The cabbage is in bloom. Why Beijing cabbage blooms, what to do

This summer, a rare gardener can boast of a good harvest of cauliflower. The heads either did not tie, or were small, "disheveled" and gray. What is the reason? Most likely, it was the weather, it was very changeable. In June - rainy and too cool, in July the heat came, in early August - a strong drop in temperature and cold nights, and then hot days again.

Cauliflower does not like sudden changes in weather. From this, her normal development is disturbed, and she grows only leaves.

To mitigate the impact of the weather, experienced gardeners carefully choose a place for cauliflower. And, of course, they try to please her requirements. Even this season they managed to get an excellent harvest.

Sergei Ivanovich Stepashin, our regular author and consultant, shares his experience.

A place for cauliflower should be chosen protected from the winds. I make a bed in front of the house, a fence or a tall bush. Thanks to this barrier, there are no drafts.

The site must be bright and warm. Shadow is strictly prohibited. At the same time, short-term shading of cabbage is desirable in the very heat - at noon. It can be a moving shadow from a tree or building.

To hide the cabbage from the midday sun, some gardeners specially stretch a sheet over it in the form of an awning, fixing it on four pegs.

Irrigation plays a big role. Often it is carried out by sprinkling. It only wets upper layer soil, which is clearly not enough. Stable crops in any weather are obtained by those gardeners who water the cabbage under the root, into holes or trenches, thoroughly wetting the soil. Good results gives water to plastic bottles, which are dug in next to the plants. Water enters directly into the root layer.

With a lack of moisture and high temperature the soil gets very hot. This can also lead to a lack of harvest. That's why cauliflower needs to be mulched. A layer of mulch keeps the roots from overheating.

Lack of moisture also leads to nutritional deficiencies. Plants absorb nutrients only in dissolved form. Therefore, they do not give a full harvest.

Can something

do now?

If the head is tied, but it is very small and is already “falling apart”, cut it off. Then it will go only in color. Perhaps, small lateral inflorescences will still have time to start.

If the cabbage had no head, then all is not lost. Increase watering. Mulch the soil to reduce evaporation and prevent crusting. IN hot weather spray cabbage in the evening with water heated in a barrel.

Eliminate nutritional deficiency by applying a solution of complex mineral fertilizers with trace elements, in particular, with boron.

You can find this article in the newspaper "Magic Garden" of 2011 No. 16.

Chinese cabbage we are interested in the fact that it has a content of vitamin C and protein twice as high as white cabbage. It can serve as an excellent source of vitamin and mineral salts in winter time. After all, there are people who do not like sauerkraut or salted cabbage. But from fresh Beijing, a salad will be served on cold winter days. There is also a source of longevity and our cheerfulness in it - the amino acid lysine. Cheerfulness, this is exactly what is missing at the junction of winter and spring. You can also stew, boil, fry, salt and marinate it.

Like other species, Beijing cabbage is cold-resistant when grown. Already at +4˚С the seeds will germinate, and will grow at +15˚С. It can withstand short frosts down to -4˚С. It is optimal to increase the temperature to + 22˚С. But he dislikes the heat. Resistant to slight shading, although related to light-loving plants. Often affected by clubroot acidic soils. Therefore, such areas require preliminary cultivation. Grows well in fertile, well-drained areas.

But the most important requirements for light, day length, heat.

So why does Beijing cabbage bloom?

A high yield forms with a shortened day and warm weather. If the daylight hours are long, it will go into the arrow, that is, it will bloom. The plant differs from others in precociousness. Therefore, with early sowing in the spring, it can fall under a long decrease in temperature. But the daylight hours will be long. As a result, the result will be deplorable - the head will not form. Therefore, we create conditions for growth and select varieties with a long growth stage. And just if you are late with the cut, you can get flowers instead of a crispy head or rosette of leaves. With summer crops, it also shoots prematurely. Therefore, extra-early varieties can be sown early only in closed ground, so as not to be exposed to low temperatures. There is no way to cover, take the Champion, Khibiny varieties. And leave the early ripening for a warmer period.

Predecessors and intermediate crops - Beijing cabbage is grown after zucchini, legumes, tomato, cucumber, onion. But after cabbage and plants suffering from keel, you will have to wait up to 3-4 years. With an early harvest, many more types of vegetables with a quick ripening period can be planted after it. It can be greens, and even cucumbers. You will have time to enjoy the harvest. And the place will not walk. In extreme cases, sow after green manure - this is an excellent fertilizer.

The transplant does not tolerate very well, so grow seedlings either in cups or immediately sow on permanent place. In extreme cases, when transplanting, keep a large earthen ball and do not delay the timing.

The planting pattern for growing Beijing cabbage is thicker than white cabbage. Keep 30 cm between rows, and 15-20 cm between plants in a row. In closed ground, head varieties are planted according to the 20 by 20 scheme, leafy 10 by 10 cm. Seedlings are usually transplanted in the phase of 4 true leaves. You can also use this plant as a compactor, planting in the aisles.

If you notice a developmental delay, then feed nitrogen fertilizer based on 10 liters 20 grams. But only in the early stages. Actually, it's better to do without it. After all, the culture is fast-growing. What to do, pay attention to preparing the beds in the fall, add compost or mineral fertilizers. Even better, sow green manure, dig in the fall. And by spring, the fertility of the beds will be increased. If none of this has been done in advance, then use liquid compost. Excellent fertilizer and no material costs.

Beijing cabbage can be called a moisture-loving plant. But when waterlogged, rotting is possible. But with a lack of moisture, it forms rough, fibrous leaves. In hot weather, it is better to water not from above, but into the furrows made along the row.

Refers to vegetables capable of accumulating nitrates in dangerous concentrations for health. Therefore, do not neglect the recommendations for fertilizing. To reduce the amount of nitrates by 20%, soaking in cold water in an hour.

Chinese cabbage is a long day plant. For flowering and fruiting, it needs daylight hours lasting more than 12 hours. With prolonged illumination from 15 to 16 hours, the formation of a peduncle will definitely begin. This is if you want to grow cabbage for seed.

With a short daylight hours, an arrow with seeds does not form, but leaves grow well and heads are tied, which is necessary. Best growth head varieties of Chinese cabbage relatively at a low temperature of +15 + 25 ° and short daylight hours.

Based on this, Beijing cabbage should be sown VERY early (in mid-April) or already at the end of July:

• Early spring landing - April 15-20.
• Summer-autumn landing - from July 20 to August 10.

The methods for growing all types of Beijing cabbage are almost the same. But it is necessary to take into account its peculiarity - this is a relatively short growing season, which ranges from 50 to 70 days, which allows you to get two crops per season. When growing Chinese cabbage in open ground already on the 40-50th day, its head is suitable for use, however, its final formation occurs approximately on the 50-60th day.

Don't be too afraid early landing- its seeds begin to germinate at a temperature of 4 ... 5 ° C and it easily tolerates a cold snap of up to - 4 degrees without shelter, but at the stage of head formation, the effect of such a low temperature can affect the release of the peduncle. Therefore, it is necessary to provide for a short-term shelter from frost and heat. These types of cabbage give an arrow in case of any deterioration in the weather and interruptions in soil moisture.

It is also necessary to choose varieties of Beijing cabbage that are resistant to flowering (F1 Spring Jade, F1 Michiko).

It is necessary to grow seedlings of Beijing cabbage in separate, better peat, cups or peat tablets, as it does not respond well to transplantation and tends to bloom very early.

By the way, many complain that Beijing cabbage does not form heads. Here, first of all, it must be taken into account that it has leafy, semi-headed (open at the top) and headed (heads are completely closed) forms. So leafy forms may not form heads at all.

The most precocious is the head form. Stores sell a vegetable that customers call "head lettuce" or "salad cabbage".

Kira Stoletova

Beijing cabbage is a crop, the benefits of growing which are not known to everyone. This vegetable comes from China. It is rich in vitamins high yield and good cold resistance. Very short growing season. Among all the pluses, there is one small minus. During cultivation, you may encounter the fact that Beijing cabbage has blossomed.

Plant characteristic

To understand why Beijing cabbage blooms, consider the characteristics of the culture.

This vegetable has several names: Beijing, lettuce or Petsai. It is a close relative of the common Chinese cabbage(mustard or Pakchoy).

The culture is ancient. simple technology cultivation. Seedling and seedless methods are suitable. Not whimsical to the climate. It is possible to grow even in the harsh northern regions. Available big choice varieties.

It has sessile, tender, whole leaves, the plate is wrinkled and slightly swollen. Height 15-35 cm. The type of head depends on the variety: rosette or head of various density, formed from leaves.

Reasons for flowering

If Beijing cabbage blooms en masse, then good harvest may not be counted. It is important to know why this is happening. There may be several reasons:

• the landing site was not chosen correctly;
• late sowing dates;
• the variety is selected without taking into account climatic features;
• the root system is injured;
• lack of phosphorus and potassium in the soil;
• lack of moisture.

How to prevent Chinese cabbage from blooming

To understand why Beijing cabbage bloomed, you need to study some factors.

Lighting

Young Beijing cabbage often blooms because it does not like the abundance of the sun. 12 hours of not bright lighting is enough. If seeds are sown in early spring or in August, the long daylight season can be avoided. It can be planted closer to a building or a fence so that there is a shadow for the normal development of the plant. If this is not possible, you need to cover the beds with a special covering material.

Temperature regime

Temperature fluctuations after planting contribute to the formation of flower buds. Therefore, it should be planted when there is no frost or constant overheating of the soil. Most optimum temperature from 12°C to 20°C. With a belated harvest, vegetables go into flower arrows.

Transfer

In order not to hurt root system plants, planted in the soil should be very careful. It concerns seedling method cultivation. When loosening row spacing, care should also be taken. If part of the roots is lost, it forms flowers and fruits at an accelerated pace, completing its life cycle.

Watering

To avoid the flowering of Chinese cabbage, it is important to monitor soil moisture throughout the season. If the moisture is gone due to weather conditions, watering and fertilizing activities should be carried out. The lack of moisture adversely affects the quality of cabbage.

Fertilizer

Flowering also occurs with a lack of essential minerals in the soil. Head development will be slow. The soil prepared in advance in autumn prevents shooting. To do this, in the fall you need to make organic fertilizers(humus or compost), mineral impurities. And in the spring just level the soil. Plants will not starve and shoot.

Variety selection

Wrong choice of variety occupies a special place in such causes of flowering. Therefore, you should choose it carefully.

The variety should be selected taking into account the climate of the region. Flower-resistant cabbage seeds are the best. Recommended dutch varieties. They are more resistant to flowering and are well adapted to our climate. The most popular of them:

• Russian size - resistant to adverse weather conditions, matures in 80 days at proper care, weighing up to 4 kg;
• Cha-Cha - a mid-season variety, the first harvest can be obtained in 50 days, a head of medium weight up to 2.9 kg;
• Orange mandarin is an early ripening variety, planted all summer. Harvest in 40 days. Frost resistant. Head weight about 1 kg;
• Vorozheya - a semi-headed variety, goes like a salad;
• Nika is an early maturing hybrid, yellow in section, wrinkled and with a waxy coating;
• Vesnyanka - refers to early maturing varieties, crop ripens after 35 days, lettuce sweet culture;
• Wineglass - mid-season variety, the harvest is obtained after 75 days, characterized by dense leaves, yellowish-green hue;
• unpretentious varieties resistant to flowering Manoko, Taranko, Bilko.

Only original hybrids have properties for cold resistance and flowering. With self-collection and harvesting of seeds, it is impossible to get a quality crop.

There are not as many vitamins in flowering heads of cabbage as in ordinary ones. But if you want to take advantage of them, you can. The veins of the leaves accumulate milky juice and become bitter. Therefore, in fresh not suitable for use. To prepare culinary dishes, you must first soak them in salted water. All bitterness will come out. And after that, you can cook cabbage rolls, summer soups and other culinary delights.

If Beijing cabbage has blossomed, then there are not many options for using the crop. Therefore, all causes of flowering should be excluded, and care and cultivation of this vegetable should be approached with all responsibility.

Conclusion

To prevent flowering, exact observance is necessary. preparatory technology and growing technologies. In the future, it is impossible to correct the situation without this knowledge. It is necessary to take care of the plantings in accordance with the needs of the variety, otherwise, instead of a vegetable garden, you will get a flowering flower bed.

Beijing cabbage cultivation and care. Why Beijing cabbage blooms.

Beijing cabbage is cold hardy. Already at +4˚С the seeds will germinate, and will grow at +15˚С. Withstands short frosts down to -4˚С. It is optimal to increase the temperature to + 22˚С. But she doesn't like the heat. It is photophilous, but will not withstand much shading. Often affected by clubroot in acidic soils. Therefore, such areas must be prepared in advance. Grows well in fertile, well-drained areas.

But the most important requirements for light, day length, heat.

Why does Beijing cabbage bloom?

A high yield forms with a shortened day and warm weather. If the daylight hours are long, then Beijing cabbage will go in the direction of the arrow, that is, it will bloom.

The plant differs from others in precociousness. Therefore, with early sowing in the spring, it can fall under a long decrease in temperature. But the daylight hours will be long. As a result, the head will not form. Therefore, you need to choose the right varieties and create growth conditions. With summer crops, it also shoots prematurely. Therefore, super-early varieties can be sown early only in closed ground, so as not to be exposed to low temperatures. There is no way to cover, take the Champion, Khibiny varieties. And leave the early ripening for a warmer period.

Predecessors and intermediate crops - Beijing cabbage is grown after zucchini, legumes, tomatoes, cucumbers, onions. With an early harvest of Beijing cabbage, many more types of vegetables with a quick ripening period can be planted. It can be greens, and even cucumbers. In extreme cases, sow after - this is an excellent fertilizer.

The transplant does not tolerate well, so grow seedlings either in cups or immediately sow in a permanent place.

The planting pattern for growing Beijing cabbage is thicker than white cabbage. Keep 30 cm between rows, and 15-20 cm between plants in a row. In closed ground, head varieties are planted according to the 20 by 20 scheme, leafy 10 by 10 cm. Seedlings are usually transplanted in the phase of 4 true leaves.

If you notice a developmental lag, then fertilize with nitrogen fertilizer based on 10 liters of 20 grams. But only in the early stages. But it's better to do without it. After all, the culture is fast-growing.

Beijing cabbage is moisture-loving, but rots when waterlogged .. But with a lack of moisture, it forms rough, fibrous leaves. In hot weather, it is better to water not from above, but into the furrows made along the row.

Refers to vegetables capable of accumulating nitrates in dangerous concentrations for health. Therefore, do not neglect the recommendations for fertilizing. Soaking in cold water for an hour will be enough to reduce the amount of nitrates by 20%.