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Seedling cabbage: when to plant it, growing
Cabbage seedlings require proper care. It is in childhood that future heads of cabbage receive resistance to diseases and a reserve for confident growth. By following the rules for growing seedlings step by step, you can get a good harvest.
When to plant cabbage for seedlings?
It is almost impossible to grow cabbage in the middle lane without seedlings. Depending on the timing of ripening, it is subdivided into early, middle and late. Early cabbage is used for salads, it cannot be stored for a long time. The middle and late ones can be fermented, and the last one can be stored.
Cabbage seedlings need to be grown in a separate pot
Seed hatching time is about 10 days. The seedlings must be transferred to a permanent place after another 55 days. Taking into account these terms, seeds for seedlings must be sown:
- for early cabbage – all March until the 25th;
- for the mid-season – end of March – end of April;
- for late – all April until the 20th.
Having sustained these terms, you can get strong seedlings on time.
The seeds must be specially trained. Sometimes it is indicated on the packaging that pre-processing has been carried out. In this case, before planting, it is enough to warm up the seeds to 50 ºС for 20 minutes and throw them into cold water for 5 minutes.
If you bought untreated seeds, you must additionally treat them with “Fitosporin-M” against diseases, and before planting, immerse them in the nutrient solution “Flora-S” for several days.
Growing cabbage seedlings
There are 2 ways to grow cabbage: with a pick and without it. In the first case, the seeds must be planted in rows in a box to a depth of 1 cm and in 3 cm increments. As the seedlings grow, they dive into small cups. You can do this once – immediately in a 5 × 5 cm pot, or you can do it twice, as the roots grow. The first transplant is in 2 weeks in pots 3 × 3 cm, and the second in a month. Without picking, the seeds are planted immediately in a pot, but 2 seeds each. Later, the weak sprout from each pot must be removed.
The soil should be watered abundantly only before planting and do not moisten it until sprouts appear.
Do not take garden soil for seedlings so as not to infect the plant. The soil must be nutritious. Take 1 part of turf and the same amount of humus, add wood ash at the rate of 1 tbsp. spoon for 1 kg of soil.
Cabbage sprouts will appear in 7 days. Then they must be transferred to a windowsill with a temperature of 8 ºС for a week. Then you need to return the cabbage to heat at a temperature of 18 ºС and provide it with illumination for up to 15 hours.
Seedlings should be in the ground up to the cotyledon leaves: add soil to the pots
Cabbage loves moisture, but there must be drainage. You need to feed her as needed. Seedlings must be hardened 15 days before planting in open ground. At first, leave it for several hours by the open window, and then take it out onto the balcony.
Seedlings require a reverent attitude towards themselves, you can neither fill nor dry them. Nurse her like a baby for a strong and hardy sprout.