Brussels sprouts: description with photos and growing technology

Brussels sprouts are still rarely found in summer cottages, despite their excellent taste and nutritional qualities. This low popularity is explained by the long vegetative period and some care features. But, knowing all the nuances of growing Brussels sprouts, you can get a large harvest of healthy and tasty sprouts.

What does Brussels sprouts look like?

It is the youngest vegetable crop from the cabbage group and is distinguished by its original appearance. Brussels sprouts are a biennial plant that in the first year forms a tall (up to 60 cm) dense stem with a leaf rosette at the top.

The leaves that make up the top have long thin petioles and a bubbly, uneven surface of different shades of green. Numerous small heads with a diameter of 3-4 cm develop in the axils of the leaves of the central stem. One plant can have from 20 to 70 such fruits, and their total weight reaches 300-600 g.

In the second year, inflorescences and seeds are formed on the crop, which remain viable for 5 years.

Pictured are Brussels sprouts.

Growing seedlings

Brussels sprouts are best grown using seedlings, the technology of which is familiar to most summer residents.

Seed preparation

To obtain healthy and strong seedlings, the seeds are first prepared before sowing in the ground:

1. The seed material is first placed in a container with hot water (50-60°C) for 15 minutes, and then in cold water for 1-2 minutes.
2. The seeds are kept in growth stimulants (Kornevin, Epin) for 12 hours.
3. Remove, wash and put in the refrigerator for 24 hours.
4. Lightly dry, discard damaged and too small ones and begin sowing into the soil.

Nurseries purchase already prepared seeds that have undergone disinfecting and stimulating procedures under industrial conditions. Such planting material is more expensive, but is immediately suitable for sowing.

Soil selection

The best nutrient substrate for cabbage seedlings is considered to be a mixture of equal parts of turf soil, peat and sand. Before sowing, add 3-4 tbsp. l. wood ash and 0.5 tbsp. l. superphosphate (per 1 kg of mixture). Containers or boxes for seedlings are filled with this soil and additionally disinfected with a solution of potassium permanganate. Optimal pH is 6-7.

Reference. It is better not to use soil from the garden plot and humus, as they contain the rotting agent.

How to plant seeds

Cabbage seeds are sown in late March - early April. It is best to use individual containers for this, but large containers or boxes will also work. In this case, the optimal distance between the seeds of the crop will be 3-4 cm. They are planted at a shallow depth - 2 cm. Brussels sprouts seeds are characterized by early germination - the first sprouts hatch within 4-6 days.

Reference. The highest quality and strongest seedlings are obtained when grown on a closed loggia or in a heated greenhouse, since these rooms provide optimal temperature conditions.

Seedling care

Caring for young seedlings includes several important procedures:

1. Temperature maintenance. DWhen the first shoots appear, the optimal temperature is +20°C. When the seedlings sprout, at night - +6...+8°C, during the day - about +20°C. The room is ventilated.
2. Illumination. Containers with seedlings are placed in a bright place, but without direct sunlight.
3. Watering. The seedlings are not watered for the first two weeks, and then regular watering is provided. The soil should not be dry.
4. Top dressing mineral fertilizers. It is recommended to fertilize twice during seedling growth. The first fertilizing is carried out when the second true leaf appears on the plants. To do this, dissolve a mixture of 20 g of urea, 10 g of potassium fertilizers and 40 g of superphosphate in 10 liters of water. The second feeding is carried out 10 days after the first, and the dose of minerals is increased by 1.5 times. After each application of fertilizer, the cabbage is watered generously.
5. Picking. It is carried out when seedlings are placed in large common containers approximately 1.5 months after sowing the seeds, when young seedlings have formed 4-5 full-fledged leaves. Together with the earthen ball, the plants are moved into separate containers.

Brussels sprouts seedlings do not tolerate thickening very well, so it should not be allowed.

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Transplantation into open ground

It is recommended to plant Brussels sprouts in open, bright places, preferably on the south or southeast sides of the site.The composition of the soil does not matter much, and neutral and slightly acidic soils are considered ideal.

When to plant

50-60 days after germination, when 5-6 leaves appear on the plants, they are moved to open ground. Typically this period occurs in the first days of summer.

How to plant correctly

To plant seedlings in open ground, it is better to choose a cloudy day or evening.

Young plants are placed according to a 60x60 cm pattern in holes that are larger in size than the seedling container. Carefully handle each sprout along with a lump of earth, sprinkle with soil, compact and water well. The plants themselves are buried so that their lower leaves are at soil level. This contributes to the rapid formation of the root system.

Important! Untimely planting of seedlings and too close arrangement of cabbage bushes leads to a decrease in yield.

How Brussels sprouts grow

In its growth and development, this vegetable crop goes through several stages, each of which is given a certain time.

Gradual growth from sowing to harvest

The entire process of growing Brussels sprouts includes the following steps:

• preparation and sowing of seeds;
• caring for cabbage seedlings;
• transplanting plants into open ground;
• the first formation of heads of cabbage - approximately 110-130 days;
• mandatory pinching at the end of August;
• harvest at the end of September.

Ripening time

Depending on the variety of this vegetable crop, among which there are early-, mid- and late-ripening ones, the period from the first shoots to full ripening is 130-180 days.

Caring for Brussels sprouts in open ground

Growing Brussels sprouts is not much different from cultivating regular cabbage sprouts.The main feature is that it does not require hilling, which can lead to rotting of the lower heads of cabbage. The pinching procedure is very important for her.

Watering and fertilizing

This vegetable crop is moisture-loving and needs regular watering. They are carried out weekly, spending 30-35 liters of water per 1 m² before the heads appear and 40-45 liters after they begin to form. Brussels sprouts do not tolerate drying out of the soil, so the watering rate for them is at least 20 liters per 1 m².

After watering, the cabbage bushes are loosened and weeded. During rainy periods, with high air humidity, the frequency of watering is reduced to prevent excessive stagnation of water in the root part of the plants. In hot weather, not only the rows are moistened, but also the paths between them. The evaporation of water helps reduce the high air temperature. It is better to water the leaves in the morning and evening.

Reference. To ensure long-term retention of moisture in the soil, the beds are mulched.

Fertilizers applied to Brussels sprouts help improve their yield and health. During the entire period of cultivation in open beds, this crop needs two mineral supplements. If the soil on the site is highly fertile, one-time fertilizing is sufficient.

Fertilizers are applied for the first time 8-12 days after planting young bushes in open ground. Use “Nitrophoska” by dissolving 15 g of the mixture in 10 liters of water. 5 liters of water composition are consumed per plant.

The second feeding is carried out at the beginning of the formation of heads of cabbage. Combine 25 g of superphosphate, 23 g of potassium sulfate and 10 g of “Nitroammophoska”, dissolving the mixture in 10 liters of water. One bush requires 1.5 liters of composition.Also, as a fertilizer for Brussels sprouts, an infusion of manure is used, which is diluted in a ratio of 1:10.

Topping

For Brussels sprouts, the procedure of pinching the apical growing point is mandatory. The leaves of the upper part of the plant are left. Pinching is carried out at a time when the heads of cabbage are in the active formation phase, usually in late August - early September.

The procedure stops the growth of the stem and promotes the formation of more heads. Leafy tops without heads of underdeveloped bushes cannot be pinched. This will cause rotting of the cut site and death of the entire plant.

Attention! Untimely pinching of cabbage results in a bush of tops instead of heads.

At the end of September - beginning of October, the time comes for the second pinching, when the entire top of the plant is cut off.

What to do if the cabbage does not set

Sometimes the plant is in no hurry to set heads. Main reasons:

• an excess of fertilizers or, conversely, a lack of them;
• untimely pinching of the bush;
• the weather is too hot;
• very dense planting of plants, causing a deficiency of light and nutrition;
• improper watering;
• excessive soil acidity.

Do I need to pick off the leaves of Brussels sprouts when tying a head of cabbage?

Cabbage tops are torn off only after the heads have formed in the following cases:

• it touches the surface of the ground;
• there is damage on it;
• it becomes faded, yellowed, lethargic;
• its growth makes it difficult for air to reach the heads of cabbage.

The leaves are torn off by hand or with a knife in dry weather so that the resulting wounds heal faster.

Reference. Brussels sprouts need to remove the lower leaves usually 1-1.5 months before harvesting, unless the above factors are present.

Care in August

In August, one of the important periods in the development of cabbage crops begins - the active formation of heads of cabbage. At the end of the month, timely pinching of the bushes is carried out. If few heads are formed, it is worth postponing this procedure to the beginning of September. At this time, plants require regular and abundant watering.

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Conclusion

It is possible to grow a high-quality crop of Brussels sprouts even in the average climate zone. It is necessary to correctly follow all recommendations for planting and caring for seedlings and adult plants in open ground. Proper agricultural technology for Brussels sprouts will allow you to get a plentiful and high-quality harvest.