Cabbage kohlrabi, the cultivation of which has become fashionable in recent years, will please with taste qualities and will surprise with a vitamin cocktail. The villa owner should remember the main rule - the vegetable is used almost always in fresh form, therefore it is necessary to fertilize and apply protective preparations in minimum quantities.
What does kohlrabi cabbage look like?
The main advantage of kohlrabi cabbage in its beneficial properties, still growing until readiness is in record time. Approximately 70 days from the seeds receive a ready ripe vitamin vegetable. Cabbage turnip, so often called kohlrabi, is something like a turnip or a white buryak. Although the vegetable is called a root crop, but its edible part grows above the soil level, it is therefore correct to speak the stalk.
When growing, the stem acquires the shape of a round ball, an egg, or an oblate ball. On the surface of the main part of the spiral grow stems. There are not many of them, on one stalk there are no more than thirty sprouts. The flesh is always white, but the peel, according to the description of kohlrabi cabbage, can be of two colors. There are two varietal groups: white and purple.
Varieties of kohlrabi cabbage
The choice of variety or type of vegetable depends on the growing region, the desired taste and way of eating:
- White cauliflower kohlrabi, the maturation period of which is early, differs with a tender flesh. However, if you completely stop the cabbage in the ground for a short time, it will very soon become hard and lose its taste. To that the grade "Vienna white" concerns: to land it advise in small quantities, exclusively for summer salads. "Delicacy blue" is a medium-born variety, but it retains tenderness much longer, does not shoot and does not outgrow.
- Purple varieties ripen twice as long, their flesh noticeably denser. They are good for growing in the middle band, because the variety group is undemanding to heat and is well experienced by temperature changes. "Viennese blue" variety can be harvested from the garden as it is consumed, it will not outgrow. Of late varieties, it is worth paying attention to the "Giant". According to the description of the kohlrabi cabbage variety, the weight of each stalk is about three kilograms, but the best taste for a turnip diameter is not more than 10 cm.
Planting kohlrabi cabbage in the open ground
Growing in the open ground is carried out by seedlings or seeds. Whichever option is chosen, for a permanent location should be selected solar section, preferably protected from winds. Before you start planting kohlrabi cabbage, it is advisable to get acquainted with the peculiarities of its erection:
- tough unpalatable fruits grow on soils of sour and poor, to achieve tenderness of the pulp will be obtained only in rich and light soils;
- the growth of fruits will significantly slow down the thick landing, light and air are important for him;
- beneficially affects the quality of the crop mixed cultivation, when kohlrabi is planted together with spinach, fennel, spicy herbs.
How to plant kohlrabi cabbage?
Cabbage kohlrabi, which can be grown by seed or seedling methods, grows faster with the preliminary preparation of seeds. Protect soaking in a solution of potassium permanganate to protect the yield. If the seeds were mined on their own, it is advisable to resort to the classical scheme: first hold the planting material in hot water on the order of 50 ° C, then cool it in cold, and then put in a solution with nutrients for half a day. After this preparation, the seeds are left for hardening in the refrigerator for a day, and they are ready for planting.
- If preference is given to landing on open beds, it is impossible to prepare too deep furrows. The depth does not exceed one and a half centimeters, otherwise it will negatively affect the taste of the stalk. For regions with a cool climate, a safety net will be used to cover the beds for the night if there is a threat of frost. After the emergence of sprouts necessarily work out planting, removing all the weak shoots. Between the strong seedlings the distance remains about 10 cm. After the time the leaves begin to close, I form a stalk. This is the beginning of the second weeding, as a result of which there will be 20 cm between the seedlings.
- Before planting the finished seedlings on the beds you need to season the seedlings. To do this, they are carried out daily in the air for several hours, the procedure is done in two to three weeks. The seedlings are grown by two methods: with or without a pick . Planting kohlrabi has one peculiarity: it is necessary to deepen seedlings only to cotyledonous leaves. The exception will be overgrown seedlings.
The scheme of planting cabbage kohlrabi in the open ground
Depending on at what stage the seeds or seedlings are on open beds, the size of the bed is chosen. There are different schemes, how to plant kohlrabi cabbage:
- to plant the seeds in the open ground, prepare beds at a distance of 5 cm from each other, leave between rows 50 cm, the seeds are buried about one and a half centimeters and only slightly sprinkled with soil;
- to grow cabbage seedlings kohlrabi with a pick pick up boxes of not more than 5 cm in height, in furrows of 1.5 cm deep every 2 cm, seeds are sown, they are ground by their earth;
- without picking, seedlings are grown in individual cassettes, where two or three seeds are placed, the height of each compartment is 8 cm and in diameter it is approximately 44 mm;
- when planted already prepared seedlings, prepare the wells every 30 cm, and between rows leave 50 cm, the hole is slightly larger than the earth's coma with the root system of the seedling.
Planting cabbage kohlrabi - terms
A real find for a budding summer resident is a kohlrabi cabbage, growing it is simple and you can get a crop twice a season if you re-plant the seeds. In summer, fresh juicy varieties suitable for salads are prepared. In the cold season, they grow late and lezhkie, preserving their vitamins and not escalating:
- In the period from the end of March to the beginning of April, early seedling cultivation begins in order to harvest the first crop in the summer;
- spring seedlings can be transported to open ground in May, this time is also suitable for sowing seeds for seedless growing immediately on permanent beds;
- get a second crop of cabbage kohlrabi summer resident will have time if he starts sowing seeds on seedlings in mid-May.
Growing kohlrabi in the open ground
Success largely determines the soil, watering and competently chosen predecessors. Taste qualities will provide water and fertilizers, and many problems will prevent tips for choosing a place. From other types of cabbage, kohlrabi is distinguished by its taste and appearance, and its cultivation does not radically differ:
- Regular weeding is the key to good growth and taste of the vegetable (as soon as the seedlings have appeared on the order of seven leaves, a stalk is formed from the thin stem, requiring space);
- weeding affects the size and quality of the fruit, and on the tenderness of the pulp - watering: a new portion of moisture cabbage is needed at least once a week, otherwise the vegetable grows dry and fibrous;
- loosening the soil by 8 cm after watering will ensure air permeability of the soil, and this is the prevention of diseases and the provision of a delicate taste.
How does kohlrabi grow?
The difference of this kind of cabbage in its appearance and taste. There are cardinal discrepancies in how the kohlrabi cabbage grows. If in white cabbage or Peking cabbage the main edible parts are leaves, then kohlrabi is a stump, as it grows, it acquires a rounded shape. But she has few leaves, although they are cut into salads. When planting on a permanent place, the seedlings deepen significantly less into the ground. The main advantage is the vitamin composition and the growth rate of the stalk.
Care for cabbage kohlrabi in the open field - watering
The juiciness of the pulp directly depends on the amount of moisture consumed during the growth period. In the question of how to care for kohlrabi cabbage, watering has its own weight and features:
- When the seedlings are in the open ground in their permanent place, they need moisture to start active growth, so they water every two to three days;
- When the seedlings became stronger and went into growth, they switch to one-time watering every week;
- kohlrabi consumes less water than other types of cabbage, but in June moisture is given more, especially in the dry season, the soil should be constantly slightly moist;
- after each watering weed removal and loosening procedures are mandatory.
How to feed cabbage kohlrabi?
Vegetable sings quickly, therefore, it is possible to get two crops per season, with this associated recommendations to make the minimum amount of fertilizers. Quality seeds and adherence to agricultural technology will bear fruit. However, there is a list of tips on the issue, how to feed kohlrabi cabbage for growth:
- when the first two real leaflets appear in the seedling, the roots are given complex fertilizers and microelements;
- before planting in the open ground as the seedling is seasoned, the leaves are sprayed with potassium sulfate and urea (one glass of each component is diluted in a ten-liter bucket);
- when the seedlings will be ready for planting, organic and mineral fertilizers are added to each well.
Do you need to plant kohlrabi cabbage?
From cabbage cabbage the kohlrabi significantly differs, the cultivation also has its own peculiarities. Quite naturally, the question arises whether the kohlrabi hides the cabbage, because it is a usual procedure for white-blooded cabbage. The stalk kohlrabi needs constant and qualitative loosening, and hilling will be disastrous for this type of cabbage. Kohlrabi needs less moisture, so in need of hilling it disappears, and the stem grows above the ground and loves the air.
Cabbage kohlrabi - diseases and pests
For most cruciferous diseases common, did not become an exception kohlrabi. Like all cabbage species, the stalk is affected by vascular and mucous bacteriosis; at the seedling stage, the danger is represented by a black leg , then powdery mildew and dry rot can attack. As for the moment, who eats cabbage kohlrabi in the country, here it is worthwhile to fear a number of pests: cabbage aphids, slugs and a bear, all sorts of scoops and fleas. But the proper care and choice of a landing site will help to avoid such problems.