Cabbage is a fairly common, but very demanding vegetable crop. In order to ensure the correct formation of large and dense heads, it is important to take a responsible approach to fertilizing and fertilizing the plant.
- Basic rules for feeding white cabbage
- Types of fertilizers (nitrogen, potash, phosphorus)
- Basic rules for cabbage fertilizer
- How to grow white cabbage, calendar feedings
- Top dressing of cabbage seedlings
- Top dressing cabbage after landing in the ground
- Special types of dressings
- Top dressing for active growth of white cabbage
- How to feed cabbage to form a head of cabbage
Basic rules for feeding white cabbage
This crop loves moist and well-developed loose soil. To understand how to feed the cabbage for the formation of a head of cabbage, it is necessary to take into account the type of soil and the characteristics of the variety.
And if before organic was used mainly, now mineral fertilizers are very popular and effective, therefore for obtaining the maximum result it is recommended to combine these two types.
Types of fertilizers (nitrogen, potash, phosphorus)
There are three main types of fertilizers:
- potash;
- phosphoric;
- nitrogen.
The latter species is well diluted with water and is used to fertilize cabbage in the spring, when the greenery begins to grow, since it contributes to the qualitative development of the root system of the vegetable crop.
And the first two are used when the head is already beginning to form. They help the cabbage to be more resistant to diseases and easier to tolerate adverse weather. Sulfur and iron are also included in the list of minerals for cabbage, because they contribute to the accumulation of proteins and prolong the life of the plant.
Basic rules for cabbage fertilizer
Start preparing the soil for planting cabbage should be even in the fall. It is useful to make organic fertilizer for cabbage when planting in the ground. Cabbage reacts poorly to "acidic" soil, so ordinary coal ash or lime will serve as a good helper.
They need to scatter on the ground during digging, it will help reduce the acidity.If the preliminary training failed, you can fertilize the bed about a week before planting the vegetable. Used for this compost, which is scattered around the perimeter and sprinkled on top of the earth.
How to grow white cabbage, calendar feedings
Fertilizing for white cabbage should be evenly throughout all stages of plant development, starting from the moment of planting and until the harvest period of the finished crop.
But here it is important not to overdo it, because it will negatively affect the appearance of the vegetable crop (cracks can form on the heads) and the high content of harmful nitrates. Top dressing is carried out after quality watering the beds in the evening, or on an overcast day.
Top dressing of cabbage seedlings
In order not to wonder why cabbage seedlings grow poorly, you need to know what and when to feed it. White cabbage in the process of growth eats a large number of basic elements of the soil where it is planted, which means it makes the soil "bland". 
Therefore, it is necessary to regularly feed the cabbage, to fertilize not only when planting, to ensure its growth and productivity. Fertilizers for cabbage seedlings are applied when planted in the hole, but only if there was no pre-enrichment of the soil with organic matter in the fall.
- Literally 8-11 days after picking the cabbage seedlings, the first feeding is carried out with a liquid mineral solution. 3 g of potassium chloride, 7.5 g of ammonium nitrate and 12 g of superphosphate are dissolved in 3 l of water.
- Then, again after 8-11 days, repeated feeding is carried out. Take 2-3 g of ammonium nitrate in 1 liter of water.
- And the third feed is carried out 3-4 days before planting seedlings on the garden bed. The composition is the same as in the first feeding, 4 g of potassium chloride, 6 g of saltpeter and 16 g of superphosphate are taken for only 2 liters of water.
Top dressing cabbage after landing in the ground
After the seedlings planted in a permanent place, the question arises, how to feed the cabbage after planting in the ground.
If fertilizers are not applied to the wells, the first feeding of white cabbage is carried out approximately 16 days after planting. As already known, you first need to saturate the soil under cabbage with nitrogen.
It will be in the form of organic fertilizers or in mineral form - not so important. In 20 liters of water, you can dilute 1 liter of liquid mullein and add 0.5 liter to each plant. At the same amount of water you can take 40 g of saltpeter, which also nourishes the soil well.
Still there is the option of foliar feed. In 20 l of water, add 2 matchboxes of saltpeter and spray the leaves with vegetables.
The second dressing of cabbage in open ground is carried out at the end of June, or at the very beginning of July. Since it is recommended to alternate mineral and organic fertilizers when fertilizing plants, this time you can stay on organic matter.
Manure, chicken manure, ash infusion are used (2 cups of ash are taken for 2 liters of water, after 4-5 days of infusion, strain and pour the cabbage).
Brewer's yeast has also proven quite well. Before feeding the cabbage in open ground, prepare a liquid solution based on water.For maximum effect, it should be used only in warm weather, so that the soil is heated.
The following dressings are used for late varieties of white cabbage. Take 60 g of superphosphate and mullein infusion.
Two weeks before the heading begins, a fourth dressing should be carried out, which should contribute to the long-term storage of the crop. For 1 liter of water, either 1 liter of infused ash or 80 g of potassium sulfate is taken.
Special types of dressings
If the soil was not fertilized during planting for any reason, a slow development of the plant may be observed. Therefore, you need to know how to feed the cabbage seedlings for healthy growth and heading.
Top dressing for active growth of white cabbage
After 2 - 2.5 weeks, you can use different options for feeding for the active growth of white cabbage. Often used chicken manure or manure (2 glasses diluted in 20 liters of water), urea (15 g per 10 liters), ammonium nitrate.
By the way, saltpeter can be purchased at a fairly low price, and it brings huge benefits.The main thing is not to overdo it with nitrate fertilizer, since an excess of nitrogen, with which it is enriched, may in the future lead to poisoning by nitrates.
How to feed cabbage to form a head of cabbage
Early cabbage ripening requires feeding to promote the formation of a head of cabbage. Already 14 days after the initial feeding, you can apply nitrophoska (100 g per 20 liters of water), wood ash (1 cup per 1 liter of infusion), infusion of bird droppings or cow manure.
For fertilizing early cabbage in the greenhouse will be productive and phosphate fertilizer. After all, it will help vegetables to accumulate nutrients at the end of the growing season for forming a head of cabbage. The ideal option is superphosphate, in which about 16 - 18% of phosphorus is available.
True, in acidic soil, phosphorus will be poorly absorbed. But, as it is already known, cabbage is generally not recommended to be planted in “sour” soil.
Knowing how to feed cabbage in the open field is not enough. In addition to regular watering, fertilizing, loosening the soil, in the area where the cabbage grows, there should be no weeds.They not only prevent the ingress of light and heat to the plants, but also consume water and nourishing minerals from the soil, which degrades the condition and quality of the vegetable crop.
