Ⅰ. Product Details

Variety Characteristics

Red Cabbage (also known as Purple Cabbage) is a biennial cruciferous vegetable with a growth cycle of 120-150 days for head formation. The plant has a compact rosette with 15-20 outer leaves, and the head is spherical or flat-round with deep purple-red color, weighing 1.5-2.5kg per head. It has strong cold resistance and is suitable for both open field and protected cultivation.

Quality Advantages

• Rich in anthocyanins (2-3 times higher than ordinary cabbage), vitamin C, vitamin K, dietary fiber and antioxidants, with anti-aging and anti-inflammatory effects, and can enhance cardiovascular health.
• Crisp texture and slightly sweet taste, suitable for raw eating, salad, stir-frying and pickling, with good processing performance and bright color retention after cooking.
• Excellent storage performance: Mature heads can be stored at 0-5℃ for 2-3 months, and at room temperature for 1-2 weeks, with strong transportation resistance and low loss rate.

High-Yield Characteristics

Under proper cultivation management, the yield per mu can reach 4000-6000kg. The variety has strong adaptability to soil and climate, cold resistance (can tolerate -5℃ low temperature), heat resistance and disease resistance, suitable for planting in most regions of China.

Anwendungsszenarien

• Fresh food market: Used for salad, cold dishes and raw eating, popular in high-end restaurants and health food stores;
• Processing industry: Suitable for making pickled cabbage, dehydrated cabbage flakes, vegetable juice and natural colorants;
• Health food: As a functional food raw material, it is widely used in health products and dietary supplements.

Selection & Storage Suggestions

• Selection skills: Choose heads with firm texture, uniform purple-red color, intact outer leaves, no insect damage, no cracks and no rot;
• Storage method: Store in a cool and ventilated place for short-term storage, or wrap with plastic wrap and store in refrigerator crisper for 2-3 weeks. For long-term storage, place in a cold storage at 0-2℃.

Ⅱ. Planting Methods

Planting Preparation

1. Soil Selection

Red Cabbage prefers fertile, loose, well-drained sandy loam or loam with pH value of 6.0-7.5. Avoid continuous cropping with cruciferous crops (cabbage, cauliflower) to reduce soil-borne diseases. Deep plow the land 25-30cm before planting, apply base fertilizer: 3000-4000kg of decomposed organic fertilizer, 50kg of compound fertilizer and 20kg of calcium superphosphate per mu. Mix evenly and make flat ridges with width of 1-1.2m.

2. Seed Treatment

• Seed selection: Choose full, disease-free seeds with high germination rate, with seed consumption of 50-100g per mu for seedling raising;
• Seed soaking and germination: Soak seeds in 55℃ warm water for 15 minutes (stir continuously), then soak in 25℃ water for 4-6 hours. Wrap with wet gauze and germinate at 20-25℃, and sow when seeds show white buds.

Seedling Raising & Transplanting

1. Seedling Raising Time

• Spring cultivation: Seedling raising in late February to early March (greenhouse), transplanting in late April to early May;
• Autumn cultivation: Seedling raising in mid-July to early August, transplanting in mid-August to early September (the best planting season with high yield and good quality);
• Winter cultivation: In southern China, seedling raising in late September to early October, transplanting in late October to early November.

2. Seedling Raising Methods

Use seedling trays (50 or 72 holes) filled with nutrient soil (peat soil: vermiculite: perlite = 3:1:1). Sow 1-2 seeds per hole, cover with 0.5-1cm fine soil, water thoroughly and keep temperature at 20-25℃. After emergence, control temperature at 15-20℃ during the day and 10-15℃ at night to prevent leggy seedlings.

3. Transplanting Requirements

Transplant when seedlings have 4-6 true leaves and a height of 15-20cm (about 30-40 days after sowing). The planting density is 40cm × 50cm, with 3000-3500 plants per mu. Water thoroughly after transplanting and cover with mulch to keep warm and retain moisture.

Field Management

1. Wasserwirtschaft

• Seedling recovery period: Keep soil moist to promote root development;
• Rosette stage: Control watering properly to promote leaf growth and root deepening;
• Head formation period: Ensure adequate water supply, water once every 7-10 days, avoid drought and waterlogging, and keep soil moisture stable to prevent head cracking;
• Before harvest: Reduce watering 7-10 days before harvest to improve storage resistance.

2. Fertilizer Management

• Seedling fertilizer: Apply 10kg of urea per mu 10 days after transplanting to promote seedling growth;
• Rosette fertilizer: Apply 20kg of compound fertilizer per mu at the rosette stage to promote leaf expansion;
• Head fertilizer: Apply 25-30kg of compound fertilizer + 10kg of potassium sulfate per mu at initial head formation stage, and spray 0.2% potassium dihydrogen phosphate solution on leaves for 1-2 times to promote head formation and color development.

3. Pest Control

• Downy mildew and black rot: Use 75% chlorothalonil 800x solution or 50% carbendazim 600x solution for spray control;
• Diamondback moth and cabbage caterpillar: Use Bt emulsion 500x solution or 2.5% deltamethrin 2000x solution for spray control;
• Aphids: Control with 10% imidacloprid 1500x solution or yellow sticky traps;
• Root-knot nematode: Use 1.8% abamectin emulsion 1000x solution for root irrigation.

Harvesting

• Harvest time: Harvest when heads are fully formed, firm and have characteristic purple-red color (about 60-80 days after transplanting);
• Harvesting method: Cut off the base of the head with a knife, retain 2-3 outer leaves to protect the head, harvest in batches according to maturity;
• Post-harvest treatment: Sort and grade heads, remove damaged ones, and pack in cartons for sale or storage. For processing, cut into shreds or slices and process immediately.