Do not pick off the leaves from the cauliflower - there will be large heads of cabbage!
WHY IS BETTER NOT TO PICK THE LEAVES FROM THE CAULIFLOWER - MY EXPERIENCE
The answer to the ancient riddle "What appeared first: a chicken or an egg?" Turns out to be directly related to the cultivation of cauliflower.
For a very long time I could not grow cauliflower: either the heads turned out to be small, then they were somehow "liquid", then they were all strewn with strange black dots - I didn't even want to cut them off. One day I meet a friend on the street, and she began to share with me her joy about the good harvests of cauliflower. Oh how! We must go and see what's what. I went, looked around and was also delighted with the landings. And especially from the large beautiful leaves of cabbage at the initial stage of its cultivation. And then I realized my mistake.
I used to think that the less foliage the plants have, the larger the heads will grow.
I studied a lot of literature and found confirmation of my guess: first I need to grow healthy leaves, and as many as possible. And now, when I plant cabbage seedlings on the garden bed, I make the following top dressing for it: I pour 10 liters of water into a 9-liter bucket, dilute 1 glass of chalk and 1 liter of fermented grass. If there is still no green fertilizer, then I replace it with a urea matchbox.
At the same time, first I fill the planting holes with water, and after it is absorbed, I pour in 1 liter of nutrient solution. Well, then I plant the seedlings and immediately mulch them. And after two weeks (when it is taken), I feed it with the same nutrient solution.
See also: Seedlings of cauliflower - sowing cultivation and step-by-step care (Sverdlovsk region)
By the way, about mulch.
The cut grass and the weeds weeded out are, of course, all very well. But I found another very interesting and effective option. I collect the walnut shells, grind it with a hammer and scatter all this mass around the plants. What's good about that? Well, firstly, such mulch perfectly protects cabbage from slugs, which, judging by the letters, have already become a real scourge of gardeners. And secondly, the shell contains a huge amount of substances useful for plants: here you have fiber, proteins, and fats, as well as extractive and ash compounds.
I must say here that I have been collecting kitchen waste for a long time, which after fermentation is mixed with 20-30 parts of the earth and use it as fertilizer: I apply it under the crowns of all berry bushes and fruit trees. I also use the liquid that forms after the fermentation of the waste.
I add one glass to 10 liters of non-chlorinated water, mix and sprinkle all vegetables, berries and shrubs. Of course, all these "goodies" go to cauliflower.
And now I have no problems with her: huge, beautiful leaves and very decent heads of cabbage flaunt on the beds. And last year the cabbage gave me a surprise. Somehow I walk along the path along the garden bed, and my gaze falls on the plant from which I previously cut off such a strong head: something strange is hiding under the spreading leaves.
I looked in, and there, at the very bottom (just a little short of the ground), a stem moved sideways from the main root, and a second head, along with the leaves, also grew on it. It was a shock for me! The fact that broccoli grows new heads until the very frost, I know, but so that the colored one ?! Maybe this is also in the order of things for her? Tell me, dear gardeners! I, of course, immediately photographed this miracle, although I had to remove the foliage for this. I wish all summer residents health and excellent harvests!
NOTE: TO YOURSELF A SYNOPTIC
I prefer to grow white cabbage through seedlings in a small impromptu greenhouse-school. There is only one difficulty: the seeds of this culture are too small, and even black. But nothing, I adapted. And the technology is like that. In early May, I dig up a small piece of earth, carefully loosen everything there, sow seeds and put a car tire on this place, which I cover with a piece of non-woven material on top, and press its edges with pegs. That's it: the mini-greenhouse for seedlings is ready, and if it takes a few minutes to assemble it, then it can be disassembled just as quickly.
I foresee many objections that tires are not a sustainable solution. But I only need them for a while, until the seedlings grow up and get stronger. And the seeds in such a greenhouse sprout quickly. I thin out the seedlings, feed them twice and in a month I transplant them to a permanent place - where there is no shadow. Every year I make the ridges in a new place to create some kind of crop rotation.
After all, I have a small plot, you can't really walk around. Therefore, all the beds I have are six to seven meters long, and if on some I have to place several "tenants", then I divide the planted crops with pegs. By the way, I always make the ridges in the fall, filling them with grass and tops from the harvested root crops, so that by the new season this organic matter could rot and nourish the soil. I only add manure with garlic, onions and cucumbers.
And I never sow seeds in cold ground, even if according to special literature and general ideas all the dates have come - I am definitely waiting for the warmth.
The climate no longer corresponds to the Church Slavonic calendar, on which our ancestors were guided. And in general, farming should not follow a template.
Therefore, for example, I personally sow beets only after May 15th. From one seed-nodule, three or four plants grow in me. I plant them when each has two or three leaves, and such sprouts take root well. But! If you are a little late with sowing, then it will be more difficult for the shoots to take root in a new place. A couple of times over the summer I loosen and weed the beets. Then it grows and drowns out the weeds itself well. I don't fertilize it with anything, I just water it. Last year, beets growing from the edge of the garden have gained such a mass that a three-liter saucepan could hold two or three pieces.
© Author: Alexander Nikolaevich PORKHUNOV
See also: 2 cauliflower harvest per year! My way
TAKE OFF LEAVES AT CAPS - VIDEO OPINION
© Author: Lyudmila LISINA. Insar. Mordovia
Below other entries on the topic "Dacha and garden - with their own hands"
- How to grow very large cabbage - 10 care tips
- DIY lace flower garden from ornamental cabbage (brassica)
- Growing cabbage in the Tyumen region - planting and care
- My method of sowing and planting early and late cabbage (Ryazan region)
- Why does cabbage wither and how to treat it?
- Proven varieties of cabbage for growing in the country
- Cabbage Cale (photo) planting and care. Varieties of Russian cabbage
- Heating a greenhouse for cabbage with an electric heater and other care (Amur Region)
- Cultivation of cabbage: from seedlings to snacks
- Multicolored cauliflower - varieties of planting and care (Samara)
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To tie the cauliflower
Sometimes, for unknown reasons, cabbage begins to fatten, regardless of the variety and variety. The leaves are huge, and the heads are not tied (photo 1). Please note: the cabbage leaf is up to my chest. So imagine the size of cauliflower, and this is it.
She grew her own from seeds, did not feed anything. Initially, I plant in purchased land: it already comes with fertilizer, which is enough for the growth of seedlings. When my color tree grew to an unprecedented size in the garden, and there were no fork ovaries, I began to pick off the lower leaves to feed the hens (photo 2) - I thought it would still be of no use. My living creatures will not eat such a mountain of leaves right away, so I pinched off a little from the bottom of the stalk.
I complained to my neighbor about such a “harvest” - she told me that the cabbage should be watered with ice water: then, they say, it will start. And where can I get it in the summer, ice? However, I had to experiment.
The water was frozen in a pan in the freezer and watered every three days for two weeks. And - about a miracle! - in the middle began to look through a small white fork. He grew up small, but his own (photo 3). So I don’t know what helped: breaking leaves in a large volume or cold water? If you have such a problem, try both methods and write how it went for you to find out: is it an accident or a good way to wake up the cabbage?
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Cauliflower seeds were planted for the first time this year. But the plants never formed heads. Why?
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- The primary reason for this "behavior" of cabbage is poor-quality seedlings with weak roots. After planting in the ground, such plants hardly start to grow, and they no longer have enough strength to tie the head. The heads may also fail to tie both at low temperatures and at temperatures above +28 degrees.
Lack of nutrients can also lead to a lack of crops. Twice during the summer, with an interval of 3-4 weeks, it is necessary to feed the cauliflower with infusion of bird droppings (1:20), mullein (1:10) or a solution of complex mineral fertilizer (according to the instructions).
When the heads begin to tie, dilute 10 g of boric acid, 2 g of manganese sulfate (not to be confused with potassium permanganate!) And 1,5 g of ammonium molybdenum in 0,5 liters of water. Pour 0,5 L of the solution under each plant.
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Help, I have problems with cauliflower: very small heads have grown, besides, they are crumbling. I observe the crop rotation. She shaded cabbage from the sun, planted seedlings, watered - in general, I did everything as always, but there was no harvest. What are the reasons, does the hot summer affect the formation of heads, and how to protect cabbage in the open field? What else can you do besides installing arcs with a shade mesh?
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For storage, I select dense white heads with a diameter of 12-1 5 cm. I remove the leaves, rinse with running water. I dry, wrap each in two layers of paper or cling film and send it to the refrigerator on the shelf for storing vegetables. I change the wrapper periodically.
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I love cauliflower, so I always set aside a large garden for it. In order not to miss the moment of harvesting, I check the inflorescences every 2-3 days. You need to have time to cut them off before they become soft. In hot weather, cabbage ripens quickly and needs to be checked more frequently. So that the inflorescences develop more slowly and gain weight, I shade them from the scorching sun with a thin spunbond.
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To get a large head of cauliflower, you need to have at least 20 leaves on the plant. And for this, the soil in the garden bed must be constantly moist.
Even a 2-3-day break in watering during the period of tying the heads leads to the fact that they will be small and "crumbly". Moreover, subsequent watering will not correct the situation.