Kitchen Garden Forum

can anyone advise me on successful control of clubroot, thanks

Hi David,

I think you have maybe posed an impossible question. You want successful control of clubroot. When I suffered from clubroot on allotments in Leeds, I tried all the suggested methods of control - none were successful in the sense of eliminating the effects, but some did allow me a fairly decent crop. I now live in Wales on land that has no clubroot.
Rather than putting together all the things I tried I offer this link which says almost all I could remember:-

http://www.powen.freeserve.co.uk/Guides/clubroot.htm

With effort you will get some brassicas, so best of luck.

Alan

hi alan

many thanks for your help. i will kep trying

Hi David,
Sadly the top end of our village has Club Root and the general consensus is that Oilseed Rape was the culprit but to me the jury is still out.
Several of the gardeners have managed to grow quite decent crops by sowing the seed in modules and potting on twice before planting out. Module then 9cm pot then 1.5 litre pot then make the planting hole to fit the 1.5L pot then lightly liming the inside of the planting hole. It appears that because the plant has got quite a well formed root system and they seem to be protected by the lime dusting that they seem to grow on well and actually give a crop. I know this sounds like a fag but I'm afraid Club Root is something that is almost impossible to get rid of.
Lets hope you find a solution.
JB.

hello JB,
many thanks for your advice, it seems all is not lost and i will try the pottng on method

Power to your elbow David!
JB.

I have heard that rhubarb leaves put in the soil where you are planting are a good way to stop clubroot.

Hi Viki,
I have heard before that Rhubarb Leaves help to combat Club Root but I cannot fathom out how this could occur.
If you go to the website on Alan's posting it will tell you that CR likes acidic conditions and Rhubarb leaves have a concentration of Oxalic Acid that is so high it is deemed poisonous. Now I have no doubt that what you are saying maybe in some way true but why!! Could Oxalic Acid be the exception?
Has anybody got any reasonable explanation?
JB.

hi viky

i will try the rhubarb leaves as there is no shortage of them. the problem will be remembering which plants have received which remedy. many thanks

Dear David,
potting out large plants, liming and rotation are the keys to tolerating club root in your soil.

The more alkaline your soil to ph7.5 the less the plants will be affected. So liming the soil before planting is a good idea. Do a ph check before and after putting on the lime but wait at least 2 months before the second test to allow the lime to wash in.

Also rotation of at least 4 years between brassica crops. Better still 6-8 if you can. Do remember that the brassica family includes a lot of the oriental greens, radish, swede, turnips and mustard and cress. Also I think some of the overwintering green manures are members of the brassicas. Do a little research to make sure.

Regards Sally Wright.

dear Sally,

thanks for your advice. i do lime the plot at present but havent tested the ph. i will extend my rotation plan to at least 4 years. thanks again,

regards,

In April's Organic Gardening magazine (sister publication to KG), there's an article on pests & diseases. Clubroot - lime the ground to above pH 7l; rotation; apply fresh poultry manure 3-4 months befoe planting out; hide brassica root secretions with rhubarb stem in the hole when you plant out the brassicas; sow seeds in pots/modules; and of course, they suggest to garden organically!

I've used the rhubarb method.

thank you multiveg. did the rhubarb method work?

Seemed to - we had crops. One year, a 5lb cauli! Not repeated - gone away at wrong time and come back to caterpillars/slugs...

There are clubroot resistant seeds available now for most brassicas, which seem worth a try.