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Growing Chinese cabbage In recent years, Russians have become interested. This vegetable is not only tasty, but also healthy. It rarely lingers on store shelves. There are many varieties of Chinese cabbage, so your choice should be taken seriously.
The climatic conditions of Russian regions are varied, so it is not always possible to obtain full-fledged heads of Chinese cabbage. Cabbage Bilko F1 is an interesting hybrid. Our readers will be presented with a description and some characteristics of the vegetable, as well as features of agricultural technology.
Description
The Chinese cabbage variety Bilko is a hybrid. You can verify this when purchasing seeds: the bag bears the letter F1. The ripening period of the vegetable is mid-early; heads of cabbage can be cut 65-70 days after sowing the seeds in the ground or for seedlings.
The shape of the leaves is obovate, the color of the upper leaves is rich green. Bubbling is clearly visible on them.
The head of the Bilko variety grows up to two kilograms and resembles a barrel. It is of medium density, tapering towards the top. The internal stump is not long, so there is practically no waste after cleaning. At technical ripeness, the leaves on the head of cabbage are whitish-yellow at the bottom and light green at the top.If you cut the cabbage in half, the inside will be yellowish, as in the photo below.
Characteristic
- Beijing cabbage of the Bilko variety has good taste.
- Gardeners are attracted by the early ripening period and the ability to grow vegetables in several streams. With late sowings, a small head of the Bilko variety has time to form. Heads of cabbage curl well at low temperatures and short daylight hours.
- The Bilko variety is productive, usually harvesting from 5 to 7 kilograms per square meter.
- Bilko cabbage is transportable, the heads of cabbage do not open, and the impeccable presentation is maintained.
- Plants are rarely exposed to diseases that affect representatives of the Cruciferous family: clubroot, powdery mildew, mucous bacteriosis, fusarium.
- The Beijing variety Bilko is stored for almost four months in cool conditions.
- Loose heads of cabbage are used to make salads. In addition, Chinese cabbage is fermented and used to wrap cabbage rolls. Moreover, the leaves of Bilko F1 are much softer than those of the white vegetable.
- Beijing Bilko is propagated by seedlings and non-seedlings.
Among the shortcomings, one can name one - non-compliance with agricultural technology leads to the formation of arrows, which nullifies all efforts.
Features of the variety
Why do gardeners prefer to grow white cabbage on their private plots? The thing is, Beijing cabbage doesn't always work out. The reason is due to mistakes made during cultivation. Let's look at the biological characteristics of the variety.
One of the problems is coloration, here are some reasons for this phenomenon:
- Temperature mismatch.If at the beginning of growth the temperatures are low (less than +15 degrees) or, conversely, high, then instead of the head of cabbage curling, flowering arrows form on the Bilko cabbage.
- Damaged central root. That is why it is best to grow plants one at a time in cassettes or cups so that the cabbage root system is closed.
- Bilko is a short day plant. If daylight lasts more than 13 hours, then the vegetable tends to produce “offspring.”
- The same problem occurs if the Bilko variety of Peking cabbage is planted too densely. As a rule, when sowing seeds, you need to maintain a spacing of 10 to 20 cm. Then, after germination, the cabbage is pulled, leaving at least 30 cm between the bushes, and about 60 cm between the rows.
- Depleted soil also provokes the formation of arrows, since the cabbage does not have enough nutrition. She strives to bloom faster and get seeds. After all, the root system of Chinese cabbage Bilko F1 is located close to the surface. That is why they choose a place with fertile and loose soil for planting.
If you follow these rules, you can grow a good harvest of healthy vegetables.
Landing dates
As mentioned above, the formation of a head of cabbage on the Bilko variety depends on the air temperature and the length of daylight hours. Therefore, experienced gardeners grow Chinese cabbage in early spring or autumn.
The optimal temperature for Bilko cabbage is considered to be +15-22 degrees. In spring, as a rule, there is a sharp drop in temperatures by 5 or even 10 degrees. This is a problem for Chinese cabbage - bolting is inevitable.
In autumn, Bilko cabbage seedlings are planted in the third ten days of July and until August 10.It all depends on when the frosts start. Therefore, it is important to determine the timing so that the heads of cabbage have time to form before the first frost. The Bilko variety can withstand temperatures down to -4 degrees without loss of yield.
Soil Features
Beijing cabbage Bilko F1 likes well-fertilized, slightly acidic soils with a high nitrogen content. This microelement is necessary for the vegetable to grow green mass. Therefore, before planting cabbage, add the following to the soil for each square meter:
- compost from 4 to 5 kg;
- dolomite flour 100 or 150 grams;
- wood ash up to 4 cups.
If you buy a vegetable at the store, be sure to soak it in cold water before cutting it for salad.
To sow seeds or plant seedlings of Bilko cabbage, choose beds previously occupied by cucumbers, garlic, potatoes or onions. But cabbage is not planted after relatives of the Cruciferous family, since they not only have common insect pests, but also diseases.
Agricultural technology and care
Regardless of how you propagate the Beijing vegetable, you should know that the seeds of the Dutch variety Bilko are not soaked before sowing. The fact is that before packaging they are treated with the fungicide Thiram.
Growing seedlings
To obtain an early harvest of heads of the Bilko F1 variety, the seedling method is used. Seeds are sown in April. Before planting, the soil is spilled with boiling water, to which crystals of potassium permanganate are added.This is necessary to prevent cabbage diseases such as blackleg.
From the description and characteristics of the Dutch variety Bilko, it is clear that plants with a closed root system take root without problems and quickly grow green mass. That is why it is best to sow seeds in separate cups or cassettes. If cabbage seeds are sown in a common container, you will have to dive.
Plant the seeds to a depth of no more than half a centimeter. The containers are installed in a warm room, at a temperature of 20-24 degrees. The first sprouts of cabbage appear after 3-4 days. The air temperature is reduced slightly so that the Chinese cabbage seedlings do not stretch out and the containers are placed in a well-lit window.
Plants at the seedling development stage are watered, fertilized with urea or wood ash extract. Before planting in the ground, Bilko cabbage is taken outside or onto a balcony for hardening.
Landing in the ground
When 3 or 4 true leaves appear on the Bilko F1 cabbage seedlings, it is planted in a permanent place. We have already talked about the planting scheme; it must be adhered to, because thickened plantings can lead to flowering.
The seedlings are buried in the holes up to the cotyledon leaves. During the growing season it is necessary to remove weeds, because it is on them that pests and disease spores live.
Propagation by seeds
As stated in the characteristics, Bilko Chinese cabbage can be grown by seedlings and by directly sowing seeds in the ground.
Sowing is carried out in fertile soil to a depth of half a centimeter. A distance of 5-10 cm is left between the grains in a row. The fact is that seed germination is not always 100%.It’s better to thin out later than to be left without cabbage. By the end of thinning, there should be at least 30 cm between plants.
Lighting adjustment
Beijing cabbage variety Bilko F1 forms a head if daylight hours last no more than 13 hours. Therefore, gardeners have to “shorten” the summer day. In the afternoon, experienced gardeners recommend adding dark covering material to plant Bilko cabbage. In addition to sun protection, it can be used in early spring or late autumn to save plants from frost.
Watering and fertilizing
Beijing Bilko is a big water lover. The soil should not be allowed to dry out, but a swamp should not be created in the garden bed. Water the plants with warm water at the roots. To reduce watering, the soil around future heads of cabbage is mulched.
Gardeners recommend using wood ash to feed and protect cabbage from pests. Every leaf and soil is generously dusted with it. You can make an extract from the ash and spray the Bilko F1 variety.
Pest protection
Pesticides cannot be used on cabbage during the growing season. We have to make do with safe means in the fight against insects. We have already talked about ash. In addition to it, you can use salt, dry mustard, ground red pepper (scattered over plants and on the ground). They repel many pests. As for slugs or caterpillars, you will have to remove them manually.
If the pest invasion cannot be eliminated, you can use special preparations based on biological components.
Cabbage on the window
Some Russians who do not have a plot of land are interested in whether it is possible to grow full-fledged heads of cabbage of the Bilko F1 variety in an apartment. We hasten to make them happy. The main advantage of growing vegetables at home is obtaining fresh produce throughout the year.
Let's look at the features of agricultural technology:
- Preparing fertile soil. You can use store-bought soil mixture. Pour it into a container with a volume of at least 500 ml.
- We spill the soil with hot water and cool it to room temperature.
- We make a small depression of 0.5 cm and sow 3 seeds in each container.
- Shoots appear after 4 days. When the plants grow, we select the strongest seedling and remove the rest.
Caring for Chinese cabbage of the Bilko variety at home comes down to timely watering, fertilizing, temperature and light control.
Technology for growing Chinese cabbage:
Conclusion
As you can see, by following agricultural standards, you can grow healthy Chinese cabbage. But the harvest needs to be preserved somehow.
Some of the heads of cabbage can be fermented, and the rest can be stored in the refrigerator or cellar. As indicated in the characteristics, the Bilko variety can be stored for up to four months under certain conditions.
Select undamaged cabbage and place it loosely in boxes in one layer. We lower it into the cellar. The vegetable is stored at a humidity of 95-98% and a temperature from 0 to +2 degrees. At higher rates, the vegetable begins to sprout.
If the air in the basement is dry, then you need to put water next to the boxes.
Heads of cabbage can be stored open or wrapped in cling film. It's a good idea to store cabbage in the freezer. They can stay there for up to three months.
At the slightest sign of wilting or rotting, the cabbage is put into use.
