cutting asparagus
Moderators: KG Steve, Chantal, Tigger, peter
is it best to cut all the stalks,up until the end of ? June is it? or select a few from each plant. I read somewhere cutting them encourages the plant to throw up more, but i've just been taking the chunky ones and now the others are about 2 foot tall
It depends on the age of the plants. Once they're established (3 years or more) you can cut all the spears for up to 6 weeks, then leave the rest to go to fern before chopping down in November. If they're first or second year plants - don't cut them at all. Third year - take the thicker spears and leave the spindly ones.
I grow mine in raised beds and keep them tidy (from June to November) by a 'fence' of string.
I grow mine in raised beds and keep them tidy (from June to November) by a 'fence' of string.
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Jenny Green
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If you are cutting them you're supposed to cut all the stalks - thin and thick - otherwise the plants slow down production of shoots. They only keep sending up shoots to replace the ones that have been cut off - so if you stop cutting them off.....
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Jenny Green
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Sorry to disagree Tigger (just read your post properly) but this is what I've heard.
Oh Tigger I do I do but am I allowed to express them.
There are several trains of thoughts on what and what not to do when cutting Asparagus.
I only cut the edible ones and leave the rest.
I feel that the very nature of the plant doesn't match up with what Jenny has written. If you leave the thin ones I feel that you will leave a plant formation below ground which will in turn send up more spears next year. I cannot see what you actually achieve by cutting the the thin'uns.
Lets face it you do not cut anything for a couple of years to allow the thin ones that do appear to grow in size so I really do not see what Jenny's method is actually doing to the plant structure below ground.
The trouble is that I am trying to think and type at the same time and you know what we men are like trying to do two things at once!!
If I stop and have my normal medicinal I may be able to think more clearly.
Regards to both, Johnboy.
There are several trains of thoughts on what and what not to do when cutting Asparagus.
I only cut the edible ones and leave the rest.
I feel that the very nature of the plant doesn't match up with what Jenny has written. If you leave the thin ones I feel that you will leave a plant formation below ground which will in turn send up more spears next year. I cannot see what you actually achieve by cutting the the thin'uns.
Lets face it you do not cut anything for a couple of years to allow the thin ones that do appear to grow in size so I really do not see what Jenny's method is actually doing to the plant structure below ground.
The trouble is that I am trying to think and type at the same time and you know what we men are like trying to do two things at once!!
If I stop and have my normal medicinal I may be able to think more clearly.
Regards to both, Johnboy.
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Jenny Green
- KG Regular
- Posts: 1139
- Joined: Sat Nov 26, 2005 4:47 pm
- Location: East Midlands
This has intrigued me because I'd thought it was received wisdom to always harvest all the spears. So I've been looking around the www trying to find out about it and it seems both practices are common. This site backs up my original reasoning:
http://www.thegardenersalmanac.co.uk/Data/Asparagus.htm
A plant will continue to send up shoots to replace those that have been cut off. So if you don't cut off all the shoots it won't send up as many because it has fewer to replace. However a plant will exhaust itself sending up shoots too (a good organic way to kill perennial weeds is just to keep on cutting down any shoots from them). So it also makes sense to let some spears grow so as not to stress the plant too much.
My experience is that my plants send up lots of thick spears and don't seem to have been affected by my cutting all their spears down until the final harvest (probably in the next few days
)
http://www.thegardenersalmanac.co.uk/Data/Asparagus.htm
A plant will continue to send up shoots to replace those that have been cut off. So if you don't cut off all the shoots it won't send up as many because it has fewer to replace. However a plant will exhaust itself sending up shoots too (a good organic way to kill perennial weeds is just to keep on cutting down any shoots from them). So it also makes sense to let some spears grow so as not to stress the plant too much.
My experience is that my plants send up lots of thick spears and don't seem to have been affected by my cutting all their spears down until the final harvest (probably in the next few days
)