Content
Reviews of cauliflower Snowball 123 are mostly positive. Gardeners praise the crop for its good taste, juiciness, rapid ripening and frost resistance. Cauliflower has long been considered one of the favorite vegetables of gardeners and cooks, which allows you to prepare many healthy and tasty dishes.
Eating cauliflower has a positive effect on the human body
Description of Cauliflower Snowball
From the photo of cauliflower “Snowball 123” you can determine that its heads are dense, snow-white in color, and resemble a ball in appearance (hence the name). The variety appeared relatively recently, in 1994. It was developed by French specialists from the HM company. CLAUSE S.A. "Snowball 123" can be grown in any region. It takes root well in the middle zone and is very popular among summer residents.
Cabbage ripens 90 days after sowing. The seeds sprout abundantly. A crop with dense round heads, weighing 500-1000 g. The cabbage rosette is erect, compact, the leaves are tall, covering the head of cabbage from sunlight, so its color remains snow-white until fully ripe.
Advantages and disadvantages
Cabbage "Snowball 123" has a number of advantages. These include:
- Resistance to such well-known diseases as blackleg, clubroot, and downy mildew.
- Simultaneous ripening on almost all plants.
- Resistance to temperature changes (withstands frost down to -4 ° C).
- Does not require additional shelter due to tall leaves.
- Has excellent taste characteristics.
- Widely used in cooking.
The disadvantages of the culture include poor preservation of heads of cabbage in the garden. Ripe cabbage heads must be harvested on time.
Snowball Cauliflower Yield
The variety is characterized by high productivity. For this reason, it is in great demand among domestic gardeners, and in Europe, Snowball 123 cauliflower is grown in huge plantations. With proper care, approximately 4 kg of vegetables can be harvested from one square meter of land. The weight of the fork can reach 1.5 kg.
Mature cabbage heads require immediate harvest
Planting and caring for cabbage Snowball 123
Most often, cauliflower variety "Snowball 123" is grown through seedlings. Seeds are usually sown at home. If you adhere to the laws of agricultural technology, the result will be 100% guaranteed.
To obtain good seedlings, cauliflower must be sown in late February - early March, observing the required stages of the planting process:
- seed treatment;
- soil preparation;
- proper care.
The procedure for preparing planting material does not take much time. For quick germination, it is advisable to soak the Snowball 123 cauliflower seeds in warm water (50 °C) for half an hour before planting and then dry them.
It is better to use soil for the crop purchased from specialized garden stores, but you can also use soil from your garden plot. In the latter case, it is advisable to mix it in equal parts with peat and humus, and also sterilize it. This can be done in the oven at 80 degrees for half an hour.
To germinate Snowball 123 seedlings, different containers are used, the main thing is that their depth is at least 10 cm. Peat cups are considered the best place for the growth of young shoots.
Seeds are sown in moist soil to a depth of 1-1.5 cm, at a distance of 3-4 cm from each other. To avoid subsequent picking of seedlings, you can plant each seed in a separate pot.
Since cabbage is a light-loving crop, and in early spring the daylight hours are short, the seedlings need to be provided with additional lighting.
Young shoots are watered once a week. It is advisable to use a spray bottle for the procedure. A couple of times during the process of growing seedlings, complex fertilizer is added to the water.
To increase the stability of cauliflower, it should be hilled regularly.
Plants are picked when a pair of strong leaves appear on the surface of the stems. Each sprout is transplanted into a larger glass. It is better to carry out the procedure when the sprouts are 12 days old.
Seedlings are planted in beds that are well warmed up and illuminated by the sun, in an area where cabbage, radishes, radishes and other cruciferous crops have not grown before. The soil for planting cabbage seedlings should be neutral.In autumn, lime and organic fertilizers must be added to acidic soil. It is customary to plant “Snowball 123” in May. Seedlings are placed according to a pattern of 0.3 by 0.7 meters.
Diseases and pests
The vegetable can suffer from the same pests as white cabbage. Downy mildew, fusarium, rot, as well as aphids, slugs, cutworms and cruciferous flea beetles can cause damage to the crop. Insecticides or folk remedies will help in the fight against parasites.
For the treatment and prevention of diseases, “Snowball 123” is sprinkled or sprayed with an infusion of ash, tobacco, garlic, and can be treated with “Fitosporin”, “Entobacterin”, “Iskra” or “Aktara”. But judging by the reviews of gardeners, if you fight weeds in a timely manner, follow crop rotation and fertilizing regime, then troubles with growing cauliflower can be avoided.
Note
A week before planting cauliflower seedlings in open ground, they must be hardened off. To do this, cups with plants should be taken out to the veranda or balcony for several hours. And 3-4 days before planting, reduce watering and leave the seedlings outdoors.
The Snowball 123 variety is suitable for cultivation by direct sowing in the ground. The procedure can be performed as early as early May. 2-3 seeds are placed in the holes in the prepared beds, and at the moment when the sprouts reach the phase of two true leaves, weak specimens are plucked out.
If there is still a threat of frost in the region, it is necessary to install arcs over the cauliflower bed and secure the covering material on top: film, spunbond, lutrasil.
In order for the plants to be stable, they need to be hilled once a month.
Water the plants once a week
The crop is fed three times a season:
- After 20-30 days of growth in a permanent place, at the time of head formation.
- A month after the first feeding.
- 20 days before harvest.
The first feedings are made with mullein, chemical fertilizers containing boron, manganese and magnesium and boric acid. The last fertilization is carried out using the foliar method. Cabbage heads are sprayed with potassium sulfate in a proportion of 1 tbsp. l. substances into a bucket of water.
Conclusion
Reviews of cauliflower Snowball 123 indicate that this variety is very easy to grow. Knowing and following the rules of plant farming, any gardener can get a good harvest. The vegetable is healthy, contains many vitamins and minerals, and is recommended for consumption by people of all ages. It is often used in baby food and for preparing dietary dishes.
Reviews of cauliflower Snowball
