How to grow Chinese cabbage in a greenhouse. Growing cabbage in a greenhouse: early, Beijing, cauliflower and white cabbage. Growing broccoli in a greenhouse

• Chinese cabbage

White cabbage - preparing seedlings

How to grow white cabbage in a greenhouse? Exclusively from seedlings. To obtain seedlings, we sow cabbage seeds on steam beds. We dig a hole in the ground about 30 cm deep, place biofuel at the bottom, and sprinkle soil on top. Cover the bed with film. When the soil warms up to +20°C, you can sow the seeds. It is better to choose large and dark seeds for planting. Soak the seeds for 20 minutes in hot water (not boiling water!), then place them in cold water for 3 minutes and dry them, spreading them out on paper. You can also disinfect the seeds with a nitrophoska solution. We build a greenhouse over the ridge with a height of at least 30 cm and sow the seeds. We cover the top of the greenhouse with additional insulation, for example, an old blanket. When the first shoots appear, we begin to harden the seedlings, removing the film cover for the day. After the first leaf appears, the seedlings will need to be thinned out and the temperature in the greenhouse raised to +12°C. After 2-3 leaves appear, we increase watering. It is best to water white cabbage seedlings early in the morning. Now you need to start feeding the cabbage. To do this, we use a mixture of nitrogen, potassium fertilizers and superphosphate. The second feeding is carried out only with nitrogen fertilizers. Before planting seedlings in the greenhouse, a third fertilizing is carried out with nitrogen, potassium and phosphorus fertilizers. When the seedlings have 4 leaves, we transplant the seedlings into a greenhouse. Before doing this, thoroughly water the plants. There is no need to clear the roots from the soil. If you are going to use only part of the seedlings, choose those sprouts that have a greenish-purple color. Plants with light green stems may not take root in a greenhouse due to a poorly developed root system. Maintain intervals between plants of 30-40 cm. The first watering of cabbage in a new place is carried out no earlier than a week later.

White cabbage in a greenhouse

It is preferable to grow early cabbage in a greenhouse. These are varieties such as “Ditmarskaya Rannyaya”, “Golden Hectare 1432”, “Number One K-206”. Seeds are sown in a greenhouse in the first half of February, and transplanted into a greenhouse in early April. Some experts suggest sowing seeds as early as December, and then illuminating the seedlings with special lamps. The technology for growing cabbage is to ensure the required air temperature in the greenhouse - 15-20°C, maintaining a high level of humidity and light. Once every two weeks, the soil needs to be loosened and fertilized with a solution of manure.

Cauliflower

Before planting cauliflower seedlings in a greenhouse, organic fertilizers are added to the soil. Seedlings are planted in a permanent place in March, with an interval of 15-25 cm between plants. If you place the seedlings too close to each other, the cauliflower heads will turn out small. After two weeks we fertilize with organic fertilizers, the next fertilizing is done after another 2 weeks. Growing cauliflower requires high humidity in the greenhouse. Due to lack of moisture, especially at high temperatures, cabbage heads begin to crumble. Therefore, the greenhouse should be thoroughly ventilated and the air temperature should not be allowed to rise above +18°C. It is important to cut off the heads in time, otherwise they will crumble. In the early stages of cauliflower growth, the plants can be supplemented with light.

Chinese cabbage

The main thing for Chinese cabbage is a large amount of moisture. The root system of this plant is quite shallow, so it is not able to absorb moisture from the lower layers of the soil. Watering should be done regularly. Follow the recommended temperature for Chinese cabbage:

The garden crop in the form of Chinese cabbage has become a fairly common variety for growing in household plots. Also called “petsai” and salad cabbage, Chinese cabbage is quite rapidly conquering the vast expanses of Russia and the CIS countries. And this is not surprising, since the technology used for cultivation and care is quite simple.

And even the method of cultivation without seedlings can give good results and will please you with the volume of harvest. Judging by the appearance of the plant, it can be assumed that Pekinka is a capricious crop. This can be evidenced not only by whole tender leaves, the surface of which is wrinkled and swollen, but also by the structure itself.

There are three varieties of Chinese cabbage, which differ in shape and structural density. These are leafy, semi-headed and cabbage.

How to grow a petsai?

Pekinka is ideal for both growing in greenhouse conditions and for home use. Growing lettuce can be done in seedlings or without seedlings.

The timing of planting Chinese cabbage, as well as further care and yield directly depend on the method of cultivation. And it also depends on what varieties of Chinese cabbage you choose. A competent approach to the use of autumn and spring varieties is the key to quality “fruits” and a good harvest. A short video review will tell you about the benefits and features of growing Chinese cabbage

About growing by seedling method

Chinese cabbage seeds can be sown to obtain seedlings from mid-March until approximately mid-April. For this method, as a rule, special boxes, peat tablets or clay cups are used.

However, when using the latter, it is worth remembering that clay can draw moisture from the soil, and its lack will affect germination. Therefore, on the eve of planting the seedlings, it is worth soaking the clay pots in water. Next, you need to prepare the mixture for sowing.

To do this, you will need to take peat and turf soil in equal parts, and also add a little ash or mineral fertilizers. Afterwards, the mixture is disinfected with a weak solution of potassium permanganate.

The finished planting substrate is placed in pots or boxes, then small holes are made in it and about 1 cm deep. 2-3 seeds are planted in each such hole. Further care for future seedlings will consist of the following: after 3-4 days ( with the appearance of the first shoots), the containers should be moved to a well-lit place.

Moreover, the temperature in that place should be approximately 15-16 degrees. A glazed and insulated balcony is considered ideal. It will be necessary to water the soil in which the seedlings grow only as the top layer dries.

Water at room temperature is perfect for irrigation. If cultivation occurs in small containers and pots, then with the appearance of the first 2-3 leaves of the seedlings, it is worth discarding the weak seedlings, leaving only one, the strongest. Cabbage in the form of seedlings will be ready for planting in open ground after 22 - 25 days ( from the moment of sowing).In principle, its readiness for replanting can be determined by the number of leaves on the seedlings - if there are at least 5-6 of them on the stem. The main thing is to remember that Peking seedlings do not need hardening.

Sowing in open ground

For this method, an excellent period in which to start growing Chinese cabbage is considered to be the 16th - 30th of June. The depth at which the seedlings should be planted should be no more than 2-3 cm, and the distance between the planting rows should be kept in the range of 10 - 20 cm - for leaf varieties, 30 - 50 cm - for half-headed and cabbage varieties. Between the holes in the rows you need to leave 3-5 cm (for leafy cabbage) and 20-25 cm (for cabbage and half-head cabbage). Caring for cabbage during such planting is divided into soil preparation and seedling maintenance.

The site should be selected in the fall. It is better if the predecessors in this place were carrots, onions, potatoes, cucumbers or legumes. The soil on the site needs to be dug up and mineral as well as organic fertilizers applied.

Chinese cabbage does not like soils with an acidic composition, therefore, such soils should be treated with lime mortar. In this state, the plot is left to spend the winter. With the arrival of spring, the plot is enriched with compost, leveling the surface and forming planting rows so that further care of the cabbage is comfortable and does not interfere with the development of the crop. Next, it is worth making holes and adding to them:

• 2 tbsp. l superphosphate; 1 tsp urea; 2 cups wood ash.

After which the cabbage in the form of seedlings is planted under the open sky. In the first 2 weeks, it is necessary to provide additional care for the seedlings in terms of artificial shading. This is important to do so that the head of cabbage is formed correctly.

You can shorten the daylight hours yourself by covering the beds with lutrasil in the late afternoon.

Sowing in a greenhouse

Greenhouse cultivation involves sowing seeds in early March. Provided that the greenhouse is heated. In film shelters without heating, you can start planting at the end of March and April.

For planting in such conditions, cabbage of spring and universal varieties is suitable. Some use autumn varieties of Pekinka for planting it in August. For sowing in greenhouse conditions, the main thing is to ensure that the soil is nutritious and well-moistened.

Depending on the maintained temperature conditions, seedlings will appear in 4–10 days. The planting pattern can be used the same as for seedlings. You can plant plants even thicker, but in the future you will need to thin out the seedlings.

How to care

When caring for seedlings and adult cabbage, it is worth remembering that it needs:

• regular refreshing watering (without overwatering); loosening the soil (when weeding, soil should not fall on the apical bud of Chinese cabbage); weed and pest control.

Peculiarities of breeding early ripening varieties ^

If you decide to choose “early ripening” for planting, you should pay attention to the most popular varieties among summer residents:

• “Number one K-206” grows in 120 days and gives a harvest of 30-40 kg per 10 m?. The heads of cabbage ripen at the same time, they are small in size, medium density, round in shape and weigh up to 2 kg. The leaves grow in a small rosette. The stump is short. The variety is recommended to be consumed fresh in salads. In areas of the north-west of the country, shooting is possible during a long spring.

“Number One” should be harvested on time, otherwise the heads of cabbage will become cracked and the quality of the product will decrease

• “Golden Hectare 1432” ripens 110-130 days from the moment the seedlings peck, a little later than “Number One”. A couple of weeks after the first formed heads of cabbage appear, the entire harvest can be harvested. This variety is not prone to cracking. The heads of cabbage are white, round in shape, of medium density, their weight reaches 3 kg. The socket is larger than that of “Number One”. Medium stump – 7-18 cm.

“Golden hectare 1432” is suitable for both fresh consumption and fermentation

• “Ditmarskaya Rannyaya” grows earlier than other varieties - 50-70 days after planting, and this is much earlier than “Number One”. It is distinguished by high marketability of heads of cabbage and uniform yield. The shape of the heads of cabbage is round, slightly flat, and the density is average. Average weight is one and a half kilograms. From 10m? you can collect 30-40 kg of crop.

“Ditmar early” and other early ripening varieties are recommended to be grown in greenhouses. Peking cabbage is early ripening, and planting it in a greenhouse guarantees very early ripening. Growing up, it forms a rosette from the leaves, in other words, a loose head of cabbage.

After 20-40 days from the moment of emergence of seedlings, it is already possible to harvest. Chinese cabbage is recommended to be harvested either right before consumption, or early in the morning, as it withers quickly. Seeds have the ability to germinate even at 4-5? C, although the optimal growing conditions are 16- 18? C. Loose, fertile soil allows the root system to fully develop.

Usually at 1 m? 1 or 2 g of seeds are sown. Until the shoots appear, the temperature should be about 20? C, then it is gradually reduced to 10? C.

Further, temperature indicators depend on the time of day: up to 16? C at night and up to 22? C during the day. If seedlings are used for cultivation, then they are taken at 20 days of age and placed in the ground, taking into account a feeding area of ​​20x20 cm. Please note! Chinese cabbage is used in greenhouses to thicken tomatoes or cucumbers.

In this case, the soil should be thoroughly fertilized, and per 1 m? account for 30 g of superphosphate, 4 kg of humus, use ammonium nitrate, potassium chloride. During the growth process, 1 or 2 feedings are carried out with ammonium nitrate and potassium salt.

The heads are harvested before they fall apart. By the way, healthy plants with powerful leaves can produce a second harvest if you carefully cut off the first head. Leave 1-2 strong shoots, the rest are not needed.

Watering and fertilizing are carried out as usual. If you properly care for the plant, you can get heads weighing up to 500 g.

Growing broccoli in a greenhouse^

This plant can tolerate low temperatures, even frosts, so in the middle zone it is often planted in open ground, in beds. In non-Black Earth regions, broccoli seeds are sown in greenhouses as early as March.

On the 3rd or 4th day, shoots appear, and after 10 days 3-4 true leaves grow. Broccoli heads cut early in the morning are stored longer. If you take seedlings, then planting occurs at the end of April. The temperature in the greenhouse should not exceed 18? C during the day and 12? C at night.

It is recommended to plant 35-40-day-old plants with 5-6 true leaves. It is important to properly prepare the area allocated for planting broccoli seedlings. Since the fall, it has been dug up, limed and fertilizers applied: 30 g of superphosphate, 5 kg of manure, 20 g of potassium salt, 25 g of ammonium nitrate - per 1m2.

In spring, you can also effectively fertilize the soil; compost or humus, superphosphate, garden mixture, ammonium nitrate are suitable. Traditional care for broccoli: loosening, timely weeding, hilling, watering to a depth of 40 cm. Even before the flowers bloom, the central heads should be removed so that they did not become loose and tasteless.

By cutting off the heads 10-20 cm in diameter, they also grab a 10-centimeter part of the stem, which is also edible. After 2-3 weeks, slightly smaller offspring ripen - up to 6 cm. First, white cabbage seedlings are grown, and then they are transplanted into a greenhouse. Plant productivity depends on the quality of seedlings. Cabbage does not tolerate acidic soils, so they should be neutralized with lime

• Growing seedlings

Experts recommend using biofuel-powered greenhouses; in this case, you can start seedlings from March. Some summer residents make homemade steam beds: a pit 30 cm deep is filled with biofuel and a layer of soil, and covered with film on top. Sowing is done in soil heated to 20? C, having previously prepared the seeds: the largest of them should be kept in warm water for 20 minutes (50? C), quickly cool, dry and treat with a nitrophoska solution.

When the seeds are sown, the greenhouse is closed and insulated. On the 4th day the first shoots will appear, therefore, during the day the cover must be removed. Picking occurs when the first leaf of the seedlings pecks.

After this, the temperature in the greenhouse should be 10-12? C. “Proper” seedlings are strong, the ball of earth is braided with roots. Feeding the seedlings should be done carefully so that the leaves of the plants are not damaged by fertilizers. Watering is moderate, without waterlogging, better in the morning.

• Relocation of seedlings to a permanent place

Before transplanting seedlings, the greenhouse should be ventilated, leaving the windows open around the clock. There are requirements for seedlings: early varieties have 3 leaves, late varieties have 5 leaves. In addition, it must have a sufficiently developed root system.

The stem of healthy seedlings is lilac-green. When replanting seedlings, you should not shake off the soil from the roots. After about 8 days, the first watering should be done when the plant has taken root in the greenhouse.

• Caring for cabbage in a greenhouse

Balanced fertilizers for cabbage contribute to its full development. The main condition is to maintain the temperature regime and not overheat the plants. In addition, they need to be watered regularly, fertilized with nitrogen and potassium, and do not forget that cabbage does not tolerate shade - it develops properly only with plenty of light. Proper care is a guarantee of a high yield. Whatever variety you choose, growing cabbage in a greenhouse is much easier than in open ground. Water and care for cabbage and it will reward you with a generous harvest. If you prepare the seedlings correctly and follow the principles of growing cabbage, you are guaranteed a stable and rich harvest. Don't forget the popular wisdom: cabbage loves water and good weather.

They say that when Chinese cabbage first appeared on the shelves of domestic supermarkets, buyers, confused by the strange appearance of its heads, rarely dared to purchase an overseas curiosity with the unusual name “petsai”. Then, in order to quickly sell out the unusual product, savvy sellers ordered an advertising video in which petsai cabbage was dubbed “Chinese salad,” and things went well. Many years have passed since then, and Chinese cabbage has turned from exotic into a popular vegetable crop, which many Russian gardeners are willing to grow. The unpretentious Asian guest, whose agricultural technology is not much different from the technology for cultivating ordinary white cabbage, is easy to care for, but cultivating it in a greenhouse still has a number of characteristic features.

Features of Chinese cabbage agricultural technology

Unlike white cabbage, which forms heads within 90–175 days, Chinese cabbage ripens on 45–60 days from the date of germination, which makes it possible to obtain 2, and if grown in greenhouses, even 3 harvests per year

Chinese cabbage ripens 45-60 days after germination

Cabbage of this type is one of the short-day plants, so the seeds of “Chinese cabbage” are sown in open ground in the last ten days of April or early August, but in heated greenhouses it can be grown throughout the winter.

Chinese cabbage is a cold-resistant plant - its seeds can germinate at minimal above-zero temperatures, and the seedlings are not afraid of short-term morning frosts. However, for full development, this crop still requires moderate heat, so in the greenhouse where Chinese cabbage grows, it is necessary to constantly maintain a temperature of 16-21 ° C.

When grown in a greenhouse, you can get 2-3 harvests of Chinese cabbage per year

As already mentioned, petsai is a short-day crop, so it does not need additional lighting; moreover, to prevent bolting, Chinese cabbage sometimes has to be shaded with special screens in the evenings.

Attention! It is in low light that the petsai especially actively increases the vegetative mass and forms full-fledged beautiful heads of cabbage.

Care and feeding

The root system of Chinese cabbage is superficial and not very developed, which is why this crop is very sensitive to moisture deficiency in the soil. Young plants especially suffer from lack of water, so they should be watered especially often to prevent the top layer of the substrate from drying out.

Chinese cabbage needs to be fed regularly

Chinese cabbage grows well in light, nutritious soil with a neutral or slightly alkaline reaction. Since petsai is an early ripening crop, it does not have time to deplete the soil in 45 days of its growing season, and therefore does not need fertilizing.

Attention! Some vegetable growers, in order to accelerate the growth of green mass, often feed Chinese cabbage with mullein and other nitrogen fertilizers, but this should not be done due to the fact that Petsai has a genetic predisposition to the accumulation of nitrates!

Unlike its strong white cabbage relative, Chinese cabbage is juicy and tender, and therefore is more often affected by pests. A particular danger to Petsai is the cruciferous flea beetle, which is a “headache” for many gardeners. To protect your Chinese cabbage plantings from the invasion of harmful flea beetles, you need to:

• water the seedlings generously (moisture will protect the sprouts from little aggressors afraid of dampness);
• pollinate the ground between the beds with tobacco dust mixed with crushed wood ash;
• spray the plants with infusion of wormwood, tomato tops or dandelion roots;
• plant dill, coriander and cumin next to the petsai, the smell of which flea beetles cannot tolerate;
• Cover the young cabbage with spunbond, lutrasil or any other light agrofibre.

Chinese cabbage cannot be fed with nitrogen fertilizers.

In the case when Chinese cabbage is grown in open ground, its seeds are often immediately sown in the beds; in greenhouses, petsai are always cultivated in seedlings

Growing Chinese cabbage seedlings

1. If you want to use seeds collected yourself to obtain seedlings, then before planting, calibrate the seed and leave only full-bodied, undamaged specimens with a diameter of more than one and a half millimeters.

2. Immerse the selected seeds in a 1% solution of potassium permanganate for 20 minutes, then rinse them and soak them in a solution of a growth stimulator, for example, Epin, for 12 hours.

Store-bought petsai seeds, as a rule, go on sale in a form prepared for sowing (information about such processing should be indicated on the bag), and therefore do not require dressing or soaking!

It is better to grow Chinese cabbage seedlings in separate pots

Advice. The weak root system of Chinese cabbage does not tolerate picking and transplanting well, so it is better to plant the seeds not in a common tray, but in individual peat pots or special planting cassettes.

3. Fill the pots with loose universal vegetable soil or coconut substrate, use your finger to make a centimeter-deep hole in the surface of the soil, place 2-3 cabbage seeds in them and cover them with soil.

4. Moisten the substrate, place the planting containers on a tray, cover them with glass and put the tray with pots in a shaded, warm (22-23°C) place.

5. On the third day, the first shoots will hatch on the surface of the substrate, and after a couple of days, the cotyledon leaves will bloom on the seedlings. At this time, remove the glass from the seedlings, move the tray to the light and reduce the temperature in the greenhouse to 18°C.

Chinese cabbage needs to be watered frequently and abundantly.

6. Water the petsai seedlings as the substrate dries in the planting containers. If all the seeds in the pots have sprouted, leave one of the most powerful sprouts in each of them.

7. In the phase of blooming of the third pair of true leaves (which corresponds to the age of 26-28 days), transplant the cabbage seedlings to greenhouse beds. The optimal planting scheme for young plants is 20x30 or 25x35 cm.

Chinese cabbage does not need good lighting when grown

Further care for cabbage consists of loosening and mulching the soil, hilling and frequent watering using sprinkling.

Compliance with all of the above agrotechnical rules guarantees a bountiful harvest of high-quality heads of Chinese cabbage.

Caring for Chinese cabbage - video

Growing Chinese cabbage - photo

The relatively recently appeared Chinese cabbage (not to be confused with Chinese cabbage and leaf cabbage) immediately fell in love with housewives. The foreign guest is gradually winning a place for herself in the garden beds of summer cottages. Growing Chinese cabbage is a profitable business if you carefully follow the agricultural technology of the crop. The high rate of mass growth and good yield of tasty Pekinka also contribute to its spread in vegetable gardens.

Growing seedlings

Self-growing Chinese cabbage from seeds is available to beginning gardeners. Petsai is grown in seedlings and without seedlings. With the correct choice of variety, proper cultivation of seedlings and good care, getting two harvests per season is quite possible.

When to sow seeds

Peking seeds are sown for seedlings a month before planting in open ground. Approximately the sowing schedule looks like this:

1. South - late March - early April and from the second ten days of August to mid-September for autumn-winter consumption.
2. In the Moscow region and the central zone - from April 15 to 20 and August 20-25.
3. In the Urals and Siberia, sowing for greenhouse cultivation takes place in early March, and in early May for open ground; for winter consumption, seeds are sown in the second or third decade of July.

Seed preparation

Pre-sowing treatment at home is necessary for Chinese cabbage seeds collected independently. Seeds produced by agricultural companies and purchased through the distribution network have already gone through all stages of preparation, as the manufacturer indicates on the packaging.

Stages of preparing Chinese cabbage seeds: Hardening. The seeds are kept in hot water (50°C) for 2-3 minutes, then in very cold water, and then dried. Disinfection. Use a solution of “Fitosporin-M”, “Maxim-Dachnik”, the preparation and exposure time are indicated in the instructions. You can pickle the seeds with a 1% solution of potassium permanganate for half an hour. Soaking in a growth stimulator. For these purposes, prepare solutions of “Zircon”, “Epin” or home remedies - honey, aloe.

Selection of capacity

When selecting a container for germinating seeds and growing seedlings, take into account the characteristics of Chinese cabbage seedlings:

• fragile roots and delicate, easily damaged leaves;
• picking stops growth slightly, forming a thick stem;
• Picked seedlings take root more easily after planting in a permanent place, but the risk of bolting increases.

Experienced summer residents recommend sowing seeds in separate cups or peat tablets to avoid picking.

You can use any containers for growing seedlings: disposable plastic containers, cups, special pallets, seedling boxes for germinating a large number of seeds. All of them have common requirements:

• presence of drainage holes;
• disinfection before use.

Priming

To grow seedlings, the soil requires light, nutritious and well-ventilated soil. If you take a purchased universal one for seedlings, add sand or another loosening component and fertilizer to it according to the scheme below. The soil mixture is also prepared independently, choosing the appropriate option:

• leaf (turf) soil, humus or vermicompost, river sand (perlite or sawdust) 1:2:1;
• garden soil, ash, lime, sand 20:5:1:1;
• coconut substrate, turf soil, peat in equal parts.

The components are thoroughly mixed, disinfected and fertilizers are added per 10 kg:

• urea or ammonium nitrate - 15-20 g;
• superphosphate in granules - 20-25 g;
• potassium sulfate - 10 g;
• lime (if not included in the soil mixture) - 25 g.

It is allowed to add 35 g of nitroammophoska instead of compound fertilizer. When the substrate dries after disinfection, treatment is carried out with fungicides - phytosporin or other preparations prepared according to the manufacturer's instructions. Then the wet mixture is sprinkled with powdered EM preparations.

Seed planting scheme

1. For seedling boxes, the optimal sowing pattern is row, with a distance between grooves of 3-5 cm.
2. The interval between seeds is maintained at 1.5-2 cm.
3. 2-3 seeds are sown in pots, cups or peat tablets in order to subsequently remove weaker shoots.
4. Seed placement depth - 1 cm.

Seedling care

Containers with sown seeds are immediately covered with glass or covered with transparent film to maintain greenhouse conditions. The most important part of seedling care is maintaining the temperature regime, since different stages of its development require different air and soil temperatures:

• before emergence, soil temperature is 18-20°C, air temperature is 7-10°C;
• For seedlings up to 15 days of age, the soil temperature is maintained at about 15-17°C during the day, 10-12°C at night, the air temperature does not change.

Seedlings need long daylight hours - up to 15 hours a day. If it is cloudy outside, illuminate the seedlings throughout the day. Water the seedlings moderately, making sure that the substrate does not dry out completely. A dry surface is a signal to water.

4 days before transplanting the seedlings into a greenhouse or open ground, watering is stopped.

Beijing seedlings do not need feeding, since all the necessary nutrients were added when preparing the substrate. Hardening off of seedlings begins 10-14 days before the planned transplanting to the beds.

Picking

When growing seedlings in seedling boxes, picking cannot be avoided. The sooner a procedure that is unpleasant for the crop is carried out, the less chance there is of harming the delicate shoots. Seedlings dive at the stage of 2 true leaves. Process algorithm:

1. The soil is well moistened.
2. Prepare cups for picked seedlings.
3. Using a spatula or teaspoon, the seedlings are removed from the seedling box, keeping the earthen ball.
4. Place the plants in cups or pots and cover them with soil to the base of the cotyledon leaves.
5. For the first 2-3 days, seedlings are shaded from direct sunlight.

The correct choice of timing for sowing seeds will allow you to avoid picking, when bushes are planted directly from a common box or bed into a permanent place.

Planting seedlings in open ground

To successfully grow Chinese cabbage in open ground, it is not enough to have strong, healthy planting material. The agricultural technology for planting seedlings is not complicated, but following it guarantees that the heads of cabbage will turn out tasty, juicy, and the cabbage will not go into arrows - it will not start to bloom, it will not get sick.

Landing dates

Seedlings are planted in open ground at the age of one month from emergence. By this time, 5-6 true leaves have been formed. Approximate dates:

1. Southern regions: late April - early May and mid-September - early October;
2. Moscow region and the Middle zone: the second ten days of May and the third - September;
3. Siberia and the Urals: the first days of April - in greenhouses, the beginning of June and mid-August - in unprotected beds.

Selecting a location

The best place for growing Chinese cabbage is well-lit beds where potatoes, legumes, onions or garlic, carrots, and cucumbers previously grew. It is important that the moisture of natural precipitation does not stagnate on them, and that the groundwater lies deep.

Ideally, if dill, tomatoes or horseradish grow in the neighborhood - such neighbors repel insects that harm cabbage.

Soil preparation

With proper care, Petsai produces an excellent harvest in any type of soil with a neutral pH. But experienced summer residents recommend light, fertile soils with good moisture permeability - loams.

The beds are prepared in advance, in the fall for spring planting and in the spring for summer planting. The soil is carefully dug up, removing roots and dry plant remains of predecessors. Before winter, add humus or compost.

The beds for Chinese cabbage are made narrow - two or three rows long, with deep grooves dug on the sides to drain excess moisture.

Immediately before planting the seedlings, prepare holes corresponding to the size of the cups where the seedlings grow; superphosphate, urea and wood ash - 1 tbsp each - are placed on the bottom. spoon.

Landing technology

The optimal planting scheme for Chinese cabbage depends on the cabbage variety:

• salad varieties are planted according to the pattern 25-30 × 25-30 cm;
• cabbage - according to the pattern 50×50 cm.

Immediately before planting, the holes are slightly moistened. The seedlings, along with a lump of earth, are carefully removed from the cup, lowered into the hole and covered. Water moderately under the root with warm water, pouring it out in a thin stream.

Caring for Chinese cabbage

Petsaya seedlings planted according to the rules develop in the beds without creating problems for summer residents.

The optimal growth temperature is 13-25°C. During spring planting, the cabbage beds are covered with lutrasil at night for the first two weeks. The fabric will not only protect against return frosts, but will also create an obstacle to the penetration of the cruciferous flea beetle.

Black agrofibre also helps regulate the length of daylight, which is important in the north of the middle zone and in some areas of Siberia and the Urals.

After 12-15 days, the beds are mulched. The procedure is important not only to protect the soil from drying out, but also provides aeration of the root system and makes it difficult for weeds to grow.

Watering

Newly planted seedlings are watered moderately, daily, but depending on the weather: waterlogging of the soil provokes many diseases. After a week, they switch to watering once a week, pouring water only on dry soil. Water for irrigation is taken from rain heated by the sun. The optimal time for watering is early morning or at sunset.

Feeding

Only organic fertilizers are applied, one liter per plant:

• bird droppings 1:20;
• mullein 1:10;
• herbal infusions 1:9.

Mineral fertilizers are not applied, since Chinese cabbage perfectly accumulates them in the leaves. To ensure that the heads of cabbage are formed strong, spray:

• boric acid - 2 g;
• hot water - 1 l;
• cold water - 9 l.

Growing without seedlings

The high growth and ripening rates of Chinese cabbage make it possible to plant it without seedlings in almost any region. Optimal timing for sowing seeds in open beds: late April - early May in the south; end of June – first half of July - other regions. The soil is prepared in the same way as for planting seedlings. The holes are made shallow - the seeding depth is no more than 2 cm. Half a liter of humus or compost is placed in each hole, and 2 tablespoons are added. ash and spilled with water. Plant 2-3 seeds. The layout of planting points is similar to that for seedlings. 2-3 days after the emergence of seedlings, they are thinned out, leaving the strongest shoots, and after three weeks the seedlings are hilled up and mulched. Further cultivation of Chinese cabbage and caring for it are completely the same as described above.

Features of growing in a greenhouse

When grown in greenhouses, seeds are usually sown directly into the ground. The technology corresponds to that for seedling boxes, but the distance between the grooves is increased up to 2-3 times. Late varieties are sown according to the seedless cultivation scheme.

Optimal timing for sowing seeds:

• heated greenhouses - end of March;
• film shelters - end of April;
• for winter storage - late July or early August.

Pests and diseases

The most annoying things to plant are pet slugs and cruciferous flea beetles. The former are combated using various traps, or by mulching the soil with eggshells, dry mustard or hot pepper. It is much more difficult to fight flea beetles, which is why summer residents strictly adhere to planting dates: before and after the mass appearance of the pest. To prevent flea beetle attacks, plants are powdered with wood ash and tobacco dust, covered with spunbond, and mixed plantings are used - aromatic herbs and insecticidal flowers are sown in the rows and along the edges of the beds. It is possible to use bio-insecticides “Fitoverm” or “Bitoxibacillin”. As a last resort, it is permissible to use “Aktara” or “Inta-Vira”, but no later than a month before harvest.

Common diseases:

"Blackleg". It usually affects seedlings when temperature and humidity conditions are not observed or when plantings are dense. Disinfection of soil and seeds serves to prevent the disease.

Kila. A bacterial disease manifested by thickenings on the roots that deform blood vessels. Nutrients do not reach the leaves, the cabbage turns yellow and dries. The reasons for the appearance are waterlogging or acidification of the soil, sowing of infected seeds.

Gray mold. It affects heads of cabbage at the ripening stage or during storage. The main symptom is brown spots on the leaves, which over time become covered with a gray coating. To treat cabbage plantings, they are sprayed with bio-fungicides.

Possible problems during cultivation

In addition to pests and diseases, when growing Chinese cabbage, a summer resident is faced with the problem of flowering - the ejection of a peduncle instead of the formation of a head of cabbage. To avoid trouble, you should strictly adhere to the timing of planting petsaya: it is the hot weather of July and the first half of August that leads to the plant blooming and not forming the desired head of cabbage.

The length of daylight also matters, so experienced gardeners recommend covering spring plantings with black agrofibre. The longer the daylight hours, the more chances the cabbage has to produce a peduncle.

Harvest and storage

Pekinka is harvested as the heads of cabbage reach their characteristic density and in accordance with the varietal ripening periods. Summer heads of cabbage should not be kept in the beds. There is no need to rush into the autumn harvest: petsai can withstand frosts down to -4°C, although this has a negative effect on keeping quality. Heads of cabbage are harvested in dry weather, after waiting for the dew to dry completely - droplets of moisture can cause damage to the vegetable.

The harvest harvested in the fall is stored. With a properly organized process, Pekinka is stored for 2 months without losing its nutritional and beneficial properties. Summer residents have two common storage methods:

1. Intact dry heads of cabbage along with roots are buried in damp sand and stored in a dry, cold basement or cellar;
2. The heads of cabbage are wrapped in cling film and kept in cool, dry rooms: pantries, basements.

Experienced summer residents do not store heads of Chinese cabbage next to apples, since such proximity does not benefit either one or the other.

Growing Chinese cabbage requires a lot of attention. However, the nutritional value of the vegetable, its beneficial properties and dietary qualities outweigh the difficulties, and Pekinka is increasingly grown in vegetable gardens, cottages and personal plots.

More recently, Chinese cabbage or petsai was considered a curiosity and was not popular among consumers. But thanks to its beneficial properties and taste, it has become in demand. Growing Chinese cabbage in greenhouse conditions has made it possible to obtain a tasty and healthy vegetable throughout the year.

Growing vegetables in a greenhouse means maintaining the correct temperature for the crop. Its seeds germinate well already at +4 degrees. Ripe bushes do not tolerate changes in temperature. It is necessary to carefully monitor so that there are no differences.

The best temperature at which Pekinka grows well is +12 – +22 degrees. If the thermometer shows below these indicators, then the plant throws arrows and flowering may begin. At high temperatures, the bushes form poorly.

In a heated greenhouse, you can easily set the required temperature and control the length of daylight hours, creating optimal conditions for good formation of heads of cabbage all year round. This variety pleases with fruits already 45-55 days after the sprouts appear, while the white cabbage ripens on 90-165 days. This allows you to get up to three harvests per year.

Attention!

Chinese cabbage is a short-day crop. And in low light, the crop actively forms heads of cabbage and increases mass.

Greenhouse varieties

When choosing a variety, you take into account how quickly you want to get the harvest. The earliest varieties are considered hybrid, with a ripening period of 50 days. From such varieties you can get a bountiful harvest of up to one ton. In early spring you can plant varieties such as:

1. F1 Spring beauty. The variety easily tolerates lack of lighting. Heads of cabbage grow up to 2 kg.
2. F1 Spring jade. The variety can withstand temperature changes and is not susceptible to disease. One head of cabbage can grow up to 3 kg.
3. Stonefly. 35 days are enough for complete formation.

In spring and summer, it is best to plant the “F1 First Vitamins” variety. It practically does not drop arrows and can withstand sudden changes in temperature.

In the autumn, when choosing a variety, it is important to take into account their ability to withstand cold snaps. Autumn varieties produce a harvest 60-65 days after germination. Popular hybrid varieties are:

• beauty F1;
• F1 jade;
• September F1.

When planting cauliflower, it is important not to plant spring varieties in the fall and vice versa. This can lead to shoots and a spoiled harvest.

Planting a crop

For good ripening, the soil must be airy and fertile. However, the soil should not be too airy, as it can dry out quickly. Too heavy soil is prone to the appearance and development of diseases. Therefore, neutral soil with average acidity is considered the best option.

The crop must be planted according to the following scheme: there should be 45 cm between the rows, and the distance in the row should be up to 2 cm. 2 grams of seeds are enough per square meter. There is no need to bury the seeds too much. The temperature in the greenhouse should not be below +20 degrees until the shoots appear. When sprouts appear, the temperature is set to less than +9 degrees for one week. This is necessary for the adaptation of the bushes.

As soon as the plants grow, they need to be thinned out, leaving the strongest ones. The distance between the bushes should be 15 cm. After a week, the distance between crops is increased to 35 cm.

But petsai can also be grown using seedlings. But since the bushes have a negative attitude towards replanting, the seeds must first be sown in separate pots. Three seeds are sown in one container, which germinate on the 6th day. Then the strongest plant is selected. Watering is carried out as the soil dries. As soon as 4 leaves are formed, the seedlings can be planted in the ground.

Important!

When watering, it is important not to overuse moisture. Excess moisture will lead to the formation and development of rot and disease.

Caring for Chinese cabbage

Proper watering is important for Chinese cabbage. The plant loves moisture, but do not over-water the soil, as waterlogging will lead to the death of the crop. Water for irrigation should be warm. Petsai does not like dense plantings. Under such conditions, the culture becomes ill and develops poorly.

Don’t forget about feeding the plant. Organic fertilizers with nitrogen and potassium are well suited for this. During one growing season, two feedings are sufficient, first with organic matter and then with mineral fertilizers. When feeding, it is important to take into account that Chinese cabbage is capable of accumulating nitrates. Therefore, chemicals and artificial fertilizers should be used with caution.

Peking cabbage is also attacked by various pests. You can protect it using the following actions:

• abundant watering of the bushes (the cruciferous flea beetle is afraid of moisture);
• sprinkle tobacco dust and wood ash between the beds;
• plant caraway seeds or dill nearby, the smell of which cannot be tolerated by flea beetles.

Once the heads of cabbage have compacted, they can be cut off. But not all varieties store equally well. For example, spring varieties cannot be stored; they must be consumed immediately. Autumn varieties are stored for a certain time.

To keep the head of cabbage longer, it must be wrapped in cellophane and then in newspaper. The storage temperature should not drop below zero. The optimal temperature at which the culture will last up to 5 months is +3 or +5 degrees.

Conclusion

Growing a crop such as Chinese cabbage is a useful and profitable business. Moreover, this can be done all year round. This will allow you to receive a lot of useful vitamins all the time, as well as become a stable source of income. For beginning gardeners, cauliflower will add variety to their nutritious diet.

The culture does not require serious conditions and requirements when growing the plant. If you follow all the simple agricultural techniques, you can get a juicy and healthy product.

You rarely see Chinese cabbage in our gardens. However, it has plenty of advantages: it ripens early, is stored for a long time, and tastes good. To treat yourself to fresh Chinese cabbage leaves, you need to take care of the seedlings. Caring for her is easy. It grows well both in a greenhouse and in open beds. I’ll tell you about everything in detail so that the harvest will definitely please you.

What is good about Chinese cabbage?

In appearance, Chinese cabbage is more like a salad: its leaf blades are arranged in a rosette, which is often called a head of cabbage.

• A head of Chinese cabbage grows from 10 cm to half a meter.
• The leaf blades from which the head of cabbage is formed can vary in color from yellowish-white to light green.
• Each leaf has succulent veins and a petiole at the base.

You can eat Chinese cabbage either fresh or processed - stewed, fermented, salted, pickled, added to a variety of dishes.

Chinese cabbage is not only quite tasty, but also healthy. Fresh leaves preserve and cleanse blood vessels from cholesterol, enrich the body with microelements and vitamins.

1. Thanks to the special consistency of the leaves, Chinese cabbage can be stored for quite a long period of time.
2. Heads of cabbage are easy to transport over long distances - that’s why the bulk of Chinese cabbage on our shelves comes from abroad.

• 39-42 days – for early cultivars,
• 58-62 – for medium ones,
• 72-75 – for the later ones.

Growing Chinese cabbage through seedlings

Regardless of where you are going to grow Chinese cabbage - in a greenhouse or open ground - you need to take care of the seedlings.

Sowing time for seedlings

• Sowing seeds for seedlings should be done in March or April .
• You can sow seeds in July-August to plant cabbage on the plot closer to autumn in the second batch.

1. In the Moscow region and central Russia, seeds are usually sown in the second part of April or in the first part of August.
2. In the Urals and Siberia - at the end of March, when planting in open ground in May and in a greenhouse - at the end of April.
3. You can re-sow the seeds for seedlings at the end of July.
4. In the south, seedlings can be sown at the end of February and again at the end of August.

Varieties of Chinese cabbage for open ground:

1. Beijing Express - producing light green heads of cabbage, elongated in shape, juicy and reaching a weight of 2 kn. The variety can be grown both in the Moscow region and in Siberia.
2. Marfa - characterized by early ripening, the harvest can be harvested 42-44 days after emergence. Tolerates lack of light and unfavorable seasonal conditions. Produces heads weighing about 1 kg.

Soil for Chinese cabbage seedlings

To sow seeds and grow seedlings, you need to select the most loose soil possible.

Sowing and germination of seeds

1. I sow the seeds in the soil to a depth of 1 cm to 1.5 cm.
2. I plant 3 seeds in each container, and then I select one of them, the most well-developed plant.
3. Before emergence, it should be placed in a dark and warm place (in an apartment this is a pantry).
4. It is important to monitor soil moisture, keeping it slightly moist by spraying with a spray bottle.

Seedling care

• As soon as the seedlings appear, the containers with the sown seeds should be moved to the southern windowsill.
• The temperature in the room where the seedlings grow should be maintained at +22 °C, not lower than +14 °C.
• Water only with a spray bottle with water at room temperature as the soil dries.

Planting Chinese cabbage in open ground

Planting is carried out in holes, trying to plant cabbage the same way it previously grew in containers.

• Before planting, Chinese cabbage seedlings must be hardened off for a week.
• Transplantation of seedlings into the ground is carried out when 2 pairs of true leaves appear on the seedlings.
• The seedlings should be about a month old at that time.
• It is advisable to plant around mid-May (average dates for all zones).

Preparing soil for Chinese cabbage

The soil in the garden bed for Chinese cabbage must be prepared in advance:

1. dig up with a full bayonet of a shovel,
2. loosen,
3. level,
4. add 1 tsp. nitroammophoska per 1 m² of soil.

Caring for Chinese cabbage in open ground

Further care is standard - watering, loosening the soil, weed control, fertilizing.

• You can water it once every 6-7 days, pouring water at room temperature under the root.
• After watering, it is advisable to loosen the soil to prevent the formation of a soil crust.

It is advisable to feed 3 times per season:

1. The first feeding is given 2 weeks after planting the seedlings in open ground: you can add nitroammophoska diluted with 1 tsp. in a bucket of water per 1 m² of soil,
2. the second feeding is carried out 15 days after the first: preferably with wood ash (200 g per bucket of water, the norm per 1 m²),
3. the third feeding is carried out after another 15 days: with wood ash in the same volume.

Planting Chinese cabbage seedlings in a greenhouse

Planting in a greenhouse and caring for Chinese cabbage in a greenhouse is practically no different. Care is the same as in open ground, feeding is the same and in the same volume. Again, you need to monitor the plants; if they develop normally, then perhaps there is no need for fertilizing; the initial filling of the soil will be enough.

You can plant Chinese cabbage seedlings in a greenhouse earlier, as soon as the soil in it warms up to about +15 °C and the air to +20 °C:

• in a heated greenhouse - in late March ,
• in unheated - in the beginning of April .

Varieties of Chinese cabbage for the greenhouse:

1. Spring beauty - white heads of cabbage when cut, reaching a weight of two kilograms;
2. Spring jade - a disease-resistant hybrid with no flowering, producing large heads weighing up to three kilograms;
3. Stonefly - a leaf variety that produces a harvest after a record 35 days;
4. First vitamins - a hybrid that is resistant to temperature changes and flowering, producing an early harvest of round heads of cabbage;
5. September - a hybrid that produces truly delicious heads of cabbage, pale green in color, weighing about one and a half kilograms;
6. Autumn jade - a hybrid that forms elongated heads of cabbage, weighing about three kilograms;
7. Autumn beauty - a cold-resistant hybrid that produces heads weighing about 2.5 kilograms.

Control of diseases and pests of Chinese cabbage

In a greenhouse and in open ground, Chinese cabbage can be attacked by pests or diseases.

The most common pests are:

• aphids - plants should be sprayed with onion infusion;
• cabbage flies, summer and spring - dusting plants with tobacco dust;
• cabbage moth - control with biological products;
• cruciferous flea beetle - spraying plants with garlic infusion;
• whitewash - treatment of plants with mustard infusion;
• thrips - treating plants with red pepper powder.

Among the diseases that damage Chinese cabbage are:

1. bacterial rot – treatment with “Binoram”;
2. powdery mildew - treatment with infusion of wood ash.

Harvesting and storing Chinese cabbage

Heads of Chinese cabbage are collected as they ripen. The timing directly depends on the variety (early, middle or late) and the planting period - you need to focus on this and independently choose the harvesting date.

• Cabbage planted in the second half of the summer season usually begins to be harvested in September - the beginning, middle or end of the month.
• Here you need to be careful and be sure to harvest the entire harvest before the onset of frost and prevent the heads from freezing and over-ripening.

How to store

About 5 days before harvesting, the plants should not be watered - such heads of cabbage will last longer.

1. Chinese cabbage will be preserved for a long time if fresh heads are wrapped in cling film and placed in the refrigerator. Before doing this, it is advisable to cool for a couple of hours without the film, then condensation will not form under it, and the heads of cabbage will last longer.
2. Without packaging, the heads of cabbage will stay fresh for a couple of weeks, in film about twice as long.
3. If you want to keep the heads of cabbage for as long as possible, then they should be dug out of the soil with roots and stored in a basement or box with soil.