How often and with what to water cabbage

What water to water

Growing cabbage, both its seedlings and in the open field, requires compliance with the water regime. The gardener should know what kind of water to water the cabbage. Since even if all the recommendations are followed, the wrong water can lead to undesirable consequences. At the same time, the characteristics of the water do not depend on which variety was chosen for planting (white, red, colored, etc.).

Watering cabbage should be correct not only after planting it in the soil, but also at the seedling stage. Watering cabbage in the open field or even at the seedling stage is necessary with water of a certain temperature. This parameter remains important for all cruciferous plants, not just cabbage. Please note that cold water can cause inadequate root development. As a result, the forks will tie weakly or not at all. In addition, watering any cabbage (cauliflower, red cabbage, etc.) with cold water can provoke the development of various diseases. In this situation, even the death of immature plants is possible. This is especially important when planting seedlings in the open field.

Therefore, it is not recommended to water cabbage with water from a tap or from a well. In this situation, you need to let the water warm up by pouring it into buckets and giving time to settle. You need to warm up the water in black buckets, not gray iron buckets. The black color attracts sunlight and the water warms up faster. But this applies to the northern and eastern regions. In the south, this method will lead to too rapid heating of the water. Too hot water also negatively affects the germination of the vegetable in the open field. This applies to all varieties (colored, white, etc.). Therefore, be careful. Watering cabbage is best organized with water having a temperature in the range from 18 to 23 ° C. Only such water can and should be watered outdoors.

How often

In addition to what water should be watered cabbage, many gardeners are worried about how often this should be done. After all, untimely watering is fraught with many negative consequences and can even lead to the death of the planted seedlings or already an adult plant. At the same time, different varieties of cabbage (white cabbage, cauliflower, red cabbage, etc.) may have some differences in how often a given crop should be watered. But in general, the rules remain the same for all varieties, with slight nuances.

The need for cabbage in water and, accordingly, the frequency of watering is determined by the age of the plant. For seedlings and an adult plant, watering is carried out according to various schemes.

Most often, cabbage needs to be watered in the following situations:

• after disembarking seedlings;
• after the beginning of the formation of the head of cabbage.

In these situations, it will be correct to water the plant several times a day. This should be done when growing white cabbage, cauliflower, red cabbage and other varieties of cabbage. This intensity lasts for a couple of weeks.During the period of growing deciduous mass, watering and its frequency can be moderated a little.

But remember that excessive watering, as a rule, gives excessive moisture to the soil, as a result of which the vegetable can begin to rot and soon die. The dying off of the roots begins when they are in moist soil for more than eight hours.

Very careful watering is necessary during preventive measures focused on controlling diseases or pests. In this case, the plants are treated with special solutions (decoctions from the tops, a solution with vinegar, etc.). Here it is necessary that the treatment agent is on the surface of the cabbage for some time. And watering can wash it off, making prevention ineffective. Each plant variety (white, colored, broccoli, etc.) has its own means of combating pests and diseases, but the irrigation rules remain practically unchanged.

Also, an important aspect for the frequency of watering is the climatic conditions prevailing in the garden plot. In hot weather, watering is carried out more often than in cloudy weather. Thus, a perfectly formed head of cabbage can be achieved even in arid regions of the country.

In addition, it is not recommended to water the plants strongly before harvesting. This can provoke head cracking. To avoid this, one month before harvesting and before the full ripening of late varieties of cauliflower, white cabbage, red cabbage, etc. watering should be stopped altogether.

Abundant watering is not recommended even after prolonged drought. This will also lead to cracking of the tied heads.

Today there are three watering options. Each gardener chooses for himself the one that is most suitable for his garden. You can use them at different periods of the growing season of the plant or try a new method every year to determine the greatest efficiency specifically for your garden.

So, the methods of watering cabbage (any variety - cauliflower, white cabbage, red cabbage, etc.) look like this:

• watering as needed. An economical method, which consists in the fact that you need to water in the evening or in the morning in the dug holes around the plants. After adding soil, loosening is necessarily carried out here. The greatest intensity of watering falls on the stage of active growth of leaves and the formation of heads of cabbage. In this case, for one watering under one plant, you need to pour out about 10 liters of water (20-30 liters per 1 m², and during drought - up to 40-50 l);
• depending on the available climatic conditions. Here watering is carried out depending on the age of the plant (seedling, formation period, adult plant). The number of waterings per day is determined by the frequency of rainfall, the number of sunny days and the aridity of the climate;
• depending on the variety. Some varieties of cabbage are more demanding on the water regime. Therefore, they need to be watered more frequently.

Whichever method you choose, hilling is required after watering or past rain. This process is carried out until the rosettes of the emerging leaves close. For early varieties (whether colored, red or other species), hilling is carried out 1-2 times, and for later varieties - 2-3 times. This will allow additional roots to form. In this case, hilling is carried out only on wet soil.

Separately, it should be noted that after planting seedlings in open soil, it is watered with 5-6 liters per 1 m² every day for two weeks. After two weeks, watering is carried out once, pouring out 1 m² 12 - 15 liters each. In addition, it is known that the early varieties should be watered more in June, and the later ones in August. 1 m² it is necessary to pour out 15 liters of water. Please note that it is better to water the cabbage only in the evening, and if necessary, you can also in the morning.

Video "All about growing cabbage"

How long

It is necessary to water the cabbage throughout the growing season. But not always evenly.The greatest intensity of watering will be when planting seedlings in the ground, as well as during the development and formation of heads of cabbage. The rest of the time, watering is reduced to preventing excessive drying out of the soil.

The plant should be watered from the moment the seedlings are planted in the soil until the time of harvest. The termination of the procedure occurs a month before harvesting to prevent spoilage of the vegetable. This rule applies to all autumn varieties. Excessive moisture will make further storage of the heads of cabbage impossible. Summer varieties in this situation are less demanding on moisture and their watering can be stopped three weeks before harvest.

Various dressings when watering

Another important parameter of cabbage care is its feeding, which is carried out simultaneously with watering. This whole procedure includes the following manipulations:

• top dressing;
• watering;
• hilling;
• loosening of row spacings.

The first feeding of plants with watering is done after two weeks (or at least 10 days) after placing the seedlings in the open field. Top dressing involves the introduction of liquid organic fertilizers into the soil (mullein, diluted with water in a ratio of 5: 1, bird droppings, which are diluted in water 10: 1). Organic fertilizers are applied at 1-1.5 liters per vegetable. They can also be replaced with 0.5% ammonium nitrate solution.

Fertilizers should be applied very carefully, avoiding their contact with the leaves. Otherwise, burns will appear on them. After feeding, the soil is loosened between the rows.

The second feeding should be carried out at the beginning of active growth of leaf rosettes. It is organized approximately 14-21 days after the first feeding. Here, a mixture of superphosphate, ammonium nitrate, potassium sulfate can be used as fertilizers. For all these fertilizers, a 2: 1: 1 ratio must be used. Consumption should be approximately 40-60 g per 1 m²... The introduction of nitrophoska is carried out in the same dose. Organic-mineral fertilizers can also be used here. But in this situation, the dose of mineral nitrogen fertilizers should be somewhat reduced.

The third feeding is carried out based on the plant's need for fertilizers. For example, if they remain weakened or underdeveloped. It is carried out 2 weeks after the completion of the second feeding. For the third feeding, a mixture of potassium sulfate and superphosphate in a 1: 2 ratio should be used. You can also use wood ash. Here, the calculation must be carried out based on the ratio of 30 g per plant.

For cabbage that is intended for long-term storage, top dressing should include more potassium, which prevails over phosphorus and nitrogen. This will minimize product losses during storage. Further feeding can be carried out with a solution of mullein or bird droppings. They are stirred in water 2: 1. In this case, the fertilizer is carefully poured under each plant, but do not overdo it.

To get an excellent cabbage harvest, it is very important to adhere to the watering rules. Here it is worth considering not only the climatic conditions of the place where the plant grows, but also the temperature of the water, as well as the frequency of watering. This is the only way to achieve adequate development of cabbage, the formation of strong and healthy heads of cabbage, as well as their long-term storage.

Video "Care and watering for cabbage"

In this video, you will find out what features lie in the care of early varieties of white cabbage, and what watering requirements exist.