White cabbage, known since prehistoric times, still occupies the most worthy places in Russian vegetable gardens. It is difficult to imagine Russian subsidiary farming and national cuisine without this remarkable vegetable.
Cabbage, photophilous and cold-resistant culture, received all the best qualities from wild ancestors - cruciferous Mediterranean. It is widely cultivated in all European countries, and thanks to the breeding discoveries of recent years, new varieties and species with improved properties are introduced into the culture. One of these hybrids is cabbage "megaton F1", which we will talk about.
Hybrid features
A large, solid head of cabbage framed by dull green wavy leaves with an average weight of 3.5-5 kg is the “Megaton F1” cabbage, the photo of which is presented below. One of the most productive and beloved by domestic gardeners of high-yielding hybrids, bred by Dutch breeders, has excellent taste, suitable for use in salads, pickles and other processing.
A variety of medium-late ripening dates (102 days or more) manages to grow a large, roundly flattened head of cabbage with a very dense internal structure, sometimes reaching a truly gigantic weight of 15 kg.
To date, among experienced gardeners, one of the best hybrids for pickling is considered to be "Megaton F1" cabbage. Reviews, photos and recommendations of experienced vegetable growers are brought to the attention of readers. The numerous responses of gardeners cultivating the hybrid emphasize that they grow it exclusively for pickling, as the head of cabbage ripens late enough, which allows it to be processed directly from the root, and the cabbage’s very dense structure and flavoring properties of the cabbage give the finished product a wonderful “crispness” and excellent aroma.
Culture characteristic
Needless to say, the benefits of white cabbage. It contains unique compounds of vitamins and minerals that improve the quality of human life. The advantages of such a vegetable as cabbage "Megaton F1" are undoubted. Reviews gardeners note:
• high resistance to fusarium - a fungal disease that affects blood vessels and leads to the death of the plant;
• good productivity;
• head of cabbage is not subject to cracking;
• It is perfectly transported and possesses excellent keeping quality.
Agricultural technology
Cabbage "Megaton F1" prefers fertile soils and excellently develops on cultivated loams. But a very unpretentious hybrid is responsive to the care shown and pays by increasing the weight of the head of cabbage, so the right choice of landing place and subsequent care are very important.
White cabbage, including “Megaton F1” cabbage, the description of which is presented in the article, successfully develops at moderate temperatures (13 + 18 ). Shoots can die during a sharp cold snap, young seedlings successfully tolerate short-term frosts of –3 ° C, and grown-up to –5 ° C. Matured heads of cabbage are resistant to frosts of –8 ° C. But high air temperature depresses the development of culture : at + 30–35 the hybrid stops development. The need for moisture in the culture is moderate when planting, but increasing with the onset of heading.
Like many white-skinned brethren, cabbage “megaton F1” (reviews of gardeners emphasize this point) is a culture of long daylight hours. It does not tolerate dimming, especially at the stage of seedling development, therefore, for the quality growth of seedlings, the correct supply of light is vital. And subsequently it is not recommended to plant a crop in the shade of fruit trees, to distribute seedlings, not observing the necessary interval or not to conduct timely weeding. All these factors will affect the harvest and will not give a full head of cabbage.
Landing
For the optimal location of cabbage ridges, choose a site on which cruciferous crops such as cabbage, turnip, radish, etc. were not cultivated before (2-3 years), since the long-term use of a place for growing representatives of one family provokes the accumulation of specific diseases and soil depletion. In addition to proper crop rotation, lighting is of great importance.
Bright, sunny and well-ventilated places are the best suited for growing this healthy vegetable.
Soil preparation
Prepare a bed for cabbage begin in advance. In the autumn, they dig the soil well, choosing weeds and fragments of their roots. Cabbage - a gourmet recognized by gardeners. Being a strong plant, it quickly draws nutrients from the soil, experiencing a special location for high-quality organic matter. Cabbage “Megaton F1” is no exception. Reviews of experienced gardeners - supporters of ecological farming, are unanimous: the hybrid grows excellently on organic fertilizers (humus or rotted manure). Therefore, during the autumn preparation of the garden, 10-12 kg of manure is made per square meter. Acidic soils are not suitable for this culture, since excessive acidity provokes the development of a disease called cabbage keel. Therefore, under digging (if required), liming is also carried out by adding dolomite flour or lime. Together with organics in the fall, double superphosphate (30 g / m2) is added.
When spring digging 2 weeks before planting seedlings, 40 g / m 2 of urea and potassium sulfate are added to the soil . Cabbage "megaton F1", the characteristic of which is presented in the article, is usually grown by seedlings.
Seed preparation
Cabbage for seedlings is planted in greenhouses or greenhouses, as well as at home in seedlings. To exclude the occurrence of a bacterial or viral infection, the seeds are pre-treated. They are heated in water at a temperature of + 50 ° C for 20 minutes, then cooled, placed in cool boiled water for 3-5 minutes. The last stage of seed treatment is soaking in a biostimulator (Zircon, Silk, Epin, etc.) for several hours. Processing time continues according to the instructions attached to the selected drug.
Sowing
Medium-late varieties, which include Megaton F1 cabbage, are planted for seedlings in moderate Russian latitudes around the beginning of April. Seeds are buried by 1 cm, sprinkled with soil, moisten the surface with soft water from a spray. Top seedlings or beds are covered with garden foil. Seedlings appearing after 4-6 days are gradually exempted from shelters, they are not immediately removed, but liberated in parts.
So it is easier for seedlings to adapt, the stress from the transition from a microclimate to a normal environment is reduced.
Seedlings: features of care
The criteria for the proper development of seedlings in the first few days after germination are sufficient illumination and constant moderate (8-10 ° C) temperatures. For the plant, this period is considered critical - the seedling ceases to feed on seed reserves and begins to develop the root and aboveground parts. With the advent of the first real leaf, the temperature in the room is increased to 14-18 ° C. Another prerequisite for growing high-quality seedlings is to provide seedlings with an influx of fresh air. This is important for plants such as Megaton F1 cabbage. Reviews of gardeners are unanimous: good ventilation speeds up the growth of seedlings. To maintain the protective forces of plants every 8-10 days, several crystals of manganese are added to water for irrigation.
Pickling seedlings and planting rules
When 2-3 real leaves grow, seedlings dive - they are planted in separate containers. Pre-generously watered sprouts are carefully selected with a lump of earth, shortened by one third of the root and placed in a separate pot, deepened at the level of cotyledon leaves.
The parameters of a strong productive hybrid seedling for planting on a bed are as follows:
• plant height 15-20 cm;
• the presence of 4-6 true leaves.
In the open ground "Megaton F1" is planted in the middle-end of May, positioning holes at a distance of 0.55-0.65 m with a half-meter spacing in the aisles. Seedlings are deepened at the level of the first leaf, preventing it from falling asleep with earth. When planting, young plants are abundantly watered.
Cabbage "Megaton F1": cultivation and care
To accelerate the survival and subsequent productive development of cabbage will help keep the beds in a wet state. Therefore, grown plants before closing leaves periodically spud, maintaining a normal level of moisture. Cabbage "Megaton F1" (reviews of vegetable growers confirm) requires 5-6 generous waterings per season, the norm of each of which is from 15 to 20 l / m 2 . Although, of course, you should focus on the weather. A month before harvesting, watering is stopped.
Hybrid is fed twice a season. The first - after 2-3 weeks after planting, water the plants by adding 5 g / m 2 of urea, double superphosphate and potassium sulfate to the water. The second time - in early July, watered, reducing the concentration of urea to 2 g. / M 2 and bringing potassium fertilizer to 8-10 g. / M 2 .
Timely simple care will provide a high yield of the classic representative of the cruciferous, which is the megaton F1 cabbage. The cultivation of this hybrid does not differ from many medium-late varieties, but it clearly exceeds them in the mass and quality of the head of cabbage.