Content
After planting in open ground, it is necessary to feed cabbage with both complex mineral and organic fertilizers. You can also prepare your own infusion according to folk recipes. Funds are deposited up to 3-4 times per season according to the scheme described in the article.
Why do you need feeding?
Even the most unpretentious plants need feeding. The soil always contains a certain supply of nutrients, but it is gradually depleted. After planting in open ground, cabbage quickly begins to gain green mass, after which it forms a head of cabbage. This requires a constant supply of nutrients. You should feed mainly with compounds of the following elements:
- Nitrogen - is part of all proteins and amino acids, participates in the growth process, ensures the growth of stems and leaves. With a lack of nitrogen compounds, plants always lag behind in development, which directly affects productivity.
- Phosphorus is vital for the proper formation of the root system. Phosphate fertilizers should be applied both before and after planting cabbage in open ground.Even if the soil is rich in other microelements, but poor in phosphorus, this will lead to underdevelopment of the root system, which will affect all parts of the plant.
- Potassium is another element that is important to feed cabbage after planting in open ground. Like phosphorus, it strengthens roots. In addition, potassium promotes the formation of flowers and ovaries, which directly affects productivity. If there is a deficiency of potassium, cabbage may suffer from fungal infections after planting in open ground. The element also strengthens the plant’s immunity and cold resistance.
Cabbage should be fed with microelements, which are added to the open ground. This is the name for compounds that the plant does not require in large quantities. However, they also play an important role in metabolic processes. Boron stimulates the formation of ovaries, growth processes, and the accumulation of carbohydrates in the leaves, which directly affects the taste.
After planting in open ground, it is necessary to add iodine. It promotes the absorption of nitrogen compounds and rapid growth of green mass. Another function is to increase resistance to frost and increase shelf life. The heads of cabbage become dense and retain their attractive appearance longer. In addition, iodine acts as an antiseptic to prevent insect infestations.
Thanks to regular feeding, seedlings quickly form heads of cabbage
After planting in open ground in May, cabbage should be fed with calcium compounds. The microelement is involved in regulating water balance, reduces soil acidity, so that nutrients are better absorbed.
Cabbage also needs other elements:
- manganese;
- sulfur;
- magnesium;
- zinc;
- iron;
- cobalt.
It is not at all necessary to introduce them individually after planting in open ground.It is easier to purchase a complex fertilizer with a balanced composition that is suitable for most soil types. But sometimes it is clearly visible that cabbage after planting is deficient in specific substances. To do this, it is necessary to determine the signs of a deficiency of one or another element, which is discussed in detail in the next section.
Signs of micronutrient deficiency
When planning to fertilize outdoor cabbage, it is helpful to be aware of the signs of nutrient deficiencies. They can be identified by their external appearance on the leaves and stems. With nitrogen deficiency, the following symptoms are observed:
- cabbage grows slowly, development is clearly slow;
- the foliage turns pale and yellow;
- the lower leaves may become covered with a bluish tint;
- on the reverse side of the leaf blades, parallel to the central vein, you can notice redness;
- The heads of cabbage are small, the yield is reduced.
In this case, you should feed the cabbage after planting in open ground with nitrogen fertilizers. You can use different types of saltpeter, urea, azophosphate.
With a lack of phosphorus, the following symptoms appear:
- leaves are dark green, bluish;
- petioles become purple or violet;
- during dying, black spots form on the surface;
- Old leaves are affected first, then young ones;
- Flowering and ripening are greatly delayed.
After planting cabbage in open ground, it is necessary to regularly add superphosphates. It is especially important to do this at the stage of head formation.
With a lack of potassium, the following signs are noticeable:
- old leaves look burnt, young leaves look dull;
- then they turn yellow and die;
- some become bluish, even with a bronze tint;
- they begin to curl at the edges;
- relief and wrinkles appear on the surface;
- the veins seem to be “recessed” in the leaf plate;
- buds and inflorescences are delayed in development.
Scheme for determining element deficiency
In this case, it is necessary to feed the cabbage after planting in open ground with potassium sulfate or potassium salt.
With sulfur deficiency, young foliage is evenly covered with yellow spots, while the veins become purple. When there is a lack of magnesium, brown spots form between the leaves. With calcium deficiency, young leaves become yellow-green at the edges. In this case, it is worth feeding with appropriate substances or a complex composition.
Rules for applying fertilizers
Regardless of the type of fertilizer, they should be applied according to certain rules:
- Carefully follow the dosage indicated in the instructions.
- If the soil is fertile, reduce the concentration by 1.5 or 2 times.
- If the plant experiences a clear deficiency of one or another element, carry out extraordinary foliar treatment.
- Feed the cabbage immediately after planting in open ground, preferably in the late evening.
- After heavy watering, be sure to loosen the soil.
When to start feeding cabbage after planting in the ground
After planting in open beds or in a greenhouse and until the end of the season, cabbage should be fed 3-4 times. Thanks to this, useful chemical compounds arrive relatively evenly, so the heads of cabbage form quickly and last longer if storage conditions are met.
As a rule, fertilizers for cabbage are applied already when planting in the hole. For this, complex formulations are used, for example, nitroammophoska (a teaspoon - about 5 g). Instead, you can put humus and compost.Organic matter is also added during the preparation of the bed when digging (up to 10 kg per square meter).
But if nothing was added to the hole after planting the seedlings in open ground, you can feed it after 2-3 weeks. At this point, complex or nitrogen formulations (urea, saltpeter) are given. Next, fertilizers are applied two more times with an interval of 10-15 days.
To keep the forks longer, add ash (200 g per 10 l) or potassium sulfate (40 g per 10 l).
Urea is one of the best sources of nitrogen
How to fertilize cabbage in open ground
The easiest way is to feed them with complex preparations, for example, azophoska or “Ideal” after planting in the beds. These are ready-made fertilizers that are used according to instructions. If they are not available, the composition is prepared independently based on various mineral components.
For greater efficiency, it is recommended to alternate them with organic matter. You can feed cabbage with both fertilizers - then the yield will be maximum. It will not be superfluous to use folk remedies. Basic recipes are described in the following sections.
Mineral supplements
These are inorganic fertilizers, which are presented in powder or granules. Chemically, mineral fertilizers are inorganic salts, such as potassium sulfate or ammonium nitrate. They dissolve very well in water even in cool weather, penetrate the soil and are quickly absorbed by plants.
It is recommended to feed different varieties of cabbage immediately after planting in open ground with nitrogen compounds, for example, ammonium nitrate or urea (20 g per 10 l). This volume is enough to process 1 m2 landing
Then, as a second and third fertilizer, you can feed with a complex composition or substances containing potassium and phosphorus (per 10 l):
- potassium salt – 25 g;
- potassium sulfate – 30 g;
- double superphosphate – 40 g.
During feeding, combine the potassium component with phosphate or simply give a complex fertilizer. You can use azofoska (30 g per 10 l) or ready-made products - “Kemira”, “Solution”. They are used according to the instructions, carefully monitoring the dosage.
Organic fertilizers
After planting cabbage in open ground, organic fertilizers are also used. The best infusion is mullein infusion, which is diluted 10 times, or bird droppings (20 times). Preparation takes up to two weeks. First, they take fresh raw materials, for example, bird droppings, fill them with water (the volume is 5 times larger) and leave for 10 days. Stir occasionally, then dilute with water and water 0.5 liters per bush.
Mullein and droppings are infused for 10-12 days
After planting in open ground, you can feed the cabbage with liquid potassium humate. This is an organic compound that dissolves in water and is well absorbed by the root system. To prepare, take a tablespoon (up to 10 ml) of the drug and dilute it in 1 liter of water. Water at the root or spray the leaves.
First, the manure is allowed to rot for six months, then applied to the soil.
Folk remedies
You can also feed different varieties of cabbage after planting in open ground according to folk recipes.They are applied two weeks after transplanting the seedlings, and then every 2-3 weeks until harvest. The most commonly used compositions are:
- The weeds are mowed down before flowering and seed formation, crushed and filled with water (1:1). Infuse for 7-10 days, stir. Pour through a sieve or cheesecloth, add water (three times the volume) and begin watering.
- You can feed different varieties of cabbage after planting in open ground with boric acid. The solution is prepared very weak - 2 g are dissolved in a liter of warm liquid. Then pour another 9 liters of water at room temperature. Foliar spraying is done after planting in open ground to form a large head of cabbage.
- You can feed with a yeast solution - 10 g fresh or dry per 10 liters of warm water with the addition of 2 tbsp. l. Sahara. The infusion is left for a day in a warm place, then watered, spending 1 liter per bush.
Conclusion
After planting in open ground, cabbage should be fed 3-4 times during the season. The products are administered in accordance with the dosage specified in the instructions. It is important to understand that it is better to underfeed than to overfeed. In order for the crop to produce a good harvest, it is recommended to alternate mineral compositions with organic matter.
