What is Club Root Disease?

Club Root is a disease that most commonly affects the brassicas cabbage and turnip families in your vegetable garden. Caused by a soil-bourne fungus Plasmodiophora brassicae that infects susceptible plants through their root hairs. Fungal spores can be spread on the wind and via water and garden tools so there may be little you can do to stop the disease taking hold in your vege patch and the organism can live in the soil for up to 10 years! 

Disease development occurs over a range of conditions but favours excessive soil moisture, low soil pH and soil temperatures between around 17-25 degrees Celsius. Diseased roots become knotted, swollen, and deformed (clubbed) and often crack and rot making it difficult for the plant to absorb water and nutrients. As a result the plant wilts and fails to thrive.

How to spot the early signs: 

• The first sign is a wilting plant, especially in dry weather.
• The plants fail to develop well and often fail to develop a crop.
• Examining the roots will show swellings and roots that look knobbly, like advanced arthritis!

My Cabbage has Club Root - now what?!

Once cabbages and turnips have Club Root in your vege plot you are stuck with it for some time. Even fungicides won't remove this soil-dewelling organism, unfortunately. The great news, however, is that you can continue to harvest cabbages successfully with the Club Root resistant varieties - these are called our "Success" varieties and are part of Nichol's extensive vegetable seedling range.

The easiest way to help avoid getting Cub Root in your plants is to rotate where you grow your cabbages, cauliflower, brussel sprouts and broccoli each year - i.e. never grow them in the same ground each year - move them to a different area in your garden if possible.

Sometimes it is easy to forget where the cabbages were planted last year so if you are doubtful then the simple solution again is to plant Nichol's "Success" range of cabbages and cauliflowers that have been proven to resist Club Root.

As an extra precaution, hoe a trench where you want to plant your seedlings, fill with Organic Compost and then plant your brassicas.

Solarisation:

You can also try "Solarisation" - a technique that helps to reduce or elmiate many soil inhabiting pests including fungi, insects, weeds and weed seeds. 

• Place a clear plastic tarp on the soil surface and secure in place and leave for 4-6 weeks during the hottest months of the year.