Brussels sprouts
Brussels is one of the longest growing and unpretentious among all kinds of cabbage. It can tolerate poorer soils, can grow on weakly acidic soils, does not require much and constant care, but, of course, it grows better and yields with good care and good soil.
From Brussels sprouts there is an early hybrid of Franklin F1( 130 days), medium Diablo F1( 160 days) and later Boxer F1( 170 days).
Features of growing
About 150 days pass from shoots to the preparedness of the first kochanchikov. Therefore, without seedling here can not do. The best time for sowing on seedlings is the beginning of April.
It's clear that in the room it can be done if you provide it with good illumination, a cool temperature during the day( about 16-18 degrees Celsius) and
a cold night temperature( about 5-6 degrees Celsius).In addition, the air in the room should have a humidity of about 70%.You can grow seedlings on a loggia, a glazed balcony or in a heated greenhouse.
As the Brussels sprouts come up quickly, after about 4-6 days, the readiness will come sometime in the middle-end of September. Seeds should be sown to a depth of 2 cm, spreading them at a distance of 3-4 cm from each other.
In the stage of a single leaf, cabbage must be broken into individual cups. At the age of about 45-60 days seedlings can be planted in the open ground. This cabbage requires a lot of space, so the planting pattern is 60 x 60 cm.
As cabbage grows, it is regularly watered with clean, well, cold water, doing weekly fertilizing, alternating with Mullein infusions or weeds with mineral top dressing( 3 tablespoons Azofoski for 10 liters of water).Any other fertilizer containing nitrogen and potassium in approximately equal doses and phosphorus in a half of the nitrogen dose can be used.
Unlike other types of cabbage, Brussels sprouts are less prone to kilo disease, it can be grown on weakly acidic soil.
To the fertility of the soil, it is demanding, like all cabbages. Before planting the soil should be well seasoned with organic. Like all cabbages, Brussels sprouts grow well on AVA fertilizer, which is introduced into the hole when transplanting seedlings about 1/3 of a spoonful without a top for each plant. In this case, cabbage can later be fed only by organic fertilizing. Ash fertilizer AVA in this case does not replace. Since cabbage has a rather high( about 80 cm) growth, it needs to be bent several times, in addition, constant loosening is required - the root system needs a good air exchange.
Diseases and pests in Brussels sprouts are the same as in cabbage. But because of the mustard oil contained in it, Brussels sprouts do not like the cabbage fly and almost never harm it. But she is very fond of cabbage moth and whiting. Control measures are the same as for cabbage cabbage. On the long, straight stalk of Brussels sprouts, rounded leaves are directed upwards. This is not a sign of phosphorus starvation, as, say, tomato or eggplant, but a feature of growth. Numerous( about 70 pieces) large kidney-kidneys form in the axils of the leaves. In early September, as soon as the first, the lowest, of them reach the size of a pea, the top of the plant must be cut off to stop the growth of the plant up. This method contributes to the rapid growth of kochanchikov.
Sometimes the growth of kochanchikov is delayed due to unsuitable weather conditions, and in September they are not yet there. Do not rush to pull the plants out of the garden. They still have time to form a harvest in October, as Brussels sprouts fairly well tolerate frosts even up to -5. ..- 10 degrees and continue to develop until late autumn.
Kochanchiki gradually break off as soon as they become dense. They are cut off near the stem itself, otherwise the cops scatter on separate leaves.
Freshly baked cabbage for a long time will not be preserved, but they perfectly preserve their useful properties and taste qualities in the frozen form. For a long-term storage of Brussels sprouts in fresh form, it is excavated with roots and buried in the basement, like cauliflower. It is possible to cut down stalks together with kochanchikami and to store between window frames or on a loggia.