The best fertilizers for cabbage seedlings to help them grow

Not everyone succeeds in growing strong cabbage seedlings. Beginners' seedlings are often sickly, pale, and thin. This can be caused by insufficient light, excessively warm air, and inadequate nutrition. To ensure seedlings with a developed root system and thick stems, fertilizing is essential.

You can use any type of fertilizer. Folk remedies also benefit cabbage.

Feeding scheme for cabbage seedlings

The first fertilizers are applied when preparing the soil mixture for planting. This stage is crucial for growing healthy seedlings. Any garden soil is susceptible to infections (fungi and bacteria), so before sowing seeds, it is disinfected: heated in the oven and watered with a solution of potassium permanganate.

The soil mixture is prepared from garden soil, humus, and sand. Use 1 part sand, 2 parts soil, and 2 parts humus. For 10 kg of soil, add:

• potassium sulfate – 50 g;
• ash – 200 g;
• superphosphate – 70 g.

This soil mixture is suitable for growing any type of cabbage seedlings (cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, kohlrabi). Cabbage seedlings can be grown with or without transplanting. Fertilizing schedules may vary.

Feeding for the first time

Cabbage sprouts quickly. The first shoots appear in 5-7 days. As soon as two leaves open, the seedlings are fed for the first time. Dissolve Kristalon universal powder in water (10 g per 10 liters or 1 g per liter) and spray the cabbage. The same solution can be used to water the plants at the roots.

Complex fertilizer increases seedling resistance to temperature fluctuations and infections. This treatment can be performed weekly. A two-week break is required after picking and after transplanting to a permanent location.

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After the dive

Two weeks after transplanting, the plants need to adapt. When they begin to grow again, they are fed a second time. In total, seedlings are fed three times after transplanting before being transplanted into the open ground.

Stunted cabbage seedlings can be given additional foliar feeding with nitrophoska. Add 15 g of fertilizer to 5 liters of water.

Fertilizers for cabbage

During the summer, cabbage can be fed with various fertilizers. If applied correctly, there is no harm from their use.

Complex

To form a large, not loose head, cabbage needs to be fed with complex fertilizers:

• Clean slate;
• Omu for cabbage;
• Gaspadar;
• Nov-Agro.

Minerals

White cabbage requires nutrients to form its outer leaves and head. Nitrogen is needed during active leaf growth, while phosphorus and potassium are needed during the head formation period.

Nitrogen is found in ammonium nitrate, ammonium sulfate, and urea. Potassium is found in fertilizers:

• potassium sulfate;
• potassium chloride.

To increase phosphorus content in the soil, add superphosphate. These mineral fertilizers can be scattered onto moist soil followed by watering, or prepared as a solution. Potassium and nitrogen fertilizers are applied separately.

Popular folk

Many gardeners manage to grow a good cabbage harvest without chemicals, relying on folk remedies. Boric acid is used to stimulate growth. A solution of boric acid is applied as a foliar fertilizer in early July. The acid powder is practically insoluble in cold water, so add 1 teaspoon of the solution to a cup of boiling water, stir until completely dissolved, then pour it into 10 liters of water and use as a spray.

Yeast is very popular. Cabbage can be fed with it twice during the summer: the first time from July 10th to 15th, and the second time from August 10th to 15th. After the yeast feeding, the cabbage should be watered with an ash infusion every other day. To prepare, you will need warm water (10 liters) and 100 g of yeast. Water the plants at the roots.

It's recommended to water late cabbage with a soda solution in early September. It's believed that soda prevents the heads from cracking and extends their shelf life. Add 20 grams of baking soda per watering can.

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In early summer, cabbage beds are watered with an infusion of young nettles. Its composition can replace manure. Fill a container (barrel or bucket) halfway with chopped nettles. Fill the remainder with water. To ensure proper fermentation, cover the barrel tightly with a lid. The fertilizer is ready in 4 days. Do not water cabbage with concentrated fertilizer. Use 1 liter of concentrated fertilizer per bucket of water.

In the first half of summer, cabbage needs nitrogen. It's found in ammonia, which can be purchased at any pharmacy. Use 3 tablespoons of the fragrant liquid per bucket of water. Ammonia can be used as a fertilizer for cabbage at any stage of ripening in early summer.

In the second half of summer, cabbage needs potassium. Banana peels provide ample amounts. They make a liquid fertilizer within 3-4 days. Three to four peels are needed for a 3-liter jar.

Fertilizing after planting in the ground

Cabbage plants look wilted for 5-7 days after transplanting. During this time, they don't need fertilizing or watering. They enter the active growth phase after two weeks. This is when they should be given their first fertilizer. Fertilizing is best done in warm, cloudy weather.

Mineral fertilizers can be applied dry to cabbage if the soil is moist and rainfall is regular. A 5 m² bed requires 500 g of nitroammophoska. This fertilizer contains the necessary ratio of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium for cabbage. Other liquid fertilizer options are listed in the table.

During fruiting

A correctly selected feeding scheme during head formation guarantees good harvestFertilizer is applied two weeks after the first. Ultra-early and early cabbage varieties are particularly nutrient-intensive. These varieties require only two fertilizers between planting and harvest.

Those who don't like mineral fertilizers can prepare an ash infusion. Use 1 cup per bucket of water. An infusion of fresh mullein is equally beneficial for cabbage. Use 1 liter per bucket of water. Nitroammophoska is a suitable mineral fertilizer for cabbage. Use exactly 2 tablespoons per bucket of water.

Large heads of cabbage are guaranteed when using several fertilizers simultaneously:

• fresh manure 0.5 l;
• Azofoska 30 g;
• Kemira-Lux 15 g.

The listed ingredients must be diluted in 10 liters of water.

When and how to feed late cabbage

Mid-late and late-ripening cabbage varieties have a long growing season. Heads are harvested after the first frost. While early-ripening varieties require only two fertilizer applications, late-ripening varieties require at least four. The third application is two weeks after the second. The final application is three weeks before harvest.

While nitrogen is essential for cabbage in the first half of summer, phosphorus and potassium are more beneficial in the second half. Nitrogen is not needed at this time. The easiest way is to use mineral fertilizers. Add 1 tablespoon of potassium sulfate and 2 tablespoons of superphosphate to 10 liters of water. Each plant will require 1.5 liters of solution.

The fourth (final) feeding improves the shelf life of the cabbage heads. They are less likely to spoil during storage. To prepare a liquid fertilizer, add the following to 10 liters of water:

• ash 0.7 l;
• potassium sulfate 50 g;
• fresh manure 1 l;
• complex fertilizer for cabbage 1 tbsp.

Adviсe

It's worth taking advantage of the advice of experienced gardeners to ensure that plants benefit from fertilization:

• Early varieties of cabbage planted in a well-fertilized bed do not require additional fertilization if the plants do not lag behind in development;
• late-ripening varieties should be fed during the growing season at least 4 times;
• the last application of fertilizer should be done no later than 3 weeks before harvesting;
• Overdosing on fertilizers reduces the shelf life of cabbage heads.

Without fertilizer, the soil in your garden will quickly become depleted. Harvests will decline year after year. Don't forget about the benefits of fertilizing and apply fertilizer systematically. Then, in the fall, your cabbage will delight you with plump heads. At the beginning of summer, it needs a boost of nitrogen, and in the second half, phosphorus and potassium.