Brussels sprouts: cultivation and care in the open field with photos and videos

Today, in modern summer cottages, you can find a huge number of different vegetables. Some are engaged in the cultivation of cucumbers with tomatoes, and someone is attracted by Brussels sprouts, the cultivation and care of which requires certain skills and abilities from the vegetable grower. Therefore, before growing Brussels sprouts, it is necessary to study the features of growing Brussels sprouts.

Sowing seedlings

To grow Brussels sprouts outdoors, you need to decide on the timing of its planting. Brussels sprouts Cassio seedlings should be grown from the beginning of April until the end of the next month.This time will be enough to obtain high-quality seedlings. In Siberia, planting is recommended a few months later.

Preparation of seeds

Brussels sprouts Hercules, Rosella and many other varieties should be prepared for planting. First you need to do the calibration of planting material in order to immediately get rid of defective seeds. To do this, a saline solution is poured into a small container. Then seeds are placed in it and soaked in liquid for about 5-10 minutes. During this time, all the bad seeds will float to the surface, and the good ones will remain below.

Having got rid of the defective seeds, all the remaining ones need to be checked for germination. A soaked cloth is placed in a small plate, on top of which all the seeds are laid out. They are covered with a cloth and soaked for three days. The highest quality planting material should swell well during this time.

It is recommended to plant Brussels sprouts in open ground, the seeds of which were previously disinfected. This procedure is needed to rid all the seeds of possible pathogens of fungal or bacterial diseases. Many vegetable growers use a manganese solution for this. The procedure is carried out in stages and in a certain sequence. First, a weak solution of manganese is poured into a small container, after which seeds are placed in it for half an hour. Then all cabbage seeds are extracted, washed and dried.

Also, before planting cabbage, it is necessary to accelerate the germination of its seeds. To do this, they should be soaked for about 10 hours in warm water. At the same time, it is recommended to change the liquid every 3 hours so that it does not have time to cool completely.

Soil preparation

The planted seed must be grown in neutral or fertile soils. In all other soils, seedlings grow much worse. Also, to improve the yield and growth of the plant, you can use pre-prepared land, which can be purchased in almost all country shops.

Cabbage does not tolerate soils with a small amount of mineral elements, and therefore, in order to have many heads of cabbage in the future, you will have to fertilize the soil yourself. It is recommended to prepare a soil mixture that will consist of an equal amount of sand, soddy soil and peat. You can also add a little humus to the soil with compost. However, in this case, one should be very careful, as these components favorably affect the development of the blackleg.

Sowing

Agrotechnics for planting seeds is quite simple. It is necessary to plant it in small containers, no more than 5-7 cm deep.In each of the containers, it is necessary to add the soil mixture that was prepared earlier. After that, the whole earth is watered with potassium manganese solution and infused for 5-10 minutes.

Then they begin to make holes for planting seeds. Their depth should be about 1 cm, and the width should be 2-3 cm. When all the seeds are planted, the holes are sprinkled with a small earthen layer and watered with heated water. Then all containers are covered with plastic wrap and transferred to a bright room. They are opened only after the first shoots appear.

Planting seedlings

Growing Brussels sprouts outdoors should be done in the second half of spring, when outside temperatures are always above freezing.

Select site

Grow Brussels sprouts only in areas that are ideal for them. For early varieties, such as Casio, sandy or light loamy soil is suitable. Such soils are freed from snow earlier than others and warm up very quickly.

Late and mid-ripening Brussels sprouts grow best in heavy loamy soil or meadow soil. It is not recommended to plant them in a garden with soil that has an increased level of acidity. Quite often, due to too acidic soil, cabbages do not tie.

Brussels sprouts must have suitable predecessors. It is recommended to plant it in areas where carrots, cucumbers, onions, legumes or perennial grasses were previously grown. If cruciferous vegetables were previously grown in the selected location, this may result in poor fruit set.

Site preparation

In the Moscow region and other nearby regions, it is necessary to prepare the site in the country in the autumn. During this period, top dressing of the soil and its digging are carried out. The site is fertilized with manure and other organic matter, after which the whole earth is harrowed and dug up.You should also be sure to level the site so that there are no strong depressions and holes on it.

It is imperative to clear the area of the remnants of other plants and weeds, as they are one of the main carriers of various diseases.

The next stage of site preparation is carried out in early spring. At this time, it is necessary to do soil fertilization. A bucket of compost with humus is added to the soil. Also, a little wood ash with superphosphate and urea is added to the open ground.

Planting

To understand how to properly plant cabbage at home, you need to familiarize yourself with the main features of this process. Landing should be done only in the evening or on cloudy days, so that there are no bright sunlight. The fact is that fragile seedlings, the first few hours after transplantation, should not be in the sun.

First you need to start marking the beds. The distance between each bed should be about 50-70 cm so that the bushes do not interfere with each other. After marking them, you need to start creating holes. They should not be very large, as the seedlings have a small root system. A little organic fertilizer should be added to each hole and mixed with the ground. Then seedlings are placed in them and sprinkled with soil.

Features of care

In order for large heads of cabbage to be tied on the bushes, you need to properly care for the plant from sowing to harvest. After all, it is planting and care that affect the quality of the fruits obtained.

Irrigation

Care for Brussels sprouts must necessarily include regular watering of young seedlings. In order for the bushes to grow well, they need to be watered every 3-4 days for two weeks after planting.At the same time, at least eight liters of liquid should be consumed per square meter. Very frequent watering can affect the appearance of new lower leaves. If there are too many of them, then you will have to periodically pick off the leaves.

You can increase watering only in early June, when most of the fruits are tied. You will have to carry out the procedure several times a day - in the evening and in the morning. In this case, it is necessary to use water heated to room temperature.

Loosening

During the cultivation and care of Brussels sprouts, it is imperative to loosen the soil, as growing cabbages need it. Especially after heavy rains. The procedure is carried out regularly 2-3 times in a few weeks. To get rid of the crust on the ground, you do not need to loosen it too deeply. It will be enough to loosen the earth to a depth of about 5-7 cm.

The first hilling is carried out a month after planting the seedlings in the garden.The second time the procedure is carried out after eight days. Due to hilling, additional roots may appear on the bushes on the side. So that they do not appear, during loosening, retreat 5-10 cm from the base of the plant.

Feeding

It is necessary to feed the soil when growing cabbage regularly. For the first time, fertilizers are applied to the ground two and a half weeks after seedlings are planted. During this period, organic top dressings diluted in water are used. The second time the procedure is repeated after 10-15 days. In this case, bird droppings with mullein and superphosphate are added to the ground.

Harvesting

Harvest should be three and a half months after planting seedlings on the site. After such a period of time, all the heads of cabbage that have started look completely ripe. First you need to remove the heads of cabbage, which are located at the bottom of the bushes.Then you can cut off the fruits that are higher. It is very important to have time to harvest before the onset of the first frost. Indeed, at low temperatures, heads of cabbage begin to deteriorate quickly. All collected heads of cabbage must be cut off. They remove the leaf rosette and the upper kidney. This is done in order to keep the crop longer.

Conclusion

Getting a good cabbage harvest is not that difficult. To do this, you need to see photos and videos of growing and caring for Brussels sprouts in the open field.

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