Sowing rules and features of growing Japanese cabbage (mizuna)
Japanese cabbage, or mizuna, is a type of collard greens. In appearance, it resembles arugula, but is more delicate in taste, without bitterness. The culture is very decorative - it is used to create flower arrangements in flower beds. The vegetable is added to salads, sandwiches, and pie fillings.
In Russia, its cultivation began relatively recently. Therefore, we will tell you in detail about this culture, methods of breeding it and the nuances of care.
What is Japanese cabbage
Japanese cabbage, lettuce, mustard greens, mitsuna, mizuna, mizuna - all these are the names of plants with carved leaves from the Cruciferous family. The culture does not form a head - only a rosette of leaves and an edible long root.
Cabbage is especially popular in China and Japan and has been cultivated there for several centuries.. Widely distributed in Europe, North America, Australia.
Leaves on thin long petioles are collected in a lush and dense rosette. Depending on the varietal characteristics, they are red-brown and bright green in color.
Reference. A large rosette of leaves is formed from apical buds. This plant differs from white cabbage and cauliflower.
The pubescent leaves are non-rigid, have a delicate structure and a slight radish flavor. They are somewhat reminiscent of arugula, but the taste is not as strong. They contain a small amount of mustard oils, so the bitterness is almost not felt.
Mizuna ripens quickly - harvested 30–45 days after sowing. The culture is frost-resistant: seeds germinate at -2...-3°C. In autumn, plants can withstand light frosts down to -5°C. This allows them to be grown in many regions of Russia from May to September.
Japanese cabbage is cultivated for fresh consumption, preparation for the winter with salt and in marinade. The leaves are placed in salads with meat, vegetables and fruits, sandwiches and sandwiches. Mizuna goes perfectly with soft and hard cheeses.
Interesting things on the site:
What are the benefits of Romanesco cabbage, how to grow and cook it
Timing and technology for planting broccoli cabbage seedlings
What is fermented cabbage, why is it good and how is it prepared?
Popular varieties
Japanese cabbage has only recently won the attention of Russian summer residents. The most popular varieties are Mizuna Green, Mizuna Red, Mermaid, Emerald Pattern and Dude.
Mizuna Green and Red
Mizuna Green cabbage forms a large rosette of green feathery leaves 35–40 cm high. The early ripening crop is ready for harvesting 40 days after the first shoots. It is characterized by high productivity and pleasant taste.
The Mizuna Red variety has similar characteristics: forms a rosette of decorative carved purple leaves 40 cm high. The harvest is harvested 30–35 days after germination. The taste is spicy radish.
Mermaid
The mid-season variety was included in the State Register of Russia in 2002. The plant forms a raised rosette of 45–60 leaves. Height - 35–40 cm, diameter - 65–75 cm. The leaves are green, lyre-shaped, pinnate with a smooth or slightly wrinkled surface. The petioles are white.
The harvest is harvested 60–70 days after the first shoots. The taste of the leaves is pleasant. The weight of one socket is 1–1.5 kg. The yield is high - 5–7 kg per 1 m². The plant is resistant to cold and heat, bolting.After cutting, the leaves grow back.
Emerald pattern
The mid-early variety Emerald Pattern has been included in the register of the Russian Federation since 2015. The rosette type is slightly raised, diameter is 55–60 cm. The leaves are bright green in color with a pleasant taste. The plant is resistant to stemming.
Weight of one plant – 500–700 g. Productivity – 5–5.5 kg/m². Leaves are collected 40–50 days after germination.
Dude
The mid-season variety is ready for harvesting 30–35 days after the first shoots. The rosette is erect with strongly dissected green leaves.
The weight of one plant is 350–500 g. 4–6 kg are collected from 1 m². After cutting, the greens quickly grow back. Recommended for fresh consumption.
The benefits of Japanese cabbage
Mizuna contains fiber, carotene, vitamins B1, B2, C, PP, calcium, potassium and iron. Strengthens the immune system, cardiovascular system, improves digestion, and has antioxidant properties.
Important! Low calorie content (16 kcal per 100 g) allows you to include cabbage in your diet when losing weight.
Japanese cabbage is useful for people suffering from cardiovascular diseases and gastrointestinal disorders. Regular consumption of greens prevents the development of iron deficiency anemia.
Growing
Mizuna agricultural technology is reminiscent of the technology for growing Chinese cabbage. Sowing work is carried out in early spring and mid-summer.
The culture is unpretentious in care; cold and drought do not interfere with its development. It is recommended to grow mizuna in light, well-drained soil rich in organic matter. The acidity level is neutral - 6.5–7.2 pH.
Mizuna is imprisoned after peas, beans, cucumbers, onions, beets, potatoes, tomatoes, alfalfa, flax, garlic. Unsuitable predecessors are white cabbage, cauliflower, and broccoli.
Sowing and caring for seedlings
Seeds for seedlings are sown in March - April in individual glasses without subsequent picking. Damage to the root system negatively affects the growth of seedlings.
Purchased planting material is not disinfected — it was processed before packaging into bags. Hand-picked seeds are soaked in a dark pink solution of potassium permanganate for 20 minutes and then dried on a paper towel.
Take a ready-made substrate from a gardening store, disinfect it with a 1% solution of potassium permanganate or heat it in the oven. Plastic glasses or peat pots are filled with moist soil and 2-3 seeds are planted to a depth of 5 mm. The substrate is watered with warm, settled water, the containers are covered with plastic wrap, which is removed after the sprouts appear.
Seeds sprout in 7–10 days at an air temperature of +20…+22°С. The first shoots appear after 8–10 days.
Seedlings are kept on the windowsill on the sunny side, moisturize as the top layer of soil dries. Japanese cabbage seedlings do not require special care.
Strengthened sprouts are transferred to open ground at the age of 17–20 days. Planting dates depend on climatic conditions in the region. In the middle zone this is done in April – May.
Advice. For continuous harvesting, cabbage is planted all summer, every 10–15 days.
Holes 10 cm deep are formed on the site, seedlings with an earthen lump are transferred into them, sprinkle with soil and lightly press it with your palm. Water with warm, clean water.
Seedless method
Direct sowing is carried out from April to August. In the southern regions, work begins in March, and the crop is grown in heated greenhouses all year round.
Advice. Before sowing, the seeds are mixed with river sand to distribute them evenly on the beds.
Mizuna seeds resemble poppy seeds, so they are sown to a depth of 1–1.5 cm, observing a planting pattern of 20×30 cm. Row spacing is 30–35 cm. Shoots appear at a temperature of +3…+4°C. Favorable conditions for plant development are created at +15…+22°C. The plantings are covered with plastic film, which is removed after the first shoots.
Given the small size of the seeds, it is not always possible to maintain the correct interval between them, so the plants have to be thinned out.
Read also:
General rules for planting in open ground:
- The soil in the selected area is fertilized with 5 liters of humus and 500 g of wood ash per 1 m². Then they dig up with a ½ bayonet shovel.
- Heavy clay soil is mixed with river sand or sawdust. The fertility of sandy soil is increased with humus.
- The optimal distance between seedlings is 25–30 cm.
- As the cabbage develops, monitor the moisture level. The soil should not dry out, this leads to bolting of plants.
Features of care
Caring for Japanese cabbage plantings is easy. The main thing is to follow the recommendations:
- The beds are watered regularly, but in moderation. Excess moisture leads to rotting of the root system, while deficiency leads to drying out of the leaves. Water is poured under the root, trying not to get on the greens. Otherwise, moisture accumulated on the outlet will cause rotting.
- The soil around the cabbage is mulched with straw, peat, and sawdust to retain moisture and retard the growth of weeds.
- Row spacing without mulch is weeded as weeds grow. The soil is loosened after each watering. This provides additional flow of moisture and air to the roots.
- Fertilizing is applied once every 14 days to quickly gain green mass. To do this, use wood ash in the form of an aqueous suspension (200 g per 1 l) or powder (200–300 g per 1 m²). Nitrogen and mineral fertilizers are not used for Japanese cabbage, since the greens quickly accumulate nitrates. For the development of plants, the compounds added to the ground during planting are sufficient.
- Mizuna is a short-day crop, so it is shaded to prevent bolting. A special fine mesh fiber is best suited for this. It is sold in gardening stores. Instead of fiber, thin calico fabric is used.
Pests and diseases
Tender leaves of Japanese cabbage are the best food for cruciferous flea beetle.. Its appearance is indicated by numerous holes on the leaves. To repel the pest, marigolds, leaf mustard, calendula, and garlic are planted next to the plants. The ground around the bushes is dusted with ash or tobacco dust (200 g per 1 m²).
Important! Insecticides are not used, as greens quickly absorb toxic substances. The result of eating such cabbage is poisoning.
The crop is susceptible to fungal diseases - false dew and keel.
Downy dew appears as brownish-yellow spots on the leaves. To prevent infection, plantings are watered with warm water, crop rotation is observed and the soil is treated 24 hours before planting with 1% Bordeaux mixture (200 g per 1 liter).
Clubroot attacks ornamental and vegetable plants. Signs of the disease: growth retardation, loss of color, drying out and deformation of the stems. For prevention, seedlings are carefully inspected before being transferred to open ground; weak and damaged ones are discarded. Before planting cabbage, the soil is limed (250 g of slaked lime per 1 m²).
Reviews
Reviews from gardeners about Japanese cabbage are positive. Those who tried to grow it were satisfied with the result.
Yana, Orel: “I met Mizuna last year. Weather conditions in our region allow us to plant seeds directly into the ground and not bother with seedlings. Shoots appeared after 1.5 weeks. The greens are lush, bright green, and are not afraid of cold weather. In the summer, however, the beds were attacked by flea beetles. I dealt with it using tobacco dust. The leaves grow back after being cut, so we had a fresh harvest until September.”.
Igor, Krasnodar: “I have been growing Japanese cabbage for several years in a row. I really like its taste and appearance. I plant red and green mizuna. Greens are good in summer salads, but they quickly wither after being cut, so it is advisable to eat them quickly. Once I planted it in partial shade due to lack of space in the garden. I don’t do this anymore: the harvest turned out to be small, the rosettes are not so lush. It is better to plant in a sunny place".
Conclusion
Mizuna attracts with its delicious greens and decorative appearance. A fluffy rosette is formed from green or red leaves. The plant does not bolt when planted in a sunny place, is easy to care for and is suitable for growing in many regions of Russia.
Cultivation in heated greenhouses allows you to obtain fresh greens all year round. Cabbage loves sun and moderate moisture. The soil is regularly loosened and weeded, mulched, and fed with wood ash.