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Many novice gardeners often face the problem that broccoli did not start and began to bloom. To avoid this in the future, it is necessary to study the possible causes of its occurrence. Also, every gardener should know how to deal with such a situation in order to minimize crop losses, and whether it is possible to use this cabbage if it has bloomed.
Broccoli is demanding on care and growing conditions.
Signs of leaving cabbage in color
Broccoli is native to the Mediterranean. It is also called asparagus cabbage. The vegetable is valued for its high content of carotene and other beneficial substances for human health. Therefore, many gardeners prefer to grow broccoli on their plots. Dense inflorescences-heads with a petiole 10-15 cm long are suitable for food. However, they need to be cut in a timely manner, since broccoli blooms quickly if growing conditions do not meet the requirements of the culture. In this case, the value of the vegetable is reduced.
Warning signs:
- head of cabbage becomes loose;
- inflorescences acquired a light shade;
- yellow spots appeared.
If the broccoli is already in bloom, as seen in the photo, you must immediately cut off the unbound head. This will redirect the forces of the plant to the formation of side shoots. Otherwise, even the minimum harvest will not be possible.
Cut heads of broccoli can also bloom if the crop is not properly stored.
Why did broccoli bloom yellow
There are several main reasons why asparagus does not set heads. All of them are associated with improper care of the plant and the inconsistency of growing conditions. Therefore, novice gardeners should take into account that broccoli is more capricious than other types of crops. To get a good harvest, you must strictly follow the rules of its agricultural technology.
Incorrect watering
This plant belongs to the category of moisture-loving. The lack of water during the active growing season is one of the reasons why broccoli does not head out. After all, this culture needs abundant watering throughout its growth. Humidification is especially important at the stage of forming a leaf rosette and tying heads. Otherwise, you should not count on a good harvest.
It is recommended to water broccoli every other day with a long absence of rain, and in hot dry periods – twice a day: in the morning and in the evening. The recommended water consumption rate is 6-8 liters per 1 sq. m at the stage of active growth and 10-20 liters after tying the heads. When watering, it is recommended to alternate moistening at the root and sprinkling.
After each irrigation, it is necessary to loosen the soil at the base of the plants in order to maintain air access to the roots. Laying mulch at the base of the cabbage with a layer of 2-3 cm helps to reduce watering during hot periods. This will reduce excessive evaporation of moisture from the soil.
For watering asparagus cabbage, you need to use settled water with a temperature of +20 ° C
Too little or too much fertilizer
If broccoli blooms with yellow flowers, and the heads are not tied, this may be due to an excess or lack of nutrients in the soil. The problem arises with late or excessively abundant feeding of the vegetable. Therefore, when growing broccoli, it is necessary to observe the timing of fertilizer application and their dosage.
It is recommended to feed the vegetable for successful tying of the heads four times per season. The first time, if humus was not introduced at the stage of preparing the beds, fertilizers should be applied ten days after planting the seedlings in a permanent place. During this period, it is recommended to use urea or ammonium nitrate at the rate of 30 g per 10 liters of water.
Subsequent top dressing is recommended to be carried out at intervals of once every two weeks. For the second top dressing, it is necessary to use chicken manure 1:15 or mullein 1:10, and the third – 40 g of superphosphate, 20 g of ammonium nitrate and 10 g of potassium sulfate. The last time you need to use fertilizer is after cutting off the central head to stimulate the development of lateral inflorescences. During this period, you can use 20 g of superphosphate, 10 g of ammonium nitrate and 30 g of potassium sulfate.
Wrong temperature
If broccoli is blooming with yellow flowers, then this may be due to unsuitable temperatures during the period of tying its heads. For this vegetable, the regime within + 18-22 ° С is considered favorable. Therefore, with a sharp increase in temperature, the setting and development of the head does not occur. In this case, experienced gardeners recommend shading broccoli plantings during the hot midday hours and regularly spraying the plants with water.
Lack of sun
Good lighting is essential for this vegetable. Therefore, broccoli is recommended to be planted in open sunny areas. In case of lack of light, the plant grows leaves, its shoots lengthen, and broccoli does not set.
To correct the situation during the formation of the head, it is recommended to collect the apical leaves in a bundle and fix them over the head.
Error when choosing a variety
Broccoli belongs to the category of crops with a short growing season. The collection of its first heads of cabbage can be carried out after 30-35 days from the date of adaptation of seedlings in a permanent place. Therefore, for its successful tying of heads, it is necessary not to delay the timing of planting. Otherwise, this may cause early flowering of asparagus.
There is no tying of heads in broccoli and with the wrong choice of variety. Therefore, when buying, it is necessary to give preference to species adapted for a particular growing region. It is also worth considering the timing of the ripening of the crop. Early and medium varieties are more suitable for all and even northern regions, while later varieties are recommended to be grown in the southern and central regions.
What to do if broccoli blooms
If the broccoli has bloomed and the central head has not set, then you can try to correct the situation. For this, folk methods and chemical agents are suitable. But first of all, it is necessary to cut off the central inflorescence, since these methods are designed to harvest from the lateral processes.
Folk ways
To stimulate the further growth of broccoli and tying additional inflorescences, it is recommended to use nettle infusion. To prepare it, you will need to grind 1 kg of the green mass of the plant and pour 10 liters of warm water. It is recommended to keep the mixture in a shady place at a temperature above +22 °C. As soon as the fermentation process is over, the concentrate must be filtered and diluted with water in a ratio of 1:10. The resulting solution is recommended to be used for watering broccoli at the rate of 1 liter per plant, which will improve the setting of heads. It is necessary to carry out the procedure in the evening.
Nettle infusion not only accelerates the growth of broccoli, but also improves its taste.
Yeast can also be used to stimulate the tying of heads of cabbage in asparagus. To prepare a nutrient solution, it is recommended to dilute 200 g of the product in 1 liter of warm water and leave for a day, stirring occasionally. After the waiting period, the volume of liquid must be brought to 10 liters. Use the resulting solution for watering broccoli at the rate of 1 liter per plant.
Chemicals
Using chemicals, you can also stimulate the tying of the lateral heads of asparagus. For this, it is recommended to use boric acid. To use it, you need 1 tsp. Dissolve the product in 1 liter of hot water, then add 9 liters of cold water and stir. The resulting solution and apply for spraying asparagus cabbage.
Boron chelatin also helps to correct the situation and speed up the setting of lateral inflorescences. To prepare the solution, it is recommended to add 50 ml of the product to 10 liters of water and mix. The resulting mixture should be used for spraying.
Prevention
To avoid a situation where broccoli blooms early and grows excessively leaves, but there is no tying of heads, it is recommended to follow simple preventive measures. They are in compliance with the rules of its cultivation.
Throughout the growing season, broccoli is recommended to be watered regularly, but at the same time avoiding moisture stagnation in the soil. The best option for culture are loams. But it is also possible to successfully set vegetable heads when grown in sandy loamy soil. However, at the stage of site preparation, humus must be added at the rate of 10 kg per 1 sq. m.
Fertilizers must be applied in a timely manner, but dosed. In the case of broccoli, it is better to have a lack of nutrients than an excess of them.
You can not grow this crop for successful tying heads next to onions and watercress. The best neighbors for broccoli are cucumbers, peas, dill, beets, carrots.
It is recommended to plant seedlings in a permanent place at a temperature of + 18-20 ° C, which guarantees its full development in the future. It is necessary to cut off the tied heads when they are dark green and tightly compressed. At the same time, you should not wait for their maximum size, which is indicated in the variety characteristics on the seed packaging.
It is better to harvest smaller fruits than to wait for the maximum yield.
Is it possible to eat broccoli if it has blossomed with yellow flowers
You can eat flowering broccoli cabbage, as it retains most of the beneficial components. However, the vegetable becomes tougher, and its petiole becomes fibrous. This negatively affects the consumer properties of asparagus cabbage. The same is noted if the broccoli inflorescences have turned yellow, but have not yet had time to open up. Therefore, many gardeners use an overripe vegetable for purely technical purposes for feeding poultry and animals.
Conclusion
If the broccoli has not started, this is not a reason to completely uproot it. Subject to certain rules of agricultural technology, you can get a vegetable crop if you remove the central inflorescence in a timely manner. In this case, asparagus cabbage will begin to actively develop side shoots, which will be able to tie heads, but of a smaller size.
