Is it necessary to cut off the lower leaves of cabbage?

In the process of growing white cabbage, experienced gardeners very often cut off the lower leaves. The procedure is carried out in early or mid-August.

But not everyone knows the true reasons for the removal of leaves. The fact is that this can result in problems with the harvest, since it is the lower leaves that perform important functions. They are as follows:

They are a kind of conductors that deliver nutrients to the head of cabbage. When the leaves are cut, some of the nutrition stops, so the forks rarely reach large sizes.

The lower leaves are protective. So, they protect the delicate inner leaves of the future fork from unwanted external damage.

Green leaves contain a large amount of vitamin C. When such leaves are removed, a person deprives himself of the opportunity to eat the fortified part of the cabbage in the future.

In the process of cutting the leaves, you can easily damage the stem. Through these cuts, harmful bacteria penetrate into the vegetable crop, which can destroy the crop.

Cabbage belongs to the category of moisture-loving crops, so the lower leaves also protect it from drying out. Water evaporates much more slowly, which means that you will not have to water the garden bed as often.

If an attack of caterpillars and butterflies hit the cabbage, then the destruction of the crop can be prevented in time. So, pests begin to eat greens from the outer sheets.

But pests must be dealt with immediately, otherwise the crop will be destroyed in just a few days.

Despite strong evidence of the importance of the presence of green leaves, one should still not refuse to remove dried, rotten, pest-infested specimens.

But even in this case, the procedure must be carried out as carefully as possible so as not to damage the stalk.

For removal, it is best to use treated scissors or a small pruner. Only in this case can you get a good and rich harvest of white cabbage.

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