Why does cabbage crack?
Cabbage is grown in most of the garden plots, gardeners are trying to prepare her for the future, to be able in winter to obtain food additional vitamins. How big is the disappointment when, after constant care, irrigation, pest management cabbage begins to crack and rot without waiting for the date of harvest.
The reason for this unpleasant phenomenon, whether it is possible to avoid cracking of the heads – these issues are certainly of concern to many hapless farmers.
Crack can early varieties of cabbage when ripe. If you plant them, be prepared for the fact that these heads need to eat first, otherwise, severe cracking of cabbage is unfit for food.
Try to plant on a plot of different varieties of cabbage that match your current needs – for fresh consumption and for pickling need to use different seedlings.
For pickling and winter storage must be purchased resistant to cracking varieties that have medium and late ripening period. Knim include "Glory", "Gribovsky No. 1", "Moscow late" and a variety of modern breeding trends. When you purchase seeds, be sure to read information about the variety specified on the package. This is the most obvious reason for the cracking, but there is still a lot of nuances, where there may be a similar situation. These include:
Errors in care. We must remember that cabbage is a very hygrophilous, requires abundant regular watering, especially during the growth of green mass in 2-3 days.
Sharp changes in the weather, when the heat gives way to heavy rains, also is not going to benefit the quality of cabbages. In this case, changing the amount of moisture absorbed by cabbage, while actively begin to grow inner leaves and the outer are not keeping pace with growth, therefore the head bursts.
What if cabbage crack?
If you find cracked plugs cabbage, be sure to inspect all the other cabbages growing on the site. Find out what could be the reason? If the fact that planted early variety, does not remain anything else how to harvest and recycle it if you don't want the cabbage rotted on the vine. Try to avoid strong cracking, regularly inspect the plants and at the slightest sign cut plug.
If the ka head out there was a small crack, you can try to clean it with a sharp knife and cover against moisture and dust. For a short time, this method will avoid damage to the cabbage.
When the thing is severe weather changes and heavy rains, you can try to reduce the ingress of moisture into the head from the soil. To do this, gently grasp the head with both hands and rotate clockwise at 30-40 degrees. In this case, you will hear a distinctive crunch. Shallow roots will be damaged, the flow of moisture in the plant will decrease. You need to carry out this operation carefully, do not try to pry the plant from the soil, it should grow until the harvest.
Another way is to cut the bottom leaves on the plant, leaving one head. It also changes the distribution of moisture through the plant, helps avoid cracking.
Don't forget that to use the above methods may, if its cutting out there are not more than a month. In any case, you need as quickly as possible to try to shred the cabbage so as not to lose the crop.