Vegetables> Cabbage> Propagation

Nursery Bed Preparation :

The seeds are generally sown in a seed bed and 4-6 week old seedlings are transplanting to the field.

Cabbage seeds are sown on nursery beds to raise seedlings for transplanting in the field. Raised beds of size 3 x 0.6 m and 10-15 cm in height are prepared. About 70cm distance is kept between two beds to carry out intercultural operations such as watering, weeding, etc. The surface of beds should be 2 smooth and well levelled. Well-decomposed FYM @ 2-3 kg/m is added at the time of bed preparation.

Raised beds are necessary to avoid problem of water logging in heavy soils. To avoid mortality of seedlings due to damping off, drenching of the beds with Bavistin (15-20g/10 litres of water) is effective.

Season of Planting :

Sowing time depends upon the variety and the agro-climatic conditions prevailing in a particular region. Early cabbage is sown during July-November in plains and April-August in hills, as these require a longer period for their head formation.

Raising of Seedlings :

About 300-500g of seed are sufficient for raising nursery required to plant one hectare. Prior to sowing seeds are treated with fungal culture of Trichoderma viride (4 g/ kg of seed) or Thiram (3g/ kg of seed) to avoid damage from damping-off disease. Sowing should be done thinly in lines spaced at 5-7 cm distance. Seeds are sown at a depth of 1-2 cm and covered with a fine layer of soil followed by light watering by water can. The beds should then be covered with dry straw or grass or sugarcane leaves to maintain required temperature and moisture. The watering should be done by water can as per the need till germination is completed. The cover of dry straw or grass is removed immediately after emergence of seed sprout. If there is over crowding of seedling due to thick sowing, the extra seedlings should be thinned out

The seedlings should be transplanted within 4-6 weeks of sowing. Older seedlings when transplanted result in poor growth and yield.