According to its properties, cauliflower is indispensable for diet and baby food, it contains a lot of vitamins and minerals.
In some substances, it surpasses even the famous white cabbage, but not every person can grow a decent crop of this vegetable.
You need to know when to plant cauliflower for seedlings, to be able to grow high-quality and healthy seedlings, to be able to determine the optimal time for planting seedlings on the garden bed.
Features of the development of cauliflower
All varieties of this crop in the year of planting form a head from a variety of flower heads firmly pressed against each other. After a certain period of time, stems grow out of a parting head, on which yellow flower brushes grow. From these inflorescences, pods containing seeds are formed over time.
The average time of the onset of technical ripeness of this vegetable is 3-4 months, it will take about 6 months to get full seeds.
As a result, to obtain a full crop, it is necessary to grow cauliflower using seedlings. Do not forget that, unlike a white-skinned relative, this culture reacts negatively to lower temperatures.
Even lowering the temperature to 10 degrees will affect the quality and quantity of the crop, especially if the cooling will occur during the formation of the head.
But the onset of heat is undesirable, an increase in temperature over 25 degrees will slow down the development of the heads and significantly reduce the quality of the product.
As a result, if it is impossible to artificially create optimal conditions for cauliflower, the temperature regime of the region strongly affects the final fruits of labor of gardeners. The other requirements of cauliflower are easier to organize - to protect against pests and diseases, change the type and increase the nutritional value of the soil, and optimize moisture.
Terms of planting cauliflower for seedlings
The seeds of this culture germinate quickly, and the seedling growth time is short, compared with other heat-loving plants. For this reason, do not rush to sow, overgrown bushes reduce yield and develop longer.
To select the optimal planting period, it is necessary to study the varietal characteristics of the seeds and take into account the particular climate of your region.
Attention! When sowing seeds of early cauliflower at different times, it was found that the maximum yield can be obtained by planting seedlings at the age of 20-25 days.
But it is risky to plant late-season seedlings late (only if you live in the southern region), otherwise the grown heads may suffer from autumn frosts. You can get a crop of this crop by growing it according to seedling technology, when sowing seeds directly into the open ground. This can be done in the last decade of April, after the soil warms up to 5 degrees.
The most common varieties in our country are Fortados, Maliba, Amethyst, White perfection.
March - planting cauliflower on seedlings
In the first month of spring, in our climate for weather reasons there is still little work on the beds, and there is time to prepare the soil mixture and containers for sowing seeds. If you want to prepare the soil with your own hands, then store:
• 1 share of peat with low acidity;
• 1 share of coarse sand (for clay soil);
• 2 shares of garden land;
• 2 shares of humus;
• Essential fungicides;
• Small sprayer;
• Pots or drawers.
The components of the soil mixture are disinfected and mixed well. To disinfect the soil, it is warmed well in the microwave or in the oven. This is a quick and effective way, but some gardeners refuse it because of a specific smell.
For this reason, you can spill the soil with a fungicide solution or a potassium permanganate solution. It is necessary to disinfect to destroy the buds of fungal infections, which can greatly weaken or even destroy your seedlings.
Containers for seedlings with soil are covered with plastic wrap and placed in a warm place so that they have time, it will warm up before sowing the seeds. First sowing early varieties, you can start around March 8-10, but the timing must be adjusted, taking into account the climatic conditions of your region.
By the time of transplantation to the garden, seedlings must be at the age of 30 days. For this reason, if you are sure that by the second decade of April the snow will melt and the soil will warm up - sow the seeds, if in doubt, then wait another week.
Useful! Experienced gardeners recommend that all seeds not be sown immediately, it is advisable to do this several times with a break of 3-4 days. Plants of the same variety will grow together, but the crop will come gradually.
Shoots hatch quickly, it is important not to miss the time when it is necessary to lower the temperature to 10-12 degrees and transfer the boxes to the light windowsill. This will prevent the seedlings from stretching, after 5 days the temperature is set at 13-15 degrees most suitable for cauliflower.
Seedlings at the age of two weeks need to pick. To do this, a day before the work, place the boxes in a warm place where the temperature is maintained within 21-23 degrees. After a dive, return the seedlings to the previous room, this will help seedlings recover faster.
April, cauliflower seedlings in greenhouses and greenhouses
During this period, the weather already pampers with sunny days, and you can begin work on the preparation of protected structures. Seedlings are grown for a long time on the window, mainly in the northern regions, but in other parts of the country the best result can be obtained using covered ground. Even if a greenhouse has not been built on the plot, you can use a home-made greenhouse to grow cabbage seedlings by covering it with two-layer agrofibre or a 150 micron thick film.
In a greenhouse, the soil heats up quickly, especially if it is well lit by sunlight. For this reason, April 12-14 begin mass sowing of seeds.
This technology is good because at the same time as the main crop, you can grow seedlings of another cabbage - white cabbage, Peking, kohlrabi or broccoli, or seedlings of other plants requiring the same conditions.
For the April sowing, you can use cauliflower seeds of early and mid-ripening varieties and hybrids. Sow seeds in rows, each variety has its own variety, so that when the seedlings grow, you are not confused when planting in the garden. The first seedlings can be detected after 5-8 days, at which time it is necessary to monitor the temperature in the greenhouse.
Properly grow cauliflower at home with a large and dense head, it is possible only if you do not make mistakes at the initial stage of growing seedlings. A temperature in a greenhouse of more than 14 degrees provokes it earlier, and in most cases a futile formation. For this reason, you need to systematically ventilate the greenhouse during the day to lower the temperature. In the evening, it is absolutely necessary to stop airing and close doors and transoms so that unexpected frosts do not damage seedlings.
Care for cauliflower seedlings in May
The first decade of May for most gardeners is the offensive of the main work on the beds, because the soil has already warmed up and the sun is baking. The time has come to plant seedlings of early cauliflower. Planting of this culture is done in a checkerboard pattern or in rows, it is only important to leave free space between rows of 6-70 cm and plants 30 cm, then they need to be watered and mulched. In addition, in May you can sow the late varieties of this crop (this can already be done directly on the beds).
It is important to know how to properly grow cauliflower seedlings at home, without spending time and effort on caring for the seedlings and picking them. The method of sowing directly into the open ground provides for low germination of seeds, and delays the formation of the head. But this method allows seeds to germinate faster and plants suffer less from insufficient watering during a drought.
Before sowing, the seed material is prepared in the same way as when sowing in boxes, but they must be treated with hexachlorane. Sowing is done on pre-prepared beds, deepening them into grooves of 2-3 cm. I drop 3-4 seeds into each hole, cover with soil and slightly compact it.
The first seedlings appear after 6-8 days. The main enemy of cabbage, especially in open ground is a cruciform flea, it is able to completely destroy small plants in a few days. To reduce the risk of the spread of this pest, the seedlings should immediately be powdered with DDT and re-treated at the age of 10-14 days.
Care for Cauliflower in Early Summer
The transplantation of grown seedlings into beds continues so as not to get confused in the timing of the transplant, you can navigate by the plant - if 4-6 leaves have formed on a bush, then this will be the best age for this work. When planting seedlings in late June, the first harvest from these plants must be expected in late September.
Beds with cauliflower are most often compacted with dill, radish or lettuce, placing rows of these crops between the lines of cabbage. Such a neighborhood will not hinder, but will increase productivity and bring additional products of early ripening plants.
To grow high-quality inflorescence heads, rich in mineral elements and vitamins, several conditions must be observed:
1. Cauliflower, prone to the accumulation of nitrates. To prevent this nuisance, it is necessary to feed the plants with an accurately metered amount of fertilizer. When preparing nutrient mixtures, only well-rotted compost or manure is used. Lack of potassium and the use of fresh manure will cause the accumulation of nitrates in the green mass;
2. Landing should be done in lighted areas. Deviations from the temperature regime and thickened landings provoke the accumulation of nitrates;
3. The best predecessors for this crop will be melons, potatoes, tomatoes and legumes. After cruciferous cabbage can not be planted.
For digging in the autumn period, on the beds for cauliflower make:
• Superphosphate - 100 grams;
• Potassium sulfate - 120 grams.
Instead of these mineral fertilizers, you can add 1-2 kg of wood ash. The beds after digging do not equalize, the soil should lie in boulders so that it freezes well in winter. So you can destroy a lot of wintering pests.
In order not to form small, low-quality heads, it is necessary to feed the earth with boron in autumn. The disadvantage of this element can be seen by the appearance of rot in inflorescences, deformation of leaves, loose heads.
If there was not enough time in the autumn to dig the site, then the beds can be prepared in the spring. They are fed with such doses:
• 1.5 kg of wood ash;
• 2 g of boric acid;
• 120 g of potassium salt;
• 30 grams of magnesium sulfate;
• 100 g of double superphosphate;
• 3-5 kg of humus.
These doses are for fertilizing a 10 m2 bed.
