When to plant cabbage?

Chinese cabbage is a very common vegetable in daily life. It is suitable for planting in spring, summer and autumn. The varieties of Chinese cabbage planted in different seasons are different. Generally, autumn and winter Chinese cabbage varieties have better storage resistance and are suitable for long-term storage. Spring and summer cabbage varieties have a relatively short storage time and are generally shipped to the market for sale soon after harvest. Let’s learn in detail about when to plant cabbage.

When to plant cabbage?

When planting cabbage, it is very important to grasp the sowing time, which should not be too early or too late. If sowing is too early, the cabbage will not only be easily invaded by pests, but may also suffer from problems such as bud loss and rot in the later stages of growth. If the seeds are sown too late, the cabbage may not be cored or may not be tightly cored.

Cabbage prefers cool climatic conditions. The best temperature range for seed germination is 20-28℃, and the most suitable temperature during growth is 10-22℃. When the temperature exceeds 30℃, the growth of cabbage is often affected.

As the saying goes, "Three or four days before and after the beginning of autumn is the best time to plant cabbage." This sentence succinctly and clearly points out that the beginning of autumn is the ideal time to plant cabbage. In addition, there is a proverb in the countryside that goes "radishes in the first dog days, mustard in the second dog days, and cabbage in the third dog days." The "third dog days" refers to the last dog days of summer, which is around the beginning of autumn. This also emphasizes that the beginning of autumn is the best time to sow cabbage.

However, due to the vast territory of my country and the great differences in climatic conditions from place to place, the suitable sowing time of cabbage will also be different. Generally speaking, cabbage can be planted in late July in the Northeast, in North China it is suitable for sowing at the beginning of autumn, and in South China, Central China and Southwest China it is recommended to plant in mid-to-late August, but no later than mid-September.

Key points for planting autumn cabbage

1. Grasp the timing of sowing

Cabbage should not be sown too early or too late. Doing it too early may lead to poor growth, and may also cause the buds to fall off and rot in the later stage; doing it too late may affect the core of the bag, causing it to be loose. The best sowing period is usually around the beginning of autumn to early September. Cabbage prefers cool climates and can tolerate low temperatures, but seeds need gradually lower temperatures to germinate and grow. Timely sowing is the key to ensuring high quality and high yield of cabbage.

2. Fine Land Preparation

Choose soil with deep soil layer, rich organic matter, strong water and fertilizer retention capacity and convenient irrigation and drainage to grow cabbage. When preparing the land, apply sufficient well-rotted farmyard manure and an appropriate amount of triple compound fertilizer as base fertilizer. The soil should be raked flat and fine and made into ridges to facilitate later management.

3. Seed disinfection to prevent diseases

Cabbage is susceptible to a variety of diseases during its growing period, so disease prevention and control should be done in advance. Preventive measures include:

Clean the fields, remove the residues of previous crops, and reduce pests and diseases.

Avoid continuous cropping. If conditions permit, it is best to change the planting site or apply more microbial fertilizers or bio- organic fertilizers .

Seed disinfection: soak the seeds in 55℃ warm water for 10 minutes, or soak them in 1% copper sulfate solution or 10% sodium superphosphate solution for 5 minutes, then wash and sow.

To disinfect the soil, mix an appropriate amount of methyl thiophanate or carbendazim powder into the base fertilizer.

4. Lightly press the soil after sowing

After sowing, gently press the soil to make the seeds in close contact with the soil, which is conducive to the seeds taking root, prevents wind from drying out the soil, and promotes the growth of seedlings.

5. Seedlings at the right time

Thinning can ensure that the cabbage has enough space to grow, avoid crowding and shading, and cultivate strong seedlings. Thinning is done in three steps:

After all the seedlings have emerged, leave 3 in each hole. When there are 3 to 4 leaves, leave 2 plants in each hole. When transplanting seedlings, leave one plant in each hole. When thinning out seedlings, it is necessary to promptly replace the missing seedlings, following the principle of "removing the weak and keeping the strong".

6. Strengthen water and fertilizer management

Ten days after cabbage seedlings emerge, apply decomposed manure or urea to promote growth. In the early stage of heading, apply compound fertilizer. During the rosette stage, potassium dihydrogen phosphate and calcium glycoside can be sprayed on the leaves to promote heart-sealing and prevent "dry heartburn". Water in time after sowing, control water appropriately during the seedling stage, and keep the soil moist during the rosette stage. Cabbage is easily invaded by pests. In mild cases, it is necessary to spray wood ash extract. In severe cases, chemical pesticides such as imidacloprid and chlorpyrifos need to be used.

The above is an introduction to the planting time of cabbage. It is autumn now, which is also the most suitable time of the year for planting cabbage. You can choose the appropriate planting time according to the regional climatic conditions.