Beginning gardeners often ask the question: Do they need to pick off the lower leaves of cabbage? There are different opinions. Some summer residents say that we eat the heads of cabbage, not the covering leaves, which means they are not needed at all, they only interfere with caring for the cabbage in the garden. Others object, arguing that nature would not have created them without some role in the formation of the plant. Special literature describing the cultivation of cabbage does not say anything about whether it is necessary to pick off the lower leaves of cabbage; they are not discussed at all. Therefore, each owner has to rely on his own opinion and experience in this matter.

All types of cabbage start out as small plants with wide leaves. Growing white cabbage, we plant seedlings in the garden, consisting of several dark green leaves. They grow, new ones are formed, and the process of photosynthesis occurs in them. The head of cabbage begins to form no earlier than we see a rosette with seven wide green leaves that continue to grow along with the white head of cabbage. They stop growing shortly before the vegetable ripens; the lowest ones often lie on the ground, no longer as beautiful and fresh as in summer, while others continue to cover the head of cabbage.

Cabbage leaves, from which its growth begins, consuming solar energy, are constantly engaged in the formation of proteins, fats, vitamins, carbohydrates, and gradually give them to the head of cabbage as it is formed. If in summer they contain much more vitamin C than the developing head of cabbage, then in the fall, shortly before harvesting, the situation changes dramatically.

The covering leaves are covered with a waxy coating; they protect the entire plant from the penetration of pests and pathogens. They also provide thermoregulation, protect against overheating or hypothermia, and conserve moisture.

Video “Should I cut it off”

From the video you will learn whether it is necessary to pick off the leaves of cabbage, what is the benefit or harm.

Should I cut it off?

Is it necessary to pick off the leaves involved in the formation of the head of cabbage? It would seem that there can only be one answer, but there are gardeners who are convinced that without lower leaves a denser head will form. They lie on the ground, risking attracting pests and becoming a bridge between pathogens and cabbage. Without them, it is easier to weed the garden bed and loosen the soil around the plant. But in fairness, it is worth noting that weeds do not grow under drooping leaves, and pests attracted by the juice of the cut off part of the plant are more likely to attack it, and the wound will become open gates for infection.

Tearing off the leaves slows down the formation of the head of cabbage and may even cause the roots to die. Without covering leaves, the yield is much smaller. Experience has shown that if you remove them from some plants at the beginning of September, then by the time the harvest is harvested, the head of cabbage with leaves will grow much larger and will be tighter compared to those from which they were torn off.

Why do they do this?

Some vegetable growers believe that it is necessary to pick off the leaves of cabbage so that they do not attract pests. But most likely, these parts of the plant organism protect against pests, and you need to scare off unwanted neighbors in other ways.

For example, it’s good to plant in a garden bed among cabbage aromatic plants: a little dill, celery, a few bushes of calendula, marigolds. If flea beetles or cabbage bean attacks, it is better to sprinkle the plants and the ground around them with crushed wood ash and tobacco dust. The most radical remedy is chemical treatment, but removing leaves is unlikely to help.

Combating vascular bacteriosis

Is it possible to pick off leaves when they are affected by vascular bacteriosis? Naive beginners hope that the yellow border along the edge, black veins, and the death of the leaf blade will not advance further. Unfortunately, this is not the case. If the disease manifests itself in this way, then the entire plant is affected; it must be removed from the garden as soon as possible in order to protect the rest.

The only way to prevent this unpleasant disease is by hardening the seed, for which the seeds are alternately placed in hot and cold water.

The quality of the seeds, even the quality of the seedlings, affects the appearance of the disease, but not the presence of the lower leaves; the disease simply appears on them first of all.

How to extend the life of early varieties of cabbage

Sometimes gardeners are interested in when to pick off the lower leaves of cabbage in order to keep them in the garden early cabbage. Since the growth and formation of the head of cabbage depends on the presence of covering leaves, their removal can prolong the process, according to inexperienced gardeners. This is wrong. If you remove the leaves, growth will simply stop, and the risk of disease and damage by pests will increase for the crop.
If the crop is ripe, but the owner is not yet ready to process it, you just need to pull the plant or twist it slightly around an imaginary axis. Then the connection between the roots and the ground will be interrupted or at least reduced, the head of cabbage will not consume moisture, but can simply be stored in the garden for a long time without the threat of cracking.

Will tearing off leaves protect against cutworms and cabbage flies?

Get rid of persistent pests such as cabbage fly and scoop, simply tearing off the lower leaves will not work. To get rid of them you will have to use special means For example, they fight the cutworm with Agrofit. Cutworm pupae and fly eggs are in the ground, from where pests enter the plant.
The armyworm lays its eggs on the underside of leaves. The absence of a lower one will not prevent her from laying eggs on the next one. And in order to destroy the fly eggs, you will have to get to the ground under the leaves; they may simply suffer during the fight against pests, but cutting them off will not help this fight.

When to cut off

The plant needs every leaf, so all the covering elements perform their functions until the harvest ripens. In the fall, before harvesting, they had already lost all their useful substances, turned yellow, and dried out. Many vegetable growers cut them off before harvesting, since they have already served their purpose. If they look completely healthy, without rot or damage, then experts recommend cutting off the head of cabbage along with them. Even a cut head of cabbage continues to grow as long as there is something to take substances from.

Often the lower leaves that fall to the ground rot shortly before the head of cabbage ripens. Of course, they need to be removed so that the rot does not go further. But this is also their task - to preserve the plant and show that the ground is too wet. Watering should be stopped as soon as the first signs of rot appear.

Three to four weeks before harvesting, the leaves are removed if the head of cabbage is too loose. They say this helps make it tighter. But, most likely, the looseness is explained by an imbalance of minerals - excess nitrogen, lack of phosphorus and potassium lead to such results. It is necessary to fertilize the plant with potassium and phosphorus to improve the quality of the harvest.

Some vegetable growers have experimented with removing leaves from different stages growing season. Results confirm the need for leaf cover for growth and maturation good harvest. There is only one condition - they must be healthy all the time, only in this case they can fulfill their task - to raise, nourish, protect, preserve.

Video “Pros and cons of the method”

From the video you will learn whether you can or cannot pick cabbage leaves.

​Similar articles​

The role of the leaf in the formation of the head of cabbage

​I always cut off, not only the bottom ones, but sometimes the next row as well

​Of course, healthy green leaves are not torn off. Only dead leaves, as well as those with signs of disease, are removed. THE MORE LEAVES, THE LARGER THE HEAD AND THE BETTER ITS QUALITY!​

Should I pick off the bottom leaves of cabbage?

​If they are bad, then yes, but if they are good (green, without holes), then it is advisable

The leaves provide food for the head of cabbage. Why pick off healthy green ones? !​

Cabbage is not fruit tree, this is a biennial crop. It is not subject to trimming or shaping. By cutting off healthy lower leaves, you leave open wounds through which infection can enter. In other words, when you pick, do not be surprised by possible damage from mucous and vascular bacteriosis (the head of cabbage will rot on the vine) or various trachymicoses. It is possible to pick off the lower leaves only when they are already dying and the plant itself puts up a physiological barrier to infection.​

​This issue was discussed quite recently. It was said that you can pick off rotten leaves.​

There are experts who see nothing wrong with removing the lower leaves. Although they note that this depends on the properties of the particular variety. They believe that the lower leaves in the fall no longer release nutrients, but only take them from other parts of the plant. A lot of moisture evaporates through them. If the covering leaves shade the head of cabbage too much, they can be removed. It is recommended to do this in such a way as to break them off completely.​

But experts do not advise doing this. Instead, you can lightly pull the head of cabbage, or rotate it around the trunk, so that the roots are pulled out a little. Moisture will stop passing to the head of cabbage, and it can remain in the ground for quite a long time without cracking or withering.​

When deciding whether to pick off the lower leaves of cabbage, look at their condition. If they are green and strong, then you shouldn’t do this. Often the lower leaves of cabbage turn yellow not in the fall, but in the summer, during drought. The rains are finally passing, but these leaves are no longer green. Therefore, they can be carefully removed.​

​When growing white cabbage, gardeners often encounter various problems. Sometimes they are far-fetched. Trying to care for the planted plants as best as possible, they do everything they hear from neighbors or friends. But are such actions always justified? Summer residents often wonder whether it is necessary to pick off the lower leaves of cabbage. It is impossible to answer this question in one word.​

​The leaves provide nutrition to the plant; why pick them off?​

Why do they do this?

​it is necessary... for better survival of seedlings, it is recommended to pinch the lower leaves during planting. Then, while loosening and raking the bushes lower leaves You can also delete them, but no more than 1-2. They rake the soil high enough so that butterflies do not lay eggs under the lower leaves, and if the leaves interfere (with watering, shading each other’s cabbage bushes, etc.), they are also removed, but in moderation.

​Of course. Every year I pick off the lower leaves, then there is less chance that someone will come to visit my cabbage.))))​

​If you pick them, they are yellowed and rotting.​

Combating vascular bacteriosis

​For currants, there may be leaf rollers and poutine mites with cobwebs. You need to look for the owner of the web or at least photograph the damage.​

​I don’t pick off the lower leaves of cabbage. Because, in extreme heat, without these leaves, the soil under the cabbage dries out very quickly.​

How to extend the life of early varieties of cabbage

​It may be justified to tear off the lower leaves of the cabbage if the head of cabbage is very loose. This is done a month before harvesting. After this procedure, the head of cabbage often becomes tight.​

But cabbage has pests that are difficult to get rid of without removing some of the leaves. This cabbage scoop and cabbage fly. Should the lower leaves of cabbage be removed if they are affected by these pests?​

Will tearing off leaves protect against cutworms and cabbage flies?

​Some, when explaining whether it is necessary to tear off the lower leaves of cabbage, refer to the fact that various pests often settle on them. It could be slugs. They appear on plants in autumn. By this time, the head of cabbage is already quite well developed. Then maybe it makes sense to pick off the leaves. Although, what will stop the slugs from getting through the stalk?

​But in practice, deletion often occurs. Now many websites have recommendations on why and when you can pick off the lower leaves of cabbage.​

​The entire development of cabbage is aimed at the formation of a head of cabbage. The leaves are not intended to decorate the plant. They have their own function. During the process of photosynthesis they form substances that are building material for cabbage. Nature has arranged it so that a reserve accumulates in the covering leaves (large lower ones). nutrients, needed to bookmark it. When they are cut off, the plant begins to look for this supply and begins to grow them again. Is it possible to pick off the lower leaves of cabbage when their role is so great? The head begins to form when there are at least seven covering leaves. The yield largely depends on how many of them a cabbage rosette contains. And the weight of the plant should not decrease during growth. In addition, these leaves are covered with a waxy coating, which protects the head of cabbage from diseases and pests. In summer, they regulate the temperature and prevent overheating and hypothermia of the interior.​

When to pick off the bottom leaves of cabbage

​No, don't. You are depriving cabbage of nutrition.​

​No way, just nibble....​

​Yes, definitely necessary. Since on top sheets there is all sorts of dirt, bacteria, plus products such as pesticides and fertilizers.​

Yes, I pick them off and the rabbits eat them.​

Preventing rot

​I was concerned about this issue last year. There were a lot of slugs and the lower leaves were completely removed. Then I read that they provide food to the head of cabbage. And only rotten and dried ones need to be removed. But, to be honest, I didn’t notice a difference in the yield of heads of cabbage with torn and untorn leaves.​

But this usually happens when fertilizers are applied incorrectly. There is too much nitrogen, and not enough phosphorus and potassium. By properly providing these elements, you can get a dense head of cabbage, and the leaves will help it become larger and heavier.​

Use of leaves

​The cutworm, emerging from the ground where the pupae from which it develops overwinter, places its eggs at the bottom of the leaves. Usually these are the lower leaves. Therefore, their removal in the event of the appearance of these pests may be justified. But you can treat the plants with Agrofit, and the cutworms will disappear.​

In summer, cabbage suffers from cabbage bean caterpillars and flea beetles. But here you won't achieve anything by tearing off the leaves. Plants are sprayed with chemicals or sprinkled with ash and tobacco dust. The number of pests is reduced if the area where the cabbage grows is free of weeds.​

syl.ru

Do I need to pick off the lower leaves of cabbage?

​Some gardeners believe that tearing off leaves helps air flow between plants. And this, in turn, reduces the risk of rot and other diseases.​

Inna Raevnikova, St. Petersburg

​The lower leaves contain twice as much vitamin C as the inside of the head. During the ripening process, the vitamin passes into the tender white parts. Do I need to pick off the bottom leaves of cabbage? If pets eat them, at least they will benefit from it. But the head of cabbage will already contain less vitamin C.​

Irina, Bendery

Cabbage itself will tell you when you need to remove these leaves. Of course, healthy green leaves are not torn off.​

Irina, Nerekhta

​My mom cleans.​

Sergey, Russia

​they contain a lot of pesticides and chlorophyll​

7dach.ru

Do I need to pick off the bottom leaves of cabbage? The currant berries were covered in cobwebs and were drying, so they could not be processed after picking. Undercut?

Hedgehog

​never.​

Vladimir Kravchenko

​need​

Elena Lyakh

​I also tore off the leaves of several heads of cabbage for the experiment, but did not touch the rest of the cabbage. So far I have not noticed any difference except for the quickly drying soil under the bare heads of cabbage. So the essence of the experiment was still not clear to me. But the cabbage harvest has not yet been harvested early talk about it. I’ll take into account the fact that you need to remove rotten leaves for the future. But the leaves that are dry fall off on their own. I don’t know, maybe this is necessary.​

Anton Zubov

​At the end of summer and autumn, cabbage of late and mid-season varieties with favorable conditions gains up to one hundred grams of weight per day. Immediately before harvesting, all lower leaves can be removed. But if you cut the heads of cabbage along with them, the growth will continue until all the beneficial substances pass into the inner part. Sometimes the weight after such growing increases to 15 percent.
The cabbage fly, hiding under the lower leaves, lays its eggs in the ground. To find them, remove the soil from the stem. The lower leaves may interfere with this. During processing, they will either come off on their own or you will break them off first.​

Lyubov Bazhenova

Marigolds or calendula, celery, dill and other aromatic plants planted between rows protect cabbage well.

Should I cut off the bottom leaves of cabbage?

[I Am Your Legend]™

But in fact, aphids and cabbage whites flock to the smell of flowing juice.

Nancy

​The lower leaves are usually broken off. Gardeners explain this by saying that the head of cabbage becomes clean without them and the leaves do not rot. Useful substances are used not for the growth of these leaves, but for the formation of a head of cabbage. When can you pick off the lower leaves of cabbage?​

Give Two

​Only dead leaves, as well as those with signs of disease, are removed. THE MORE LEAVES, THE LARGER THE HEAD AND THE BETTER ITS QUALITY!​

Valentine Capricorn

​Only the sick and withered.​

Elena

​not all​
​I always pick and everyone envy my cabbage​

Natalya Zvereva

​of course​

Galina Russkova (Churkina)

​there is no need to remove leaves from cabbage..from them it receives additional nutrition..it is a misconception to think that cabbage will grow larger if you tear off the outer leaves....currants..if the leaves are curled _ this is a leaf roller, such leaves should be torn off and burned. . treat the bush with Intavir or Karbofos or Iskra... if the leaves are healthy, then spider mite.. in this case, cut off all affected areas, treat the bushes with Actellik or Fitoverm and dig up the soil under the bushes

Karafuto

​B household almost nothing is wasted. Torn leaves used to feed poultry, rabbits, and goats. Moreover, by autumn there is usually a small choice of green food for them.​

ambal kvakukhin

​In autumn, the lower leaves, having given up useful substances to the formation of a head of cabbage, turn yellow and wither. They can no longer participate in the process of photosynthesis, and therefore are not needed.​

Manechka

Cabbage can be affected by vascular bacteriosis. If the edges of the leaves become yellow, lifeless, and black veins appear on them, then this is a sign of a disease. Sometimes the lower leaves are torn off to prevent the plants from getting sick. Is it necessary to pick off the lower leaves of cabbage in this case? This operation will not save the infected plant. It needs to be completely removed. This must be done carefully so that neighboring plants do not become infected.​

Vyacheslav Fedorov

Proponents of this method explain the tearing of leaves by the fact that cabbage growing on poor soils has loose heads. And after removing part of the foliage, the head of cabbage becomes denser. But this is done not in the summer, but in the fall, when it is already formed, and all that remains is to grow it.​

Olya Zatsepina

​U young plant Each torn leaf delays the ripening of the head of cabbage by one day. Juice flows through the cut site, removing beneficial substances from the plant. This means that you cannot pick off the leaves of young plants, even the lower ones.​

Do I need to pick off the leaves of cabbage?

Victor Gzel

​The fact is that they are a kind of “pantry” for growing a head of cabbage, that is, they accumulate all the necessary micro and macroelements for the growth of a head of cabbage, and when they turn yellow, you need to tear them off.​

The crow is capricious~~

​I clean too!​

Alar Naeni

​Let's figure out why the plant needs leaves. If the roots supply the plants with water with dissolved in it minerals(nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium and others), then the leaves are a factory where, in the light, due to photosynthesis, these components and carbon dioxide are created organic matter: proteins, carbohydrates, fats, as well as vitamins and others. Due to them, the plant grows, increasing the above-ground and underground parts, puts them aside in reserve to survive the winter, and in the spring, thanks to them, starts all over again. The more heat than better conditions for plants, the faster this factory works.​

✿Elena m✿

In general, cabbage first accumulates substances in the leaves, and then takes them into the head. But for reasons of creating some kind of ventilation - then aphids do not develop and so that slugs - smaller snails crawl - the lower leaves, which especially lie on the ground and the dried ones can be removed by themselves.
Hell knows. . Now, if you asked about hemp.​

​If you tear off the lower leaves, it will only benefit the cabbage! Just don't overdo it!​

Do I need to tear off the bottom leaves of cabbage?

Abstract@ktsiya V.I.

Reviews from many gardeners indicate that they did not notice the difference between plants treated in this way and those that were not touched. Everyone decides for themselves when to pick off the lower leaves of cabbage, taking into account all the pros and cons.​

Besogon

If the lower leaves rot, wither or are severely damaged, they are removed. After all, they can infect other leaves and heads of cabbage.

Intel Inside

To prevent disease, when preparing seeds for germination, you need to harden them by immersing them alternately in hot and cold water. Sick and weak seedlings It’s better not to plant.​

Valery Myakishev

​If you do this while the head is forming, the roots may begin to die, which will negatively affect its size and quality.​

Elena Lyakh

​But is it possible to pick off the lower leaves of cabbage in mature age, or should you not do this under any circumstances?​

alecsey toporcov

What is a head of cabbage? It is a ball formed by leaves than more leaves, the larger the head of cabbage, and its quality depends on the density of the head of cabbage. There is no need to pick off the leaves, this is a waste of nutritional energy for the formation of the outer leaves; another thing is to pick off the lower yellowed ones, but as a rule there are not many of them. Cabbage needs to be loosened more often, hilled up a little and not allowed to hot weather dry out the soil, and fight slugs in rainy weather. Good luck!​

Sergey

​A must! In order to start a head of cabbage! If you don’t remove it, the head will be small!​

Tatyana Pavlova

​The leaves of cabbage fill the head of cabbage. In autumn, photosynthesis processes are slow and therefore everything that is stored in the summer is expensive. So it first increases the mass of leaves, and only then begins to form a head of cabbage. That is why only the yellow or rotting lower leaves are torn off.

There is no consensus on whether it is worth plucking the cabbage leaves that are located at the bottom. Some gardeners say that it is necessary - this way the nutritional components go into the head, and you can also feed your pets. Others, on the contrary, believe that the head of cabbage definitely needs all the leaves it has (except for sick and dry ones, of course).

The assimilation system through which cabbage grows undoubtedly plays a very important role. And yet, is it necessary to pick off the lower leaves of cabbage and when can this be done?

Is it necessary to pick off the lower leaves of cabbage and when can this be done?

Is there an objective need to remove cabbage leaves? No, especially in the fall, when photosynthesis processes slow down and any reserves become important. By picking greens, you contribute to a decrease in yield vegetable crop, because you take away her supply of useful microelements. The plant secretes juice, which is a bait for pests and insects - the leaves cover the head of cabbage, and if they are not there, then there is nothing to protect the cabbage.

Still, picking leaves can be useful:

• If they have turned yellow and rotten, in this case we are not talking about the accumulation of useful substances, but, on the contrary, their outflow.

• There is damage by pathogens of fungal diseases and other infections.

• You want the bottom leaves of the cabbage, and you understand the risks associated with them breaking off.

Experienced vegetable growers remove leaves from cabbage varieties with a long stalk - this allows the soil to dry out and closes the passage of the slug. After breaking off, the head of cabbage must be pollinated with rubbed ash (and chemicals, but they have a much more aggressive composition than ash).

Leaves should be picked carefully - in some cases this measure can be useful (if they are bad and do not benefit the crop), in other situations it is better not to interfere with natural growth processes.

Whether it is necessary to pick off the leaves of cabbage is a controversial issue. Some people pick them off and get an excellent harvest. Others do not, and the quality of the heads of cabbage does not suffer from this. How to do the right thing, and in what cases should the cuttings be broken off, and why?

All parts of cabbage participate in the complex process of photosynthesis. As they grow, they accumulate nutrients and microelements, which will later be required for the formation of a full-fledged head of cabbage. If the number of leaves is less than seven, then it is unlikely that the forks will be able to set. Therefore, at the beginning of growth, nothing can be removed.

At an early stage of development, it is undesirable to injure the plant. If you cut off at least one cutting, juice will be released through the wound. The plant will begin to spend energy not on forming a head of cabbage, but on healing the wound. The ovary forms later; by the time of harvest, it will not gain the required weight.

If you pick off the leaves when the cabbage forks have already formed, but have not yet grown, their growth will slow down.

In addition to the process of photosynthesis, the lower leaves shade the tree trunk, and the soil retains moisture longer. This is important for cabbage, since it is a moisture-loving plant and will wither if there is a lack of water.

Why pick cabbage leaves

In the process of maturation of the formed head of cabbage, the need for leaves disappears. They gave away nutrients, but those microelements that come from the soil through the roots are not enough for both foliage and forks. Therefore, they can be removed, but not all at once.

When cabbage is infested with aphids, the bulk of the insects hide on the very bottom of the plant. Sometimes it is advisable, instead of using chemical pesticides, to tear off the lower leaves and destroy them along with the aphids. This option is also suitable if they veer too far towards the ground, and access to the cabbage for pest control is difficult.

Large sheets interfere with hilling, and you can’t do without it. Cabbage is hilled so that additional roots are formed on the lower part of the trunk, which makes it stable.

Spreading cabbage foliage interferes with watering. Some of the water does not reach trunk circle, but flows into the aisles.

It is best to prune in dry weather. Start cutting from below, one at a time. Until the cut heals and the wound dries out, the next cutting cannot be removed. The interval must be at least 7 days.

In the fall, when the head of cabbage is formed, it begins to thicken and gain weight. If the forks are not dense, loose, remove all the leaves, leaving a bare stem. This pruning is carried out no earlier than a month before harvest, in mid-September. This time is enough to increase the density.

In rainy weather, the first couple of leaves lying almost on the ground begin to deteriorate and rot. They will no longer bring any benefit to cabbage, but pathogenic fungi can develop on them. To avoid the onset of the disease, they are cut off.

It happens that cabbage leaves are needed to feed livestock or poultry. In this case, it is worth thinking about and doing what is most appropriate at the moment.

Which leaves to pick and which ones not to pick?

From all of the above, we can conclude that sheets are torn off in the following cases:

• when colonies of aphids or other pests settle on them;
• if the first signs of the disease are noticed;
• if they turned yellow and began to dry out, their role in the growth of heads of cabbage became minimal;
• when leaves interfere with hilling and proper watering;
• if, due to the spreading greenery, it is difficult to access plants for fertilization or treatment with pesticides;
• if a month before the end of the growing season the heads of cabbage are loose and not dense.

When removing a leaf, the cut must be disinfected. To do this, it is sprinkled with sifted wood ash.

In some cases, you can not remove the entire sheet, but only some part of it. This option is suitable in cases where it interferes with caring for cabbage.

Some people remove excess greenery when the plantings are very compact and the plants interfere with each other. To prevent this, when planting seedlings, it is important to maintain the distance between the cabbage. Crowded plantings often lead to diseases.

Video

Healthy green leaves Picking cabbage is harmful; the yield of cabbage heads depends on the number of leaves in the rosette. The lower leaves of cabbage are the main assimilation apparatus that works for the harvest; nutrients from them enter the inner, white leaves of the head of cabbage. At the same time, the dry matter content increases from outer leaves head of cabbage to the central ones. In addition, the green leaves are covered with a waxy coating, which protects the plant from pests, diseases and mechanical damage. The outer green leaves of cabbage contain 57 mg of vitamin C, the middle and white leaves contain 31–36 mg, and the leaves of the central part of the cabbage contain 24–26 mg. Therefore, removing a large number of outer leaves leads to a depletion of cabbage in vitamin C. Each cut leaf provokes the death of the root system, and the head of cabbage receives less nutrients. It is not entirely advisable to remove even yellowed leaves, since the outflow of nutrients from them and the petioles into the head of cabbage continues. By cutting off the lower leaves, the gardener deliberately reduces the yield and quality of the product. In addition, through wounds they enter the plant. pests, causing diseases.

Mid-ripening and late-ripening varieties of cabbage in August-September very intensively gain the weight of the head of cabbage due to the lower green leaves. The daily weight gain is 100 g or more, and the head of cabbage itself becomes very compact. If you cut cabbage with green leaves, the outflow of nutrients into the head will continue and its weight can increase up to 15%.

Some gardeners cite the fact that the lower leaves are located close to the ground, they are attacked by slugs, pests lay eggs, and plants are affected by vascular bacteriosis. You should not pick off the lower green leaves in the fight against slugs and caterpillars; there are many other ways to do this. To prevent slugs, sprinkle the soil around the plants with wood ash. To prevent leaf-eating insects, plant celery, which repels butterflies from laying eggs. Dill, garlic, onions, mint, and sage have the same properties.

At vascular bacteriosis the edges of the leaves turn yellow and become parchment-like, the veins turn black. In this case, removing the lower leaves will not help; you must remove the entire plant, but carefully so as not to infect the rest. It is very important to observe prevention against bacteriosis: warming the seeds for 20 minutes in hot water up to 50 degrees followed by rapid cooling. Pickling garlic in an infusion (25 g per 100 ml of water) and culling diseased plants during the seedling period help.

Spraying seedlings in the phase of 2-3 true leaves with phytolavine (20 ml per 10 liters of water) works well. initial period development of the disease, copper-based preparations can be used. When the first signs of the disease appear, the plants are sprayed with a 0.1% planriz solution. Here are the activities that need to be done, rather than picking the leaves, to keep the cabbage healthy.

Sometimes the lower leaves are removed early ripening varieties to prevent cracking of heads of cabbage that are already ripe, but which have nowhere to go yet. In this case better than cabbage pull the head of cabbage to tear the roots a little, or trim with a shovel, limiting the flow of moisture into the plant. In this case, the head of cabbage remains marketable for a long time and the leaves do not fade.

There is an opinion that the heads of cabbage are formed loose and the lower leaves are supposedly cut off to compact them. But the heads of cabbage are usually loose with an abundant supply of nitrogen and a low supply of potassium and phosphorus.

Remember! Leaves of any type of cabbage can be removed only when they have ceased to participate in photosynthesis and have dried out or are rotting due to oversaturation of the soil with moisture. In this case, it is necessary to first carry out deep loosening of the soil and drainage of water.