Allotment Gardening Advice Help Chat
Growing => Grow Your Own => Topic started by: hubballi on October 02, 2010, 12:25
-
I have that Italian tall, thin leaved dark green Kale growing outside. Some plants are about a foot and others about 2 foot with varied size leaf growth.
For the coming months can anyone suggest tips to get the leaves and plant bigger and producing more. They have had the ravages of caterpillars but hopefully now the cabbage white is no longer laying eggs they should pick up.
Am I right 2 be feeding with Chicken manure pellets every 2 weeks ?
-
That sort of Kale never does get immensely big nor does it heart up like a cabbage so people grow several plants and just take a few leaves at a time. It stands well so picking is over a good long period so in that sense it is very productive. Any nitrogen based feed would help - blood, fish and bone, sulphate of ammonia or a high nitrogen liquid feed etc. Solid fertilizer such as growmore, BFB and your suggested Chicken manure pellets will take a while to get into ground and down to the roots so hoe in and be patient. Keep area weed free and check plant is not being rocked by wind -- add a stake if necessary and press down around roots so roots can stay in good contact with gropund and do their job.
As you take just a few leaves at a time and as weather cools the kale will get more productive and hopefully get over the caterpillar attacks provided some strength has been left in the plants. Ravaged sounds a bit serious .
R