Growing guide
How to grow cauliflowers
Three sowing groups (early, mid, late) let you hit different price windows from September to March.
At a glance
- Planting window
- Early: nursery May–June · Mid: July–August · Late (snowball): September–October
- Duration
- 60–120 days after transplanting
- Climate
- Early types 20–27 °C; snowball types 10–16 °C at curding
- Soil
- Loam rich in organic matter; pH 6–7.5
- Water need
- Moderate · about 350–500 mm a season
- Seed
- Early 250–300 g, late 150–200 g seed per acre
- Spacing
- 60 × 45 cm
- Yield
- 80–120 quintals per acre.
What to do, and when
Dates assume planting around 25 Oct. Change the plan to shift them.
- 4–5 weeks before — Sow the right group for the month: Wrong variety for the season is the commonest failure.
- Day 0 — Transplant: With FYM and basal fertilizer.
- Day 30 — Top-dress nitrogen: Then earth up.
- Month 2 — Scout for DBM: Weekly.
- Months 2–4 — Cut compact white curds: Tie leaves over curds in sun.
Varieties to consider
Buy certified seed or planting material from an authorised source.
- Pusa Meghna — Early group.
- Pusa Sharad — Mid group.
- Pusa Snowball K-1 — Late snowball group.
Water
- Every 7–10 days; never stress at curd formation.
- Never let it go short at: Curd initiation · Curd development
- Drip irrigation suits this crop.
Nutrition
Boron prevents browning; molybdenum prevents whiptail on acid soils.
- Dose: About 120 kg N, 60 kg P₂O₅, 60 kg K₂O per hectare
- Transplanting: all P, K and half N.
- 30 days: remaining N.
Pests and diseases to watch
Prevent first; spray only when needed, with a product registered for the crop, at label dose.
- Diamondback moth (undefined) — undefined Treatment: undefined
- Aphids (undefined) — undefined Treatment: undefined
- Black rot (undefined) — undefined Treatment: undefined
- Downy mildew (undefined) — undefined Treatment: undefined
Yield and economics
- Cost per acre: undefined
- Yield per acre: undefined
- Price: Indicative farm-gate price (₹10/kg)
- Margin: undefined
What would you like to do next?
Where these numbers come from
- ICAR / state university general recommendation A typical range for irrigated conditions. Your soil test decides the final dose.
- Common grower practice in north India Widely followed by farmers; confirm with your KVK for your block.
- Agriculture Novel indicative estimate A planning number, not a quote. Replace it with your own costs and your mandi’s price.
