Detailed Explanation of Key Points for Early Spring Cabbage Planting Techniques

Cabbage, also known as cauliflower, head cabbage, lotus white (Yunnan), and kohlrabi, is an important vegetable cultivated in various regions. Below, let's learn about early spring cabbage planting techniques.

Early Spring Cabbage Planting Techniques

1. Land Preparation and Fertilization

Select fertile soil and apply fully decomposed farmyard manure, combined with an appropriate ratio of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium compound fertilizer. Sterilize the seedbed thoroughly before sowing. Generally, apply 5000 kg of decomposed farmyard manure and 50 kg of compound fertilizer per mu. To improve quality and enhance stress resistance, high-quality calcium fertilizer can be applied together.

2. Seed Selection and Seedling Raising

For early spring cabbage planting, select early-to-mid maturing varieties with strong winter hardiness and resistance to bolting. For open-field spring planting, varieties such as Zhonggan 15, Jufeng Quanmei, Shuanghuan 15, and Zhonggan No. 21 can be selected, as they are early maturing, high yielding, and highly disease resistant. For early spring cold-frame cultivation, select varieties with strong cold resistance, strong disease resistance, and strong winter hardiness, such as Lubao Wang, Shuanghuan 45, Jingxuan 8398, and Chunqiang. For seedling raising, use direct sowing of dry seeds. Level the seedling bed and water it thoroughly, and sow the seeds evenly. After sowing, cover with sieved fine soil to preserve moisture. If the seedlings are too dense, thin them promptly. When the seedlings grow to about 2-3 true leaves, transplant them into nutritional pots.

3. Timely Transplanting

The transplanting time is determined by the cultivation mode. For the greenhouse and arched shed method, transplanting can be done in early to mid-February; for small arched sheds with plastic film, transplanting can be done in late February; for plastic film mulching, transplanting can be done in early to mid-March.

4. Field Management

Fertilization: Apply quick-acting nitrogen fertilizer with irrigation in a timely manner to promote early plant growth. When head formation begins, apply compound fertilizer at 20-25 kg per mu to promote head enlargement.

Watering: Control watering 7-10 days before harvest to prevent head splitting later.

Pest and disease control: Cabbage has few diseases; the main pests are aphids and cabbage caterpillars.

In addition, the harvest period for early spring cold-frame cabbage is generally from late April to early May. Growers must harvest at the right time and bring the harvested crop to market promptly.