Japanese cabbage Mizuna

Japanese cabbage Mizuna

Description plant

Japanese salad cabbage is notable for its unpretentiousness and frost resistance (it can withstand up to -2-3 ° C).

Izuna has unusual characteristics:

• early ripening culture, for complete suitability for food it takes only about one and a half to two months;
• seeds are very small, grayish-black color;
• does not head out and belongs to subspecies of kale;
• depending on the variety, the color of the leaves varies from bright green to red-brown;
• the plant blooms in small light yellow flowers ;
• has an unusual spicy taste, soft-spicy, sometimes tart (contains less mustard oils than analogues);
• forms an edible ornaplod (about 10-15 cm), tastefully reminiscent of rutabaga;
• thanks to unusual lace leaves, the culture is often used as a decor for parks and gardens.

To date, two varieties of Japanese cabbage have been introduced into the State Register of the Russian Federation – Gavrish (Little Mermaid) and SeDek (Dude).

Variety Gavrish

Gavrish (The Little Mermaid) is a mid-season variety that has received its name due to the unusual shape of the leaves. The culture is characterized by such distinctive features:

• the height of an adult plant is 35-40cm;
• the leaves are green, cirrus, lyreous, with serrated edges;
• petiole is white ;
• rosette of weak elongation or horizontal;
• on average contains 50-60 sheets;
• diameter of the foliage bundle – up to 70cm;
• from the first seedlings of this variety of Japanese cabbage to the time of harvesting, it takes 50-60 days;
• the weight of one plant is 1.2-1.7 kg;
• well tolerates the increase and lower temperatures;
• the variety is resistant to flowering;
• suitable for growing in greenhouses and in open areas from the beginning of spring to the end of autumn;
• has a universal purpose, is used in fresh, salted and pickled form.

Grade Sedek

Sedek (Dude) – an early ripening variety. It takes only a month to get the crop.Culture features:

• horizontal rosette;
• the leaves have a strong dissection;
• the weight of one plant is 300-500 g;
• adapted for growing in open and protected ground;
• after cutting leaves very quickly grows new;
• has a salad purpose.

Cabbage is good in salads

In addition to these varieties, there are also on sale options: Mizuna Green (with characteristic openwork foliage, ideal for deco a) and Mizuno Red (color foliage green with anthocyanin).

Crop

is ideal for its cultivation will light soils with good drainage and rich in organic matter. But even on depleted soil with an average level of air and moisture capacity, the plant will show good results.

When planting a crop, you must always remember the crop rotation: to get a good level of productivity, you cannot plant seeds or seedlings of green mustard after other varieties of cabbage. It is better to use the beds after growing legumes, peppers, beets or tomatoes.

In order to properly plant Japanese lettuce seeds, you must adhere to the following rules:

• planting can be carried out both by seedlings and by sowing seeds into the soil;
• optimal planting time – April-May;
• to get a continuous series of seedlings, you need to sow the seeds of Japanese cabbage from April (when the soil temperature is at least 10 °) to the end of August with an interval of 2 weeks;
• seeds are planted in rows, the gap between them should not exceed 20-30 cm;
• optimal temperature for seed sowing 15 20 ° С;
• under favorable conditions, the first sprouts germinate a week after planting;
• in open ground conditions, the first sprouts need to be covered with a film or thin non-woven material (up to emergence of seedlings);
• after germination of the seedlings, thinning is necessary;
• selective cutting of greenery is carried out when the leaves are 10cm (if you leave the root, the greenery will grow again);
• mature sockets are cut completely, keeping the root in the soil.

Care

Care that requires Japanese I cabbage, similar to the care of Chinese cabbage.

Watering

All varieties of cabbage such different hygrophilous, but they absolutely can not pereuvlazhnyat. Excess moisture reduces productivity and can lead to rotting of the root system. It is necessary to water both the roots and the ground between the seedlings.

Weeding

Regular weeding is required, as weeds can be a source of insect pests. Mulching the soil will help reduce the number of weeds. The distance between plants for full growth should be at least 20 cm.

Fertilizer

To increase green mass and quickly recover after a cut of greenery, fertilizer must be applied every 2 weeks. Japanese cabbage is fed mainly by phosphorus and potassium. Like Petsai, culture tends to accumulate nitrates. Therefore, the application of nitrogen fertilizers should be minimal.

The ideal top dressing for green mustard is wood ash (used in dry pollination and as a component of infusion for the root system). Japanese kale is a short-day crop and needs shading in the afternoon (otherwise arrows may form).

Pests

Cabbage can be attacked by pests

Kale is susceptible to pests such as:

• cabbage aphids,
• cruciferous fleas,
• slugs,
• bears.

Chemicals are not used in the cultivation of Japanese cabbage therefore folk recipes are used. The most popular remedies are herbal decoctions, tobacco dust, wood ash.Special traps are set against the bear.

An important preventive method is to periodically inspect the seedlings to start the fight in a timely manner in case of crop failure.

Diseases

This vegetable is resistant to most diseases, but still it is susceptible to fungal diseases:

• kila;
• false dew.

Kila

The fungal form of the disease mainly affects ornamental and vegetable crops. The disease is expressed in the appearance of growths on the roots of the plant. The affected culture stops growing, the leaves lose their color, the stem begins to dry out and deform. You can determine the presence of the disease by pulling it out of the ground and examining the roots.

Prevention

To prevent the development of this disease, you need to inspect the plants before planting, it is better to refuse weakened or deformed sprouts immediately. Also to prevent the disease will help liming the soil. Before planting, you need to mix the soil with lime, with the calculation of 1 kg per 4 sq.m.

False dew

False dew also refers to fungal diseases. It is expressed in the appearance of yellow-brown spots on the first full leaves of the vegetable.