How to grow red cabbage seedlings

Red cabbage seedlings will grow strong and healthy, if you know and follow the basic rules of its cultivation. The culture has many advantages, because it is considered unpretentious in care, it easily tolerates heat and frosts, is little susceptible to diseases.

Growing red cabbage seedlings

How to plant seedlings

In the process of growing seedlings of red cabbage, a certain sequence of work is observed.

Terms of formation the ovaries of this plant range from 150 to 200 days. This indicator is completely dependent on the variety and type of plant. The early head will ripen faster than the late, even if the seeds are sown on one day.

All seedlings are ready for transplanting in about one age, which is why it is important not to miss the moment when the seeds need to be planted in the soil.

Prepare the soil

The end of February is the ideal time for sowing seeds. To have time to do the work on time, at the beginning of the month you should take care of the soil in the greenhouses, as well as fill the containers for growing seedlings on the windowsills.

The soil for sowing seeds of red-headed vegetables should be:

• Warm. You can fulfill this requirement with the help of warm beds.You can also warm the earth in a room with an air temperature of at least 20 ° C.
• Saturated with nitrogen fertilizers. Before planting the seeds, the main soil is mixed with peat or humus.
• Processed ash. This action helps to avoid the invasion of cruciferous fleas.

The day before the proposed sowing, the prepared soil is watered with a weak solution of potassium permanganate. This technique will disinfect the soil and saturate it with the missing trace elements.

Selection of seed material

Selection of seed material for distillation of seedlings is carried out in 2 stages. During the first, a visual inspection is carried out, and then burnt, blackened and small grains are discarded.

The second stage of seed preparation involves the hardening procedure. This happens as follows:

• The selected seeds are placed in a glass jar and filled with hot water (50 ° C). Grains should be in the jar until the water cools down to room temperature.
• After the time has passed, the water is drained and the seeds are wrapped in dry gauze and sent to the refrigerator for 3 hours.

Grains prepared in this way are sown in warm soil.

A similar stress technique has worked well with many other cruciferous plants. Thanks to its use, seed germination is increased and productivity is increased, since there are no empty flowers among plants.

The effectiveness of the method is also confirmed by breeders specializing in the cultivation of various types of this vegetable.

Sowing and germination

Sowing seeds in greenhouses is done manually. The distance between the seeds should be at least 4 cm. Even if some seedlings are diseased, they can be removed without damaging the root system of neighboring ones. The row-spacing should be 15 cm. The sowing depth of red cabbage seeds should not exceed 1 cm. Room temperature should be maintained at the time of emergence in the room.

The tanks are insulated with agrofibre or oilcloth on the street and in the room. The latter will create a steam effect, due to which the seeds hatch a day earlier. After the first leaf appears on the surface of the earth, a gradual decrease in temperature begins.

After about 2 weeks, one full leaf appears in the seedlings. At this time, the air in the room should not be higher than 15 ° C. In hotter rooms, the cabbage becomes thinner.

Care features

Seedlings need good lighting

Cabbage is a photophilous plant, which is why seedlings need light. With a lack of natural light, the seedlings are highlighted. If this is not done, the seedlings will grow thin. They also form a weak root system.

Red cabbage, like any other variety of this vegetable, requires regular watering. Be sure to ensure that the soil in greenhouses and greenhouses with seedlings is not too wet. Failure to comply leads to:

• root rot;
• the death of leaves;
• the development of bacterial diseases.

Excess moisture attracts slugs and snails, which in a few hours can turn seedlings into a pile of lifeless leaves.

As the plants grow, sprinkle with dry, loose earth. This allows the seedlings to form a healthy root system.

Red cabbage seedlings are ready for transplanting to a permanent place at the age of 45 days. At this point, each healthy plant has 6 leaves and the buds of a future fork are visible.

Varieties of red cabbage

Red-headed vegetables differ in ripening time. The early, middle and late varieties of the plant are separated.

In the middle belt, the following varieties and hybrids give the best yield:

• Early ripe: Topaz, Early beauty, Nurima F1.
• Mid-season: Stonehead-447, Anthracite F1, Vanguard F1.
• Mid-late: Mars.
• Late: Late beauty, Pallet.

All these varieties of cabbage are distinguished by high taste, excellent keeping quality and density of forks.

Conclusion

Red cabbage is grown in seedlings and seed methods. The choice of method does not significantly affect the final result, but when sowing in the holes, you will have to spend more time on care and sow more seeds.

Growing red cabbage seedlings will not take much time for those who pay attention to the subtleties of sowing, as well as the proper care of the seedlings.