An Introduction to the Planting Method and Planting Time of Napa Cabbage

Napa cabbage is a common vegetable with good texture and excellent flavor, and it has effects such as promoting bowel movements, aiding digestion and strengthening the stomach, quenching thirst and promoting urination; eating it in winter can also nourish the face and skin. So, how do you grow napa cabbage? When do you plant it? The following is an introduction to the planting method and timing of napa cabbage!

I. A brief introduction to napa cabbage!

1. What else is napa cabbage called?

Napa cabbage is also called heading cabbage, hearting cabbage, yellow-bud white, jiao cai, shao cai, and so on. It is a leaf vegetable of the genus Brassica in the family Brassicaceae. It originated in northern China and was later introduced to the south; it is now cultivated throughout both the north and the south.

2. Is napa cabbage highly nutritious?

Napa cabbage contains nutrients such as carbohydrates, fat, protein, crude fiber, calcium, phosphorus, iron, carotene, thiamine, nicotinic acid, and vitamins. Among these, its content of vitamin C and riboflavin is 5 times and 4 times higher than that of apples and pears respectively, and its content of the trace element zinc is higher than that of meat. In traditional Chinese medicine, napa cabbage is considered to have the effects of nourishing the stomach and promoting fluid production, relieving restlessness and quenching thirst, promoting urination and bowel movements, and clearing heat and detoxifying.

II. How do you grow napa cabbage?

1. Soil: relatively strong water and fertilizer retention capacity, with good structure.

Napa cabbage has a relatively shallow root system and high requirements for soil moisture and nutrients, so soil with relatively strong water and fertilizer retention capacity and good structure should be chosen. Because continuous cropping of napa cabbage makes it prone to disease, crop rotation should be carried out, avoiding continuous cropping with cruciferous vegetables; it can be rotated with cowpeas, cucumbers, tomatoes, and so on.

2. Land preparation: deep plowing, soil sunning, harrowing, making beds, and applying base fertilizer.

In order for the root system of napa cabbage to develop well, deep plowing is required. To reduce pests and diseases, the soil should be sunned. Napa cabbage seeds are small, so the land is required to be level and the soil particles fine and crumbly. Therefore, the plot for planting napa cabbage should be deep-plowed, then sunned, then shallow-plowed and harrowed, breaking up and leveling the soil, and then beds should be made; when making the beds, trenches should be opened and fully decomposed base fertilizer applied.

3. Seed selection: choose suitable seeds.

If in the North China region the crop is to be supplied for market in late autumn and early winter, varieties with a short growing period, early maturity, heat tolerance, disease resistance, and no need for storability, such as loose-hearted varieties or heading varieties, should be chosen. If it is to be stored for overwintering, heading varieties with a long growing period, high yield, and good storability should be chosen. If in areas such as northern Xinjiang and Ningxia, varieties that are early-maturing, strongly winter-hardy, and not prone to bolting should be chosen.

4. Sowing: direct sowing or broadcast sowing for seedling raising and transplanting.

Napa cabbage is generally direct-sown, mainly by drilling with spot sowing as a supplement; direct sowing uses about 200 grams of seed per mu. It can also be broadcast-sown for seedling raising and transplanting; for every 1 mu of field to be planted, about 5-6 li of seedling bed is needed, with a seeding rate of 75-100 grams. After direct sowing, decomposed human manure and urine should be applied; thereafter, water once each morning and evening every day, and seedlings will emerge in 3-4 days. Seedling raising and transplanting can be carried out on cloudy days or in the evening of sunny days, and transplanting can be done with soil attached; after planting, water with settling water.

5. Management: thinning, topdressing, watering, loosening the soil, and preventing pests and diseases.

(1) Thinning: if direct-sown, thin twice at the appropriate times, and finally leave 1 strong seedling per hole; if raised as seedlings and transplanted, pay attention to row and plant spacing.

(2) Topdressing: after napa cabbage is established after planting, apply 15% decomposed human manure and urine once every 3-4 days; after entering the rosette stage, apply 30% decomposed human manure and urine once every 5-7 days; after head formation begins, apply 50% decomposed human manure and urine per mu; after the plants close the rows, no more topdressing is applied.

(3) Watering: during the seedling stage, water lightly and frequently to maintain moisture; during the rosette stage, keep the soil alternately dry and wet; during head formation, furrow irrigation can be used. After the water seeps into the soil, excess water should be drained promptly, so that no water accumulates in the furrows, no water is visible on the bed surface, and the roots do not lack water.

(4) Loosening the soil: before topdressing, weed and loosen the soil; if long rain turns to clear weather, timely intertillage and soil sunning should be carried out; during the rosette stage, soil should be banked up to form ridges.

(5) Pests and diseases: the main diseases of napa cabbage are downy mildew and soft rot, and the insect pests include aphids, cabbage caterpillars, and so on; spraying can be used for control.

III. When is napa cabbage planted?

1. According to morphological characteristics, biological characteristics, and cultivation features, napa cabbage can be divided into autumn-winter napa cabbage, spring napa cabbage, and summer napa cabbage. Autumn-winter napa cabbage is generally sown 3—5 days around the Start of Autumn, and can be advanced or delayed according to actual conditions; spring napa cabbage is generally sown from late March to early April; summer napa cabbage is generally sown from mid-May to early July.

2. Napa cabbage is mainly planted in autumn. If it is an early-maturing variety, it is generally sown in early to mid-August; if it is a mid-to-late-maturing variety, it is generally sown from late August to early September; if it is a late-maturing variety, it is generally sown in late August.

3. Napa cabbage is generally sown 3—5 days around the Start of Autumn. If in the south, sowing can be delayed; if in the north, sowing can be advanced; if grown in a greenhouse, it is not limited by time or region and can be sown at any time.

The above is an introduction to the planting method and timing of napa cabbage. We hope it is useful to everyone!