Why do cauliflowers "blow"??

[Emmylou]

I've had a go at growing cauliflowers (All Year Round). They have been looking really well and I was sure I was sure they were going to be successful, curds started to form but " blew" before they reached any size at all. Can anyone tell me why?
The soil is fine, they have been well watered and fed weekly with Maxicrop.
Tips please, my dad could never grow them either!
Thanks!

[TEB]

I would hazard a guess that it is a soil problem, Caulis like a firm and fertile soil and to be well firmed in when planting and the soil to be on the alkaline, they are also a thirsty plant.

[pukka.tukka]

Hi

I got a lovely cauli from Lotty yesterday. Hubby called me over and said look we have five caulis, I did not beleive him beacuse as we stopped growing them as they never did any good. So I say ingnore them and they turn out nicely.

The ground that has them in did have buckwheat in overwinter, so maybe that helped.

[PAULW]

EMMYLOU
No problem with the plants the problem is the operator, when the cauli makes its flower that is it it will not get any bigger, if it is golfball size that is all you will get, as soon as the curd goes from a solid tight head to starting to open slightly cut it, I cut five cauli's on saturday smallest cricket ball size through to a good supermarket sized one.

[gojiberry]

To temperamental for me, I'll stick to broccoli types. They grow in half the time and are just as good.

Ian

[Florence Fennel]

I don't find them temperamental at all. I grow "All the Year Round" and they have been huge again this year. I plant (very firmly) in raised bed, don't feed, plenty of water and the freezer's full again. Keep trying!

[solway cropper]

I have a heavy soil and caulies are one thing that seems to love it. Picked a head yesterday that weighed just under two pounds!! During the dry spell I gave them lots of water which probably helped. I also limed the soil before planting.