Causes of Cauliflower Loosening and Detailed Control Measures
Cauliflower, also known as caihua or yanghuacai, is one of the vegetables with a relatively high vitamin C content, and many problems can arise during its cultivation, such as loosening. Loosening refers to the situation where, during the enlargement of the cauliflower curd, the curd prematurely becomes loose and fails to hold together. So what causes cauliflower loosening? How should it be prevented and controlled? Let's find out together.
1. Reasonable watering
Cauliflower is relatively sensitive to moisture during the seedling stage. When the bottom water is sufficient, once the seedlings grow their first batch of true leaves, they need to be watered once every 2-3 days, and before transplanting, moisture should be properly controlled. For late-maturing varieties, after the seedling-hardening period, when the curd diameter reaches 2-3 cm, they should be watered appropriately. Watering too early or too much will cause the leaves to stop growing, or cause the curd to loosen, but if watering is insufficient or too late, it will also cause premature bolting and loosening. Therefore, during the growing period of cauliflower, watering should be reasonable, the correct timing should be grasped, and the amount of water at one time should not be too large; a method of watering little but often can be adopted.
2. Seedling management
The seedling stage of cauliflower still falls in the low-temperature season, so cold protection measures should be taken well. Methods such as covering with plastic film or setting up straw mats can be used to maintain the temperature between 17-20 degrees, and it must not be lower than 8 degrees at the lowest. When raising seedlings, use nutrient pots or nutrient bags, and appropriately expand the nutritional area per plant, so that strong seedlings can be formed, laying a solid foundation for high yield. When transplanting, carry soil with the seedlings and do not damage the root system.
⟦NL>3. Balanced fertilization
Before planting, apply 3000-5000 kg of high-quality decomposed organic fertilizer per mu as base fertilizer. The base fertilizer can provide sufficient nutrients throughout the entire growth period of cauliflower. Then apply reasonable topdressing at each growth stage. During the seedling stage, reasonably combine nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium fertilizers. At transplanting, apply 50 kg of diammonium sulfate and 30 kg of potassium sulfate per mu, with a total of 5 kg of micronutrient fertilizer.
4. Tying or bending leaves
In order to prevent the curd from turning yellow or pale yellow, several leaves at the center of the cauliflower can be tied together and cleaned up, or 2-3 leaves can be bent over the curd, but they must not be tied too tightly or broken, and this method can also prevent loosening.
The above is an introduction to the causes of cauliflower loosening and control measures. We hope it can help you. If you want to learn more related knowledge, please stay tuned to us.