Planting, growing and caring for kohlrabi cabbage

Kohlrabi is not the most popular variety of cabbage among gardeners. Despite the pleasant, delicate taste, benefits and the possibility of using the vegetable in dietary nutrition, many summer residents do not risk growing it for fear of difficulties in care. We offer detailed information about the intricacies of kohlrabi cultivation and the rules of plant care.

Growing kohlrabi through seedlings

The seedling method is the most popular way of kohlrabi cultivation among gardeners.

Reference. Early varieties are chosen for growing through seedlings.

In order to harvest cabbage several times, seeds for seedlings are sown twice a season:

• in mid-March - the harvest ripens by early or mid-May;
• early May - harvest is ready for harvest at the end of July.

Preparation of planting material

Preplant seed preparation consists of several stages:

1. Calibration. The seed is examined and sorted, leaving medium-sized seeds for sowing.
2. Germination test. The seeds are dipped in a glass of water and those that remain on the surface are disposed of.
3. Disinfection. The planting material is wrapped in a cloth, dipped in hot (at least + 50 ° C) for half an hour, and then in cold water for 10 minutes.
4. Improved germination. The seeds are soaked for 12 hours in a solution of a growth stimulant ("Epin"), and then washed.
5. Hardening. Planting material is placed in the refrigerator for a day.

On the day of sowing, the seeds are removed from the refrigerator and dried in the fresh air.

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Sowing

For sowing seeds, they use a ready-made substrate for seedlings, which is sold in specialized stores, or they make a soil mixture on their own, mixing sand, peat and turf soil in equal proportions with the addition of humus and wood ash.

Self-prepared substrate is pre-disinfected. To do this, it is spilled with a solution of potassium permanganate (1 g per 10 liters of water) or ignited for half an hour in an oven heated to + 180 ° C.

Seeds are sown in special cassettes, disposable cups, wooden or plastic containers.

Sowing rules:

1. At the bottom of the prepared container, lay a drainage layer of expanded clay or small pebbles.
2. Fill the container with a suitable substrate.
3. Make planting furrows on its surface every 3-4 cm.
4. Place seeds in them at a distance of 3 cm from each other, deepening them by 1-1.5 cm.
5. Sprinkle the seeds with earth, pour abundantly with warm water.
6. Cover the container with plastic to create a greenhouse effect.

The container with crops is placed in a well-lit, but protected from direct sunlight, place with an air temperature of + 18 ... + 20 ° C. The film is regularly removed for ventilation, and the soil is moistened with a spray bottle.

After the emergence of seedlings, the polyethylene is removed, the air temperature in the room is reduced for 10 days to + 10 ... + 12 ° C in order to avoid stretching the sprouts, and then it is raised again to + 18 ° C.

10-15 days before planting in open ground, the seedlings begin to harden. To do this, the container with crops is taken out into fresh air, first for 1.5-2 hours and gradually increase this time to a day.

Reference. A week before transplanting to the beds, the seedlings are stopped to water.

Picking and transplanting seedlings into open ground

Kohlrabi seedlings react negatively to picking, so it is better to sow the seeds immediately in individual containers.When sowing in a common container, the plants dive into separate cups, when 1 true leaf is formed on them.

Within 2-3 days after the pick, the air temperature in the room with the plants is maintained at + 20 ... + 22 ° C, then reduced to + 17 ... + 18 ° C during the day and to + 8 ... + 10 ° C at night.

In open ground, seedlings are transplanted about 5 weeks after sowing the seeds. By this time, the plants should have 4-5 true leaves.

Transplant scheme:

1. In the prepared area, form rows at a distance of 50 cm from each other.
2. Every 25-30 cm, dig planting holes in them, the diameter of which should correspond to the size of the root system together with an earthen lump.
3. Mix part of the excavated earth with 1 tsp. urea, 2 tbsp. l. superphosphate and 2 tbsp. ash and water.
4. Fill the wells one third with the resulting mixture.
5. Water the plants abundantly, carefully remove them from the containers along with the earthy clod and place in the center of the holes.
6. Fill the voids with earth so that the seedlings are buried in cotyledonous leaves.
7. Tamp and water the soil.

If at the time of planting seedlings the average daily air temperature is less than + 13 ... + 17 ° C, the planting is covered with polyethylene.

Direct sowing in open ground

Kohlrabi is grown not only through seedlings, but also by sowing seeds directly on the beds. The optimal time for this is the end of June, then the crop will be ready for harvest in early October.

Seat selection

For planting kohlrabi, they choose a well-lit place, protected from cold and gusty winds. The crop prefers loose, light and fertile soil, with good aeration, moisture permeability and low to medium acidity. The best option is loam.

Reference. In sour and poor soil, cabbage forms tough, with many coarse fibers.

Kohlrabi is not planted after cruciferous crops, the best predecessors are carrots, onions, tomatoes, potatoes, pumpkin, zucchini and legumes.

The site is prepared in the fall: the soil is cleaned of plant residues, nutrients are scattered over the surface (1 tbsp. Wood ash, 1 tbsp. L. Superphosphate, 1 tsp. Urea and 3-4 kg of rotted manure or humus per 1 sq. M. area) and dug onto a shovel bayonet.

To reduce acidity, lime or dolomite flour is additionally introduced into the soil at the rate of 1 kg per 1 sq. m.

Step-by-step landing instructions

The process of planting kohlrabi in the ground:

1. On the prepared site, level the ground and outline the beds with a distance of 60-70 cm between them.
2. Make planting furrows in them 1.5-2 cm deep.
3. Place seeds in them at a distance of 20-30 cm from each other.
4. Sprinkle them with earth, tamp and water.

In the case of early sowing (in May), the beds are covered with foil or agrofibre.

Garden care

Proper care of kohlrabi cabbage is the key to a good harvest. After each watering or rain, the soil between the rows is loosened to a depth of no more than 8 cm to improve the air and moisture permeability of the soil and to avoid the formation of a dry crust on its surface.

At the same time, weeds are removed, which takes moisture and nutrients from the soil and creates a favorable environment for the development of pests and diseases.

The first hilling is carried out 3 weeks after planting the seedlings in the ground or in the phase of 5-6 true leaves and the procedure is repeated every 15 days.

Reference. The optimum temperature for the development of cabbage is + 17 ° C.

Watering

This is a moisture-loving culture, therefore, plantings are watered regularly and abundantly, focusing on weather conditions and rainfall. Drought provokes the formation of coarse kohlrabi pulp, and excessive moisture - cracking of the stems.

On average, during the first 2 weeks after planting seedlings on the beds, watering is carried out 1 time in 2-3 days, then weekly.

Reference. The soil should not dry out more than 3-4 cm deep.

To retain moisture in the soil, the beds are mulched with straw or peat.

Top dressing and fertilization

If the cabbage is planted in a fertile and fertilized soil, phosphorus-potassium dressing is applied only in the phase of the formation of the stalk. This will help to avoid excessive accumulation of nitrates.

When growing kohlrabi in depleted soil, plantings are watered 3 times per season with a nutrient solution (30 g of potassium sulfate, 25 g of ammonium nitrate and 28 g of superphosphate per 10 liters of water) at the rate of 5 liters per 1 sq. m.

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What ripe cabbage looks like

The fact that the harvest is ready for harvest is indicated by the size of the stem plants: they should weigh 90-120 g and have a diameter of 7-8 cm for early and middle varieties and 8-10 cm for late varieties.

Harvested in dry weather. The stemfruit is dug up by the root, dried for 2-3 hours, cleaned from the ground and the leaves are cut off. Vegetables sprinkled with sand and laid in wooden boxes are stored at a temperature of 0 ... + 2 ° C and an air humidity of up to 95% for more than six months.

Conclusion

With the seeming complexity of cultivation, kohlrabi does not impose special requirements for care. It can be grown through seedlings and by sowing seeds directly into the ground, and subject to planting rules and regular watering, even novice gardeners can get 2 or even 3 harvests of vegetables per season.