In late autumn, when the fields are already empty, and the grass on the pastures has noticeably withered, you can see plantations of succulent and fresh plants. This is fodder cabbage, which is not afraid of frost. When switching to a winter diet, the plant allows livestock breeders to provide their wards with green feed for as long as possible. Fodder cabbage is very fond of cows, goats, rabbits and other animals in the farmyard.
A bit of history
Europe drew attention to a large succulent plant for a long time. The first mention of it comes across in Greek and Roman literature. From the coastal European countries, culture gradually spread around the world. This version of the events is based on the fact that many species of wild cabbage are found only on the sea coasts of Europe, in Asia they are not.
Fodder cabbage came to Russia around the 18th century. However, not many grew it. This culture did not take root in our country for a long time, as people simply did not understand that a small investment of money and labor would pay off many times with high-quality animal feed. Today, culture is grown not only in Russia, but also on the fields of Ukraine, Moldova, Azerbaijan, Estonia and so on. Moreover, many varieties crossed the ocean and grow well in America, Africa, New Zealand and Australia, adapting to local climatic conditions.
General description of the culture
Cabbage, the name of which speaks for itself, is not used in salads. Her leaves are too hard for that. This is a cruciferous plant from the cabbage family, a feature of which is the complete absence of heads of cabbage. In scientific circles, the species is known as Brassica subspontanea Lizg.
A cross-pollination biennial culture is characterized by a dense, rod-branched root with a thickening in the upper part. The plant has an erect thick stalk (stem-stem), its diameter can reach 5 cm. The stem can have a cylindrical or spindle-shaped shape. Its height is from 35 to 200 cm. Cabbage leaves are lyre-shaped or ovate-elongated. They are large and broadly lanceolate. There are two natural varieties that differ in the degree of curliness and leaf color:
- Scottish - has corrugated curly leaves of gray-green color.
- Siberian - less curly, with blue-green foliage.
In both varieties, leaf petioles are long at the bottom of the stem, and shortened at the top.
Flowering, forage cabbage
Fodder cabbage blooms in the second year of life. The buds from which flower-bearing shoots will go are located in the axils of the stems. Flower-bearing shoots are tall (up to 160 cm), branched, with a small number of leaves. The inflorescence of fodder cabbage is a weak loose brush. Its length is about 80 cm.
After flowering, a smooth cylindrical pod appears. This is the fruit of forage cabbage. Inside there are rounded smooth seeds, the color of which varies from gray-gray to black.
Why grow fodder cabbage?
Paying attention to fodder cabbage is worth it if only because it allows you to use green animal feed even after autumn frosts. But these are not all useful qualities of culture. Forage cabbage is unique in nutritional properties. It contains a large amount of mineral salts and vitamins. If you use it as a silo, then in the feed will be almost 18% protein, more than 15% protein, 3.4% fat and more than 46% nitrogen-free extractive substance.
In 1 kg of leaf mass, there are up to 100 mg of vitamin C and more than 42 mg of vitamin A. It also contains phosphorus, calcium and sulfur, which makes fodder cabbage a dietary product for animal husbandry. Animals and poultry eat silage from this crop perfectly. It smells good, is easily digested and, thanks to its high level of proteins and carotene, quickly saturates.
It is noteworthy that fodder cabbage does not lose its properties even after freezing. Thawed foliage remains resilient and does not lose color and taste. Animals do not give up thawed green feed, which reduces the time of winter feeding. In some European countries, foliage of forage cabbage is artificially dried and stored in the form of high-protein dry food.
Feed zone
Many farmers are wondering how cabbage behaves in different climatic zones. Photos of cultivated fields were obtained both from cold regions (Murmansk, Novosibirsk), and from the southern regions of our country. Depending on climatic zones and irrigation conditions, crop yields can range from 300 to 950 centners of phytomass per hectare. In successful places, the yield reaches 1500 centners of green mass per 1 ha.
Fundamentals of agricultural technology
The State Register of Russia (2006) includes the Milestone variety and several Dutch hybrids (Redbor and Reflex). The placement of the crop is introduced into the feed or vegetable crop rotation. Fodder cabbage is planted after legumes and crops. As a last resort, after herbs. Sometimes the early vegetables are predecessors, the main thing is that their harvest be removed no later than June. In this case, in the second half of summer, the culture manages to form a good crop. In one place, forage cabbage is planted once every 3-4 years.
Growing cabbage
Plantations for growing crops are laid in three ways:
- A seedling method in which fodder cabbage (seeds) is planted directly in the ground.
- Seedling, when 30-40-day plants are transferred to the soil from nurseries. Seedlings at planting has 4-5 formed leaves.
- The ordinary method, which was developed in the Leningrad region. In this case, pure soils or highly effective herbicides are used. Sowing is carried out in an ordinary way, thinning is not performed. Thickened crops affect the formation of the stem. In terrestrial phytomass, the percentage of leaves increases.
Reckless way: features
Reckless cultivation begins in the early spring. The soil under the seeds is prepared, leveled and rolled. Vegetable seeders are used to apply planting material to the soil . Apply wide row seeding. Aisle - up to 70 cm. From 1 ha from 1.5 to 4 kg of seeds are sown. Seeding depth - up to 3 cm.
A few days after sowing, harrowing or breaking down the soil crust with hoes is required. When shoots appear, row-spacing is loosened. The latter is treated for the entire growing season up to 4 times. Along with this, nitrogen fertilizing is carried out. For harvesting, you can use forage harvesters without a chopper. Harvested from August to December (depending on the timing of sowing).
Seedling method: features
Seedling method of growing fodder cabbage can increase the yield of green mass. Planting seedlings in the soil is carried out at the same time as sowing seeds. This method prolongs the period of plant growth, which leads to an increase in feed yield.
Seedlings are grown in a cold way (in unheated nurseries). Apply the tape and ordinary method of sowing. When 1-2 leaves have formed, young plants are thinned out. At the stage of 2-3 leaves, top dressing is performed. Seedlings enter the field with 4-5 formed leaves.
Planting seedlings involved after the end of spring sowing of grain. The wide-row method is used with row spacing of 70 cm. The distance in the row between plants is up to 40 cm. If the soil is heavy, then seedlings are planted on the ridges.
A week after the landing, they fill in the lunges in the ranks. During the growing season, the culture requires 3-4 inter-row treatments. The first - loosening 8 cm in depth, the next - 12-15 cm.
Harvesting begins after the cessation of plant growth. It is carried out as needed, in some areas it is stretched until December.
The most popular varieties of forage cabbage
The following varieties of forage cabbage are grown on an industrial scale in Russia: Brain green Vologda, Brain green Siversky, Thousand-headed, Moscow Region, Polyarnaya, Vekha.
In suburban areas, kale is grown not only for food, but also for decorative purposes. Summer residents often choose the leafy curly hybrid Redbor F1. The plant has a palm-shaped and beautiful burgundy leaf color.
Also well at the sites the Reflex F1 hybrid survives. It can be used not only to decorate the site, but also in salads. The plant has beautiful curly leaves of a pale green color.
For small farms, the main option is Vehera forage cabbage. It allows you to get maximum yields of green mass without the use of expensive agricultural techniques. If the culture provides normal care, then a high yield is guaranteed.