Detailed Explanation of Heat-Tolerant Cabbage Planting Time and Methods
Heat-tolerant cabbage is often planted in the hot, rainy summer, and is an early-maturing, heat-tolerant, disease-resistant cabbage variety. When it is harvested and brought to market, there is also a gap in the cabbage supply on the market. So what are the planting time and methods for heat-tolerant cabbage?
1. Planting time
Heat-tolerant cabbage can generally be cultivated from mid-May to early September. The seedling age for transplanting is 18-25 days, harvesting takes place 20-25 days after transplanting, and from sowing to harvest is 35-40 days.
2. Planting methods
1. Sowing: Before sowing, dress the seeds with carbendazim to prevent seedling-stage diseases. Because heat-tolerant cabbage has a short growth period, direct sowing is mostly used in production. Reasonable close planting is an effective way to increase yield. Sow directly at a plant-to-row spacing of 35-40cm×50cm. Draw shallow furrows 3-4cm long and 1.0cm deep on the ridge, sow the seeds evenly in the holes, 4-5 seeds per hole, cover with soil and level the holes. The density is 3500 plants/mu, and the seeding rate is 80-100g. When sowing, pay attention to the weather forecast to prevent heavy rain from beating the seeds and affecting emergence. In summer, high temperatures cause water to dissipate very quickly, so before emergence be sure to keep the ground moist to avoid missing plants and gaps in the rows. If the soil moisture is insufficient, water immediately after sowing and covering with soil, then water again after 1 day, and full emergence can be achieved in 2-3 days.
2. Thinning: When thinning and final thinning, remove small seedlings, weak seedlings, diseased seedlings, and off-type seedlings. Generally, thinning is required 3 times. The first is carried out when the seedlings have 2 true leaves, the second when the seedlings grow to 3-4 leaves, and final thinning when the seedlings grow to 7-8 leaves. The seedlings removed during final thinning can be sold as high-quality baby cabbage. After each thinning, water promptly to prevent the roots from loosening.
3. Fertilizer and water: Heat-tolerant cabbage has a short growth period and grows rapidly, from sowing to harvest in 50-55 days. It has no obvious rosette stage and belongs to the type in which outer leaves and head leaves grow simultaneously. Therefore, in management, do not practise seedling restraint; instead, apply both fertilizer and water aggressively (using quick-acting nitrogen fertilizer) and promote growth all the way through. After thinning, apply a seedling-promoting fertilizer, applying 7-8kg of ammonium sulfate per mu; after final thinning and at the heading stage, apply a heavy fertilizer each time, applying 15-20kg of compound fertilizer and 5-8kg of urea per mu each time, which can be applied together with watering. Because the growth period of heat-tolerant cabbage coincides with the high temperatures of midsummer and early autumn, water evaporation is high. If water is insufficient, the heads will be loose and yield will decrease, so water promptly. Watering should be done in small amounts and frequently to lower the surface temperature and keep the ground often in a moist state. Stop watering one week before harvest. Fertilizing and watering should be done in the evening to meet the plant's need for rapid growth at night. There is a lot of rain in summer, so after heavy rain, drain promptly and cultivate and loosen the soil.
4. Pests and diseases: Heat-tolerant cabbage has strong resistance to soft rot, downy mildew, and viral diseases. Under good management, it generally suffers less disease, but because summer is hot and rainy and pests are rampant, pest and disease control should not be taken lightly.
After sowing, heat-tolerant cabbage can be harvested in about 50-60 days. At this time, there is a vacuum period in the market for cabbage, so sales are relatively good.