Brassica tap roots

[kris1960]

Are you supposed to break taproots of brassica seedlings?

Read something by Bob Flowerdew where he said it was good for brassicas to be grown in a seedbed and moved several times so that taproot gets broken and they develop better roots.

If that is correct wouldn't it have the same effect if you broke off bottoms roots before planting out? Does this apply to all brassicas?

When planting cabbages today I broke roots off half in that bed to compare but am now worrying that I misunderstood in the first place.

Any info very, very welcome!

[Bigmallly]

A quote I found:

"Brassicas have a tap root, which is where some of the crops in brassica come from. Their stems are not hollow inside, and their vascular bundles are in a ring instead of being scattered like in monocots. In a taproot system, there is one primary root and a few little secondary roots. At the tip of the root is a root cap that allows the roots to push through soil without killing tissue in the roots".

My thought is to leave it alone.

[veggiechicken]

Can you explain that to me in English please BM

In my simple mind, if a plant has a tap root, it needs a tap root so why snap it off ------------unless, its like pinching out the main stem of a plant to encourage side shoots to develop..............but whereas bushy growth may give you more fruit what would you gain by having lots more side roots?

Please excuse me thinking aloud - just trying to understand - and failing

[Bigmallly]

The way I read it, the tap root does the digging thereby protecting the root tissue.

[veggiechicken]

Thinking aloud again - if we split brassicas into 2 groups - the ones that are grown for their leaves (cabbages, caulis etc) and those that are grown for their edible, swollen taproots like turnips, swede, radish) - if you snapped off the taproot of the latter you'd lose your crop. Also, you're advised not to transplant root crops in case you damage the taproot.
So, M'Lud, I put it to you that you cannot go snapping off the taproots on all brassicas - whatever Bob Flowerbucket said.

[muddled]

I have heard that transplanting cauliflowers and thereby disrupting taproot growth led to bigger and better heads.
The reasoning was that the part we eat is the flower and the plants concentrates more energy on the flower if it thinks it might die.
Bit grim but there it is.

I should point out here that I've probably grown about three halfway decent caulis in the last twenty years and that the above theory was told to me by old geezers at the plot....not read in a book or heard on gardeners questions or anything reliable.
Just saying, I heard that too.

[kris1960]

I should point out that Bob H never said to break roots ( and the root thing was an aside in an article about seedbeds I think) - I extrapolated that because I assumed the effect would be the same. Maybe the way the roots develop in seedbeds is different to their development in modules.

As a beginner I read, listen to and watch everything I can but don't have a big enough brain to catalogue, assess and hold all the(often contradictory) information in my head. I would write notes but my double allotment was completely overgrown a year ago and if it is light and I'm not at work I am there digging.

It hasn't helped that the 11 rows that I first planted last year are now being rotated 90 degrees and turned into long thin and mostly raised beds. At the moment I have 28 beds of different sizes and styles to stay on top of while still working on not yet reclaimed ground. I am relying on the grapevine to provide the expertise while I carry on digging.

Back to the question- I did not grow a single decent cabbage last year but my PSB,WSB and kale have been great. All my beds have had copious ammounts of manure, from the farmer next door to the allotments, but I have to confess that I have only just started walking on newly dug beds.

I thought that the problem might have been that planting the modules in loose eath might have discouraged root development particularly if Bob H was right about tap root.

Cabbages and carrots( a warning- I'll be asking about those soon) are becoming my holy grail!

[Bigmallly]

One of the most important thing when growing Brassicas especially if transplanting, is to firm them in, firm them in once then do it again & keep the soil cool.

[kris1960]

Thanks Big!
Should I firm them again today? I have 12" high chicken wire collars around them to protect from pidgeons in early stage but would mulching help keep them cool? I put a thin layer of well rotted manure on top of bed after I dug, firmed and raked it- planted seedlings through it, puddled in and then firmed hard with my hands and watered again. I could put grass clippings in collars if you thought it was a good idea- they are about 10" diameter. The bed is deeply dug, raised with edges cut in at about 45 degrees. I top dressed with blood, bone and fish but didn't incorporate manure because it is virgin ground-now I think about it again I am not sure why I thought that mattered!

Off work this morning for physio appointment- digging and disc problems not the best mix!

[Jungle Jane]

This sounds interesting so I found this link,from Bobs book-sowing,planting,watering and feeding:Bobs Basics. - "Some plants, especially brassica are lifted twice, a method known as double lifting. The first time this is done to break their tap roots, before they are immediately replanted, usually in the same position. They then grow a more fibrous rootball...."
https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=...-2H&sig=<br />
Maybe the word break was meant as brake? I don't know but I can understand where the confusion came from.

[kris1960]

Fab link, thanks JJ!

[Penellype]

Never heard of this before, but might this be the same sort of principle as using rootrainers, which "air prune" the roots and are supposed to produce bigger and better plants as a result? As I understand it the smaller fibrous roots are the ones that feed the plant, so the more of these you get the better.

I'm not sure that breaking the tap root would have quite the same effect though, and I would worry about letting in disease.

[kris1960]

A bit worrying Pen- I pulled of the bottom half inch off the roots because I thought it would cause less disturbance than trying to find taproot. Even as I write the idea seems sillier and sillier. Only did it on 6 though!

[Martin H]

Kris, don't worry, I'm sure your cabbages will be fine. They are tough old things.

[veggiechicken]

A bit worrying Pen- I pulled of the bottom half inch off the roots because I thought it would cause less disturbance than trying to find taproot. Even as I write the idea seems sillier and sillier. Only did it on 6 though!

Don't worry about it - call it an experiment and report back on whether the mutilated ones grow as well or better than the intact ones.