Why did cabbage seedlings stretch out?

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Cabbage is the most popular vegetable garden, one of the most common vegetables on our table. Brussels sprouts, broccoli and colored flowers are loved by many gardeners for their versatility in use and excellent taste.

Why did cabbage seedlings stretch out?

Causes of overgrowth of cabbage

In favorable growing conditions, the plant develops naturally, but at the slightest stress it quickly becomes thinner, fades, stretches and stops forming fruits.

The reasons for abnormal development and growth are most often:

• untimely sowing of seeds and planting in the ground;
• lack of lighting (natural and additional);
• violation of the temperature regime during the growing period;
• drying out or waterlogging of the soil;
• lack of nutrients in the soil.

Sowing dates

It is extremely important to plant seedlings in open ground in a timely manner, without overexposing them. The specific planting date depends on the variety (early, mid or late) and weather conditions.

Seeds of an early maturing culture are sown for seedlings from early March to the last decade of April, mid-season seeds - from late March to the end of April, and late ones - in the first and second decades of April. Crops sprout in 7-10 days, and a month and a half after germination, the plant will be ready for planting.

If the seedlings are not planted 60-65 days after sowing the seeds, they will begin to stretch and deteriorate their quality characteristics.

Lighting

Timely planting is not enough to get a good harvest; the plant also needs a lot of light. In conditions of short daylight hours (less than 14-15 hours), the sprouts stretch out, losing their thickness, color and elasticity.

In conditions of a lack of natural light, it is recommended to do additional lighting in the morning and evening. Lighting is carried out by fluorescent or LED lamps and lasts about two hours.

Lack of lighting can also affect when the plants were planted too densely, in contact with each other. The grown seedlings must be planted.

Temperature regime

Excessive heat damages the plant and can lead to stretching and death. But a short-term decrease in temperature contributes to the hardening of white cabbage seedlings. The optimum temperature amplitude for it is:

• 18-20 ° before germination;
• 15-17 ° after sprouting (during the day);
• 8-10 ° after sprouting (at night).

It should be borne in mind that cauliflower seedlings do not tolerate temperature drops well, their comfortable temperature is 5-7 ° higher than that of white cabbage.

It is necessary to observe the temperature regime

Broccoli is more tolerant to climatic conditions than white cabbage, and is able to grow even at low temperatures below zero. But the most comfortable for her will be an amplitude of 16-20 °.

The same temperature will become comfortable for the Brussels, the most unpretentious and frost-resistant subspecies (it can withstand up to -10 °).

Timely watering mode

An important rule of correct watering of the crop is its timeliness. Both overflow and underflow have a negative effect on the plant and lead to its stretching. With underfilling, moisture reserves in the soil dry up, and with an excess of moisture, little air remains in the ground and an ideal environment for the life of fungi and bacteria is formed.

The required amount of water depends on the stage of culture development:

1. When germinating, seeds will need more than half of their weight.
2. During the formation of the first leaves, the need for water decreases, an excess can delay the growth and development of an individual, and even lead to death.
3. During the period of head of cabbage formation, the plant again needs maximum moisture.
4. In the last month before harvesting, watering stops, because they can lead to defects in heads.

For irrigation, you should choose settled water at room temperature with the addition of special softeners.

Nutrition and feeding

As with watering, measure and timeliness are very important here. During the seedling period, the culture is very demanding on fertilizers, but after seed germination, fertilizing will provoke the stretching of the plant.

For the normal course of growth and development, you should adhere to the following fertilization plan:

1. 5-7 days after the pick (transplant into individual containers).
2. 2 weeks after the first feeding.
3. A couple of days before planting in the ground.

Most often, a combination of organic fertilizers with artificial additives is used for feeding, which allows you to achieve good yields and reduce the risk of spreading fungal diseases.

Anti-pulling techniques

If the cabbage seedlings are strongly elongated, then first the factors contributing to stretching must be eliminated:

• create the most favorable conditions for growing (the optimal level of illumination, temperature and soil moisture), if the overgrowth was provoked by unfavorable environmental conditions;
• plant seedlings if they develop unevenly (while shading and displacing each other);
• if the overgrowth occurred due to an excess of fertilizers, it is necessary to urgently stop feeding the soil, lower the temperature by a couple of degrees and not moisten the sprouts for several days.

To stop the disruption of plant development in the future, you can apply one of these tactics:

1. Cropping method. It is necessary to deepen the position of the stem in the ground at the level of the germ leaves and carefully trim the upper part of the bushes to the fifth leaf. The method is used when the seedlings are already strongly elongated.
2. Loop method. Gardeners recommend making a small hole in the ground near the plant and carefully putting part of the branch into it in the form of a loop, sprinkling it with earth. After this, the soil must be carefully tamped and watered.

There are also chemicals that slow down and stop the process of overgrowth. The plant is sprayed with the drug or poured under its root. They can be used both when the cabbage seedlings are already stretched out, and to prevent stretching. All manipulations must be done with gloves and a protective mask.

Prevention of outgrowth

To prevent the stretching of the sprouts, the conditions for the comfortable growth and development of the plant must be carefully observed:

• adherence to sowing dates;
• sufficient sunlight or artificial lighting;
• optimal planting density of seedlings, at which each of them receives everything they need and does not interfere with others;
• compliance with the amplitude of the temperature regime;
• timely watering;
• fertilization depending on the stage of plant development.

Lack of nutrients or light - and cabbage seedlings are stretched out, becoming unsuitable for planting in the ground.

Conclusion

It is problematic to save cabbage seedlings that have already stretched out, therefore it is better to initially create the most comfortable conditions for growth and development for them.

In the open field in the middle lane, it is quite problematic to grow the main varieties of this vegetable without seedlings. But the sprouts themselves are sensitive to the growing conditions and require painstaking care.