Growing Cabbage From Rootstock?

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GoDawgs
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Growing Cabbage From Rootstock?

#1

Post: # 77429Unread post GoDawgs
Tue Aug 30, 2022 10:08 am

You never know what you'll find when rooting around the internet. I was just doing some online comparisons between Early Jersey Wakefield and Charleston Wakefield cabbages and ran across a blurb about growing cabbages from the rootstock of a cabbage just harvested:

http://www.phytotheca.com/phytotheca/ca ... wakefield/

"Vegetative: While growing from seed is generally an easier way to plant cabbage, it can also be grown from cuttings of the root stock. After harvesting the cabbage, dig up the roots and place in a shallow bowl of water in a sunny location. Once new leaves start to appear, replant your root stock."


Have any of you ever heard of this or, more importantly, ever done it? Inquiring minds want to know!

rxkeith
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Re: Growing Cabbage From Rootstock?

#2

Post: # 77432Unread post rxkeith
Tue Aug 30, 2022 1:35 pm

why go to the trouble of digging up the root stock?
why not just leave it in the ground?

i think what has happened with cabbage that i have cut and harvested, and left the root stock in the ground
because i had other things to do or was maybe just lazy, is you will get new growth. i had multiple shoots growing
from the root stock. i let them go. i don't remember them ever getting very big or maybe it started to snow, and they ran out of time.
you can certainly try it. now will you get a full sized second head of cabbage or not, i don't know. i would have some new plants to throw
in there too until you find out if it is worth it or not keeping the root stock in the ground.


keith

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Whwoz
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Re: Growing Cabbage From Rootstock?

#3

Post: # 77437Unread post Whwoz
Tue Aug 30, 2022 3:02 pm

An old lady who used to live over the road from the folks used to leave her cabbage stems in the ground after cutting and they would put out growth from dormant bids at the top of the stem. These growths would never get very large, think around softball size at best, and she may have used multiple for a feed, I cannot remember. If left untouched, they would flower.

So yes it can be done although why you would dig up the stem and place it in water is beyond me. Much better to leave in place unless you need the ground for another crop.

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Re: Growing Cabbage From Rootstock?

#4

Post: # 77445Unread post GoDawgs
Tue Aug 30, 2022 4:49 pm

I have seen those baseball sized things growing from buds around the base of the cabbage once the head is cut. One year I just didn't get around to digging out the cabbage roots for a while post harvest, noticed the buds and just let them grow to just see what happens. There sure wasn't any sign of a regular sized head coming on. I wonder how big one would get if all buds but one were removed so all energy could go into that remaining bud.

No clue on why you'd dig up the roots and soak them until leaves appear. I might have to leave one in the ground this spring and also dig up/soak one set of roots just to see.

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Re: Growing Cabbage From Rootstock?

#5

Post: # 77472Unread post Whwoz
Tue Aug 30, 2022 10:47 pm

@GoDawgs , I doubt that you would get a full size head, the plant would be more interested in getting some sort of a reserve up for the flower stalk that it would be putting up through that small head and it just wouldn't have the growing time to do a full size head before seasonal triggers step in to tell it to flower. Head may not even get tight if cut later in season. Remember the plant is only focused on reproduction, not feeding other creatures.

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Re: Growing Cabbage From Rootstock?

#6

Post: # 77499Unread post GoDawgs
Wed Aug 31, 2022 7:17 am

@Whwoz , so the full head and/or the baseball sized ones will both split if left alone to produce the seed head?

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Re: Growing Cabbage From Rootstock?

#7

Post: # 77533Unread post Whwoz
Wed Aug 31, 2022 4:32 pm

Yes @GoDawgs, although the full size head will produce a flower stalk much larger than the baseball size head.

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