cauli problem?

[Sprout]

[img=http://img258.echo.cx/img258/1295/p62300096ki.th.jpg>http://img258.echo.cx/my.php?image=p62300099zz.jpg>http://img258.echo.cx/img258/1785/p62300099zz.th.jpg[/img]

These are photos of one of my cauliflowers. As you can see, some of the florets have turned a light brown in colour although the other florets appear normal. The brown area is firm to the touch, not soft, and nearby plants seem unaffected. Anyone have any ideas what this could be?

[Sprout]

[john_miller]

I would suggest something like Erwinia caratovora but it is odd that the brown area is firm. Give it a few days? What has your weather like been lately?

[Sprout]

It has gone a bit soft now since taking the picture so I've dug it up and chucked it.

[LesH]

      Hi Sprout     It looks to me as if it could be Boron deficiency. Cauliflowers are extremely sensitive to boron deficiency in the soil. young leaves are distorted, and the heads are small and bitter. the main sympton is the development of brown patches on the curds. Try appling sea weed meal, which contains trace elements, as the answer.   LesH

[Sprout]

They have been fed with a liquid seaweed extract but maybe not enough?

[RSJK]

Sprout have you noticed any Little black rape beetles on them Last year they ruin my cauli.

[tim]

Sprout - I'm a huge believer in seaweed - having used it for years in the '30s in Jersey -  but, apart from trace elements, & unless containing added nutrients - I don't think that it is a full enough feed for anything??

[john_miller]

Hi Sprout It looks to me as if it could be Boron deficiency. Cauliflowers are extremely sensitive to boron deficiency in the soil. young leaves are distorted,

Sprout, the distortion of the young leaves caused by boron deficency is severe. If you didn't notice any problems with the leaves, and you don't mention it, then I don't think you have this disorder.

[Sprout]

The leaves looked fine to me and most of the florets were too. They were fed with other stuff too - pelletted chicken manure and growmore before planting and a top dressing of growmore some time later. Seaweed feed was just an occasional 'boost' when watering.