When to pick cabbage after germination. Picking cabbage seedlings: is it necessary?

In the northern regions, sowing cabbage directly into open ground is very risky, since the possibility remains. For this reason, cabbage is grown, which involves picking.

Today we will find out how to pick at home, what it will give us and in what cases picking is not required. Let's talk about the rules of picking.

Purpose of the process

It’s worth starting with a discussion of the process in order to understand why picking is needed and whether it is really needed.

This is the process of transplanting young plants into a larger container at a time when the plant needs more substrate than is currently available.

At the time of germination, the seed only requires a sufficient amount of moisture and oxygen in the soil, however, as the root system grows and develops, priorities change. You can compare picking with replacing clothes that have become too small for, but you should understand that such a comparison only reflects an increase in the volume of the vessel.
The fact is that the lack of picking as it grows leads to the fact that the root system does not have enough space to develop. It begins to intertwine and crawl out of various holes.

This process cannot be called normal, since the growth of the root system implies the need to obtain additional nutrients. And if, after increasing the root mass, the supply of everything necessary for growth and development remains at the same level, then growth is inhibited, and the plant itself suffers from a lack of “feed”.

It is worth understanding that if you solve this problem by initially planting the seeds in large containers, you will get the exact opposite effect. A large volume of substrate is capable of retaining more moisture, which leads to the development of various pathogenic organisms in the soil.

Direct pick assignment- increase the area for nutrition and development of rhizomes. The secondary purpose is to facilitate the process of planting cabbage in open ground or /.

Features of picking cabbage

When

Picking cabbage at home is done at the stage of formation of two cotyledon leaves. The seedlings should be about a week old at this point.

You should not delay the diving process, since the younger the plant, the faster it will take root in the new place. For this reason, the age limit after which there is no point in carrying out any transplants is 16 days from the moment the first greenery appears.
A later transplant will result in inhibited growth and development, and some plants will even die.

Important! Cotyledon leaves are those that appear first on sprouted seeds. Do not confuse cotyledon leaves with the first true leaves.

Where

Young cabbage should be replanted into an appropriate single container so that in the future, when planting in open ground, it is not necessary to separate the rhizomes.

It is pointless to indicate the exact volume of the container, since each individual plant, depending on the volume of the root system, requires a larger or smaller container. An average guideline can be considered a half-liter glass, in which the grown root should fit.

It is worth remembering that you need to use thick cups for planting, as they emit fewer hazardous substances when in contact with moisture. It is extremely dangerous to use cut ones, since the imprint on the outside of the bottom of the container indicates that the bottle is not intended for reuse.

We recommend spending the extra money and purchasing small ones at a flower shop that can be reused.
Now let's talk about the soil. You need to use a substrate identical to the one in which the seedlings grew before. This approach will help the cabbage quickly get used to it and grow. To prevent the cabbage from “starving”, add 10 g of potassium chloride, 20 g and 20 g of potassium chloride to the bucket. In this way we will ensure the availability of the NPK group, which is necessary for growth and development.

Important! The NPK group includes nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. These elements can be added to the soil using complex fertilizer. The ratio of the main elements should be identical to those indicated above.

How

Now let's talk about how to properly plant cabbage for seedlings.

At the stage of the appearance of two cotyledon leaves, the seedlings have a very weak rhizome, which can easily be damaged. It is for this reason that before transplanting you need to water the soil so that the rhizome can be completely removed from the substrate.

It is worth understanding that even the thinnest root shoots, which the root system loses, can negatively affect survival rate. And pathogenic organisms can easily get into small wounds. Therefore, after removing the seedlings from the soil, each individual plant needs to be dipped with its rhizome in a weak solution of potassium permanganate (10 drops per 10 liters of water).
Let's look at the process of transplanting cabbage step by step:

1. We slowly remove the seedlings, holding them exclusively by the cotyledon leaves. You can use a fish fork, or make something similar from wire.
2. After extraction, inspect the roots. Too long ones need to be shortened by 1/3 with scissors. Seedlings with strongly crooked or zigzag rhizomes are removed.
3. We make a recess in (the vessel into which we are transplanting), which should correspond to the length of the root. We immerse the plant to the growth point, sprinkle it and lightly compact it, so that the stem does not protrude much above the ground up to the growth point.
4. We moisten the substrate generously and move it to a dark place for two days.

Features of picking cauliflower

In terms of picking, they are slightly different from. The moment of transplantation is shifting, so we will move it to a new substrate at 9–10 day. The deadline is 17–19 days.

Despite new, more productive ways of growing seedlings that have appeared in recent years, picking cabbage remains one of the favorite methods of most gardeners today. This word, sophisticated for beginning gardeners, refers to thinning seedlings and transplanting selected plants into separate containers.

Picking allows you to get the maximum number of seedlings from a small initial area of ​​a greenhouse or greenhouse. This simple agrotechnical technique is based on the fact that seed germination does not require large amounts of nutrients and microelements. But simultaneously with the growth of plants, the amount of substances they consume also increases.

These observations once led our ancestors to the conclusion that it is possible to first sow seeds densely for seedlings, and as they grow and develop, some of them can be transplanted to another place. As a result, what we have: in a small space, seedling seeds are sown twice or three times the norm, then, as they grow, part of the plants (a third or half, depending on the density of the seedlings) is transplanted to a new place.

Picking allows you to simultaneously solve several more problems: remove diseased or damaged plants, and provide the transplanted plants with new organic matter and microelements. As a result, strong, healthy, well-developed seedlings are planted in open ground.

When should cabbage seedlings be pruned?

It is impossible to name the exact date when you need to pick cabbage seedlings - it will be different for each type of cabbage. The recommended timing for picking seedlings of white, red and savoy cabbage is from 7 to 15 days after emergence. For kohlrabi, broccoli and cauliflower, these periods are slightly shifted - from 9 to 19 days.

But it is better to make a decision about picking seedlings, focusing not on timing, but on its appearance. Usually, it is recommended to pick seedlings when the plants throw out their first two true leaves. This is not an absolute axiom, you can do picking earlier, but younger seedlings still have very thin and brittle stems, so in the early stages of picking you need to be prepared for the fact that some of the plants will be damaged and become unsuitable for transplanting.

Usually, cabbage seedlings are picked once. But sometimes there are cases when seedlings sown early “outgrow”. In this case, repeated picking will help save the situation, due to which, due to damage to the root system, the growth of seedlings will slow down for several days.

When moving, special attention should be paid to ensure that the roots do not bend after transplantation, but are positioned strictly vertically. The soil around the roots, but not at the stems, should be slightly compacted, and only then the substrate should be added to the very cotyledons.

Freshly picked seedlings should be protected from direct sunlight. It is better to place it in a cool place with a temperature of 10 - 15 ° C, and do not fill the soil with water, but only slightly moisten it.

How to pick seedlings correctly?

You need to replant cabbage seedlings following the rule “don’t rush without haste.” It is better to spend more time, but carefully straighten the roots on each plant, placing them vertically. It is better to transplant each plant into a separate container, although if necessary, you can plant it in pairs, and even, if the size of the container allows, three in one container.

There are several ways to transplant seedlings into new containers, but they all have one thing in common: the picking technique. It is similar for all methods without exception. The soil in the nursery needs to be well moistened so that the seedlings can be easily removed and the soil stays in a lump on the roots and does not crumble.

Then, using a metal spatula (most often the handle of a teaspoon plays this role) or a wooden splinter, carefully remove the plant from the nursery, trying to preserve the soil around the roots as much as possible. In a new place, you need to make a hole in the soil and carefully lower the plant into it, deepening it along the lower cotyledons.

After transplanting, the soil in the container should be lightly pressed down with your fingers, making sure that they do not reach the stem of the transplanted seedling. Then the space that appears is filled with planting substrate until its level reaches a pair of cotyledons.

Picking methods

You can plant cabbage in one large container, for example, an aluminum or iron basin, a wooden box, or even in a new greenhouse. But it is still much more practical to plant it in separate containers: the transplanted plants separately will grow better, and planting them in open ground from separate containers is much easier and painless.

Sometimes you can find information that there are several ways to plant cabbage seedlings in a separate container. In fact, this is all one method, and the only difference is in the container used for transplantation.

Cabbage can be replanted:

• in plastic cups;
• in plastic bags;
• into peat tablets;
• in the so-called "diaper".

Each method has its pros and cons. If you study all of them in advance, then even before picking you can choose the most suitable transplant method for you.

But all these methods have one thing in common: the picking technique is the same for all methods. And the composition of the soil mixture used for replanting is also the same for all methods (with the exception of replanting in peat cups).

Picking into one container

When picking into one large container, it is filled with a nutrient mixture, leaving low sides of 2-3 cm. If there are few seedlings, then it is better to purchase a special soil mixture for planting them.

If there is nowhere to purchase such a mixture, there is no time, or it is too expensive, then a home-made analogue is prepared for planting cabbage seedlings. To do this, mix soil, peat and sand in equal proportions, adding wood ash at the rate of 2 cups per bucket of the mixture.

Immediately before planting the seedlings, the prepared mixture must be disinfected to rid it of pests, harmful viruses and bacteria. This can be done quickly and efficiently either by placing the soil mixture in an oven preheated to 200 degrees for half an hour, or by watering it with a weak solution of potassium permanganate.

After the container is filled, the nutrient mixture in it needs to be slightly compacted and watered. Only after completing all the preparatory work can you proceed directly to picking and transplanting.

The transplant itself is carried out in rows, and to save space, seedlings can be planted in a checkerboard pattern. But when replanting, one mandatory condition must be observed - the distance between adjacent transplanted plants vertically, horizontally and diagonally must be at least 8 cm.

Drinking into plastic cups

To pick cabbage, you can use plastic cups or small plastic flowerpots with a diameter of 5 cm or more. You must make 3-4 small drainage holes in the bottom of the container so that excess water can flow out of it. By forgetting or neglecting this precaution, you risk rotting the roots of the transplanted seedlings in the waterlogged soil.

Recently, gardeners are increasingly using plastic bags instead of plastic cups. They are much easier to cut, releasing the roots of the seedlings along with the soil into open ground.

Picking into peat cups

Peat cups for seedlings appeared relatively recently, but gardeners have already appreciated their benefits. Their main advantage: the seedlings grown in them do not need to be replanted - they are planted in open ground along with their original container.

Those. At first, the cups serve as a container for growing seedlings, and after planting in open ground, they serve as organic fertilizer. The very technique of picking cabbage seedlings into plastic cups is no different from picking them into plastic ones.

Picking in a diaper

When using this original method of picking cabbage seedlings, small pieces of polyethylene are used to grow them. Thick polyethylene film is cut into small rectangular pieces, the size of a notebook sheet.

Having placed one such piece on a flat surface, place a tablespoon of soil mixture in one of its upper corners. A cabbage plant is placed on top of this mixture. You need to lay out the seedlings so that their cotyledons are above the edge of the polyethylene.

Then carefully place another spoonful of soil on the laid out seedlings, after which they bend the bottom of the plastic flap, covering it with the top of the placed lump of soil along with the roots of the seedlings. The flap is rolled into a small roll and secured with an elastic band or adhesive tape. Rolled rolls of seedlings are placed in one large container with a sealed bottom.

The common container is placed on the windowsill and grown in the same way as ordinary seedlings, making sure that the soil in the rolls does not dry out. The only difference is that to water such seedlings, instead of ordinary water, a solution of mineral fertilizers is used.

When the seedlings form 3-4 true leaves, carefully unroll the diapers, add another spoonful of soil mixture to them, and then wrap them back. This addition usually no longer allows you to tuck the bottom edge of the diaper, so you need to transfer it into a common container very carefully, supporting the bottom edge with your hand, otherwise the soil may spill down.

In such diapers, seedlings grow before planting in open ground. When planting, the cellophane film is carefully unfolded, and the seedlings are transplanted along with the soil in which they grew.

Caring for transplanted seedlings

In order for the transplanted seedlings to take root better, you need to provide it with a comfortable place with a temperature of 10-15 degrees and no direct sunlight. Also, in the first days after transplantation, you need to carefully ensure that the soil substrate remains moist all the time, but under no circumstances fill it with water.

If there is insufficient lighting, it is necessary to organize additional illumination of the seedlings with fluorescent lamps. In the future, caring for the transplanted seedlings comes down to timely watering, fertilizing, and hardening a week or a week and a half before planting in open ground.

Strictly speaking, picking is not a mandatory requirement when growing cabbage - many gardeners prefer to initially sow its seeds in such a way that there are no thickened seedlings. In the southern regions, with their mild winters and warm springs, cabbage can even be grown without seedlings, sowing seeds directly into open ground.

But in most central, not to mention northern regions, cabbage is grown mainly through seedlings. And to get a good harvest, it is important to initially lay its reliable foundation - to grow seedlings strong and healthy. And picking seedlings is a simple but effective way to achieve your goal.

Growing cabbage is very easy. At the same time, there are ways to speed up its growth and improve the quality of the harvest. One of them is picking cabbage seedlings - planting them from a common container into a small separate container or other places.

This procedure has many advantages, but it is not without its disadvantages.

Why do you pick cabbage seedlings?

Here positive aspects of planting cabbage before planting:

• seedlings can receive nutrients from a larger area;
• the old soil is replaced with a new, more nutritious one;
• crops become much less common;
• It is possible to sort out crops unsuitable for planting at an early stage.

There is no need to pick the seedlings every time; it can fully grow without it. Some experienced gardeners even use the method of planting a plant without growing seedlings and get a good harvest. There is also an opinion among gardeners that picking cabbage is absolutely contraindicated. In their opinion, it has the following disadvantages:

It is believed that seedlings need to be picked only in the northern regions, as well as in regions with a temperate climate. In the south, picking is not needed. Most gardeners don't even grow seedlings in hot climates.

When can you start picking seedlings?

To ensure that crops ripen as early as possible, seedlings need to be prepared in early spring, when the snow has just melted, and you can start picking it already in early April. In front of it you need to plant cabbage in wooden boxes. Peat or turf is chosen as the soil; humus can be added to it as a fertilizer. If you do not have the ingredients for such soil, then you can take ordinary soil directly from the garden, you just need to additionally treat it against diseases and pests using limestone.

Cabbage is planted in open ground in early May: this way the crop will have time to ripen by mid-summer.

Methods for picking cabbage seedlings

Before you begin the procedure of transplanting seedlings, need to prepare it. The seedlings are watered abundantly so that during transplantation the moist soil remains on the root of the plant. Then you need to prepare tools that will help with picking. An ordinary tablespoon with which you can dig up the sprouts, or a spatula, is suitable for this.

The procedure for picking seedlings has been known for many years, so the number of ways to carry it out is quite large. Let's take a closer look at the most popular methods.

Picking seedlings into one container

You can transplant cabbage into one container. You can choose a small basin or wooden box for this. The soil must be poured into the container in such a way that there is literally a couple of centimeters left to the edge. You can prepare the mixture for planting the plant yourself; for this you will need ordinary garden soil, ash and sand. If you cannot find all the components at home, you can purchase a ready-made composition at a specialized store.

To avoid plant diseases and protect it from pests, the soil can be treated with a weak solution of potassium permanganate. It will nourish the soil with useful microelements and disinfect it.

The seedlings are carefully removed from the first container using a spoon and placed in small holes in a new container and the soil around them is compacted. The distance between the seedlings in the new container should be quite large; you need to retreat at least 7 centimeters from the edges of the box and neighboring sprouts.

Transplantation into different containers

In order for the plant to be free and comfortable, you need to choose a container at least 5 centimeters in diameter. Disposable plastic cups or thick bags are perfect for this, with holes drilled in the bottom for drainage. Excess water will drain from the soil through these holes after watering. The composition of the soil is no different from the previous picking method.

Using cups is not convenient for everything: when transplanting seedlings from them into open ground, it is easy to damage the root system. Therefore, if possible, it is better to choose a more spacious container. If there is no alternative to cups, then when planting, you can cut them and remove the plant without damage.

Peat cups

This is a very common method for planting cabbage. Unlike plastic, peat cup disintegrates quickly and can be used as fertilizer in the garden.

Cups should be taken with the same diameter as in the previous method : 5-7 centimeters. Soil is poured into it, leaving a little free space. Water the ground and dig a shallow hole in it. The plant is placed in it so that the soil reaches the bottom sheets.

When the seedlings grow, they do not need to be removed from the peat glass. It can be completely buried in the garden bed without disturbing the plant or damaging its roots.

Picking cabbage seedlings in polyethylene

This method is successfully used not only for cabbage, but also for other vegetables. To pick cabbage, you will need thick polyethylene, cut into small pieces measuring 10*15 centimeters. Many gardeners like this method because when using it, you can significantly save the space that seedlings take up.

Dive cabbage into polyethylene in several steps:

All packages with seedlings are placed in one box and placed on the windowsill. If there is not enough light from the window, artificial lighting can be installed above the box.

To keep plants healthy, they need to be watered with a special composition that includes mineral supplements. You can determine the need for watering by eye: you should not flood or overdry the soil.

You need to add soil to the envelopes when new leaves appear on the seedlings. This container is suitable for storing cabbage until it is planted in the garden.

There is another effective way to pick, after using which you can transplant the plants directly into the garden bed. To do this you need:

• Cut the film into strips 10-12 centimeters wide;
• Place toilet paper or newspaper paper on top of the film;
• Spray the paper with water;
• Place cabbage seeds on a paper layer at a distance of 2-4 centimeters from each other;
• Cover the seeds with another layer of paper and film;
• Roll the resulting structure into a roll and place it in a plastic glass with water at the bottom;
• Cover the glass with a cloth and place in a warm place.

This method allows you to quickly grow seedlings from seeds. When the first shoots appear, they are fed with a vitamin composition, which can be purchased in the store. The second time you need to fertilize the plant is when the first leaf grows on it. After two leaves appear, you can transplant the sprout into a separate container.

This diving method has many advantages:

The disadvantages of this method include slow growth of seedlings compared to planting in soil, as well as the need to re-pick plants.

A high-quality harvest depends on seedlings prepared for planting. Knowing the picking methods described above, you can easily grow healthy seedlings, even if you are a beginner in plant growing. Some methods are very convenient and do not require a lot of time and money, seedlings take up little space, and the result of the work will not take long to arrive. You just need to choose a convenient method for growing cabbage and follow all the rules.

You can grow cabbage seedlings even at home without greenhouses or nurseries. The main thing is to know the basic rules for caring for seedlings and carefully adhere to them.

One of the important points is that, although it seems like a simple procedure, it requires caution and certain skills from the performer.

What is picking and why is it needed?

Picking is transplanting sprouts from common seedling boxes into separate containers. This “relocation” provides the plants with a larger feeding area and promotes the development of a strong and branched root system. When picking, fresh substrate is used, so the seedlings receive more nutrients and better conditions for development.

Another advantage of this procedure is the rejection of weak shoots. During transplantation, you can weed out non-viable plants and leave only the strongest ones, which increases the likelihood of getting a good harvest. In addition, this eliminates the problem of too dense planting of seedlings, which occurs when the sprouts grow in the boxes.

The main difficulty of picking is that the young seedlings are very tender, so it is easy to damage their root system and stems.

How to pick

You can pick cabbage when the first true leaves appear on the plants. As a rule, this occurs within 10-12 days after seed germination. You can transplant seedlings into separate pots, disposable cups, peat tablets, or special cassettes with individual sections.

Containers for transplantation must first be prepared by filling them with fresh substrate and spilling the soil with warm water. It is best to use a soil mixture consisting of peat, turf soil and sand. It is better not to use ordinary soil for growing seedlings, but if there is no alternative to it, then it should first be disinfected by treating it with steam or spilling it with a solution of potassium permanganate.

During transplantation, you must carefully remove the sprout from the seedling box and transfer it to a separate container. The most convenient way to remove a plant from a common planting is with the help of a small peg, which can be used to pry up the seedling along with a small lump of earth. When planting seedlings in a new place, it is important to ensure that the roots do not bend, but are placed vertically in the soil. To do this, you can make a depression in the substrate to the appropriate depth.

The plant needs to be buried a little more than it grew before. After replanting, the soil around the seedling, but not near the stem, should be lightly compacted and lightly watered. It is important to compact the soil near the roots, without affecting the stem, otherwise the sprout may die.

Caring for seedlings after picking

Picking is stressful for plants, because they need to take root in a new place, but you need to know how to do it correctly. After the “relocation”, during the first 3-4 days, the seedlings need to be sprayed with water at room temperature, regularly ventilate the room in which they are located, and shade them from the sun. Under such conditions, the sprouts must quickly get used to the new environment and produce new leaves.

A week after picking, it is recommended to feed the seedlings. To do this, dilute 2 grams of ammonium nitrate and potassium fertilizer, 4 grams of superphosphate in 1 liter of water and water the plants with this mixture. The resulting solution is enough for approximately 50-60 sprouts. When root feeding, there is a risk of burning the root system of seedlings, so before applying fertilizer you need to water the seedlings with clean water.

Is it possible to do without picking?

Despite the benefits of picking, many gardeners prefer to grow cabbage without it, planting the seeds directly in individual containers. At the same time, the arguments against transplanting sprouts are quite significant. Thus, this procedure involves a high risk of damage to plants: when removing sprouts from common plantings and planting them in new containers, it is very easy to break the stem or tear off the roots.

In addition, picking will slow down the development of seedlings, which affects the timing of their planting in open ground and the ripening of heads of cabbage. If the cold weather lasts for a long time, this can be a plus, since this way the plants will not outgrow. However, when the earliest possible harvest is needed, such delay is undesirable.

Diving is an agrotechnical technique that involves moving seedlings from a common box into individual containers. Picking cabbage will allow you to grow strong seedlings and achieve a high-quality harvest.

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Why do you need to pick cabbage seedlings?

Cabbage seeds are sown thickly, since seedlings at the beginning of growth are undemanding in terms of feeding area. At the next stage, the plants develop a root system; they need space and more nutrients. In a small sowing area, young shoots begin to crowd out each other, their roots become intertwined - as a result, the seedlings wither and slow down in growth. To prevent this from happening, you need to give each seedling a feeding area by transplanting it into a container with a large volume.

The main purpose of cabbage picking is the selective selection of strong seedlings from weakened specimens for further cultivation and the need for thinning the crops.

Advantages and benefits of picking

There are different opinions about the benefits of picking.

Advantages inherent in picking cabbage seedlings:

1. The plant's feeding area expands. Each seedling requires more nutrients over time; thinning will give the sprout a separate place for development.
2. Old soil is replaced by fresh soil.
3. The problem of dense crops disappears. After picking, young plants have enough light, so by the time they are planted in open ground, the seedlings will be strong and have a good root system.
4. Early transplantation hardens the seedlings.
5. Weak and diseased crops are removed. In the event of seedlings being affected by diseases, picking allows you to separate strong plants from bad ones, preventing damage to a larger number of future seedlings.
6. Productivity increases. Pinching the main root reduces its length, which leads to the growth of lateral and adventitious roots and provides more nutrition to the seedling.

When should cabbage seedlings be pruned?

There is no strictly established time for diving; you mainly need to rely on the appearance of the seedlings. They must have two full-fledged leaves formed, or the stem must begin to stretch. Usually this moment occurs 2-3 weeks after emergence. You should not delay the picking process, since the younger the plant, the faster it will take root in a new place. For this reason, there is a limit to the age of seedlings, after which there is no point in carrying out any transplants.

Thinning dates for popular varieties of cabbage, obtained through experimental gardening.

Gardeners identify three options, based on which you can easily determine when picking cabbage is necessary:

• according to the lunar calendar;
• according to the development phase of seedlings;
• according to the time from sowing the seeds.

The video talks about when to start picking cabbage seedlings. Filmed by the channel of expert Olga Chernova.

Selection of soil for picking

The selection of soil should be carefully considered. It is recommended to plant the seedlings in soil with the same composition in which the seeds were germinated.

• the soil should be moderately nutritious and loose;
• soil with neutral acidity - if the soil mixture is acidic, lime or chalk is added to neutralize it;
• the soil is selected according to the type of crop being grown.

You can make the soil yourself; it is better to prepare it 10 days before the start of the procedure:

• peat - 45%;
• turf land - 35%;
• humus - 15%;
• sand - 5%.

Cabbage seedlings can also be transplanted into substrates without soil. One option is to pick garden trees into sawdust.

In order to neutralize possible pests living in the soil, it must be disinfected:

• carry out disinfection by spilling the soil with manganese solution;
• bake in the oven at 180–200°C for 30 minutes;
• freeze.

As a top dressing, add 1 tbsp to a 10-liter bucket of soil mixture. l. without a slide of double superphosphate and 2 tbsp. l. wood ash.

If you don’t have the time or desire to work on the soil yourself, you can buy soil at garden stores. Currently, the choice of such is huge. Soils with a special composition have been developed for cabbage and are widely used for all vegetable crops.

Picking methods

The procedure for picking seedlings has undergone changes over the years, so the number of methods for doing it is quite large.

The most popular ways to pick cabbage:

• in one container;
• in plastic cups;
• in peat pots;
• in a diaper.

Each diving method is unique and contains its own nuances. These methods have one thing in common - the picking technique is the same for everyone.

In one container

You can plant cabbage seedlings in one large container; a shallow basin or wooden box for a flower garden is suitable for this.

It goes like this:

1. The container is not completely filled with soil; you must leave 3 cm to the edge.
2. Using a special diving tool, the seedling is carefully removed from the common vessel. It is imperative to keep a lump of earth on the roots of the plant.
3. At the future location, a depression is made into which the young sprout is immersed. The soil around the seedling is slightly compacted.

When diving into a common container, you should remember the distance necessary for the comfortable development and growth of a single plant. The seedlings are placed in a checkerboard pattern at a distance of 8 cm.

Seedlings picked into one container

In plastic cups

This method of picking cabbage seedlings involves the use of plastic cups with a diameter of 6 cm and a volume of 500 ml for full growth. Holes are pierced at the bottom of the vessels, which will serve as a drainage hole. This measure will remove excess moisture and prevent root rotting.

The peculiarity of the transplantation procedure into a separate vessel lies in the simultaneous movement of two cabbage seedlings to one place. This measure is used to identify strong plant specimens.

The nuance of this method is also that the soil around the plants should not be compacted, but it is necessary to water the soil several times. When the soil is pressed in along with the seedling, the root system is injured, and when watered, the soil sinks without causing harm to the sprout.

In peat cups

Peat cups are an environmentally friendly material and have advantages over other diving methods. When transplanting cabbage into peat pots, it is worth remembering that as they decompose, they turn into natural and useful fertilizer and have a positive effect on the seedlings.

In order for cabbage seedlings to be comfortable after thinning in a new place, it is necessary to choose cups with a diameter of 5 cm. The sequence of the picking process using this method coincides with transplanting into plastic cups.

When further planting seedlings, the peat cup is buried in the ground along with the seedling, without touching its roots. This method of diving is the most gentle for seedlings, since the root system is not injured during planting at a permanent place of growth. The plant is not stressed and does not slow down its development.

In a diaper

The growing technique involves the use of polyethylene flaps in the form of diapers. The original cultivation method is popular due to the fact that it saves free space. When planting cabbage in diapers, one sunny window is enough to accommodate all the seedlings.

The film should be thick enough, for example, you can use polyethylene to cover a greenhouse. The thick film needs to be cut into so-called diapers - shreds the size of a notebook sheet. Subsequently, it will be in them that you will need to dive.

The stages of diving into diapers are presented as follows:

1. It is necessary to spread the diaper horizontally on the table.
2. Place 1 tbsp in the upper left corner. l. wet soil.
3. A cabbage sprout is laid out on the ground so that the cotyledon leaves are located above the edge of the film.
4. Place another spoonful of nutrient soil on the root of the plant.
5. The bottom edge of the diaper is folded up.
6. Make a bundle from two layers of film with a sprout between them.
7. The roll is wrapped with an elastic band or the edges are secured with adhesive tape.
8. The resulting diapers are placed in a common container with a sealed bottom.

After picking the cabbage with the appearance of 3-4 true leaves, you should unroll it and add another spoonful of soil to the root. When re-rolling the roll, the bottom edge of the polyethylene does not need to be folded. Carefully transfer the seedling in the diaper into a container, holding the bottom of the package so that the soil does not spill out. The seedlings can remain in this state until they are planted in a permanent growing location.

This diving method has many advantages:

• no need to pre-prepare soil for growing seeds;
• when repeated picking, the roots are not damaged, the film is removed easily and quickly;
• plastic film protects the seedling from pests and diseases.

Picking process Diaper diving technology

Picking technology

To perform a pick correctly, you must follow a certain sequence of actions. There are two ways of doing this: transplantation and transshipment.

Transfer

The seedlings have a very weak rhizome that can easily be damaged. It is for this reason that before replanting you need to water the soil so that it is completely saturated. When diving, you should use a wooden spatula or a teaspoon, carefully prying up the seedling with a lump of earth and moving it to another place.

Damage to thin cabbage shoots during picking can negatively affect survival rate. Therefore, after removing the seedlings from the soil, each individual plant must be disinfected in a weak solution of manganese (10 drops per 10 liters of water).

The process of transplanting cabbage is carried out according to a certain order:

1. The seedlings are carefully removed, holding them exclusively by the cotyledon leaves. For convenience, you can use a fork.
2. Be sure to inspect the roots. Long shoots are shortened by 1/3. Seedlings with crooked or bent rhizomes are removed.
3. A depression is made in the soil corresponding to the length of the root.
4. The plant is lowered into the hole and sprinkled with soil so that the stem does not protrude too much above the ground.
5. The substrate is moistened abundantly and moved to a dark place for two days.

Transshipment

The transshipment method is a gentle method of diving - all damage to the root system is minimized. Therefore, plants will need less time to adapt to the new environment.

The transshipment process is somewhat different from transplantation and looks like this:

1. A few days before the start of picking, watering stops. This will allow you to remove the plants from the common container without damage.
2. Individual containers are filled one third with earth. For better soil permeability, drainage can be laid at the bottom.
3. Small cups of seedlings are turned upside down, allowing the stem to pass between the fingers. Lightly press on the bottom and carefully remove it - the plant along with the lump of earth will remain in your hand.

Caring for transplanted seedlings

Caring for transplanted seedlings consists of moderate watering and fertilizing. We must not forget about loosening the soil and removing weeds.

Fertilizer

When the sprouts take root and begin to grow, you can feed them with diluted mullein in a ratio of 1 to 5. After 14 days from the first feeding, it is recommended to repeat it.

To obtain a more nutritious solution, mix the ingredients per 1 liter of water:

• superphosphate - 6 g;
• saltpeter - 4 g;
• potassium chloride - 2 g.

Temperature

The maximum permissible temperature that cabbage seedlings can withstand is 22°C. This regime must be strictly observed, since exposure to high temperatures has a detrimental effect on the condition of young seedlings.

Watering

The regularity of watering depends on the humidity in the room and temperature. By constantly misting the leaves with a spray bottle, you can increase the humidity level. At the same time, green plants will be provided with additional nutrition from the outside.

In the first days after replanting, it is important to keep the soil moist without flooding it. On average, one seedling requires about 10 ml of water per day.

Lighting

For containers with pickled cabbage sprouts, it is better to choose a window sill on the south or southeast side. On cloudy days, you need to compensate for the lack of lighting with a daylight device, as well as using mirrors or foil.

Video “How to pick cabbage”

In the video you can see how cabbage is picked at home. Filmed by the Garden World channel.