If you want to bring the highlight to your household plot, plant a decorative cabbage on it. Most domestic dachans prefer to plant a nochenian cabbage - an annual plant, which is a food culture, while often not even knowing her beautiful relative. In this article, we will look at how to grow decorative cabbage at home, as well as a variety of varieties of this wonderful plant.
Content
Culture characteristics
The history of decorative cabbage is rooted in prehistoric times. Data on its cultivation is dated with the times of ancient Greece, in which several varieties of this beautiful plant were known. In the Balkans, it was particularly a reverent attitude, believing that she grew up due to the drops of sweat of God Jupiter. Over time, this plant has conquered the whole of Europe, including Britain. In the middle of the 18th century there were more than a dozen different varieties of decorative cabbage, which decorated the gardens of rich places.
In Russia, decorative cabbage did not acquire sufficient popularity by giving way to the palm of the championship to a more practical nochanid.
Decorative cabbage is a two-year-old culture that fruits for the second year of vegetation. With its beauty, the plant whose size in diameter reaches one meter, and the height is one and a half meters, must be unusual color and form of leaves. The leaflets of such cabbage, depending on the variety, have a rather large size, which reaches a half-meter in length and wide up to 28-30 cm.
The shape of the leaves has a wide variety. It happens an ovoid, inversely, truncated-elliptical or elliptic form. The edges of the leaflets in the decorative cabbage are usually cut in the shape of teeth, which gives them a lush and openwork. By the way, it is worth noting that the curl of the leaves of decorative cabbage is the criterion by which the varieties of this plant differ. They are divided into:
- festono-figurative-rough
- festo-no-shaped-thin,
- mohovoid curly.
The color of the leaflets of the decorative cabbage varies from light green to a bluish-green with a lilac or pink spot. A variety of forms and colors can make this culture with the decoration of your garden. Variating and experimenting with different varieties, you can achieve an excellent overall picture. On the Internet it is possible to find more than a dozen video with a decorative cabbage as a decoration of flower in the garden.
The strength of this plant is that it is not afraid of sharp temperature drops. Even autumn frosts are not able to affect the beautiful view of this culture. The plant receives his beautiful coloring around in mid-July and retains it until November. Based on the fact that decorative cabbage is a two-year-like, it can easily be planted in the spring of next year under the condition of proper storage. Almost all of her varieties are unpretentious to landing and care. They calmly carry a transplant to a new place, wet and cold periods, although, are considered solubular.
In addition to decorative properties, the leaves of this plant are quite edible. They are successfully added to various dishes. Often multicolored leaves of decorative cabbage are used for serving cold snacks. They are also suitable for canning, and in a strong solution of preservative, the cabbage leaves are capable of keeping color and taste for a long time. They are perfectly combined in stewed with potatoes. The only disadvantage of decorative cabbage is bitterness in her sheets, due to which it is not too popular as the ingredient for the preparation of the dish. However, this can be easily corrected, freezing the leaves in the freezer and giving them to utter.
Decorative cabbage: cultivation and care
Growing technique
Grow decorative cabbage at home with the help of seedlings. Seeds sow in the greenhouse in March. For seedlings, it is better to use large drawers. The soil layer should be at least 12 cm. As a soil for growing decorative cabbage, it is better to use a mixture of a delicate earth and humus in proportion 2: 1.
Seeds sow in the furrows to a depth of 1.5 cm, withsting the distance between the rows about 6 cm. In order for the plants to do not get sick, before planting decorative cabbage from seeds, the ground is treated with 1% solution of manganese. Sowing seedlings are not frequent, but abundantly. When the plants are slightly fixed, they are transplanted in a container with a soil layer at least 20 cm according to the 6x6 scheme. In order to transfers the land in the opening at the root in the root in the root, the third part is added to the Earth well. Water seedlings abundantly. Slip plants 10 days before the transplant to open ground.
Mandatory condition for the successful cultivation of seedlings of decorative cabbage is the compliance of the temperature regime. Immediately after disembarking seed, the temperature in the greenhouse is lowered to + 8⁰s ... + 10 ° C, and after the appearance of germs, up to + 14 ° C ... + 18 ° C. As a rule, the landing of decorative cabbage in the soil is produced in mid-May, when the earth warms up to + 6⁰c ... + 7⁰c, be sure to rocket.
If you want to keep the plant for the next year, after the first frost cabbage, it is necessary to neatly dig up, while maintaining the soil at the root and shop in the sand in a well-ventilated room with a low temperature. Best for this will suit the cellar. At the same time, you need to ensure that the roots do not swap.
Care rules
Caring for decorative cabbage is not too troublesome. It must be regularly watering, feed, pour and struggle with weeds. The first feeding should be carried out two weeks after landing. For more intensive formation of leaves, the plant is watered with a solution of a cow (liter can on water bucket) or urea. The second feeder is carried out 9-10 days after the first. At the same time use complex fertilizer with the same dosage as at first feeding.
Fighting pests
Special attention should be paid to the fight against pests. The most common insect, which spoils the seedlings of both coastal and decorative cabbage, is the cabbage fly. In order for it to damage the plant, experienced gardeners are recommended to cut a small circle of paper, and in its center make cuts and through them to turn the stalk of the plant. After 2-3 weeks, when the cabbage is strengthened, the protection can be removed.
The most popular varieties
All varieties of decorative cabbage can be divided into two groups:
- Leafy.
- Colored.
List varieties. The height of plants of this species reaches 120 cm. They are covered with large corrugated leaves, falling down, having a different color. Breeders brought less high varieties of this group, the height of which does not exceed 50 cm. The most bright representatives of leafy varieties of decorative cabbage are: "Red high", "Lyubrician language", "Kai and Gerd", "Red Bor".
The "Red High" variety has a bush diameter of more than 75 cm, is distinguished by bright purple leaves, which are located along the entire length of escape. "Lyubric language" in contrast to the first grade has elongated corrugated leaves of dark green color. According to breeders, "Red Bor" is considered the best view of this group. Plant height This cabbage reaches 80 cm, with bright red leaves of the average size.
Colored varieties. Plants of this group are distinguished by large loosening cochanists, partly resembling a flower of roses, peony or chrysanthemum. Leafers are usually large, having a smooth, lace or carved form. The colors of sheets of such cabbage can be different, sometimes there are multi-colored spots that give the plants a charming look.
The main manufacturer of seeds decorative cabbage F1 is Japan. It was in this country that the most popular varieties of this interesting plant were created. The F1 index means that the seeds belong to the first generation of a hybrid crossed from two different varieties. Such seedlings cannot be obtained at home, they can only be bought in specialized stores.
Among the Japanese varieties of this decorative culture are the most popular are:
- Tokyo Series F1. This hybrid is characterized by sheets of a neat round shape with smooth edges. The color of external leaves is green with a bright scarlet tint, the inner sheets are painted in various shades depending on the name of the variety. So, Tokyo White has a white color of the internal leaves, Tokyo Red and Tokyo Pink - respectively red and pink.
- Osaka Series F1. The grade of decorative culture is decorated with corrugated leaves, wavy around the edges. Similarly, as well as the varieties of the Tokyo series, has several colors of the inner socket.
- The "Nagoya F1 series" differs from the previous series corrugated around the edges internal sheet of different colors.
All variety of decorative cabbage can be seen in the photo, which is laid out in the worldwide network a large number. Below will submit the most popular of them:
