Cabbage does not grow: what to do if it stands still, how to feed

Why doesn't cabbage grow if the flashy, bright wrapper in which the seeds were packed guaranteed you the highest result? The development of a head of cabbage stops, or there is a rotten smell from the garden for several meters around - what are the reasons for these troubles when planting in open ground?

Understanding the reasons

Understanding why cabbage grows poorly only here, and not with our neighbors in the country? The very first condition for the normal growth of cabbage is high-quality seeds. Unfortunately, it is almost impossible to check this factor when buying, since the only guideline that you can focus on when paying money is the expiration date of the seeds with an accuracy of up to a month.However, there is no guarantee that the fact of the printed date is true. You can protect yourself from buying poor quality only with a greater degree of probability by contacting experienced gardeners for seed material, or by purchasing these funds in a specialized trading place that competently updates the assortment.

So, you are more or less confident in good material, but after planting in the soil, the plants do not want to behave as it should be for a decent cabbage and all the time find one developmental defect, then another.

Let's analyze all the possible options and causes of such trouble and still figure out what to do if the cabbage does not grow?

Soil mismatch

True - a biennial cruciferous does not tolerate high acidity of the soil - it simply cannot grow on such land, no matter how well it is fed. In the best case, cabbage seedlings will release a few large leaves, but at this point the cabbage power will run out, the leaves will start to fall, and you will get nothing but a lush bouquet.

You need to know the acidity of the soil in advance, just by observing which plants have chosen the selected area. If sorrel, mint, plantain or buttercup grow in the places of the future beds, then the soil is definitely acidic and will cause the death of your crop.

Another simple diagnosis of soil oxidation can be made with table vinegar. Crush a small ball from the soil and drip vinegar on it. It is clear that an acidic environment will not give any reaction, and seedlings planted in such a land will die very quickly.

Repaying excess acid is the first measure to save the future crop. The most traditional way to turn the acidic environment of the future garden into an alkaline one is to introduce lime and chalk powder into it when plowing before the winter period, at the rate of ½ kg per 1 m^{2 of cultivated land. What else to feed the soil to maintain its alkaline balance? Egg shells are also one of the best outdoor fertilizers.}

Lack of light

The mistake of many novice gardeners is the desire to plant as many seedlings as possible in a small area. The optimal distance between future heads of cabbage in the garden is 45-50 cm with a sustained row spacing of 70 cm. For some cabbage heads, the ripening rate will be higher, for others it will be lower, but not a single sprout should die from such natural unevenness.

If the planting was thicker than expected, the excess seedling material must be removed.

The same problem - poor sunlight, can also come from other plants located next to the cabbage bed. As a rule, these are tall, deep-rooted crops that cause deep shade - sunflowers, corn stalks.

Cabbage, which suffers from a lack of light, increases its growth, and it begins to grow, stretching from the roots, and at the stage of the third full-fledged leaf, it suddenly stops developing and begins to dry.Whatever you do, at this stage it will not be possible to save the cabbage and it will only be possible to take into account mistakes for the future.

At the very beginning of the deformation or yellowing of the sprout, you can try to rehabilitate the cabbage using Zircon or Epin-extra solutions. And of course, if the importance of white cabbage is higher than shading for you her plants, get rid of them.

Weather events

At temperatures above 25^{C, miracles begin to happen with cabbage - a successfully grown green mass and an already established rosette suddenly dries up, and a raised leaf turns yellow and falls. The future head of cabbage stops growing, no matter how well the soil is fertilized. Why does cabbage die under such seemingly favorable conditions?}

The reason is the exceptional heat-loving culture. If the open ground is not sufficiently moistened, and the ambient temperature is above 18С that is comfortable for the crop, the cabbage dies, simply becoming dehydrated. Cold snaps are no less detrimental to seedlings.

Even slight frosts provoke rotting of the sprout, and the roots suffer first of all. This is one of the answers to the question why cabbage rots on the vine, but, of course, not the only reason.

Wrong watering

The conditions for proper watering must begin to be observed even before planting young plants in the ground. In room conditions, it is not easy to create the necessary temperature regime and ventilation, in addition, cabbage seedlings need to be watered often and sheltered from direct sunlight. Often, a place on the windowsill with a seedling box is the only option where it is possible to germinate seeds. Seedlings die, before planting the soil is mainly due to drying out.

Another mistake, from the opposite extreme, lies in wait for inexperienced gardeners when the seedlings are already sitting in the open field. As soon as hot weather sets in, as a diligent owner, taking care of the beds, begins to literally flood the area with seedlings with water, and then wonders why the cabbage rots on the vine.

Missing Essential Nutrients

The explanation for why cabbage dies can be even simpler - the ovaries often simply starve. You can feed the plants already at the stage of rapid growth, but the fertilizer must be selected with a minimum nitrogen content. How to feed young cabbage?

Most experienced owners prefer Kemira Combi top dressing, which has a cumulative and gentle effect on seedlings shortly after transplanting them into open ground.

If the cabbage has stopped growing due to weather changes, has begun to rot or dry out in the outlet, try choosing one of the recipes that have been made for several decades:

• 0.5 tbsp spoons of magnesium, 0.5 tbsp. spoons of boron, 1 tbsp. dilute a spoonful of "crystalline" in a 10-liter bucket of water;
• 3 drops of iodine, 10 g of boron, magnesium sulfate - 2 teaspoons, superphosphate - 3 teaspoons diluted in 10 liters of water.

Any chosen mixture of cabbage is fed in the form of abundant irrigation.

Poor growth condition - pests

One of the reasons cabbages, which had previously grown and developed well, suddenly show signs of decay, is parasitic creatures or insects. Among insects, the worst characteristic is:

• Cruciferous fleas that damage young plants immediately after planting them in the ground;
• Cabbage moth, more precisely, the caterpillars of this insect, destroying the core of the ovary, in view of which the entire inflorescence rots;
• Cabbage aphid attacking the garden with the first warmth of spring. The danger of this harmful insect is not only that it dehydrates the cabbage leaf, depriving it of juice, but also that within 1-2 months from the activity of this insect, a mold fungus can spread throughout the planting, the carriers of which are these pests.

Each insect has its own methods of struggle. If the affected plant has already shown all the signs of rot, it will have to be disposed of. Cut cabbage should be destroyed along with parasites that have stuck to the head. Try to get rid of all cut cabbage heads right away, as insects quickly change their location to he althy vegetables.

The following spray formulations will help the cabbage moth:

• Dilute calcium arsenate, 10 to 15 g. This solution can fertilize 100 m3^2;
• Entobakterin dilute to a concentration of approximately 0.3%. One liter of composition is enough to process 10 m^2.

Cabbage aphids are traditionally driven out with soapy water, tobacco infusion or diluted ash. Before the bed is processed, it is required to inspect the root of each head of cabbage and, without regret, remove those inflorescences that rot badly.It is also advisable to get rid of any weeds that may harbor pests - if you do this regularly while growing this crop, there will be less problems with the harvest.

Cabbage diseases

There are also enough diseases from which cabbage dies, but we will highlight a few that almost every gardener faces sooner or later:

1. Downy mildew. A disease that kills plants that develop from seeds at home. Landing in open ground, as a rule, delays the development of the fungus, but the disease can be completely eliminated only by drastic measures or by the complete removal of the affected plants.
2. White rot and gray rot. Cabbage heads must be stored at a lower temperature than the one at which they grew and felt comfortable in the garden - only within 2-3 ^{If this storage condition is not observed, the head quickly rots, becoming covered slimy coating.If we are talking about warehouses with cabbage, where the inflorescences are in close contact, the disease can infect up to several square meters of vegetables poured into a common pile in just a month.}

In order to protect future plants from powdery mildew, the seeds are given a specific "hardening" - before planting they are soaked in water at 50 for 15 minutes, and then transferred to a container of very cold water for a minute.

To attack both types of rot, preventive heating also begins to act even before the seeds are lowered into the ground. Later, in order to prevent the heads of cabbage from rotting, it is necessary to carefully stack them in the storage place, without damaging the leaves and be sure to observe the desired temperature. Rotten cabbage found in a mass of other vegetables should be isolated immediately.

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