Why does cabbage crack
Cabbage often cracks when grown. Sometimes only the top of her head is damaged, and sometimes the whole of the forks. Slugs, caterpillars, fungal spores penetrate inside. In this case, vegetables cannot be stored. You can use them in cooking, but the yield is significantly reduced.
Reasons for cracking heads
Reasons for cracking
Trouble can happen at different stages of development. Factors that provoke cracking of heads of cabbage:
- uneven soil moisture;
- the predisposition of the variety at the genetic level;
- non-compliance with the landing dates - in rare cases;
- belonging of the species to early and mid-season varieties;
- sudden changes in temperature while pouring forks;
- prolonged period of heavy rains;
- untimely harvesting.
White cabbage is a moisture-loving culture. The moisturizing process requires compliance with some rules: regularity and abundance. If you skip a few waterings, the plant begins to form a dense layer of covering leaves. Sap flow is suspended. And when water is brought in again, the cabbage absorbs it intensively. The inner leaves continue to grow, while the top leaves do not keep up with them. This often happens during the ripening period of the culture, when the forks are already full, but full ripeness has not come. Then the growth stops, and the roots continue to consume water. And the vegetable bursts from the inside.
Cabbage of late-ripening species cracks less often, early and middle ones - more often. A head of cabbage of late varieties grows more slowly, and is still formed in the summer heat. It is poured in late summer - early autumn. During this time, suitable weather conditions are established for the process, which prevents cracking. There are varieties that are less prone to cracking: Amager, Snow White, Winter Grubovskaya 13, Zimovka 1474, Losinoostrovskaya 8, Nadezhda, Gift, etc.
In salted species, cabbage heads crack due to sudden changes in day and night temperatures.
If the weather has been established for a long time with indicators below 20 ° C, the culture slows down its growth. When the temperature rises back to 25 ° C, the leaves begin to grow and the head cracks. If the fruit is not harvested for more than 20 days after ripening, then even the resistant varieties will crack. Under these conditions, vegetables can be on the vine for no more than 15 days.
Prevention
Stick to the rules
To prevent cabbage heads from cracking, you should adhere to the following recommendations:
- Plant resistant species. It is especially important if there is no way to be on the site every day.
- When cultivating other varieties, mulch with a layer of 5-10 cm. Straw is used as mulch, which will help retain moisture in the soil.
- Control soil moisture. For this purpose, the earth is taken with a shovel from a depth of 10 cm. If, when compressed, it does not hold in a lump, it is worth adding water. Avoid long breaks between waterings. If humidification has not been carried out for a long time, you need to stop it completely. Also, watering is adjusted according to the weather. In the heat, they become more frequent, during the rainy season, they are reduced or stopped altogether.
- Cut off heads earlier, avoid overripe. You can determine the harvest time by the appearance of the forks. To do this, a few of the top leaves are removed, the rest should be ivory (for most varieties).
- Plant a crop at a certain time, taking into account the period of the onset of prolonged rains.
- Use a hydrogel or provide drip irrigation that will saturate vegetables with water regularly and in the right amount. If this is not possible, it is better to plant the culture in places with high humidity: near wells, ponds, etc.
- With an excess of moisture, drain water from the site.
- Do not saturate the arrogantly soil with nitrogen fertilizers. You should not bring them in late, only during the period of growth and filling of the forks.
Is it possible to save cabbage
Cracked cabbages can be salvaged. For this, the plants are slightly raised or scrolled around their axis. Can be tilted to one side several times. These actions will lead to damage to part of the root system, as a result of which moisture access is disrupted.
If one fork is cracked, it is worth collecting all representatives of this variety from the garden. If this is not possible, you need to scroll through them using the above method.
Conclusion
Cabbage heads will not crack if you follow the rules of crop care. Particular attention should be paid to watering and feeding. But in rainy weather, not everything depends on the gardener. Therefore, in this situation, it is necessary to reduce the flow of water to the plants.