Late Cauliflower Octavian

Brassica oleracea L. var. Botrytis L.

This is an annual vegetable originally from Asia Minor. It is grown for its fleshy inflorescence (head). The head is covered by large, petiolate leaves with finely serrated edges. It has an unbranched fleshy stem. On the flower stalk, which can be up to 1 m tall, it forms flowers that produce fruit after pollination.

It is rich in potassium, phosphorus and sulfur. It contains 90% water and relatively high protein content. It has plenty of vitamin C - twice as much as lemons, quite a lot of pantothenic acid, little carotene, vitamin B1, B2, B6, lots of vitamin K and more. Cauliflower is a popular vegetable, prepared by boiling, steaming, it can be baked, pickled or breaded like cutlets.

How to Grow Cauliflower

• Sunny locations are suitable. Water cauliflower at the roots, never on the leaves. The soil should be constantly moist. However, the soil should never be waterlogged. Regularly hoe the beds and remove weeds. Cauliflower is very sensitive to stress, so take care that watering and nutrition are balanced.

• Sow spring crops in the bed in March at a spacing of 50×40 cm.

  Sow summer crops in May or June at a spacing of 50×50 cm.

  Plant autumn crops no later than mid-July at a spacing of 60×60 cm.

  Pre-cultivation is possible. Sow in mid-March in a heated greenhouse or warm hotbed.

• Plants thrive in lighter loamy soils with high humus content. The humus content in the soil should ideally be above 3%. Soil with plenty of easily available nutrients is necessary, soil pH should be 6.5 to 7.5.

• For head development, it is important that the soil contains manganese, magnesium, boron and molybdenum. We add these elements to the soil with synthetic fertilizers. Do not use fertilizers containing chlorine. Doses of nitrogen fertilizers are recommended at 120 – 140 kg of pure N. Of this, 60 – 90 kg should be worked in during soil preparation. Top-dress with the remainder 3 weeks after planting and at the beginning of head formation. For fertilizers use ammonium sulfate, urea, DAM, for top-dressing then ammonium nitrate or urea. Apply potassium fertilizers in sulfate form.

• The most common pests of cauliflower are cabbage flea beetle, cabbage white butterfly and cabbage moth. Among diseases, clubroot of brassicas causes the most damage.

  For cabbage moth, it is advisable to use synthetic insecticides or preparations based on 'Bacillus thuringiensis' during the hatching of caterpillars from eggs.

  Against clubroot of brassicas, it is advisable to lime the land, use calcium nitrate, destroy affected plants and disinfect the soil.

  Plants can be protected from white butterflies by planting them among tomatoes, for example.

• Harvest cauliflower selectively. We harvest most early crops 3 – 4 times. Summer and autumn varieties are harvested once.