Broccoli It has long been known for its dietary properties. Broccoli is recommended for people with diabetes and people with heart problems, and large amounts of folic acid and fiber make it an indispensable product for pregnant women.
How to grow seedlings on their own
Before planting, the first thing you need to decide on the choice of variety, then follows the preparation of broccoli seeds. This is done to prevent diseases and increase germination.
How to prepare the seeds before planting
Select large and healthy seeds, wrap them in gauze and place in hot (50 ° C) water for 20 minutes and then in cold for a minute. Prepare a solution of potassium permanganate and boric acid: per gram per liter of water. Hold the seeds in it for 12 hours.
Repeat the soaking procedure in the ash solution (1 tablespoon per liter of water) for 6 hours. Rinse the seeds with running water and determine on the lower shelf of the refrigerator for a day, then dry.
Composition and fertilizer soil
Broccoli seedlings can be sown in a container or greenhouse. Fit large boxes for seedlings. Drainage should be laid on the bottom (pieces of foam, pebbles).
To prepare a good soil, take peat, turf and sand in equal parts, add a little wood ash: it will enrich the soil with microelements. The day before sowing, process the soil with a dark solution of manganese (prevention of the black leg).
Sowing seeds for seedlings
If you want to harvest more than one crop, sow the seeds in 2-3 stages with an interval of fifteen days. In the ground, make shallow grooves up to 1.5 cm with a distance of 3 cm between them. Seeds, slightly deepening, plant at a distance of 2-3 cm from each other. Sprinkle with soil and pour.
Did you know? The first broccoli culture began to be cultivated in the Roman Empire 2,000 years ago. The Romans not only used cabbage for food, but also used it for medicinal purposes.
Seedling care
Immediately after planting seedlings of broccoli, containers with crops, determine in a warm room with a temperature of 20 °. After the emergence of shoots, the temperature should be reduced by 5 ° and maintained until transplantation into open ground.
Watering spend a day, but in moderation. If the seedlings are sluggish and do not grow well, feed them with a liquid solution: 20 g of ammonium nitrate, superphosphate and potassium chloride per 10 liters of water. Fertilize seedlings can be after the formation of 2 leaves.
Planting broccoli seedlings is half the battle; dive seedlings in a greenhouse. Broccoli does not tolerate this procedure well, it is necessary to replant it along with a soil clod, extremely carefully.
Transplantation into greenhouses takes place 2 weeks after the sprout appears. In the greenhouse soil shoots deepened to cotyledon leaves. In the open ground transplanted after the appearance of 6 healthy leaves.
Important! 7-10 days before planting on the site, the plant is hardened, leaving the doors of the greenhouse open for a couple of hours a day.
Planting broccoli seedlings in open ground
Many gardeners sow seeds directly into the ground, preferring growing broccoli cabbage in a seedless way. This method is simpler, but there is a risk of low germination and sometimes lack of harvest.
Interesting! Broccoli has long been called "Italian asparagus", focusing on its origin. So it is described in the "Dictionary of the Gardener Philip Miller" (dated 1724). The first descriptions of broccoli by the French refer to 1560, and the Germans called it "brauner Kopf", which translates as "brown head".
Optimum landing times
Germination of seeds is carried out in the second half of March or in the first days of April. Seedlings planted in March, first dive into the greenhouse, and then, strong, on the beds. April crops are produced immediately in open ground in May. Seedlings are planted in the late afternoon, choosing a cloudy day for planting.
Selection and preparation of a landing site
Broccoli loves the sun and heat, for its landing, choose open sunny places. The soil for planting broccoli cabbage is prepared in advance. In the autumn, the plot is deeply dug up and fertilizers are applied: ammonium nitrate 40 g, superphosphate and potassium chloride 30 g each. You can get by with humus: 2 kg per square meter. m. Sour soil lime dolomite flour.
In the spring, compost is introduced into the soil: bucket per square meter. 200 g of wood ash and a teaspoon of urea are added to the hole excavated for planting, then watered abundantly.
Good and bad predecessors
Bean, cereals, potatoes, pumpkin, onions and cucumbers are good forerunners for broccoli. You should not plant cabbage after other cabbage, beets, tomatoes, turnips, radishes and radishes. It is advisable to place broccoli on the garden bed where cabbages grow no earlier than 4 years later.
Scheme and procedure of landing
Between the planting pits leave a distance of 40 cm, between the rows - 60 cm. The pits are dug to a depth corresponding to the height of the seedling. Sprout deepened almost completely, leaving only the top. Sprinkle with earth, do not fill the growing point, and before planting, pin down the strongest seedling root - this will help to form a strong root system.
Proper care: a few secrets of a good harvest.
There is a nuance in the care of broccoli cabbage in the open field. In too hot weather, you need to create artificial shading. To create a humid atmosphere that cabbage likes, put containers with water near the beds, you can spray the plant.
Watering and mulching the soil
Watering the plant is carried out frequently and abundantly after planting, while rooting in a new place. Then reduce watering, making sure that the soil does not dry out. During the development of cabbage heads, watering is again increased.
Young plants need a mulch after planting to retain moisture. In addition, the mulch will prevent the development of weeds and overheating of the root system in the soil.
Weeding and loosening the soil
After each irrigation, loosening is carried out, the soil must be saturated with oxygen. Moisture in loose soil is better absorbed and brings nutrients to the roots of the plant.
Many gardeners spud cabbage for the formation of additional side roots. This will make the plant stronger.
If weeds have appeared, they need to be removed. Make sure that in the process of weeding does not damage the root system of the plant.
Top dressing broccoli
After planting, the cabbage is fed up, making a mullein infusion (1 part mullein per 10 parts water). In the infusion, you can add an incomplete spoonful of urea.
The second feeding is carried out after 14 days. Dung slush (1 to 4) is applied under the root.
The third time the plant is fertilized during the formation of inflorescences. Prepare a solution of superphosphate: 2 tbsp. l 10 liters of water, the solution is enough for 10 plants.
The last dressing is carried out after cutting the head.
When administering fertilizers, observe the plant - by its appearance one can understand which elements it lacks. With a lack of nitrogen cabbage grows poorly, the lower leaves turn yellow and dry out. If there is little potassium, the leaves change color to reddish, their edges dry, and cabbages do not gain weight.
Harvesting
Broccoli ripens 3-4 months after sowing seedlings. During the summer season, several harvests can be harvested - after cutting off the central head, the plant continues to grow side shoots.
Harvesting broccoli is best done in the morning when there is more juice in the heads. No need to wait for the head to pick up a large mass, it is healthier and tastier, while green.
Dense heads just need a little longer to cook until done. Collecting large loose heads, you lose yourself most of the nutrients.
The first harvest can be stored for about a week in the fridge or frozen for the winter. Subsequent - suitable for long-term storage in the basement or cellar.
Diseases and pests of broccoli, how to deal with them
The main disease of cabbage - blacklegaffecting plant aged seedlings. Bacteria can be contained in the soil, left over from its predecessor. To fight the disease does not make sense - it affects the plant from the inside.
Attention! The observance of agrotechnics when planting in seedlings and in open ground is the best prevention of broccoli diseases. The treatment of planting material, the right choice of precursor and adjustable watering and dressing are the first step to gather a bountiful, healthy crop.
Broccoli can be affected by pests. To rid the cabbage from slugs, on beds sprinkle crushed eggshells.
Prevent the invasion of caterpillars sowing marigolds will help. Celery between the beds will scare the white-haired and earthen fleas, and dill - aphid. Peppermint that grows nearby does not like caterpillars.
To get rid of insects, you can use tobacco, ground pepper or broth from the tops of tomatoes. If traditional methods do not help, refer to the chemicals: "Aktellik", "Foksim", "Ambush" or "Rovikurt."
After reading the article, you will learn all about planting and growing broccoli. Taking advantage of the recommendations, you will be able to grow this useful culture without much hassle.
