Hello, today we will mainly introduce you to the several Chinese cabbage growing and the development characteristics of each stage, hopefully, it can help you better understand cabbage.
Under normal cultivation conditions, cabbage behaves as a biennial vegetable, with a complete growth cycle.
The life of Chinese cabbage can be divided into two main stages.
From sowing in the fall until the leaf bulbs are harvested is the first stage, which we call the nutritional growth stage.
From the second spring, when the stored cabbage plants are planted in the field, the second stage, which we call the reproductive growth stage, is when the mosses bloom until the seeds mature.
These two main growth stages of cabbage can be divided into seven growth periods: germination, seedling, rosette, nodulation, dormancy, mossing, and fruiting.
Let’s analyze them one by one.
GROWTH STAGES AND DEVELOPMENTAL CHARACTERISTICS
GERMINATION AND SEEDLING STAGE
We believe that the germination period of Chinese cabbage is mainly from the time the seedling emerges from the soil to the time it grows two leaves.
The seeds germinate during this period mainly on their own previously-stored nutrients, and the germination period takes about five days.
The specific scope of the seedling stage is that when the two basal true leaves of Chinese cabbage grow out, the leaves that continue to grow out at this time are alternate on short stems and are alternate by a certain number of leaves to form a leaf sequence.
Generally, early-maturing varieties have five leaves in a leaf sequence, and late-maturing varieties have eight leaves.
When the first leaf sequence of five or eight leaves grows into, Chinese cabbage seedlings grow into a disc-shaped, farmers called the group tree, from the real leaves to the group tree this period of growth we call it the seedling stage.
At this time, the roots of the seedlings have completed a lot of growth, while laying a solid foundation for the next period of growth. The seedling stage is about 15 days for early maturing varieties and 18 days for medium and late-maturing varieties.
THE ROSETTE AND NODULATION PERIOD
The Chinese cabbage rosette period mainly refers to the Chinese cabbage seedlings will continue to grow other leaves of the leaf sequence after the ball tree, in short, early varieties will grow another ten leaves, and late varieties more, even 16 leaves, this time the Chinese cabbage plant will gradually become an overlapping rosette state, so according to this phenomenon we also call this process rosette period.
After this, if any more leaves grow out, they will gradually be clasped towards the heart of the Chinese cabbage, while the outer leaves of the Chinese cabbage begin to multiply, which is also the basic premise of the later heart wrap.
The length of the rosette varies from variety to variety, for example, early varieties have a rosette period of about half a month, while late-maturing varieties take 22 days.
The nodal period mainly refers to the formation of Chinese cabbage from the beginning of the heart to the entire leaf ball, we call this period the nodal period, and this period of the external leaves of Chinese cabbage will be crazy to create nutrients, and nutrients stored in the leaf ball, this period is also the most rapid growth of Chinese cabbage a period.
In general, early-maturing Chinese cabbage varieties take about a month, while medium- and late-maturing varieties take a little longer, about forty days.
DORMANCY PERIOD
The meaning of dormancy is well understood, that is, the Chinese cabbage in the harvest to the storage of that period, we call it dormant period.
Because the Chinese cabbage in storage, the temperature is slowly falling, and the internal activity mechanism of the Chinese cabbage slowly becomes slow and finally will give the impression of dormant.
REPRODUCTIVE GROWTH STAGES AND DEVELOPMENTAL CHARACTERISTICS
THE MOSS-BEARING STAGE
When Chinese cabbage begins to set in late September, new flower buds begin to grow inside the leaf bulb.
Then, when the Chinese cabbage is in storage, the flower buds will continue to grow until the next spring when the temperature rises gradually.
Then, when the land is thawed, Chinese cabbage is planted in the field, and the residual main roots regenerate new roots, and the flowering moss also rapidly emerges, and flowering branches and leaves occur, until flower buds are formed, and the mossing period is over.
FRUITING PERIOD
The fruiting period is well understood, which is the stage from flowering to seed maturity of Chinese cabbage plants, and we call it the fruiting period.
Normally, we think that when the Chinese cabbage seeds are mature, a complete growth cycle is over.
However, Chinese cabbage does not go through all of the above processes and depending on the variety of Chinese cabbage, there are some periods that it does not need to go through.
For example, some commercial cabbages, from sowing to leaf harvesting and finally to storage and sale, are finished with these processes and do not have to go through the reproductive growth stage. Thus, we also know that the developmental period varies depending on the purpose of growing Chinese cabbage.
Recommend you to read “How to grow chinese cabbage? Tips for beginners“
