Despite the fact that Savoy cabbage is not as widely cultivated as white cabbage, nevertheless this crop deserves attention. Although in yield it is inferior to other species, but in resistance to adverse environmental influences surpasses them. Growing savoy cabbage is not a big deal. To do this, follow the recommendations for planting and caring for the plant at all stages of its development.
Growing Savoy cabbage seedlings at home
Seedling method allows to accelerate the ripening process and bring harvest closer.
When to plant for seedlings
You can determine the time of planting Savoy cabbage for seedlings by the ripening dates of the selected variety and the time when harvesting is planned. Cabbage of early varieties is sown in mid-March, medium - in late March-April, late - in early April. In addition, the time of planting in open ground depends on climatic conditions. Seedlings of early varieties are transplanted, as a rule, in 45-50 days after sowing, medium and late ripening - in 35-45 days.
To get a harvest of Savoy cabbage earlier, it is grown through seedlings
Priming
The substrate is best harvested since the fall, but if this was not possible, then you can prepare it before sowing. The soil for cabbage should be light and fertile. The main components in its composition are peat, turf land and sand in equal proportions.
It is not recommended to sow seeds in the ground from the garden, since it is likely that it contains dangerous pests and infections that can adversely affect crops.
If the soil is obviously acidic, then 1 tbsp. l ash or lime per 1 kg of land. Ash also serves as fertilizer and protection against the black legs. In addition, the soil substrate is treated with Fitosporin or potassium permanganate for disinfection purposes.
In preparing the soil for seedlings of Savoy cabbage, turf land, sand and peat are used
For sowing cabbage seeds for seedlings, you can use a coconut substrate with vermiculite (3: 1). Coconut fiber, due to its structure, promotes the transmission of moisture and air, and vermiculite contains nutrients, which positively affects the development of roots and reduces the likelihood of a black leg. Peat tablets are no less common for sowing seeds. They contain growth stimulants, minerals and substances to protect against bacteria.
Capacities
You can grow seedlings of Savoy cabbage in almost any capacity, but keep in mind that the seedlings of this crop are quite fragile, and their damage leads to stunting. You can grow seedlings in cassettes, seedlings or cups. Separate containers can be cut plastic bottles, cans, boxes.
Savoy cabbage can be sown in separate cups
With a small number of seedlings, it is better to plant in separate cups or containers from which plants will be planted in open ground without diving.
Planting capacity should be with drainage holes, which will eliminate stagnation of moisture in the soil.
For large plantings, cabbage seeds are best sown in seedlings or special cassettes
Seeds
It is advisable to sort the seeds before sowing, selecting medium and large ones. To do this, they are put in a 3% salt solution for 5 minutes. Small grains will emerge, and heavy ones will settle to the bottom - they should be used for planting. In addition, the seed must undergo a disinfection procedure, for which it is soaked in a solution of potassium permanganate. This helps prevent the development of fungal and bacterial diseases. Soaking lasts 20 minutes, after which the seeds are washed in clean water.
When preparing Savoy cabbage seeds for sowing, they are processed in potassium permanganate
On this pre-sowing treatment does not end. So that Savoy cabbage sprouts faster, the seeds are placed in the Epin solution for 12 hours, for which 1 drop of the substance is diluted in 0.5 l of water. It is possible to improve seed germination by hardening. To do this, they are placed in water with a temperature of 50aboutC for 15 minutes. Then the planting material is transferred to the refrigerator (1-2aboutC) and left for a day, after which they are dried and proceed to sowing.
Painted cabbage seeds do not need preliminary preparation, as the manufacturer has already taken care of this.
Step-by-step landing process
Seeds are sown in the following sequence:
- Shallow grooves (up to 1 cm) are made in the seedling box at a distance of 3 cm from each other.
When sowing in seedlings, grooves are made with a distance of 3 cm from each other
- Seeds are sown with an interval of 1.5 cm, after which they are sprinkled with soil, lightly tamped the ground and sprayed from the sprayer.
Seeds are sown with an interval of 1.5 cm, after which they are sprinkled with a layer of soil and lightly tamped
- The box with crops is covered with a film and kept at a temperature of 18aboutFROM.
After sowing seeds, the container is covered with a film
- When sowing seeds in separate containers, 2-3 seeds are placed in each of them. After the development of seedlings, up to 2-3 real leaves leave one strong, and the rest are removed.
When sowing in separate containers, 2-3 seeds are placed in each pot
Video: sowing Savoy cabbage for seedlings
Seedling Care
In order for seedlings to develop normally, it is necessary to create optimal conditions for it.
Temperature
Savoy cabbage sprouts 5-7 days after sowing. After that, remove the film, transfer the seedlings to a bright place and provide a temperature regime of 10-12aboutC in the daytime and around 8aboutAt night, which will avoid stretching seedlings. At this temperature, the plants are kept for a week, after which they create more comfortable conditions: in the afternoon - 20aboutC, at night - 18aboutFROM.
Lighting
For the normal development of seedlings, it is necessary to provide a sufficient amount of light for 12 hours. It is best to put a box with young seedlings on the windowsill on the south side and create diffused light, for which they use white sheets of paper.
It often happens that the length of daylight and the light intensity are insufficient, as a result of which the seedlings weaken and stretch. In this case, you will need to install an additional light source - fluorescent lamps or modern phytolamps, LED sources. They are placed above the plants at a height of 25 cm.
Natural lighting for cabbage seedlings may not be enough, so you will need to organize additional lighting
Watering
For the good development of seedlings, it is necessary to maintain soil moisture at 75%, and air - about 85%. A lack of moisture worsens the condition of the seedlings: they turn yellow and fade. At the same time, overmoistening and stagnation of water should be avoided, since this can lead to the development of fungal diseases, in particular, the black leg.
Savoy cabbage loves moisture, so the moisture content of the soil is maintained at 75%, air - 85%, for which on hot days you can resort to spraying
It is necessary to moisten the soil as the top layer dries up, and to water only with settled water at room temperature. To improve air exchange, the soil after irrigation is loosened, and the room with seedlings is ventilated.
Pickled savoy cabbage
If the seedlings grow weak, then you can try to save her by diving. Pick-up is carried out in separate cups or in larger boxes after the formation of one real leaflet. As the soil substrate, sand with turf soil in equal proportions is used, but universal soil for seedlings is also suitable.
Sequencing:
- At the bottom of the prepared container, a layer of expanded clay or perlite is poured for drainage, which eliminates stagnation of water near the roots.
- Pour the substrate, leaving a hole in the center for the seedling.
The tank is filled with soil mixture, leaving a hole for the seedlings in the center
- Before picking, a box with seedlings is spilled with water.
- To extract the seedlings, a scapula is used, with which the plants are separated together with an earthen lump.
To remove the seedling, use a spatula with which to carefully separate the sprout with a lump of earth
- The sapling is held by the stem and planted in a prepared glass. The roots during transplantation are shortened by 1/3 of the length.
- The plant is deepened to the level of cotyledonous leaves, after which the earth is watered with a weak solution of manganese. If the earth has compacted, you need to add a little more soil mixture and slightly moisten.
When diving seedlings, the sprout must be deepened to the level of cotyledon leaves
For faster recovery of transplanted seedlings, it should be protected from direct sunlight. In the first few days after a dive, provide a temperature of 22-25aboutC and avoid waterlogging of the soil. Then create the usual conditions for this culture - 14-16aboutHappy 6-10aboutC at night and 12-16aboutC in cloudy weather.
Planting seedlings in the ground
Before planting seedlings on the site, it is recommended to harden the plants. To do this, in the room where the seedlings are grown, for two days, open the window for 3-4 hours. In the next few days, the boxes are taken out to the veranda or insulated loggia, providing protection from direct sunlight. Time is increasing every day. On the sixth day of quenching, watering is stopped, the box or cups with seedlings are exposed under the open sky for the whole day: under these conditions, the seedlings are located before planting in the garden.
Before planting the seedlings of Savoy cabbage in open ground, it is necessary to harden the plants
Seedlings begin to be planted in May, but the exact dates depend on climatic conditions. By this moment, the plants should reach a height of 15-20 cm, be dark green in color, have a well-developed root system, healthy and strong stems with 5-6 leaves. The best time for a transplant would be evening hours or cloudy weather.
Good previous crops are legumes, grains, beets, onions, potatoes, and cucumbers. After cruciferous (radish, radish, cabbage, rutabaga) Savoy cabbage is better not to plant.
Seedlings are planted to a depth of 8-10 cm and watered with a nutrient solution based on mineral fertilizers
Depending on the type of cabbage, the location of the plants on the plot will depend: for early varieties, seedlings are planted according to the scheme 65x35 cm, for medium and medium late - 70x50 cm. 8-10 cm deep holes are made under the seedlings and 1 liter of nutrient solution is poured (80 g of superphosphate , 20 g of ammonia and potassium nitrate per 10 l of water). Seedlings in boxes should be pre-watered. The sprout is carefully removed together with the earthen lump, placed in the planting hole and sprinkled with earth to the level of the lower leaves, then watered and mulched with dry earth: the mulch avoids the rapid evaporation of moisture. If there is a probability of return frosts, then the bed with cabbage is covered with lutrasil.
Lutrasil is a non-woven material made from polypropylene fiber and designed to protect plants from unpredictable weather conditions.
Growing Savoy cabbage from seeds in the open ground
Savoy cabbage can be grown not only through seedlings, but also by direct sowing of seeds in open ground with the use of covering material.
Landing time
The timing of sowing seeds depends on the selected variety and weather conditions. May is the most favorable, but it can be planted in April if you first cover the garden bed with a film to warm the soil. Cabbage seeds germinate at a temperature of 2-3aboutC, however, for normal development, these indicators should be in the range of 15-20aboutFROM.
Soil and seed preparation
Loamy, sod-podzolic, loamy soils are suitable for Savoy cabbage. Crops on clay soils are best avoided. The site should be well lit throughout the day. It is advisable to prepare the soil in the fall, for which:
- make manure or compost in the amount of 5 kg per 1 m2as well as mineral fertilizers;
- in peaty areas, it will be necessary to add potassium chloride 20-40 g per 1 m2;
- on light and sandy loam, which are poor in potassium and phosphorus, in addition to manure, add 40 g of superphosphate and 15 g of potassium chloride per 1 m2;
- on acidic loams, ash or lime is applied to lower the acidity level (100 g per 1 m2).
The process of preparing seed material is similar to the preparation of seeds when planting on seedlings.
Compost is an excellent organic fertilizer in preparing a plot for savoy cabbage since autumn
Step-by-step seeding process
In order for the seeds to sprout together, it is necessary to adhere to the planting technology. To do this, perform the following steps:
- Small holes are made on the bed and watered so that the soil is saturated to a depth of 20 cm.
- In each pit make 1 tsp. ash and urea, then place 3-4 seeds to a depth of 3-3.5 cm.
- Sprinkle each hole with earth and slightly compacted.
- Cover with a cropped plastic bottle or film.
The scheme for planting Savoy cabbage is similar to planting seedlings in open ground, but another option can be applied: for early cabbage 45x45 cm, for late cabbage 50x50 cm.
Video: sowing cabbage seeds in open ground
Savoy cabbage care
The main agricultural practices that are required for Savoy cabbage are irrigation, cultivation, top dressing, lighting.
Watering
Despite the fact that the culture loves moisture, it is necessary to water it under the root, and not from above, as some gardeners do. Such irrigation can lead to infection with mucous bacteriosis, which will ruin the crop. If the weather is dry, it is recommended to moisten the air by spraying the plants every 15 minutes in the hottest hours. Loosening is no less important, as it promotes the flow of oxygen to the root system and the removal of weeds. In order to better form lateral roots, it is necessary to constantly carry out the earthing up of plants.
Top dressing
Savoy cabbage is fed throughout the entire growing period. If the culture is cultivated by direct sowing in the soil, then fertilizing is best done 3 weeks after planting. To do this, prepare a nutrient solution of mullein (0.5 l) and urea (1 tsp), diluting them in 10 l of water. After two weeks, they are supplemented with nitroammophos (2 tbsp. Per 10 liters of water).
Cabbage responds well to top dressing with organic fertilizers, which are used as an infusion of mullein with the addition of urea
Diseases and pests of savoy cabbage
After the seedlings are planted in open ground, it is necessary to provide plants with protection against insect pests, which can cause quite significant damage to the future crop.
The cruciferous flea leaves small depressions on the leaves, which eventually turn into holes. If a pest is detected at an early stage of plant development, a non-woven covering material is used for protection, which covers the cabbage bed. In addition, they resort to pollination of plantations with a mixture of tobacco dust and ash in a ratio of 1: 2 (so that the mixture lingers better on plants and is not blown away by the wind, the plants are sprayed with water first). With a large number of flea beds, they are treated with Actellic.
If the leaves of the cabbage are damaged by a cruciferous flea, the pits remain, which after turn into holes
Caterpillars are dangerous for cabbage: they lay eggs on leaves.Under the influence of these pests, the cabbage foliage becomes disfigured, but the worst thing is that the caterpillars can reach the central part, as a result of which the formation of the head will stop. The pest along with nests and eggs can be collected manually or processed by Intavir.
The caterpillar can damage not only cabbage leaves, but also get to the head of cabbage
Cabbage fly does a lot of damage to cabbage, which lays eggs on the roots. The plant begins to wither, hurt, it may seem that it lacks moisture. However, even with sufficient watering, the situation remains unchanged. As a means of pest control, good results are shown by pollination with tobacco or shag. In addition, it is possible to irrigate with salt water (1 tablespoon of salt per 1 liter of water), which will eliminate the wilting of the foliage when affected by a fly. From effective chemicals, Topaz, Karbofos, Spark can be used.
If the plantations are damaged by cabbage, the plants fade, get sick, which is similar to a lack of moisture
Cabbage is often affected by fungal diseases. One of these is the black leg. Darkening forms on the affected plant in the basal zone. The stalk of young seedlings first becomes watery, then turns brown and rots. On adult cabbage plantings, the lesion site darkens, dries up, which leads to significant growth delays. Preventive measures are to maintain moisture in the soil at an optimal level. Of the biological agents that are suitable for protection, you can use Fitosporin-M, from chemical ones - Khom, Metaxil. These drugs spray seedlings and the root system during transplantation.
The black leg is the most common disease of cabbage seedlings, in which a darkening forms in the root zone of the stem
Another fungal disease of savoy cabbage, the cause of which is waterlogging of the soil - keel. First, the edges of the leaves turn yellow on the plants and wither, the head of the head stops developing, it also falls to one side, and growths appear on the root system. Since there are currently no special drugs to combat the disease, they use antifungal agents (Trichodermin, Previkur, Topaz).
The infection of cabbage can be judged by yellowing and wilting of leaves along the edges, a stop in the development of head
With fusarium wilt, seedlings are affected, which negatively affects the quality of the crop. With the disease, the leaves turn yellow, after which they wither and fall off. In order to prevent watering, make with the addition of Fitosporin-M. It is recommended to remove the affected plants, and treat the cabbage bed with fungicides such as Topsin-M, Tecto, Benomil. It is necessary to observe crop rotation, burn affected plants, and disinfect the soil in autumn with copper sulfate (5 g per 10 l of water).
You can plant varieties and hybrids resistant to Fusarium, for example, Vertyu 1340.
With fusarium cabbage, the leaves turn yellow, after which they fade and fall
Harvesting and storage
It is recommended to start harvesting Savoy cabbage in dry weather. A sharp knife is used to cut heads. Early varieties are harvested in June-early July, late - in mid-autumn. Since late ripe cabbage can withstand frosts down to -7aboutC, it is removed from the beds as late as possible. Early varieties are not subject to long-term storage, so they are consumed almost immediately. As for the late varieties, under the right storage conditions, the heads do not lose their freshness and benefits for six months.
Late varieties of Savoy cabbage are resistant to cold, so the harvest is removed from the garden as late as possible
After harvesting, it is advisable to cover it with crushed chalk and leave it for two days in a dry room. After that, the cabbage is transferred to a room where it will be stored at a humidity of 90-95% and a temperature of 0 to 3aboutFROM.
During harvesting, it is not necessary to trim the roots and stitches: cabbage can be hung together with the roots in the cellar. If the underground part is cut off, then the heads are laid up for storage with stitches upwards and sprinkled with dry sand.
Video: storing the cabbage crop until spring
Savoy cabbage belongs to unpretentious plants and does not require special attention. The frost resistance of the culture allows it to be cultivated even in areas with harsh climatic conditions. If you are an avid gardener, then Savoy cabbage should not be overlooked, because it can be grown not only as a vegetable crop, but also used to decorate the site thanks to beautiful leaves.
