importing club root

[solway cropper]

I've never had any trouble from club root until this year when a couple of caulies were badly affected. In early summer I bought a tray of cauliflower plants at a boot sale because I didn't have any of my own ready. Eight of them thrived but two have always looked a bit sickly and refused to heart up. I pulled them up today and found the dreaded club root. My question is: can club root be brought onto a plot through infected plants?

[Pies]

The plants could have been infected before you got them,and yes you can import clubroot but its more likely via the soil as its a fungus. For a small area id dig out the area around where the plants were grown and dispose.
I avoid buying plants for my plot as this is the easy route to importing many pests and disease

[solway cropper]

Hmmm, in the brassica bed this year I've grown cabbage, cauli, kale, broccoli and swedes and the only plants infected were two of the bought-in caulies. I'm hoping the plants were infected before I put them in the ground but I will dig out the soil and dispose of it.

I very rarely buy plants, preferring to raise my own but I couldn't resist 10 caulies for 50p. False economy I think

[Thelma Sanders]

it's safe to buy from garden centres and the like, because they raise them in compost
it's the ones that have been raised in the ground that can pass clubroot on to your plot, that's why I never buy/accept plants that have been soil grown..too risky by far!

[Snadger]

Yep.....................having recently got rid of clubroot which my allotment plot had, I have no intention of bringing it back in by accepting freebies from other plotholders or God forbid, buying in brassica plants!
Its strange the way Cauli's are particularily prone to clubroot or for that matter cabbage root fly? They must have a more open cell structure to allow entry of either the 'grub' or the fungus.
Thats why kale isn't so susceptable because it has a denser cell structure.
The new 'clubroot resistant' brassicas all have kale in there lineage.

[solway cropper]

Lesson learned and suitably admonished. I won't ever again buy in brassica plants, even if they are 10 for 50p.

[Pies]

Silly thing is brassicas,for me, are the easiest to raise from seed.no propagator required just sow on some compost cover lightly and keep moist

[marchogaeth]

it's safe to buy from garden centres and the like, because they raise them in compost
it's the ones that have been raised in the ground that can pass clubroot on to your plot, that's why I never buy/accept plants that have been soil grown..too risky by far!

I'm resurrecting to double check that this advice still stands - not that I doubt you at all Thelma and Snadger, it's just that things change all the time. My PSB is a bit of a disaster area - my fault and I'm thinking about risking buying some. Am I also correct in thinking heavy liming also helps control?

[Penellype]

My understanding of clubroot is that it is easily imported and hard to remove. Seeds grown in bought compost should be fine as the seeds won't carry it and compost should be sterilised. Any plants grown in soil risk transferring it to your plot, as does cold composting the lower parts of infected brassicas. You can also transport it about on your boots, so be careful where you walk!

I think I read somewhere that lime helps - I think the fungus prefers and acid environment.

[Snadger]

I think you would be reasonably safe buying from reputable GC's. I've often wondered about composted waste sold as soil conditioner from local authorities? Householders wanting to get rid of clubroot infected material will usually put it in the bin, won't they? Theoretically the heat generated in the composting process should kill the fungus but does it?
Anyway, I digress, just steer clear of car boot sales for brassicas.