Cabbage is a very popular and delicious vegetable. It is grown in all regions of the country of Russia. It stands out for its medicinal and dietary properties. In our climatic zones, varieties of this crop are grown, such as cabbage (white and red), colored, Brussels sprouts, broccoli, kohlrabi. Russian farmers and amateur gardeners mainly grow white cabbage. It is suitable for consumption both raw (salads) and pickled, pickled, stewed. It is used to treat many diseases in traditional medicine recipes.
Grown by seedling method, requires careful care. It is not difficult to plant cabbage, but you should carefully monitor its growth and development so that the seedlings do not stretch out, take root well in the ground, properly set up in the heads of cabbage and are not ruined by pests.
Reasons for pulling cabbage seedlings
When the seedlings have climbed, and the seedlings have begun to grow, it often happens that they begin to stretch out. Many inexperienced vegetable growers immediately have a question: "cabbage seedlings are stretched out, what to do?" To fix this problem, you need to identify the cause and eliminate or fix it.
Basically, the seedling begins to stretch if it lacks light, heat, moisture, nutrition. Most often this happens because the seeds for seedlings were planted too early, and when they sprout, the temperature and light factors were below the required norm for good plant development.
The seedlings that dive late can outgrow. Therefore, it must be dived and pinned. Bushes dive two weeks after germination. Pinching is carried out at the moment of diving - before being placed in the ground, the root is cut into a third part and lowered to the cotyledon leaves. This is done in order to prevent excessive upward growth. Roots are shocked and growth retarded.
Cabbage seedlings stretched out
After the dive, the plants need to be given more fresh air and a little coolness. To do this, a few days after seating, the boxes are taken out on the balcony during the day, or windows are opened in the room.
If the cabbage seedlings are stretched out, there is nothing left but to save them. You do not need to immediately pull it out and throw it away. It is enough just to feed it with mineral fertilizers, put it in a place more illuminated by daylight and arrange additional lighting with lamps at night.
Elongated seedlings for a week and a half before planting in the garden need to stop watering, but continue to light. Watering should be carried out only a couple of hours before transplanting into open ground.
It is also important not to overexpose the seedlings that have been given in growth at home, but to carry out the hardening procedure and move them into the ground, so that it picks up the missing vitamins from the soil and receives the required amount of light. The main thing is that there were no night frosts, and the air temperature during the day was not lower than + 10 ° C.
Most often, the main reasons why the seedlings have become thin and began to stretch upward are improper care and poor growth conditions. Less commonly, weak seeds are the cause.
The main mistakes due to which the seedlings can grow:
- Incorrect sowing dates. It is important that the timing for planting seeds and planting in the ground is correct. After all, pre-planted seeds sprout earlier, and they do not have enough daylight. Also, early planting suggests that cabbage will grow in the house for a longer time, which affects its health;
- Low illumination of the room.If you do not give the sprouts a lot of light, then they become frail or begin to grow upward;
- High air temperature. Cabbage seedlings do not like the heat. Under the film, seedlings appear at high temperatures up to + 20- + 22 ° С, but then it needs to be lowered. At temperatures above + 18 ° C during the day, at + 8 ° C at night, cabbage stretches and dies;
- Incorrectly selected seedling soil. Best of all, if it is soil, calcined in the oven, after which sand and wood ash, superphosphate, dry chicken manure are added to it;
- Untimely feeding. The first feeding is carried out when 2-3 leaves have appeared. For this, chicken droppings and wood ash are taken in proportions of 1 glass to 10 liters of water;
- Poor watering. Excessive water in the glass prevents oxygen from reaching the roots. Insufficient moisture dries the roots.
If the cabbage was nevertheless missed and could outgrow, it is imperative to plant it, feed it and move it to open ground as soon as possible. Reduce temperature to 4 ° C.
Not only cabbage, but also broccoli is capable of stretching. This species is also grown in our climatic conditions. So what if the broccoli seedlings are stretched out? The reasons for pulling and the ways to save broccoli are no different from other types of cabbage.
How to prevent pulling
To prevent improper growth, you need to observe the timing of sowing seeds. In addition, you need to first prepare the soil: add fertilizers to it, mix with organic matter and let it brew before sowing.
Seeds, in turn, also need to be prepared: disinfect and select empty ones (through soaking).
From the very germination of seeds, provide them with enough light, moisture and feeding.
Fertilizer addition
You need to carefully monitor the condition of the earth in the seedling box. Indeed, in a very moist soil there is no oxygen, because of this, the seedlings stretch upward.
Seedlings need to be planted in a timely manner, thereby preventing them from becoming long.
In order for the seedlings to be tied into heads of cabbage already in the open field, and not to stretch, you need to protect them from pests, fogs, diseases, help normalize sunlight and shade, feed and moisten the soil. Do not forget also about hilling and loosening. Hardening is a proven way to make seedlings strong.
Cabbage is a very popular crop, but at the same time very moody. Only constant inspection and care will not allow the seedlings to stretch out. If, nevertheless, they began to grow up, they need to be saved, and not thrown away.
