Florence F1

Class

Dicotyledons

Division

Angiosperms

Family

Brassicaceae or Cruciferae

Order

Brassicales

Genus

Brassica

Species

oleracea

Description

Herbaceous plant belonging to the Brassicaceae family or Cruciferae. Easy to manage, it lends itself to cultivation on raised beds. It is used and widely appreciated in the agri-food industry, depending on the variety, for its strong-tasting foliage or for the typical sweet-tasting inflorescence. The ornamental varieties are suitable for flowerbeds, including roadside beds, borders and planters, giving a unique colour accent with the arrival of cold weather during the autumn-winter period. Compact and globular in habit, they are available in a wide assortment of internal foliage shades which, as temperatures drop, are tinged with creamy white, pink, purple or pupurean red, in different shades.

Varietal description

It is a baby leaf with a particularly intense taste tending towards bitter. Cultivation is not complex and there is a good final production in terms of quality and quantity. It is important to follow the indications regarding planting density as the distances are smaller than for other varieties. It lends itself very well to cultivation in protected environments such as greenhouses.

curiosity and special features

Cabbage consumed fresh or cooked, depending also on the different garden varieties, is low in calories and a good source of fibre, minerals, vitamin A and C as well as carotenoids and flavonoids with antioxidant properties. It is widely used, especially during the autumn-winter period, in our traditional cuisine as a basic ingredient in minestrone, passata, velvety soups as well as in the well-known Milanese cassoeula or Tuscan ribollita, or even eaten as such in various side dishes and dressings.

If cooked, it is preferable to choose the steamed option in order not to alter the vitamins present, while for the typical sulphur smell emitted during cooking, you can add a little vinegar or lemon to the preparation water.

A symbol of fertility and life, ornamental cabbage is also often used in the preparation of flower arrangements brought as a gift for the birth of a child, recalling with sympathy the legend 'born under the cabbage'.

Origin and Diffusion

B. oleracea is said to be native to the coasts of southern and western Europe, as is also evidenced by various proofs in Greek and Latin literature relating to the cultivation and use of the plant for food purposes and in natural medicine. Artificial selection of wild cabbage varieties has led to the numerous forms known today, grouped in the following groups: Acephala, Alboglabra, Capitata, Gemmifera, Gongylodes, Tronchuda. Through trade, the cabbage reached the East, where in China it became famous in culinary terms, while in Japan the ornamental species were sought after and cultivated, which spread throughout Europe from the 17th century onwards, arousing the interest of hybridisers, whose intensive propagation work led to a large number of varieties with decorative foliage.

Leaf

The leaves show a lanceolate lamina.

Fruit/product

The leaf is lance-shaped and seedless, with a medium consistency and weight of a: G. It is unscented, while the aroma is intense and the flavour bitter, herbaceous and intense, giving a strong taste. The skin is not edible. The colouring is unicolour. The leaf is stretched but slightly curved downwards, showing good quality overall. It is a variety with good organoleptic characteristics.

Inflorescence

Inflorescence.

Leaf color

Unicolour shades.

Plant height

The height of the plant varies from 0.03 to 0.12 m.

Lifespan

Annual-cycle plant.

Suggested planting locations

Can be grown, applying the correct cultivation practices required by the variety, in spaces such as flower beds, open fields, outdoor tubs.

Stem/stem

Herbaceous stem plant, the variety has no thorns.

Flower

It is not particularly attractive to pollinating insects.

Growth

The variety shows determined growth.

Plant habit

The habit is typically cespitose.

branching

Medium

pH

In vegetable garden varieties, the ideal pH of the soil or substrate ranges from 6.5 to 7.2 while in ornamental varieties it is between 6.0 and 6.5.

soil preparation

Before transplanting, dig 20/30 cm deep, removing any weeds, bulky stones and residues of previous crops, then bury organic or chemical fertiliser, which will provide the necessary nutrients in the plant's early stages of development, and use a hoe to break up the more compact clods, which will also facilitate the distribution of the fertiliser. To improve drainage of excess water, proceed by creating a raised bed by ballasting the soil, then carefully level the surface. For ornamental varieties, add professional substrate to the surface by approx. 5/10 cm.

In horticulture, during cultivation continue to loosen the soil on the surface by weeding or hoeing to eliminate possible weeds adjacent to the crop.

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sun exposure

Suitable for exposure in half shade, full sun, afternoon sun.

Ideal climate and temperature

The ideal temperature is between 15 and 18 °C.

Use

Agribusiness

Hardiness

Little

Soil/medium

It prefers a medium-textured soil, i.e. a soil characterised by a correct proportion between the different texture classes, as well as well-draining, deep and with organic matter; for the use of vegetable garden varieties in tubs, a specific soil for horticulture is recommended, while for ornamental varieties a substrate for spring plants is recommended.

Maintenance

Cultivation of the variety is easy with a low level of commitment; by performing the required management care correctly, excellent growth results will be achieved.

cultivation tips

One or more specific cultivation tips to achieve better vegetative development:

Balanced fertilisation Avoid over-watering Keep the substrate moist at all times

Intercropping/combination

In vegetable garden varieties, the recommended intercropping is with lettuce, spinach.

Composition

For ornamental varieties it is possible to compose patches of colour, patterns or regular patterns in the flowerbed according to personal fantasy using varieties belonging to the same species with different shades of foliage, or to create mixed combinations with other plants that are at their peak of growth in the autumn-winter period or that tolerate low temperatures such as Antirrhinum majus, Aster, Calluna, Cyclamen, Erica, Schizachyrium scoparium, Viola.

planting

When transplanting consider an average planting density of 3250 plants per square metre in order to ensure proper vegetative growth. It is suggested that each seedling be placed on a raised bed with the vegetative apex above the soil surface, irrigating immediately after planting, preferably during the morning hours.

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pruning

For garden varieties, pruning is limited to the harvest cut of the edible part.

Reproduction/Propagation

Multiplication can be by sowing.

Irrigation

Use rainwater, alternatively from the aqueduct or canal, either manually or by irrigation. When transplanting, assist the seedling to ensure it settles properly in its new site, avoiding both dryness and excessive watering. Care should then be taken to allow the soil or substrate to dry out slightly between one watering and the next, keeping it moist but not saturated; it is also advisable not to water the aerial part of the plant from above during the afternoon/evening to prevent the spread of plant diseases. For vegetable garden varieties, irrigate after harvesting, and for leaf varieties in particular, water a few days after harvesting while waiting for the wound caused by the previous cut to heal properly. Irrigation should be proportionate to the temperatures and environmental conditions present.

In the case of sowing, moisten the seed by burying it completely and covering it with a layer of horticultural soil and inert material, then keep the soil wet until the sprout emerges.

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Fertilization

It is advisable to constantly apply to the soil or substrate a specific fertiliser for horticulture or ornamentals, depending on the variety, either water-soluble, i.e. to be diluted in the irrigation water, or granular to be applied according to suitable dosages and frequencies as indicated on the label of the product purchased.

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Edibility for humans

Horticultural varieties have edible parts, while ornamental varieties, although belonging to the same species, cannot be used in cooking.

Human toxicity

The edible part of garden varieties does not cause ingestion toxicity if taken in the correct doses and prepared appropriately; consider the specific case. Avoid ingestion of ornamental varieties.

advise 1

Sow the seed, observing the correct planting distances, on a raised bed.