Asparagus

[Westi]

In my established old bed I have 2 asparagus that only ever puts up skinny spears & I mean skinny, probably not even 1/4" round, but pretty tall however the stem is really fibrous almost the whole length. I pretty much ignored it as got plenty of others, but also wondered if it was a different variety but all checks came up with nothing like it.

Any ideas why these are so skinny & how I could improve them? They get the same treatment as all the others, but something is not making them happy, nor ever has.

Cheers in advance!

[Primrose]

Maybe they ARE different varieties Westi which were mislabelled when you got them. If every year the performance of these two plants is poor compared to the others and the growing conditions are the same throughout the bed.

I,d consider replacing them with a different variety and see how how the newcomers perform . Could you also try replanting these two low performers elsewhere temporarily and see if that affects how they grow next year?. Unlikely that the soil in that spot has perhaps been contaminated in some way, ie having petrol or oil poured onto the surface?

The other possibility is that these plants have become diseased in some way but afraid I,m not an asparagus expert. You might have to dig up the crowns st some convenient point, wash the soil off and inspect them more closely. Perhaps they have weevils of some kind burrowed into them?

[oldherbaceous]

Afternoon Westi, I think I am right in saying this, if you have a crown with all thin shoots it is a female crown….so it will always produce thin stems.

[Primrose]

Well, I learn something new every day OH!! I never knew asparagus crowns came with male and female versions.
I must be very unobservany but if it,s possible to tell the difference when buying or ordering them why is it I,ve never noticed customers being given a choice of which sex of crown to order?
And do the different sexed crowns have any other features like the number of spears they tend to produce?

[oldherbaceous]

I’m sure someone told me this many years ago, Primrose, so I hope I have it right…so I take it all the ones sold, should be Male crowns and have bigger spears….

[snooky]

There is another possibility in addition to variety size and fertilization results. Asparagus crowns migrate to the surface of the soil over time because the new crown grows on top of last year's crown every year. Asparagus beds should be maintained so 3 to 5 inches of soil covers the crowns. Crowns that are cultured too shallow yield spindly spears.

I have the same problem and amongst other answers on another specialist site on Google I found the above.So,after the ferns die back later in the year I shall pile up the bed with a good load of compost to see if that helps.

[Westi]

Hi to you all & thank you!

OH one of the old guys told me they could be female but they don't produce berries so he went off scratching his head. The bed is over 15yrs old & the 2 affected are near each other & I did plant 2 large beds so maybe got tardy with the depth, like Snooky suggests. I just thought as the crowns re-produced they spread out not up & in the time they have been in they could well have breeched that 5" depth. I just do a normal light mulch each year more for weed control than anything else.

I will be calling the farmer behind end of year for one of his 'special' deliveries & it might be opportunistic to edge the old bed so all the older crowns have a good depth so no more succumb.

I just love this site for getting great advice! X

[Westi]

Just a catch up to say thank you! Your advice was spot on. I got lucky with some edging boards so raised the old beds over a foot (near emptied the large compost pallet bin) & mixed in some seaweed fertiliser & crossed my fingers. They are so much thicker & healthy looking & even have the purple tint back. Still the odd slender one & the slightly younger bed has to really take off, but peeking out!

I am so lucky for finding this site, for you sharing your knowledge & teaching me, plus I really enjoy the humour & friendship element. Oops nearly forgot you are the most tolerant & diverse individuals & I love the honest chatter & getting to know you from afar!

Thanks again,

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[Primrose]

So glad you,ve had some success with your asparagus. I,ve always regarded it as a luxury drop to grow and not necessarily an easy one so enjoy every stalk It obviously enjoyed the seaweed fertiliser!

[Stravaig]

I shall avoid saying "In my established old bed I'm lucky to find a toy dog..." (His name is Ralph.)

He waved out of the car window at a woman with a lovely doggie in Whitstable who looked like a bigger version of Ralphie (the dog, not the woman). I never expected her to notice but she gave me a big grin and waved back. She probably thought I was a nutcase of some sort. It's great when people are kind. It made me laugh.

Asparagus. Doesn't it take years to grow, maybe three or four years before you get any results? Not good for a nomad then.

[Primrose]

So glad you,ve had some success with your asparagus. I,ve always regarded it as a luxury crop to grow and not necessarily an easy one so enjoy every stalk It obviously enjoyed the seaweed fertiliser!

[Primrose]

Never having grown this crop I,m wondering what exactly triggers those fat plump stalks. Luck? Maturity? Fertiliser? A combination of everything I guess , assuming you on ly get thin stalks in the early years which you can,t pick my way for fear of weakening future crops.
Obviously not a vegetable to start growing in old age then !,?

[robo]

I planted my bed around 9 years ago I’ve been getting a decent crop most years some better than others I find the crowns seem to travel or they swell one year and part of the crown dies the following year

[Westi]

I've always said my asparagus beds pay for the plot as when mature it pops up earlier when the shops are selling it at extortionate prices, but the old bed is about 18 & with years & years of growth on top of the crowns it was suffering. You can short cut the time to harvesting as they now sell asparagus plants not just crowns. I have them in the new bed, I have 3 beds, the really old one cleverly saved by the excellent advice on here, a slightly younger one probably 14yrs & both beds got a top up. I harvested a bit in year 2 of the plants bed, not too much. It works well now as the newer ones show later so can get a regular supply.

I do love other veg as well but they don't save me as much except for some of the orientals but they aren't as reliable! Yesterdays harvest from the old bed which definitely shows how much they enjoyed the top up - not a really spindly one in the mix! Slightly younger ones will be harvested tomorrow & then will have the plants not crowns to take next.

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[Breq]

We just got a new raised bed (with higher sides!) for OH's asparagus -old bed was held together with rope and hope . Of course the dimensions were a little different to the old, so there was some chopping out and replanting with fingers crossed. We put the usual load of compost on top and waited. It does not look at all fazed - yay! 20 years old and going strong...

yes, it takes up a bit of space but it gives him a smile everytime he comes back with a load of spears