Grow Your Own Magazine

hi all, over wintered in the greenhouse, either cabbages or caulis not sure which they have now been in the bed outside for a few months now been doing fine, about 12inch or so high,but at one end of the bed they're starting to wilt, moreso today with the sun out, pulled 2 out last week and threw them, now, this wilt seems to be affecting others, i have a membrane down, so they're not dry.it's a fresh bed.built this yr, any pointers ? thanks.

the only problem we have had is over watering they fall over or the stem goes brown

now only one of us waters them and they seem to be doing fine I startd them of in pots and
Mrs D planted some out on teuesday have to go have a look tomora

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Some things in their natural state have the most VIVID colors
Dobby

It sounds like cabbage rootfly to me. The first symptom you see is sudden, terminal wilt. It's more common on young plants, but it's the right time of year for it to happen.

Did you examine the root of the plants when you took them out? You are looking for half-inch long white maggots around or in the stem.

Or a cutworm check to see if they have been ringbarked where they meet the ground and take a good chunk of earth out with the poorly plant and check if there is anything under the plant, if you find anything BASH ITS BLOODY HEAD IN

Another possibility is clubroot but I think you would have noticed when you pulled them out!

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My Majesty made for him a garden anew in order
to present to him vegetables and all beautiful flowers.- Offerings of Thutmose III to Amon-Ra (1500 BCE)

cutecumber, i did'nt check, just pulled two more up and the roots were clubbed? the earlier ones, the root were ok ,but they were slightly younger plants, can't find the maggot, maybe they're in the soil, so, at the moment it is looking like club whatever you call it?
What would you do ? can't bear to rip them out, but, if that's what i need to do, then i will

Carefully, examine the swollen root - cut one swollen bit cleanly across. There is a type of pest which forms galls (hollow swellings) on the roots - they contain a bug.

This is less serious than clubroot.

If they are affected by clubroot, they may not produce a crop, but you can try and feed them up and see if you can help them. If you think this is what it is, DO NOT compost the plants and roots. Burn them or dispose of them in the dustbin. Take care to wash your tools if you are going to use them in an unaffected part of the garden or you will spread the disease.

I'll try and find some picture of the various problems and you can compare your plants.

Here is a factsheet on Clubroot, just in case.

http://www.gardenorganic.org.uk/factsheets/dc4.php

It is difficult, but not impossible, to grow brassicas in infected ground. You need some tips and tricks.

cutecumber, i'd actually already snapped a swollen root,and it was solid, nice and clean actually, gave them a good feed as you suggested, looks like i'll have to settle for club root then.
I'm a bit peed off tbh,this is the first time iv'e used this bed/soil, must of infected it somehow.
could'nt get that link to open by the way.
thanks.

Libbyloulou

Clubroot is a fungal disease and is very persistant. It can live in the ground for 12 years or so without a host plant!

If you type in 'clubroot' as a search on the forum there is a lot of information available.

It only attacks brassicas and there are clubroot resistant cultivars available!

Firstly I would positively get it diagnosed as clubroot though!

__________________
My Majesty made for him a garden anew in order
to present to him vegetables and all beautiful flowers.- Offerings of Thutmose III to Amon-Ra (1500 BCE)