Drop, Don’t Stop Ornamental Cabbage and Kale Fertilization
Even during the coloration stage of ornamental cabbage and kale they are still growing and putting on new leaf growth. This means they also still feed to be fed. The fertilizer level can be dropped, but not stopped. The plant will be adding fewer leaves and with cooler fall temperatures, the demand for fertilizer does go down, but does not go away. Furthermore, the soilless substrates used in floriculture production can be devoid a many macronutrients after only 2 weeks of clear water irrigations. Therefore the substrate does not hold onto much of a nutrient reserve for the plant. So to avoid low fertilization problems of leaf yellowing and drop, keep up some fertilization.
For more information and to view photos, view the e-GRO Alert 10.32
https://www.e-gro.com/pdf/2021-10-32.pdf
Brian Whipker
Professor, Horticulture, North Carolina State UniversityBrian E. Whipker is a professor of floriculture at North Carolina State University. He has an appointment split between extension and research, but also teaches the graduate level plant nutrition course at NC State. His specialization is plant nutrition, plant growth regulators, and problem diagnostics. He brings over 30 year of experience in diagnosing grower plant problems.
