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Why Cabbage Heads Are Small and How to Grow a Good Harvest: Agronomists Explain
04.06.2023 00:30
Cabbage is grown in almost every garden plot, but for many summer residents, all attempts to get a large, dense head of cabbage end in fiasco.
The heads of cabbage grow small, sometimes loose. And there are situations when they do not form at all.
Agronomists explain the reason for this "behavior" of cabbage simply: either the soil is acidic, or the cabbage lacks nutrition, or watering is not organized correctly. By eliminating these reasons, it will be possible to get an excellent harvest.
Three steps to a productive cabbage harvest
Step 1: Prepare the soil
Proper soil preparation is one of the key factors that ensures successful cultivation of any crop. And cabbage is very demanding in terms of nutrition. Its deficiency negatively affects the development of leaf mass and subsequently the size of the head.
Cabbage responds well to organic fertilizers. It is recommended to add semi-rotted manure to the bed in the fall, and compost, peat compost and humus in the spring. Dosage: a bucket per 1 sq. m.
Mineral fertilizers are applied in the spring, dosing according to the manufacturer's recommendations. If you use the classic combination of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium in equal quantities, then the application rate fluctuates between 6 and 10 g per 1 sq. m. For late and mid-late varieties, the dose increases to 9–12 g.
Step 2: Mark out the bed
In addition to applying regular fertilizers, it is necessary to add alkalizing substances to the soil under the cabbage. In the fall, this can be lime, dolomite flour. Chalk and ash are added in the spring during digging.
Cabbage does not yield a crop in acidic soil, and an acidic environment is also a prerequisite for the development of clubroot. Liming helps prevent clubroot infection and increases the effectiveness of other fertilizers.
Step 3: Provide proper care
Cabbage needs regular watering and fertilizing. Both with a lack of moisture and with its excess, the plant develops poorly, as a result of which the heads of cabbage grow small or do not form at all.
In addition to applying fertilizers when preparing the bed, two more fertilizings should be done. The first is done 20-25 days after planting the seedlings in a permanent place. Cow manure is used at the rate of 1 liter per 10 liters of water. A month later, another one is done, using cow manure in the same dosage.
There are many different varieties of cabbage, and each of them has its own characteristics. Some varieties are more resistant to diseases and pests, others are more resistant to low temperatures. Therefore, before sowing, it is important to choose the right variety of cabbage for your region and growing conditions. For example, late varieties, the vegetative period of which can reach 180 days, in northern regions often do not have time to form a full head of cabbage. And if the cabbage in your garden is affected by any disease, you should choose a variety that is resistant to this disease.
