Growing and caring for cauliflower outdoors

Cauliflower is one of the most nutritious and healthy varieties of Cabbage. It contains much more vitamins and minerals than white cabbage. Many gardeners do not know that in order to get a rich harvest of cauliflower, it is important to care for it in a slightly different way than for related crops. What does cauliflower look like in the photo, what is growing and caring for it in the open field - more on all this later.

Growing cauliflower from seeds in the open field

Cauliflower there are different varieties, which are subdivided into early ripening, mid-ripening and late-ripening... If you plan not only to eat the vegetable in summer, but also to lay the harvest for storage, plant several plants at once. Planting rules for each variety are individual.

Variety selection and seed preparation

There are a lot of varieties of cauliflower. To choose the right one for yourself, it is better to use the recommendations of experienced gardeners.

The most popular varieties and hybrids are:

• early maturing - Summer resident, Malima F1, Movir-74 and 2009, Koza-dereza;
• mid-season - Snow Globe, Flora Blanca, Yarik F1, Purple Globe;
• late - Cortez F1, Green snowdrift, Cartier F1.

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Seed preparation takes place in several stages.:

1. Suitability check... The seeds are poured into a jar or glass, filled with water and mixed. Floated instances are discarded as they are empty; those who have sunk to the bottom are used.
2. Heat treatment - a prerequisite for preventing the appearance of diseases in seedlings, protection against shooting. It is done in two ways. In the first, the seeds are poured with water (no more than + 50 ° C) and insisted for about 15 minutes, in the second they are poured into a sieve and poured over with boiling water, then immediately poured over with cold water.
3. Germination... For this, the seeds are soaked for 24 hours in a mineral mixture (for example, in a solution of "Fitosporin") or warm water without additives.
4. Hardening... The dried seeds are placed in the refrigerator for 1 day. This procedure is carried out to protect future plants from diseases and increase their stress resistance to temperature changes.

Only after passing through all the stages, the seed will be fully ready for planting.... In regions with a cold climate, cauliflower is grown only in seedlings. In the southern regions of Russia and Ukraine, seeds are planted immediately to a permanent place. They do this already in mid-April, when the temperature does not drop below + 2 ° C.

Site selection and soil preparation

For cauliflower seedlings to take root well, it is important to choose the right place for planting them. This vegetable loves sunlight very much, so they plant it in a well-lit area, avoiding the neighborhood of tall plants.

Important! Soil acidity indicators should be in the range of 6.7-7.4 pH, since cauliflower does not like strongly acidic soil.

Do not plant a crop after:

• radish;
• radish;
• tomatoes;
• beets;
• other types of cabbage.

Optimal predecessors for this vegetable:

• legumes;
• cereals;
• siderates;
• garlic;
• onion;
• potatoes;
• carrot.

An important point before planting seedlings in open ground is its preparation... The ridge is well dug, immersing the shovel on a full bayonet.

Nutrients are added to each hole to help the plant take root faster and protect it from disease. To do this, use the following mixture:

• a bucket of humus or compost;
• 1 tsp urea;
• 2 tbsp. ash;
• 2 tbsp. l. superphosphate.

The additive is thoroughly mixed with the soil in the hole. Seedlings are planted in the soil prepared in this way.

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When to sow

The timing of planting in open ground directly depends on the variety of cauliflower... Early ripening is planted from April 25 to May 15, mid-ripening - from May 20 to June 15. Late varieties are transferred to open ground, depending on the time of sowing for seedlings. This is usually done after 30 days.

Important! To strengthen the plants, 2 weeks before planting in open ground, they are fed with mineral fertilizers. The seedlings must be hardened in order to gradually accustom them to new conditions.

When transferring seedlings to open ground, they are guided by weather conditions: the air should warm up to + 8… + 10 ° C.

Seeding Algorithm

The correct arrangement of seedlings on the ridge will help to get a rich harvest of cauliflower, protect it from disease.

The distance between the holes for each variety individually, but there are general rules that it is desirable to comply with. The distance between the rows is at least 0.5 m, between the holes - 35 cm.

In the first days after planting, the plants are covered with a non-woven cloth. or plastic wrap. This will protect them from cruciferous fleas and possible frost. Covering material is removed after the seedlings get stronger.

Outdoor Cauliflower Care

The quality and quantity of the harvest directly depends on the cultivation and care of the cauliflower outdoors. It must be watered, weeded, loosened, fertilized, treated for diseases and pests.

Watering

Cauliflower, like other subspecies of crops, requires regular and even watering... First of all, they are guided by weather conditions.

Advice! To prevent the heads of the vegetable from darkening and burning in the sun, they are covered. To do this, the leaves are slightly cracked and tilted towards the middle.

In cloudy and rainy weather, additional moistening of the planting is not required... In the dry period, water the vegetable about 1 time per week. At first, the water consumption will be 6–8 liters per 1 m²; as it grows, the amount of liquid is increased to 10 liters per 1 m².

Top dressing

Fertilize cauliflower with organic and mineral compounds:

• mullein solution: 0.5 l of the concentrate prepared in advance is taken into 10 liters of water, 500 ml of the product is poured under each bush;
• nitrophobic: dilute 2 tbsp in 10 liters of water. l. the drug, water the ridge at the rate of 6–8 liters per 1 m²;
• a solution of mullein and "Kristalina": dissolve 1 tbsp in 10 liters of organic fertilizer. l. preparation, 1 liter of the mixture is poured under 1 bush.

In total, during the growing season, cauliflower is fed 3-4 times... The time interval between fertilization should be at least 14 days.

Prevention of diseases and pests

Cauliflower is very susceptible to various diseases and pest attacks, therefore, it is periodically treated with special preparations. If the lesions are mild, use folk remedies:

1. Dusting with wood ash or tobacco will protect plants from almost all pests, including slugs.
2. Spraying with infusion of tomato tops, onion husks or burdock will protect you from cruciferous flea attacks.
3. The mustard solution will protect against colonization by caterpillars. To do this, dilute 200 g of powder in 10 liters of warm water, let the solution brew and thoroughly spray each seedling.

For disease resistance cauliflower is treated with a solution of "Symbiont-Universal". For 1 m² you will need 400 ml of the finished product. General immunity is also increased by such drugs as sodium humate, "Immunocytofit".

Processing of cauliflower from pests and diseases is carried out in dry, calm weather... It is advisable to do this after the evening watering.

Conclusion

A correctly chosen variety or hybrid, seed preparation, obtaining high-quality seedlings in the northern regions, adhering to the recommendations for planting and caring for cauliflower is the key to obtaining a rich harvest. Timely watering, feeding, treatment against diseases and pests will strengthen plants and protect them from death.