant several times a day. This should be done when growing white, cauliflower, red and other varieties of cabbage. This intensity persists for a couple of weeks. During the period of growth of deciduous mass, watering and its frequency can be moderated a little.

But remember that excessive watering, as a rule, gives excessive soil moisture, as a result of which the vegetable may begin to rot and soon die. The death of the roots begins when they are in moist soil for more than eight hours.

Very careful watering is necessary during preventive measures focused on the fight against diseases or pests. In this case, the plants are treated with special solutions (broths from the tops, a solution with vinegar, etc.). Here it is necessary that the treatment agent be on the surface of the cabbage for some time. And watering can wash it off, making prevention ineffective. Each variety of plant (white, colored, broccoli, etc.) has its own means of combating pests and diseases, but watering rules remain practically unchanged.

Also an important aspect for the frequency of irrigation are the climatic conditions prevailing in the garden plot. In hot weather, watering is carried out more often than in cloudy weather. In this way, a perfectly formed head can be achieved even in the arid regions of the country.

In addition, heavy watering of plants is not recommended before harvesting. This can provoke cracking of heads of cabbage. To avoid this, a month before harvesting and until the full ripening of late varieties of cauliflower, white, red, etc. watering should be stopped altogether.

Abundant watering is not recommended even after a long drought. This will also lead to cracking of the tied heads.

To date, there are three options for irrigation. Each gardener chooses for himself the one that is most suitable for his garden. You can use them in different periods of the plant’s growing season or try a new method every year to determine the greatest efficiency for your garden.

So, the methods of watering cabbage (of any variety – cauliflower, white, red, etc.) look like this:

• watering as needed. An economical method, which consists in the fact that you need to water in the evening or in the morning in dug holes around the plants. After pouring the earth, loosening is necessarily carried out here. The greatest intensity of watering falls on the stage of active growth of leaves and the formation of heads. In this case, for one watering under one plant, you need to pour about 10 liters of water (20-30 liters per 1 m², and in drought – up to 40-50 l);
• depending on the prevailing climatic conditions. Here, watering is carried out depending on the age of the plant (seedling, formation period, adult plant). The number of irrigations per day is determined by the frequency of rainfall, the number of sunny days and the aridity of the climate;
• depending on the variety. Some varieties of cabbage are more demanding on the water regime. Therefore, they need to be watered more often.

Whichever method you choose, hilling is required after watering or past rain. This process is carried out until the rosettes of the leaves that have appeared close. For early varieties (whether colored, red or other types), hilling is carried out 1-2 times, and for late ones – 2-3 times. This will form additional roots. In this case, hilling is carried out only on wet earth.

Separately, it is worth noting that after planting seedlings in open soil, it is watered 5-6 liters per 1 m² every day for two weeks. After two weeks, watering is carried out once, pouring on 1 m² 12 – 15 liters each. In addition, it is known that early varieties should be watered more in June, and late varieties in August. 1 m² it is necessary to pour out 15 liters of water. Please note that it is better to water the cabbage only in the evening, and if necessary, you can also in the morning.

Video “All about growing cabbage”

How long

Watering cabbage is necessary throughout the growing season. But not always evenly. The greatest intensity of watering will be when planting seedlings in the ground, as well as during the development and formation of heads. At all other times, watering comes down to preventing excessive drying of the soil.

The plant should be watered from the moment the seedlings are planted in the soil until the harvest. The procedure is terminated a month before harvest to prevent damage to the vegetable. This rule applies to all autumn varieties. Excess moisture will make further storage of heads of cabbage impossible. Summer varieties in this situation are less demanding on moisture and their watering can be stopped three weeks before harvest.

Various top dressings for watering

Another important parameter of cabbage care is its top dressing, which is carried out simultaneously with watering. This whole procedure includes the following manipulations:

• top dressing;
• watering;
• hilling;
• row spacing.

The first feeding of plants with watering is done after two weeks (or at least 10 days) after seedlings are placed in open ground. Top dressing involves the introduction of liquid organic fertilizers into the soil (mullein, deconcentrated with water in a ratio of 5: 1, bird droppings, which is diluted in water 10: 1). Organic fertilizers are applied at 1-1,5 liters per vegetable. They can also be replaced with a 0,5% solution of ammonium nitrate.

Fertilizers should be applied very carefully, avoiding their contact with the leaves. Otherwise, burns will appear on them. After top dressing, the soil is loosened between the rows.

The second top dressing should be carried out during the period of the beginning of the active growth of rosettes of leaves. It is organized approximately 14-21 days after the first feeding. Here, a mixture of superphosphate, ammonium nitrate, and potassium sulfate can be used as fertilizers. For all these fertilizers, a ratio of 2:1:1 should be used. Consumption should be approximately 40-60 g per 1 m². The introduction of nitrophoska is carried out in the same dose. Organo-mineral fertilizers can also be used here. But in this situation, the dose of mineral nitrogen fertilizers should be somewhat reduced.

The third top dressing is carried out based on the need of the plant for fertilizers. For example, if they remain weakened or underdeveloped. It is carried out 2 weeks after the completion of the second feeding. For the third top dressing, a mixture of potassium sulfate and superphosphate should be used in a ratio of 1: 2. You can also use wood ash. Here the calculation should be carried out based on the ratio of 30 g per plant.

For cabbages that are meant to be stored for a long time, top dressing should include more potassium, which prevails over phosphorus and nitrogen. This will minimize the loss of products during storage. Further feeding can be carried out with a solution of mullein or bird droppings. They are mixed in water 2:1. At the same time, the fertilizer is carefully poured under each plant, but do not overdo it.

To get an excellent crop of cabbage, it is very important to adhere to the rules of watering. Here it is worth considering not only the climatic conditions of the place where the plant grows, but also the temperature of the water, as well as the frequency of watering. Only in this way it is possible to achieve adequate development of cabbage, the formation of strong and healthy heads, as well as their long-term storage.

Video “Care and watering for cabbage”

In this video, you will learn what features lie in the care of early varieties of white cabbage, and what watering requirements exist.