Detailed Guide to Chinese Cabbage Planting Time and Methods
Chinese cabbage is one of the most common vegetables 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. Chinese cabbage has an excellent taste and is rich in nutrients. So when is the best time to plant Chinese cabbage? And how should it be planted? Let's take a look.
1. Planting Time
Chinese 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
Chinese cabbage can be grown in both the north and the south, so it does not have high soil requirements and can adapt to various environments, but sandy loam or loam rich in organic matter, loose and fertile, is best. The previous crop in the selected plot should not be a cruciferous plant, and reasonable crop rotation should be practiced. One week before sowing, carry out land preparation and fertilization: deep plow and harrow the plot fine, then level it and make beds. When making beds, open the bed furrows properly to facilitate irrigation and drainage. Apply 5000-7000 kg of decomposed organic fertilizer per mu, and it can be paired with 50 kg of nitrogen-phosphorus-potassium compound fertilizer. Spread it evenly over the soil, and combine it with plowing to mix the fertilizer and soil evenly.
3. Sowing and Seedling Raising
Select high-quality seeds with strong stress resistance, strong cold tolerance, and no disease. When sowing, three methods can be used: drilling, hole sowing, and mechanical sowing. Choose a suitable sowing method for sowing, generally using about 0.5 kg per mu. Control the plant and row spacing when sowing. If conditions such as climate and soil are good, appropriate close planting can be done; otherwise, plant more sparsely. After the seeds germinate, keep the soil moist to speed up emergence. When the plants grow to 2-3 true leaves or 4-5 true leaves, carry out thinning and replanting once 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 set out. When transplanting, choose a sunny afternoon and try to avoid the strong midday sun to increase the survival rate. Likewise, determine the density according to the variety and soil. Water immediately after transplanting to keep the soil moist, then water once each morning and evening every day for 3 consecutive days to help the seedlings recover and survive.
5. Field Management
Chinese cabbage has 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 was not applied, 10 kg of ammonium sulfate can be topdressed per mu. When fertilizing, broadcast it on both sides of the seedlings, and 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, topdressing 30 kg of ammonium sulfate and 15 kg of superphosphate, combined with hilling. The fourth time is at the heading stage, topdressing 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, Chinese cabbage has a very high water demand, and the soil must be kept moist at all times.
The above is the planting time and methods for Chinese cabbage. We hope it helps you. If you want to learn more about Chinese cabbage cultivation, please stay tuned to us.