Club root prevention

[brooklynodog]

I`ve just discovered that the land our new allotments are on has had clubroot in the past. The farmer has advised liming. If I use the same tools there as at home what precautions should I take to prevent taking it home? Is liming effective, and at what density?

[baggyman]

Grow your plants as big as poss to get a good root system before planting out.
Make a hole for your brassica, put a liberal amount of lime in and around the hole (half a hand full) put the brassica in and fill the hole with compost to allow as little contact with your soil as possible.
This is what I've been told anyhoo!

[Snadger]

Don't use the same tools for home as the allotment. Clubroot has microscopic spores and you deffo don't want to be bringing it home with you!

On a positive note clubroot doesn't herald the end of growing brassicas. I'm growing clubroot resistant cabbage which is very good, clubroot and mildew resistant swede, which is also good and clubroot resistant cauli's which i haven't tried before but are reported to be good.Kales are fairly clubroot resistant with there cellular system being very tight (Ah-la walking stick kales!)
Loads of information on the vine about it so if if you have it confine it and live with it! It's not so bad, honest!

[hawthorns]

ah a fellow baggie on the site boing boing

[gojiberry]

I just live with it by doing as baggyman said grow the plants on in pots to a reasonable size then plant out. The plants may still get a bit of clubroot but not enough to affect the crop.

[brooklynodog]

"Don't use the same tools for home as the allotment. Clubroot has microscopic spores and you deffo don't want to be bringing it home with you!"

Is there no way of sterilising them?

[Waffler]

Isn't this the 'rhubarb leaves in the hole' scenario? You put your rhubarb leaf (or part of I guess, since they're pretty big leaves) in the hole before planting your brassica on top and treating as normal. Never tried it myself, so no idea whether it works.

[Snadger]

Isn't this the 'rhubarb leaves in the hole' scenario? You put your rhubarb leaf (or part of I guess, since they're pretty big leaves) in the hole before planting your brassica on top and treating as normal. Never tried it myself, so no idea whether it works.

It DID work for me with spring cabbages.........apparently Oxalic acid is the active ingedient in rhubarb leaves!

Clubroot makes growing brassica's INTERESTING!

Liming is recommended for two reasons:-

A) Brassicas prefer a soil which err's on the side of alkaline

B) Clubroot prefers Acid conditions

If you already have clubroot though, and your soil is already alkaline I see no benefit in applying lime!

If you haven't got it and you don't want it, practice crop rotation and NEVER accept brassica plants from anyone, always grow your own from seed!

[Snadger]

Is there no way of sterilising them?

I've heard of people rubbing there tools with a petrol soaked rag, but I'm not sure of the efficacy of this practice! It can be spread on your boots as well remember!

Personally I wouldn't take the chance, as when you've got clubroot you could be stuck with it for at least 12 years and possibly for ever.

[baggyman]

If club root likes acidic soil, wouldn't adding rhubarb leaves that contain Oxalic Acid make things worse?


Come on you baggies!!!

[Snadger]

If club root likes acidic soil, wouldn't adding rhubarb leaves that contain Oxalic Acid make things worse?


Come on you baggies!!!

I think it's a matter of degrees of acidity!

Anything under 7 ph is considered acidic and even very acidic soils are rarely under 5ph, whereas a pure acid will have a Ph of 1!!!!
As a matter of interest tea leaves have an even higher oxalic acid content but because we use so few leaves in a cuppa it's not dangerous!

Another thing I noticed was that clubroot seems to be more prevalent in the warm summer months (most fungi like it wet and warm) so winter brassicas didn't seem to suffer as much as summer ones!