When and how to plant kale

Kale is a variety of edible cabbage with colorful leaves and high ornamental value. It is cultivated in many areas of China. Let’s learn about the time and method of planting kale.

Kale Planting Time

Kale can be sown in spring and autumn. As long as the temperature is between 18 and 25 degrees Celsius, kale will germinate in 5 to 10 days after sowing. However, it is best to sow kale between July and August, because the survival rate of seeds is higher during this period and the temperature is also very suitable for the growth of kale.

How to grow kale

1. Select seeds

To sow kale, you can go to a flower shop or agricultural supply center to buy seeds, or you can buy seeds online, but you need to choose a regular, qualified online store to purchase to avoid fake seeds. Kale comes in many varieties and different colors, so we can choose the variety we like to buy. Select the kale seeds you bought. If there are broken seeds, insect pests, or moldy ones, you can throw them away directly.

2. Soil

Kale has strong adaptability to soil, and you can choose humus-rich and fertile sandy loam or clay loam. Level the soil, water it thoroughly, and after the water has seeped in, spread the seeds evenly and cover them with soil 0.5 cm thick using a sieve. Or you can use one seed in one seedling pot to grow seedlings.

3. Planting seeds

Sow kale seeds evenly in the pot, with a spacing of 1 to 2 cm. Cover with a thin layer of soil, the depth of the soil is about 1 cm. Generally speaking, seedlings will emerge in 5 to 10 days.

4. Seedling management

After the kale seedlings emerge, spray water frequently to keep the soil in the kale pot moist for a long time, but do not allow water to accumulate. When the kale grows to about 2 cm, thin it out. When thinning, we can follow the principle of "eliminating the weak and keeping the strong". When the kale grows to 5 to 6 cm, you can transplant it into a pot.

5. Transplanting to pots

Place the kale in the middle of the flowerpot, allow the roots to stretch naturally, then hold the kale seedling with one hand and fill it with soil with the other hand. After the kale is buried, gently compact it, water it thoroughly, and place it in a cool place to slow down the growth. Once the kale starts to grow, you can move it to the sun and care for it normally.

6. Management during the growth period

During the growth process, kale has a greater demand for water. The plant needs to be watered every other day to keep the soil moist so that the kale can absorb sufficient water and maintain normal growth of the plant. During the growth period of kale, fertilizer is generally applied once every 10 days. To promote the growth of kale, we can apply dilute nitrogen fertilizer to the kale, which can make the kale grow faster. In order to grow kale with multiple flower heads, we can remove the top of the kale, and then leave 3 to 5 branches in different parts of the kale. In this way, a kale plant can bloom multiple flower heads, which will be more beautiful.

That’s it