When to pick off the lower leaves of cabbage and is it possible to do it
Many inexperienced vegetable growers do not know whether to pick off the lower leaves of cabbage. The opinions of summer residents on this matter differ. Some of them claim that people eat heads of cabbage, not leaves, and therefore can be cut off.
Others say that the bottom leaves are needed to form young cabbage bushes. It is quite difficult to find information on this in the special literature, so each gardener will have to decide everything on his own.
Landing in the ground
Before you think about whether to pick off the lower leaves of a cabbage, it is recommended that you read the tips for planting it. It is recommended to plant when more than five leaves appear on the seedlings, and its height will be about 15 cm. Quite often, it grows to this size in mid-May. Some mid-season varieties have to be planted in early June.
First, it is recommended to choose a suitable site. A place that will be illuminated by the sun throughout the day is perfect. It is desirable that the site has sandy soil, which is better than others for growing cabbage. Before planting, the acidity of the soil must be checked, the indicator of which should not exceed 7 pH. The preparation of the site should be done in the fall. At this time, you should carefully dig up the ground so that in the spring it can better absorb moisture.
Also, the soil must be leveled with a rake. This is to make the soil hold water longer. Weeds may appear on the site before planting, which should be removed immediately.
In late spring, seedling holes are made on the site. Their size depends on the size of the root system of young seedlings. In each hole, 100 g of ash, a handful of sand and humus are placed. Then a spoonful of nitrophosphate and a glass of water are added to them. Having prepared all the holes, you can start disembarking. The seedlings are lowered into the ground and sprinkled with dry soil on top. Too high seedlings are planted in such a way that the cabbage leaves below are flush with the ground.
Growing features
The first few weeks, you need to carefully look after the young seedlings. Young seedlings are not yet accustomed to the sun's rays, so during the day they need to be covered with newspapers or cloth. Further care for cabbage is as follows:
- Watering. It is recommended to water the plant on cloudy days or in the evening, so as not to harm the bushes. It is enough to do this once a week. In summer, the number of watering can be increased several times so that the cabbage has enough moisture. To keep water in the soil longer, it is recommended to create a peat mulch layer.
- Top dressing. The first feeding is carried out 10-15 days after planting the seedlings in the soil. During this period, a mixture made from saltpeter, potassium, superphosphate and water is added to the ground. Fertilizers should be applied only to moist soil so as not to accidentally damage the plant. The second is applied after a few weeks and consists of the same fertilizers as the previous one.
- Treatment. To protect the bushes from diseases and insects, it is recommended to deal with their processing. First, the cabbage is treated with ash, which can protect young seedlings from fleas and slugs. Then you can use an infusion of tomato tops or onion peels. There are also special preparations with which you can protect cabbage from most diseases.
Should I pluck the lower leaves
Not all vegetable growers know whether it is possible to pick off the lower leaves of cabbage when growing. Most gardeners prefer to prune them. They argue that this helps to accelerate the growth of the plant, since now he does not need to spend his energy on the lower shoots. Also, many people prefer to remove the lower leaves due to the fact that over time they begin to rot and the bush loses its attractiveness.
It must be remembered that breaking leaves is quite a serious stress for the bushes. Because of this, the maturation period of the head of cabbage can seriously increase. Therefore, it is not recommended to tear off leaves on very young seedlings. Many people immediately wonder whether the lower leaves of the cabbage are removed if the head of cabbage is almost ripe.
Agricultural rules prohibit doing this, since open wounds remain on the bush with a torn off leaf, due to which the plant can become infected with various diseases.
However, there are still a lot of supporters of breaking off shoots. The main thing is that the head of cabbage is fully ripe, and the procedure is performed correctly. Also, before carrying out work, you must pay attention to the condition of the sheets. If they are green and fresh, then you do not need to prune them. They are ripped off only if they begin to rot and dry.
When to tear off the sheets
Not all gardeners know when to pick leaves from cabbage. There are several of the most common reasons why you have to do this.
Vascular bacteriosis
It is quite simple to determine that a plant has contracted vascular bacteriosis. The bushes immediately begin to turn yellow from below, and black spots appear on the leaves. In this case, you need to pick off not only the leaves, but also get rid of the entire bush. If you do not cut them off in time, then the disease will quickly spread to neighboring cabbage.
Cracking heads
Heads of cabbage of early varieties often begin to crack if the lower leaves are not cut off in time. If we tear them off, then the development of the head of cabbage slows down, and it stops cracking. However, some experts argue that this method is not very effective. Instead, they advise pulling the plant out of the ground a little and turning it over. Using this method, you can also slow down the growth of the plant so that the heads of cabbage do not crack.
Pest control
Not everyone knows why to remove the bottom leaves of cabbage. Quite often, cabbage needs to be removed to protect the bushes from insects. For example, scoop or cabbage flies most often settle in the lower part of bushes. Insect pupae overwinter in the soil and, after warming, move to the lower leaves, where they will lay eggs in the future. If pest eggs were found on their surface, then the leaves must be removed.
However, this does not always help to get rid of dangerous insects. Sometimes you have to use special protective equipment that is more effective.To do this, you can treat cabbage bushes with Agrofit or any other insect repellent.
Increasing the mass of cabbages
Many gardeners prefer to pick off the lower leaves of cabbage when it is necessary to increase the weight of the cabbage. It is recommended to do this in late summer or early September. It was during this period that the rapid growth of young heads of cabbage is observed. More often than not, people plan to tear off the bottom leaves before harvesting. However, it is recommended to collect the heads of cabbage with them. In this case, the cut crop will continue to develop until the supply of nutrients in the leaves runs out.
Conclusion
It is quite difficult to determine unequivocally whether it is necessary to pick off the leaves. However, every gardener must make such a choice for himself. To do this, it is enough to familiarize yourself with the positive and negative sides of this procedure. You should familiarize yourself in advance with situations when it is simply impossible to do without removing the leaves. It is also recommended that you familiarize yourself with when you can pick off the leaves and when you should not.
