A Detailed Guide to the Latest Planting Times and Methods for Napa Cabbage
Napa cabbage is the most common vegetable in our daily lives, especially in northern regions, where every household likes to grow some. It can be eaten fresh, or made into pickled cabbage or salted vegetables. Napa cabbage has an excellent taste and is rich in nutrients. So when is the best time to plant napa cabbage? How should you grow it? Let's take a look together.
1. Planting Time
Napa cabbage is mainly planted in autumn. Depending on the variety, the sowing time can be divided as follows: early-maturing varieties are sown in early to mid-August, mid-to-late-maturing varieties are sown from late August to early September, and late-maturing varieties are best sown in late August.
2. Land Preparation and Base Fertilizer
Napa cabbage can be grown in both northern and southern regions, so it does not have high soil requirements and can adapt to a variety of environments, but it is best grown in sandy loam or loam rich in organic matter, loose and fertile. The previous crop in the selected plot should not be a cruciferous plant, and rational crop rotation should be practiced. One week before sowing, carry out land preparation and fertilization. Deeply plow and harrow the plot fine, then level it and make beds. When making beds, open the furrows well to facilitate irrigation and drainage. Apply 5000-7000 kg of decomposed organic fertilizer per mu, and at the same time, you can pair it with 50 kg of nitrogen-phosphorus-potassium compound fertilizer. Spread it evenly on the soil, and combine it with plowing to mix the fertilizer and soil evenly.
3. Sowing and Seedling Raising
Choose excellent seeds with strong stress resistance, strong cold tolerance, and no disease. When sowing, three methods can be used: drilling, dibbling, and mechanical sowing. Choose the appropriate sowing method for sowing. Generally, the amount used per mu is about 0.5 kg. When sowing, control the plant and row spacing. If conditions such as climate and soil are good, you can appropriately plant densely; otherwise, plant sparsely. After the seeds germinate, keep the soil moist to speed up emergence. When they grow to 2-3 true leaves or 4-5 true leaves, carry out one round of thinning and replanting each time, and remove some weeds, diseased seedlings, and weak seedlings.
4. Transplanting
When the seedlings grow to have 5-6 true leaves, they can be transplanted and established. When transplanting, choose a sunny afternoon and try to avoid the strong midday sun to increase the survival rate. Similarly, determine the density according to the variety and soil. Water immediately after transplanting to keep the soil moist. Afterward, water once each morning and evening every day for 3 consecutive days to help the seedlings recover and survive.
5. Field Management
Napa cabbage has an extremely high yield, so it has a very large fertilizer requirement. In addition to applying sufficient base fertilizer during land preparation, timely topdressing is also needed. Generally, at the seedling stage, after sufficient base fertilizer has been applied, no topdressing is needed. If sufficient base fertilizer has not been applied, 10 kg of ammonium sulfate can be topdressed per mu. When fertilizing, spread it on both sides of the seedlings, do not apply it directly into the root system, so as to avoid burning the roots. Water immediately after fertilizing so the fertilizer can be absorbed quickly. After transplanting, apply the second topdressing, also 15-20 kg of ammonium sulfate, applied in furrows, and water. The third time is at the rosette stage, topdress 30 kg of ammonium sulfate and 15 kg of superphosphate, combined with earthing up. The fourth time is at the heading stage, topdress 15-20 kg of ammonium sulfate. Watering is also extremely important and should be determined according to climate and soil. At the late rosette stage, water should be controlled, and watering should be done after the third topdressing. At the heading stage, napa cabbage has a very large demand for water, and the soil must be kept moist at all times.
The above are the planting times and methods for napa cabbage. We hope this helps you. If you want to learn more about napa cabbage cultivation, please stay tuned to us.