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Imported to Russia from the Mediterranean cauliflower was to the taste of truck farmers. And not only in the literal sense, as her inflorescences and marinate, and bake, and make all kinds of salads, and cook soups, borscht, prepare side dishes, and even make cutlets and pies.
I liked this plant lovers tinker in the land and for the unpretentiousness of this plant, which does not require extremely great care. But, as in every case, there are also tricks here, knowing that you can achieve the most effective result.
Temperature regime is an important component of success
This plant, although it comes from a warm climatic zone, does not like heat very much. If the cabbage grows at a heat above 25 degrees, it is quite possible that it will upset the gardener with its small and loose heads. This is especially noticeable when there is insufficient watering.
But it also reacts sensitively to lower temperatures. If white cabbage easily tolerates even small frosts, then for color they are fatal. Yes, and when the temperature drops below 15 degrees, you should not expect to get large heads, especially when exposed to long periods of cold.
The most plentiful crop of this crop happens, if it is constantly in comfortable conditions for it.
And it is worth remembering that cauliflower grows best and ripens at 15-20 degrees of heat.
Sunlight cabbage is needed or not?
It is definitely impossible to answer this question. Here it is worth to divide the period of culture life:
- the emergence of shoots before the formation of inflorescences;
- formation of heads.
Sow the seeds of cauliflower in the open ground in June, especially early ripening varieties. At this time, small shoots need heat, humidity and plenty of sunlight. However, after the plant has 25-30 leaves, it begins to form an inflorescence. Here it is necessary to take care of not light falling on him, to artificially shorten the day.
To ensure that the cauliflower heads are large and strong, and not loose and shapeless, experienced experts advise to cover the heads with lower cabbage leaves. This procedure is not as complicated as laborious. The lower leaves of the plant are raised upward and fastened together to pritenit inflorescence. Sometimes they break out and put on the head. But then there is a possibility that they can be blown away by the wind.
If the cauliflower inflorescence is left in a natural medium with a long light day, they will form flowering shoots, the head will be loose and shapeless.
Soil composition
As you know, the roots of cauliflower are not so powerful as those of white cabbage. Therefore, the plant is difficult to extract useful trace elements from the depths of the soil. How to go truckers to get a high crop of this crop?
First, you should know that you need to sow the seeds in the places where you grew up before:
- root crops not related to crucifers (potatoes, beets, carrots, onions);
- beans (peas, beans, beans);
- melons (cucumbers, zucchini, watermelons, pumpkins, melons).
In no case should cabbage be planted in places where cruciferous plants were grown last year (radish, turnip, radish, cabbage), and also subduction of root crops was carried out.
The earth needs to be prepared in advance, even in autumn. For a better crop after applying manure to soil or peat compost (8 kilograms per square meter), the territory is dug. In spring, mineral fertilizers are additionally added to the soil per 1 square meter:
- superphosphate - 50 g;
- ammonium nitrate - 30 g;
- potassium chloride - 20 g.
The earth is dug again, carefully loosen.
Top dressing of cauliflower
But the soil, properly treated before planting, is not one hundred percent successful. What else needs to be done to make cauliflower famous? The answer is simple: you should regularly make fertilizing plants. And in addition to the basic fertilizers used to grow cabbage, this culture is fed with boron and magnesium, manganese and molybdenum. With insufficient content of microelements in the soil, the heads develop poorly, the stems of the plant become hollow, the leaves become deformed. Often, and completely rotting heads.
Begin to feed sprouts need after they were formed three real leaflets. At this time cabbage is very necessary during watering a solution of ammonia or potassium nitrate. For its preparation, 5 grams of ammonia or 15 grams of potassium nitrate is enough to dissolve in a bucket of water.
With the appearance of the next leaf, the plant is sprayed with a special solution. Take molybdenum-sour ammonium and boric acid 2 grams per 10 liters of water - that's the best composition of foliar top dressing during this period of cauliflower growth.
Watering shoots is not very often, only to prevent the land from drying up, but to do it intensely.
Briefly about the main
Having made a decision to grow cauliflower on your site, you need:
- begin to prepare the soil from autumn;
- to make mineral fertilizers before the spring digging of the earth;
- regularly carry out fertilizing of plants (root and spraying);
- watering the culture is not often, but abundant;
- to cover inflorescences from light.
How to prune the cauliflower inflorescence?
Following these rules, even a beginner gardener will achieve a good harvest, such that the fruits of cauliflower could be proudly called not "heads" but "heads" or even "goroschami"!
