How do you get cabbage to form a head?
Cabbage Won't Form a Head If It's Not Getting Enough Water
As you can imagine, any cellular growth for a plant that's mostly water will require... a lot of water. So you really want to make sure that you're watering on the regular. Avoid over-watering, but you do want the ground to stay moist underneath these plants.
You can expect to see heads in approximately 71 days with green cabbage. Red cabbage takes slightly longer and Nappa cabbage will form small heads in only 57 days. Cabbage head formation sometimes occurs better in the moist, gently warming conditions of spring than in the cooling days of fall.
When cabbages are first planted they initially produce lots of large broad leaves, but in the latter part of their growing season the inner leaves at the centre of the plant begin curling inwards and cupping around a short-thick stem, growing tightly together to form the head of cabbage we are all familiar with.
There will not be just one new head, but several, usually three or four, but sometimes as many as six smaller heads will grow up around the rim of the original plant's stub. In total, the new sub-heads will provide as much food as the original cabbage head, but with a delicious difference.
When starting seeds indoors, begin fertilizing cabbage plants once they have two to four true leaves. A diluted solution of a balanced (10-10-10) liquid fertilizer, weak compost tea, or fish emulsion is recommended.
Once a cabbage plant bolts, a head will not form — but you can still eat the leaves! Harvest them as soon as possible, or they'll start to taste bitter.
So, the answer is yes, pruning cabbage plants is possible and, in some cases, necessary. The purpose of pruning cabbage leaves back is to create overall healthier plants. Along with cabbage pruning, maintenance may also involve actual thinning.
Cabbage needs about 1.5 inches (4 cm) of water per week to thrive. Plan to water daily if your plants have well-draining soil. Otherwise, just add water often enough to keep the soil moist. Always water early in the morning and close to the base of the plant.
Like most vegetables, cabbage needs at least 6 hours of full sun each day; more is better. It also needs fertile, well-drained, moist soil with plenty of rich organic matter. The soil pH should be between 6.5 and 6.8 for optimum growth and to discourage clubroot disease.
noun. 1. : the compact head formed by the leaves of a cabbage. : a thick-witted person.
Why are my cabbage leaves so big?
Too-cold temperatures can make the plant bolt or form loose heads early in the growing season, according to The Old Farmer's Almanac, so protect the plants from sustained temperatures below 45 degrees Fahrenheit. The term “bolting” means that the plant produces a flower stalk instead of forming a head.
The cabbage plants grow leggy for two reasons: The first one is that the plants are in a space that's too dark and/or too warm.
The most successful technique for harvesting cabbage is cutting. Cut at the lowest point possible, leaving the loose outer leaves attached to the stalk. This will allow for a later cabbage harvest of sprouts which will grow on the stem after the cabbage head is removed.
Cut-and-Come-Again-Cabbage
You can grow cut-and-come- again cabbage in the fall, too!. This unique aspect of growing cabbage should be more widely practiced in home gardens. When things go well, you can double productivity growing cut-and-come-again cabbage.
You will have not just one, but several, usually three or four, but sometimes as many as six smaller heads. They will grow up around the rim of the original plant's stub.
The most successful technique for harvesting cabbage is cutting. Cut at the lowest point possible, leaving the loose outer leaves attached to the stalk. This will allow for a later cabbage harvest of sprouts which will grow on the stem after the cabbage head is removed.
Cabbages will not regrow a single central head, but the smaller baby sprouts that do regrow are still tasty and worth harvesting. The University of Illinois Extension explains that the loose lower leaves must be left on the stem when the main head is harvested.
Let the sunshine in: Cabbages need full sun – at least six to eight hours of direct sunlight per day. Water wisely: It's best to water in the morning and at the base of the plant (soil level) keeping the foliage dry. Plants should be watered when the top 2 inches of the soil becomes dry to the touch.
What went wrong? The cabbage plants grow leggy for two reasons: The first one is that the plants are in a space that's too dark and/or too warm. They might have been under a grow light, but probably too far away from it.
