How to Grow Kale? Detailed Guide to Planting Methods and Precautions

Many people have never heard the name kale, but if you just say it is the plant grown in flower beds that looks like cauliflower, that is it. It is actually a variety of cabbage, and its flowers are very large and look extremely beautiful. So let's take a look below at how it is grown and what needs attention.

How to Grow Kale

1. Selection of good seeds: Choose excellent fresh-eating kale varieties with strong growth vigor, green leaves, deeply lobed feather-like leaves, wrinkled leaf surfaces, relatively strong cold and heat tolerance, late bolting, a long harvest period, tender texture and rich flavor, such as the new kale variety Kaile jointly developed by the Beijing Academy of Agriculture and Forestry Sciences and the National Engineering Research Center for Vegetables, and excellent varieties introduced from the United States, the United Kingdom and the Netherlands such as Worcester, Musibo, Abeda and Wenbote.

2. Raising seedlings: For spring planting, sow in January and raise seedlings in a greenhouse; for protected cultivation in winter, sow 30-35 days before transplanting. The seedling-raising method is the same as for other cabbage-type vegetables. Prepare to transplant when the seedlings have 4-5 leaves.

3. Transplanting: Before transplanting, prepare the land and apply base fertilizer. Because kale has a long harvest period and a high fertilizer requirement, the planting site must be given sufficient base fertilizer. Well-rotted chicken manure, pig manure and other compost rich in organic matter can be used as base fertilizer, applied at 22500-30000 kg per hectare. Make flat beds 110 cm wide, transplant in double rows, with plant and row spacing of 45-50 cm × 50 cm, and plant about 37500 plants per hectare. Water promptly after transplanting.

4. Field management: Kale has a high demand for water and fertilizer. After transplanting, water every 5-7 days. About 15-20 days later, after the seedlings have recovered, water a second time and apply topdressing, applying 150 kg of urea per hectare. Cultivate and weed, and keep the soil moist regularly. In the rainy season, pay attention to drainage. If drainage is not timely, water accumulation can easily cause leaf yellowing. About 40 days after transplanting, begin harvesting until early winter.

Kale Planting Methods

Planting methods

1. Light: Kale is a light-loving plant and is not very shade-tolerant. When growing it, it should be placed in a place with sufficient light, preferably in a place with scattered light and good ventilation.

2. Temperature: It is a plant that likes a cool climate and can tolerate both cold and heat, so kale is relatively easy to cultivate. The suitable temperature for kale growth is between 15°C——25°C, and the germination temperature for sowing is between 18°C——25°C.

3. Soil: Kale is not strict about the soil needed for growth. It is suitable for growing in loose, fertile soil with good drainage, and can tolerate saline-alkaline soil.

4. Watering: Kale does not have strict water requirements. It is not drought-tolerant and is afraid of water accumulation. During the growth period of kale, keep the potting soil moist, but do not water too much, otherwise root rot may occur.

5. Fertilizing: Kale still has a large demand for fertilizer. Apply fertilizer once or twice every month, mainly phosphorus fertilizer and potassium fertilizer. Do not use too much nitrogen fertilizer, otherwise the leaves will grow excessively.

Precautions for Kale

1. Propagation method: When growing kale, the most commonly used method is sowing, but cuttings can also be used for propagation.

2. Flowering: When growing kale, what is mostly appreciated is its leaves, but it can also bloom.

Common Diseases of Kale

1. Black rot

It mainly harms leaves and is a bacterial vascular disease that causes the vascular bundles to necrose and turn black. Small black spot lesions or black streaks appear on the veins of the true leaves. The pathogen mostly invades from the water pores at the leaf margin, initially forming a "V"-shaped lesion, and the veins in that part necrose and turn black. If it invades from a wound, irregular pale yellow lesions form. In the early stage of the disease, promptly remove diseased plants. In the early stage of disease in adult plants, spray Junbingqing or 14% copper ammonia or 77% Keshade wettable powder, spraying once every 7-10 d, for 2-3 consecutive times.

2. Downy mildew

It mainly harms leaves. After infection, white frost-like matter first appears, and then the plant dies. When humidity is high, loose white mold grows on the underside or upper side of the leaves. In the early stage of the disease, spray Junbingqing or 40% aluminum triethyl phosphonate wettable powder or 70% chlorothalonil wettable powder or 72.2% Previcur aqueous solution, spraying once every 7-10 d, for 2-3 consecutive times.

3. Sclerotinia rot

Also called sclerotial soft rot, it mainly harms the base of the stem and the leaves. In the early stage of the disease, pale brown lesions appear at the leaf margin. In the later stage, the diseased tissue becomes soft and rotted. Under high humidity conditions, white or grayish-white flocculent mycelium grows and forms black mouse-dropping-like sclerotia. In the early stage of the disease, spray 50% lvxiaoan powder or 20% methyl parathion emulsifiable concentrate or 50% iprodione wettable powder, spraying once every 7-10 d. Fertilize reasonably, and it is recommended to use soil-loosening fertilizer to loosen the soil, break up compaction, allow the roots to breathe, drain well, and respire well, so that growth is good. Avoid over-applying nitrogen fertilizer, which causes excessive growth of branches and leaves, making the tissue tender and susceptible to infection.

4. Cabbage caterpillar

Use the biological pesticide Chongmanjing diluted 2000 times and spray evenly, at an interval of 7-10 days, spraying 2-3 times to completely kill various aphids, green caterpillars, etc.

Kale can be both ornamental and edible, and is deeply loved by everyone. Moreover, its cultivation method is relatively simple, and we can also grow some at home. However, when planting, special attention must be paid because it is very susceptible to damage from pests and diseases, which causes adverse effects on it, so early detection and early treatment are necessary.