Content
Growing and caring for kohlrabi in open ground is not difficult, especially if you have experience working with other varieties of cabbage. It is important to choose the right place for the crop, decide on the planting method and the appropriate timing. Caring for kohlrabi in open ground should be comprehensive.
How does kohlrabi grow?
The ancient Romans began cultivating kohlrabi. It attracts with its rich chemical composition and is a valuable dietary product.
The thickened stem fruit looks like a turnip or rutabaga, which is what gave the culture its name - translated from German it means “cabbage-turnip”
Kohlrabi develops a developed root system with a thin but long tap root with dense branching from it. It is located at a depth of 0.25-0.3 m and evenly diverges in different directions by about 0.6 m. The main root with branches can go deep up to 2.5 m.
When kohlrabi has 7-8 true leaves, the stem fruits become noticeably thicker. Subsequently, they are formed simultaneously with the growth of leaves.The shape of the stem fruit depends on the variety; round and round-flat types have the best taste. Late varieties have larger leaves and more leaves.
The stem fruits are covered with a thick peel. The flesh is dense and fleshy, but juicy and sweet. There are many vessels in the core, so the stem fruit becomes coarser as it ripens.
Depending on the variety, the peel may be green or purple
Where does kohlrabi grow?
Growing kohlrabi in open ground is successful in any region. She prefers a daytime temperature of 15-18 °C, and a night temperature of 8-10 °C.
Kohlrabi is a cold-resistant crop. During drought, it can obtain moisture in the depths of the soil, but its lack is fraught with low quality stem fruits.
To successfully grow kohlrabi, the site must meet the following requirements:
- enough light - when shading, fruits take longer to form, yield suffers;
- southern or southeastern slopes are preferred;
- long daylight hours, in such conditions leaves grow faster and stem fruits are formed;
- loose loamy soil enriched with organic matter;
- the acidity of the earth is neutral or slightly alkaline, the optimal value is 6.5-4.4 pH (5.5 is allowed);
- in open ground, it is better to plant the crop after legumes, perennial grasses, potatoes, tomatoes, carrots, pumpkins, and zucchini;
- any member of the Cruciferous (Cabbage) family is a bad predecessor.
A site for growing kohlrabi in open ground must be prepared in the fall. The digging depth is the bayonet of a shovel.It is necessary to add the following elements per 1 m²:
- wood ash 1 cup;
- urea 1 tsp;
- organic 3-4 kg;
- superphosphate 1 tbsp. l.
How long does kohlrabi grow?
Almost all varieties of kohlrabi are early ripening. In open ground, ripening takes 65-75 days. In this case, harvesting can begin earlier.
When to plant kohlrabi cabbage
Planting times depend on the chosen method. If you plant seeds on the site, then sowing work can be planned for the beginning of May.
Seedlings begin to be grown in mid-March, and they are moved to the garden in early May. You can move the dates or sow the next batch in early May.
Planting can continue until the end of June. The plant is not afraid of autumn frosts. The optimal interval between sowings is 2 weeks.
How to grow kohlrabi
Kohlrabi can be grown by sowing seeds in open ground or through seedlings. The first option is more suitable for varieties with medium and late ripening periods. Seeds in open ground germinate at a temperature of 15-18 °C. It is better to grow early and hybrid kohlrabi in the country through seedlings.
How to grow kohlrabi cabbage seedlings
It is better to grow seedlings in a special substrate. The soil should be light and loose and contain peat. It is better to mix it in equal parts with turf soil and humus.
It is better to grow kohlrabi seedlings in containers with separate cells; you can also use disposable plastic cups, cassettes, peat or coconut briquettes
The process begins with preparing the seeds:
- Immerse the material in hot water for 15 minutes. Temperature 50 °C.
- Immediately transfer the seeds into ice water and hold for 1 minute.
- Immerse the material in a pre-prepared solution of microelements for 12 hours.
- Wash the seeds and put them in the refrigerator (vegetable compartment) for a day.
- Keep the material in a damp cloth until biting.
After sowing, cover the container with glass and keep at a temperature of 18-20 °C. After emergence, shelter is not needed, and the temperature is reduced to 8 °C. After 1.5 weeks, the temperature is raised again to 17-18 °C.
Caring for seedlings is easy:
- moistening the soil as necessary, do not water it, but “sprinkle” it;
- temperature control;
- watering potassium permanganate once - the solution should be weak, the measure is needed to prevent blackleg;
- when 2 true leaves appear, feed the seedlings - 0.5 tsp per 1 liter of water. mineral complex and 0.5 tablets of microelements.
When sowing in a common box, after the development of 1 true leaf, the seedlings must be moved to peat pots. After this, maintain the temperature at 20 °C. After a few days, reduce it to 17 °C during the day and 11 °C at night.
Before planting in open ground, seedlings must be hardened off. The process begins 2 weeks in advance. This must be done gradually.
How to grow kohlrabi cabbage in open ground
You can plant seeds when the soil is warm. To ensure they are evenly distributed, you can mix them with other material:
- mustard, millet, rapeseed - pre-heat the seeds so that they do not germinate in the future;
- sawdust, they must be dry;
- dried sand;
- superphosphate in granules – by weight 3-10 times more than kohlrabi seeds.
It is convenient to plant the crop in open ground using seed pellets.The seeding rate is lower, the distribution is more uniform, and seedlings appear earlier.
0.1-0.2 g of seeds are sown per 1 m². They need to be sealed to a depth of 1.5-2.5 cm. It is convenient to sow the seeds in grooves that have been previously spilled with water. The distance between rows is 30 cm, between neighboring plants 3-4 cm. Immediately compact the soil.
After emergence, thinning is required. Between neighboring plants there should be 10-15 cm in early and 25-50 cm in middle and late varieties.
When thinning, the strongest specimens are left in the garden; steel plants can be transplanted to another location
Rules for caring for kohlrabi
To obtain a rich harvest with excellent taste characteristics, agricultural technology for kohlrabi in open ground is important. The rules are as follows:
- Make sure the soil is always moist. At first, kohlrabi is watered once every 2-3 days, then once a week. On hot days, watering should be more frequent, but not as abundant as for other types of cabbage.
- Regularly weed kohlrabi, loosen the row spacing and soil around the plants in the rows, go 6-8 cm deep. The looseness of the soil is important for the juiciness and tenderness of the crop.
- Hill up the kohlrabi before the stem fruits begin to grow.
- You can fertilize the crop 2-3 times per season with a minimum interval of 1 month. It is recommended to alternate organic and mineral fertilizers. The culture responds well to Urea and Solution. For 10 liters of water you need 1 tbsp. l. chosen remedy.
Diseases and pests
When grown in open ground, kohlrabi suffers from the same problems as other types of cabbage. One of the common diseases is mucous or vascular (black rot) bacteriosis.The problem can occur at any stage of growth. The disease is promoted by high air temperature and high humidity. For prevention, it is important to observe crop rotation and burn plant residues.
The drug Binoram helps against bacteriosis of kohlrabi; seedlings are sprayed with Planriz for prevention
Another fungal disease of kohlrabi is clubroot. It is favored by heavy and acidic soil and waterlogging. Affected kohlrabi seedlings should be destroyed; they will die in open ground. For prevention, it is necessary to use fumigants for soil treatment.
Clubroot appears as swellings and growths on roots that have the same color; absorption capacity is impaired, which leads to rotting
Another problem with kohlrabi is downy mildew. Seedlings often suffer from downy mildew. The disease manifests itself as yellow spots on the leaves above and a white coating below. The leaf plate begins to yellow and die, and the plant weakens.
The drugs Vectra, Skor, Topaz, and Bordeaux mixture help against peronosporosis.
Kohlrabi has a lot of pests:
- One of the main parasites is the flea beetle. It can be cruciferous, black, wavy. Pollination with wood ash with slaked lime and ash with tobacco dust will help get rid of insects. Naphthalene can be used between rows.
The cruciferous flea beetle prefers young growth, appears at temperatures from 15 °C, the plant can die in 2-4 days
- Another enemy of kohlrabi in open ground is the cruciferous gall midge, also called the petiole gnat. Its dimensions are only 2 mm. The damage is caused by the larvae. Infection by them leads to deformation of plants and subsequent decay. Early crops are especially affected.
Neonicotinoids help get rid of the petiole gnat; for prevention, it is important to remove weeds in a timely manner
- The enemy of kohlrabi is also wireworms - the larvae of any click beetle. They have a rigid body, 1-4.5 cm long. The larvae live in the soil, spoil seeds, young roots, and root crops, making them susceptible to various diseases.
It is effective to use bait against wireworms - straw, grass, pieces of root crops; the larvae that have climbed there must be collected and destroyed
- Kohlrabi also suffers from tobacco thrips. It usually affects seedlings. You can get rid of the pest with the help of Agravertin, Actellik, Vertimek, Confidor Extra.
To prevent tobacco thrips, you need to burn plant residues, regularly water the plantings, mulch the soil, remove weeds, dig the ground very deeply
- Another enemy of kohlrabi is cabbage grass, also called cabbage whites. The caterpillars of this butterfly eat the young leaves of the plant. One insect can lay up to 200 eggs.
You can fight cabbage with the drugs Bitoxibacillin, Lepidocide; the natural enemy is wasps
Harvesting
When sown in open ground in spring, kohlrabi must be harvested as it ripens, but it can only be stored for 2 weeks in the refrigerator. The summer crop is harvested simultaneously with white cabbage at a temperature of 3-5 °C during the day and 0-1 °C at night.
Kohlrabi should be collected on a dry, clear day:
- Dig up stem fruits with roots.
- Dry the crop in the shade.
- Remove soil and trim leaves. If you leave the roots, the kohlrabi will last longer.
The crop is stored well, but it needs high humidity (95%).The varieties with purple skin have the best keeping quality. It is better to store kohlrabi in boxes, sprinkling the stems with sand. Zero temperature is optimal. If all conditions are met, the harvest can last up to 8 months.
Conclusion
Growing and caring for kohlrabi in open ground is no more difficult than working with other types of cabbage. The crop can be planted by seeds or seedlings. Care should be comprehensive, including prevention of diseases and pests. Its correct organization allows you to get a rich harvest with good taste.
