We have been working our plot for about 4 years now and have been quite strict with crop rotation.This year we have really bad club root on the brocolli roots.
What would you suggest we do.
Whatever you do Shirl, don't walk on the soil near it, and walk off somewhere else on the plot, otherwise you will spread it all over the plot. I'd certainly pull them all up and put them straight in a bag and remove them from the site.
It really is a deadly thing to have.
You have my deepest sympathy.
Tony got it all out today and put it in a plastic sheet to take to the tip.I had grown sweet peas on the same ground for 3 years so we havent grown any brassicas on it. It was uncultivated for 10 years before we took it on.
Have been reading about it and it says that the crop is very weak. Our cropping was good and the plants still look really healthy apart from a couple that had rotted off out of around 30 plants.
I did lime when I planted them.
Did you start the brassica's off from seed or were they brought in?
I have it on both of my plots and first got it from plants bought from Marshall's a good few years ago now.
It is a nightmare although I do grow a few brassica's but it is a lot of hard work planting them out to say nothing of all the other problems that you have growing brassica's to overcome as well.
It was our own seed. We have never bought any plants in. Apparently it can stay in the ground for years waiting for a host. Well it got one this year eh!. Everywhere else on the plot has been ok.
I've had it for at least 10 years now.
Hope it just stays put and doesn't get spread anywhere else on your plot.
I'd be a bit miffed if I was you at least I can blame Marshall's ;D
Shirl, if most of the plants were looking healthy why did you pull them and not let them grow on.
As Davyw1 says you can leave the other plants in if you wanted.
Club root is a problem but you can live with it >:(
We ain't daft ya know. The stuff was finished we had taken every last weeny side shoot from it. Tony was taking it out to free the bed up. ;D
(http://i151.photobucket.com/albums/s121/shirlton/Image0110.jpg)
This is a pic of the roots and there is another one following
(http://i151.photobucket.com/albums/s121/shirlton/Image0111.jpg)
I have had fantastic results using Perlka fertilizer will put some pics on tomorrow of what was ground that i have not been able to grow good brassicas for the last or 6 years
Thanks Richard. Give us the info on the Perlka will you
Quote from: shirlton on July 23, 2011, 06:24:31
Thanks Richard. Give us the info on the Perlka will you
I got a little curious myself Shirl and found this, well worth a try i thinks
http://www.nvsuk.org.uk/growing_show_vegetables_1/clubroot_brassica.php
Thanks Davy.It looks great stuff after reading that. Just have to find out where to get it and how much it is Thanks for the info
growing on grown that was full of club root
I got the perlka fertilizer from a guy called Mick Poultney at Cradley Allotments, forget how much i paid for a 25 kg bag but it was not cheap.
The plus side to that is a little goes along way.
It certainly as done the trick and i shall be goimg back for another bag soon.
Think you can but it direct from Tozer seeds.
Thanks Richhard
few more pics of brassicas after using Perlka fertilizer
That looks great Richard. I have got some more brocolli to go out next week so I am going to have look and see if I can get some locally.
I have just ordered the perlka from Medwyns £6.50 until I can find perhaps a cheaper source.
What size Shirl, looking RK, are they netted. ??? ;D
Ikg Kev. It looks like RK's are netted. We net almost everything now. If its not one thing its another.This perlka is purported to be a good fertilizer for everything.I wouldn't think that spuds would like it as its a high nitrogen feed. Will read up some more on it anyway.
Cheers. ;)
Hi Shirl and Kev sorry for late reply.... my brassicas are netted they would not last a day if they were not with the turkey sized pigeons we have round here.
Have found out that I paid £45 for a 25kg bag (£1.80 a kilo ) and if I remember correctly I think that Mick ho i got it from charges £2.00 a kilo for it. I did look at medwyns when I first started looking for Perlka but was not prepaired to pay that price for it. I was quoted about £30.00 per bag from Tozer Seeds for it they charge around £9.50 for delivery. Hope this is useful to you all.
This fertiliser was discussed on here in 2007, it put me off rather.
Hope this is the right link
http://www.allotments4all.co.uk/smf/index.php?action=printpage;topic=28260.0
Hi Shirl;
I'm possibly a bit late with my tuppence haporth but the following might help!
The allotmenteer in the next but one plot to mine had a very bad attack of club root last year and he asked my advice and why is it that with just plot between his and mine he can get affected I don't.
My Reply 'good plant hygeine' as someone else pointed out don't walk from an affected bed on to another that you are planning on putting over to brassicas!
Similarly I advised him to get his plants off to a good start in at least 3" pots of potting compost.
If plants have a fairly large rootball prior to planting they have more chance of surviving an attack.
The next thing is get your pH right and this will help also!
Plus I use Armillatox which OK, it iis a detergent rather than a fungicide / insecticide, but it seems to keep rootfly and cabbage whites at bay (possibly the smell).
Being a detergent possibly it cleanses the soil in some way ( I don't know I'm no chemist) but what I have to say is ; it seems to work! and that is good enough for me.
Last week he came across to me having followed my advice and he was pleased as punch because he managed to harvest his crop this year, something he didn't do last year.
OK the were signs of club root but only a few nodules nothing like the tuberous roots he showed me last year.
I also gave him a link to this slide-show so between what I told and showed him he is a relatively happy man this year!
http://www.thegardenersalmanac.co.uk/Data/Brassica%20planting/brassica%20planting.html (http://www.thegardenersalmanac.co.uk/Data/Brassica%20planting/brassica%20planting.html)
So thats my tuppence ha'port for what it is worth!
Thanks TeeGeee. What I cannot understand is that the plants that came out were really healthy. Its just that the roots were knobbly
Well the Perlka arrived yesterday.On it was a hazard sign.
X
Contains calcium cynamide.
wear suitable protective clothing, gloves and eye/face protection.
Harmul if swallowed. Irritating to respiratory system.
Do not breathe dust. Serious damage to eyes.
In case of contact with the eyes, rinse immediately with plenty of water and seek medical advice.
Store out of the reach of children and animals.
This is the bit that got me.
Do not consume alcoholic beverages 6 hours prior to, during and 12 hours after handling the product.
I am going to ask Medwyns if I can return the product.
Lime, groworganic fertilser and a stick of rhubarb ;) ;) ;) down the planting hole, then home for a glass of wine ( rhubarb) ;) ;) ;)
I have just emailed Medwyns to ask them about the product. I am amazed that it could be sent in the post.
They have to put all that garbage on to cover themselves......If you read all the leaflets that you get inside tablets that you have been prescribed by your doctor telling you what the side effects would be you would never take them ;) ;)
I agree with you RSJK but you hope they make you better and you don't get the side effects with a bit of luck. Any drug I take is from necessity not out of choice plus I never read the leaflet.
No different to not choosing Perlka to grow brassica's in club root infected soil..
I do the same as pumpkinlover, loads of lime, loads of fertiliser and a bit of rhubarb. I find it all time consuming as when I have sown them I also pot them on a few times until they are in large pots then dig a large hole and do the above.
I'm more of a biff, bang, wallop gardener, so not everyone might find it time consuming but it does work.
Can I ask if you wear gloves when you use lime ? and do you use Armillatox which I must admit I used to but stopped when i found out that it killed off amongst other things earthworms Perlka does not do as much harm in the garden as what Armillatox does.
Yes I use gloves when handling Lime.
I've never ever used Armillatox.
What I call fertilisers this year was BFB in with the lime and rhubarb and I have scattered some Growmore around this week.
The respiratory warning worried me too because I have COPD and I have not long got over pneumonia.I do use lime and I do use bonemeal but I use a scoop.
Thanks to you all for the input. All I have to do now is decide one way or the other
Well I have just had a phone call fron P.P. Products. The chap who imports the perlka had been contacted by Medwyns who I emailed about my concerns about their product.
He has assured me that the warnings about the product date back to when it was in powder form and not chrystals. It was also there to warn people who were working with it all day on the fields because it could get into your skin. He is trying to get the alcohol warning taken off because it is no longer applicable.
I must say it was very refreshing to have someone phone me to put my mind at rest.
Hi Shirlton,
We had the same prob here, this year. Club Root just lifted the plants right out of the ground. We think it came in on the horse manure from 3 yrs ago.
Next rotation, we will only lime the row being planted as a cost saver. Prep the ground by forking in a large amount of lime 2 weeks before planting. The seedlings will be in their pots ready for trans planting out but don't. Cut the bottom off the plant pot and place pot into a prep hole with more lime in the bottom of the hole. The root system should be large and healthy and hopefully grow out into the treated soil.
Hope it was some help.
Digmore
I am still open to ideas, so thanks for the info Digmore . Welcome to A4A.