Why does cabbage wither, what are the causes and methods of prevention?

Causes

Like any plant, cabbage has its own growing characteristics, varieties and diseases. The choice of a cabbage variety for planting is the least of all problems, since each gardener independently chooses it depending on the further purposes of using the vegetable: the use of early cabbage in salads, medium varieties and winter varieties for pickling or sourdough. Most problems for gardeners arise with diseases that are very “loving” cabbage leaves. You will learn why this problem occurs and how to deal with it in our article.

Very often, gardeners are faced with the problem that cabbage leaves wither, while maximum care is provided: you regularly fertilize with mineral fertilizers and water only in sunny weather. The cause of this phenomenon is often a fungal disease – keel.

To make the right decision regarding the fight against the disease, dig up the plant and carefully examine its root system. If you see whitish-yellowish growths on the thin roots of the plant, then the reason that the cabbage leaves wither is the keel. This disease affects the roots, both seedlings and adult fruits. Irregular growths and swellings of various sizes on the roots, withering leaves and yellowed heads of cabbage are a visual manifestation of the disease. With the development of the lesion, the growths rot, acquire a dark shade and collapse, infecting the soil with spores. Spores remain viable for 4-6 years.

The development of the disease is facilitated by increased humidity and acidity of the soil, as well as soil temperatures in the range of 18-24 degrees Celsius. If the soil temperature drops to +15, the humidity drops to 50% or rises to 98%, the spores die. The disease manifests itself by wilting the leaves of the seedlings, and the head of cabbage gradually turns yellow and acquires a loose structure. If the seedling is affected, then it completely dies.

Therapies

To prevent the identified disease from spreading to healthy crops, you should work on the affected area with a separate tool, in special shoes and gloves. After work, be sure to thoroughly rinse the tool and work shoes in running water. To prevent decay and decomposition of the root system, the affected stalk must be doused with gasoline and burned. It is desirable that the flame be bright and without smoke, since spores can be dispersed to new territories with smoke. Of course, it is not possible to collect all the affected roots and spores, but the more carefully you clean, the less the infection will spread.

For the next season, cultures susceptible to the disease should not be planted in this place and the surrounding area. An equally important issue is weeds in the garden and furrows. Be sure to remove all weeds in a timely manner. In this area, it is better to plant leafy, fruit-bearing or vegetable crops next year, but root crops should not be planted at all.

It will take more than one year to “cure” the soil, but growing some vegetable crops will accelerate the death of a fungal disease. The “orderlies” include tomatoes, potatoes, onions and garlic, as well as representatives of the haze family. For three years, nightshade crops completely get rid of the keel. But lily and haze crops will clear the soil even faster – in two years. However, the most effective pair is tomato and spring garlic. To check the soil for cleanliness, sow Chinese cabbage on the problem area. Gradually dig up the plant at each stage of growth, from the first true leaves to the head of cabbage. If you identify at least one “bead” of the parasite, then soil treatment should be extended until the next season.

Video “Practical Growing Tips”

Prevention

For the purpose of prevention, observe crop rotation and plant cabbage in its original place only after 5-6 years. The key to a healthy harvest is healthy seedlings. Therefore, the first rule is the disinfection of the soil. For disinfection, bleach is used, and after harvesting, dry lime is embedded in the soil at the rate of 100-200 grams per sq.m. Lime can be replaced with dolomite flour, as it will give the soil additional trace elements. The second step is seed preparation. To do this, the seeds are kept in an immunostimulator or simply in warm water (48-50 degrees Celsius) for 20 minutes. After water procedures, the seeds should be dried well.

By following simple recommendations, you can notice problems in time and take effective measures to combat the disease in order to end up with a bountiful harvest of white cabbage.

The third stage is landing. A week before planting seedlings, treat the soil with Bordeaux liquid (10 tablespoons per 10 liters of water), and then sprinkle wood ash on each well. Seedlings can be treated with lime milk (1 tablespoon of lime per 1 bucket of oxen) at the rate of 0,5 liters of liquid for each bush. During the growing season, after the soil is moistened by watering or fertilizing, it is important to loosen, as it contributes to the development of the root system of the vegetable, which means that resistance to a disease such as keel will be much higher.

Video “Growing cabbage according to the rules”

If you don’t want to see your cabbage leaves wilt, then don’t miss the next video.