Contents
In recent years, urban residents have developed a fashionable hobby – growing various green crops on the windowsill. It must be frankly admitted that this activity can bring a lot of unnecessary trouble, but at the same time it brings incomparable pleasure from contemplating the appearance of a new life in front of your eyes in the form of green sprouts. In addition, adding fresh herbs grown at home without unknown additives to the daily diet not only adds strength and energy, but can also solve some health problems.
Cabbage has been one of the most popular crops in Our Country since ancient times. And if the cultivation of white cabbage at home is difficult due to some of its biological characteristics, then there are varieties of cabbage that, if desired, can create relatively favorable conditions for growth. One of these crops is Chinese cabbage. It has appeared on the market for quite a long time and managed to enter the circle of the most popular vegetables for year-round consumption.
Beijing cabbage – what is it
Among the wide variety of the cabbage family, there are two species, whose homeland is East Asia, or rather, China. This is Beijing and Chinese cabbage. These varieties are sometimes confused with each other, although even outwardly they are very different. Chinese cabbage (“pak choi”) does not form a head – it is a purely leafy species. And those dense, oval-elongated sprouts, which in recent years can be found on the shelves of almost any vegetable department in stores, are representatives of Peking cabbage or “petsai”, as the Chinese themselves call it.
Beijing cabbage is consumed mainly in the form of salads, although it is also delicious boiled and stewed.
Its leaves contain twice as much protein as its white relative. It is also rich in calcium, potassium, iron salts and a variety of vitamins. Regular use is especially useful for stomach ulcers and cardiovascular diseases.
The technology of growing from the stalk
It is interesting that Peking cabbage is such a cheerful plant that it is able to please with an additional crop from a ready-made head of cabbage. How can you grow Beijing cabbage from a stalk? The technology of this process is quite simple. If you take the matter seriously, then you need to prepare the following:
- Sufficiently deep container of a conical shape. Ideal for any bowl. Its dimensions should be such that the bottom of a head of cabbage is placed in its upper wide part.
- Light but nutritious soil mix with sand or vermiculite.
- A pot with a volume of at least one liter, the dimensions of its upper circumference must exceed the dimensions of the bottom of a head of cabbage.
- Black package.
- The head of Beijing cabbage itself.
- Sharp knife.
Almost any head of Beijing cabbage is suitable for growing green mass of leaves.
It is imperative to check the condition of the head of cabbage – it should not have dark or gray spots or specks, as well as other signs of future rotting. Nothing good will grow out of such planting material.
At the next stage, you need to measure about 6 cm from the bottom of the Beijing cabbage head and, with a sharp knife, cut off the bottom from the rest of the head with a sharp knife. It is advisable to additionally rinse it under running water from possible contamination. The top cut off part can be crumbled into salads and used in the preparation of other dishes. And the lower part with a bottom will serve you as the initial planting material for growing green leaves, and maybe even getting a whole head of Chinese cabbage.
Then fill the prepared cone-shaped container with water by about one third and place the lower part of the head with the bottom into it. Only the bottom of the stump should be immersed in water.
A sprouting stalk does not need a lot of light at this stage, but the heat will depress it. One of the best places is the windowsill of a north-facing window. If the temperature is already above zero outside, then it is best to place a vessel with Chinese cabbage on the balcony.
The first roots may begin to appear in the bottom area the very next day. Sometimes, simultaneously with them, leaves begin to form from the upper part. The whole first week, you can just watch the interesting process of the appearance of new roots and leaves at the stalk. It is only necessary to occasionally add water to the vessel as it is absorbed by the resulting roots.
If you do not plan to grow a head of cabbage from a stalk, but are ready to be content only with fresh vitamin leaves, then there is no need to transplant into the ground. A stalk of any size will have enough water to grow a sufficient number of leaves.
Cultivation of a head of cabbage
If you are interested in growing a head of Beijing cabbage from a stalk, then you can try, but this process is more troublesome and no one will give you a XNUMX% guarantee of success when growing at home. This is best done when transplanting the stump into open ground. However, you can try.
After about a week, when a sufficient number of roots are formed, the stalk can be planted in the prepared soil mixture. It is necessary to act very carefully, since the roots of Beijing cabbage are very tender and brittle. It is better to place the lowest part of the stalk in a pot and sprinkle the roots with earth on top. The upper part of the stalk must be above the ground. The soil must be sufficiently moist.
For the first few days, it is better not to water the planted stalk, and only when new leaves open, watering resumes. The leaves will grow quickly enough and they can already be used for food. But if you are planning to grow a head of cabbage, then it is better to wait a bit. Watering Beijing cabbage should be moderate, waiting for the surface of the soil in which it is planted to dry.
The fact is that Beijing cabbage is a plant of a long day. This means that if the daylight hours are more than 12-15 hours, then the plant will bloom quite easily, but there will be problems with the formation of a head of cabbage. That is why in the garden it is always grown either in spring or at the end of summer.
At home, if you grow Beijing cabbage in the warm season, you can use the trick – cover the plant for 10-12 hours with a black film cap. It is also important to maintain the temperature within the range from +12°С to +20°С. Watering should be moderate. Often in warm conditions, the plant forms a flower arrow rather quickly. If you plan to grow a head of cabbage, then it must be removed.
Subject to all the above conditions, in a month and a half you can get a slightly loose, but quite weighty head of cabbage from the stalk, weighing up to one kilogram.
Another option is also possible. If nothing special is done with cabbage, then it will soon release a flower arrow. After some time, seeds are formed. They can be harvested and, if the weather permits, sown in open ground, thereby obtaining a crop of Beijing cabbage from self-grown seeds.
Conclusion
As you can see, there is nothing particularly difficult in growing Beijing cabbage from a stump. This process is quite exciting – it will help brighten up dull dark days in autumn and winter, and at the same time get tasty and vitamin greens.
