Cabbage is not that difficult to grow, but beginning gardeners often face the problem of not being able to get good seedlings.
The seedlings do not want to grow at all, depriving beginners of the pleasure of getting a good harvest.
It's all about mistakes that many novice gardeners don't know about.
Mistake number one: failure to comply with the temperature regime
As a rule, heat-loving crops are sown for seedlings - tomatoes, eggplants, peppers, cucumbers. For their full development, the temperature that is maintained in living quarters is suitable.
But cabbage is a completely different matter. In the warmth it withers, stretches out and as a result you can’t expect a harvest from such seedlings.
This is a cold-resistant plant. For normal development, it requires a temperature of 12-16 degrees. Therefore, it is very difficult to grow quality cabbage seedlings in an apartment. It is best to sow it in an unheated greenhouse or in a vegetable garden under film.
If you still sow in an apartment, remember that after the shoots appear, the container should be placed in a cool place. This is especially important for white cabbage, the optimal growth temperature for which in the first week of life should not exceed 12 degrees. Cauliflower is more tolerant to heat. It can be placed on a cool windowsill, since the optimal temperature for its development is 14-15 degrees.
After a week or a week and a half, the cabbage can be moved to a warmer room. But not more than 18 degrees.
Mistake two: incorrectly composed soil mixture
Seedlings develop poorly in heavy soil, in which the roots receive little oxygen. Therefore, when composing a soil mixture, it is necessary to add peat and a loosening agent (perlite, vermiculite or sand) to ordinary soil.
You should also check the soil for acidity.
Cabbage does not tolerate acidic soils, either in a bed or in a cup or tray. The optimal pH should be around 7 (you can check this with litmus paper).
Mistake three: lack of nutrition
All types of cabbage need good nutrition. And if cucumbers or tomatoes do not need to be fed during the seedling period, then cabbage definitely does.
When planting, it is best to add vermicompost to the soil mixture (20% of the total volume of the soil mixture).
The first feeding with any universal fertilizer for seedlings is carried out at the stage of appearance of the third true leaf.
If picking is necessary, then instead of fertilizing, picking is carried out into a nutritious soil mixture.
By avoiding these mistakes, even novice gardeners will be able to grow strong and stocky cabbage seedlings.
