The cabbage variety Krautman is very popular among summer residents and gardeners in our country. Which is not surprising. On the one hand, it allows you to get an excellent harvest with a relatively small expenditure of time and effort. On the other hand, vegetables can boast of excellent taste. Therefore, to learn more about this variety will be very useful.
Appearance
Let's start with a description of Krautman cabbage. The leaf outlet is raised and at the same time quite compact. The leaves are not too large, have a rich green color, slightly wrinkled and with a waxy coating. The edges of the sheet plates are smooth.
The heads themselves are round and rather dense. The size also will not disappoint summer residents - mature fruits weigh from one and a half to four kilograms, and individual champions reach seven kilograms. Heads of cabbage are covered by leaves about half, have a thin internal structure. Kocheryga is average, rather soft.
It's nice that the yield of the variety is quite high - from one square meter you can get up to nine kilograms of fruit.
From the description of the Krautman cabbage, it follows that it belongs to mid-season crops, that is, from the moment of the first shoots to the harvest, it takes from 120 to 140 days, depending on the ambient temperature, soil composition and light intensity.
The main advantages
It is no coincidence that many summer residents prefer Krautman cabbage. The plant boasts the following advantages:
- Excellent taste and a large number of vitamins A and C in the composition of the fruit. According to the latter indicator, Krautman surpasses even cauliflower, which is considered one of the most useful.
- After ripening, heads of cabbage can be left standing for a long time - they do not crack and the process of decay due to over-ripening will not begin.
- The hybrid has very juicy, crunchy and mouth-watering leaves.
- Dense, weighty and at the same time quite compact heads of cabbage as if created especially for transportation, since they occupy a minimum of space.
- The variety is resistant to a number of pests and diseases, which usually cause a lot of problems when growing cabbage.
- Since the variety is a hybrid of F1, the crops sprout rather amicably, which means that the crop can be harvested all at once, and not in several calls.
- The variety easily tolerates bad weather conditions and even sudden changes in temperature, which often cause the death of cabbage.
- Good appearance makes the fruits especially popular with gardeners selling surplus vegetables in the markets.
Reviews about Krautman cabbage for the most part confirm this information - it really deserves attention from many gardeners and summer residents, as it can be a good choice for them.
Growing seedlings
As mentioned above, the variety is mid-season, it takes 120-140 days to harvest. Of course, in most regions of our country, the warm season is much shorter, so you have to grow cabbage using seedlings. The best time to land is the end of March - the beginning of April.
First you need to prepare the seeds of Krautman cabbage - soak in water and remove the floated, because they still will not germinate. You can also treat it with a solution of potassium permanganate to disinfect them from potential infectious diseases.
It is best to use disposable cardboard cups for seedlings - they are very convenient, since you do not have to damage the roots when planting in the ground. You can bury the whole glass - it will soften after a few rains and will become additional fertilizing for young cabbage. In extreme cases, you can use the box - not too high, but quite large in area. The land from the beds where the cabbage will be grown is best suited as a substrate. But for improvement, you can mix it with compost so that the seedlings grow faster.
The soil is well moistened, after which seeds are sown. If you are not sure about the high germination rate, it makes sense to sow them quite densely - in extreme cases, weak sprouts can be removed over time. At least with this option, you will not find yourself with insufficient seedlings.
After that, the box is closed with glass or black film and placed in a warm, dark place until the first shoots appear. After that, the film or glass is removed. Caring for seedlings is simple, you only need to water it regularly, provide good lighting, while avoiding too intense direct rays of the sun.
Landing
About a month and a half after planting the seeds, the land in the garden is likely to warm up enough so that you can plant cabbage on the beds.
In general, no problems usually arise here. Pre-prepared beds can be fertilized with compost or manure, and if the land is not depleted, and this is a rich nutritious chernozem, you can do without fertilizers.
The bed is well watered, after which holes are prepared in it. The minimum distance between them should be about 50 centimeters - otherwise the heads of cabbage will not reach the maximum possible size.
If the seedlings are in cups, then there will not be any special problems - they are put in the holes and sprinkled with earth.
If you used a box, then moisten the soil in it well, gently separate the sprouts and try to plant them on a bed together with a part of the soil from the box, so as not to damage the roots and facilitate the rooting process in place.
Care
Experienced gardeners know that cabbage is one of the most moisture-loving crops. Therefore, you need to make sure that it receives a sufficient amount of moisture. If the rain does not pass at least a couple of times a week, you will have to take it into your own hands. You need to water once every two to three days, and quite abundantly - it takes 10-12 liters of water per square meter. In the first days after planting, you can water it not with water, but with a weak solution of potassium permanganate, which allows you to destroy the infection in the soil.
In order for the cabbage to acquire a powerful root system, it is very important to loosen the soil, enriching it with oxygen. To do this, the earth is loosened with a hoe to a depth of 4-5 centimeters.
A couple of times a season you can also spend hilling. A paved earthen hill leads to the appearance of new roots and, as a result, an increase in the size of the fruit.
Do not forget about top dressing, especially on depleted soils. It is advisable to fertilize at least twice a season. For the first time - 15-20 days after planting in the ground. In the second - after another 20 days.
It is best to use diluted mullein as fertilizer. For its preparation, fresh cow manure is mixed with water in a ratio of one to eight. The resulting solution must be insisted for several days, after which water the cabbage - at the rate of 500 milliliters per plant.
The most dangerous diseases and pests
Alas, like most varieties of cabbage, Krautman is susceptible to various diseases. And garden pests do their bit. Let's talk about some of them.
First of all, it is a black leg. The trunk section blackens, thinns and breaks. Sometimes, treatment with a solution of potassium permanganate or copper sulfate allows you to get rid of the disease.
Butterflies, lemongrass, lemongrass and cabbage whitetail often lay eggs on leaves, from which voracious caterpillars that damage head of cabbage are hatched. The best result is the manual collection of tracks and the destruction of eggs. You can also plant cabbage near dill, garlic and onions - this will scare away pests.
Cruciferous fleas also cause a lot of problems. Small holes appear on the leaves, and then the plant dies. To prevent this, you need to treat the plants with infusion of chamomile, celandine or garlic.
Vegetable application
Judging by numerous reviews, the Krautman cabbage variety is perfect for use in salads, but can also be used for pickling and pickling.
True, like most mid-season varieties, it is not stored for too long - about 4-5 months after harvest.
Conclusion
This concludes the article. From it you learned more about Krautman cabbage. So, you can decide whether it suits you or whether it makes sense to give preference to other varieties.