[pol and mick]

Hi, i am a new allotment owner .I have just dug up 6/7 cabbages from part of the plot that the previous owner grew.Only 1 of the cabbages had what i understand to be clubroot :cry: .I was thinking of growing potatoes in this area.Seeing as only 1 cabbge was affected,would this suggest that any disease there may be in the soil is only slight.Can i grow potatoes here or would it be best to dig lime into the soil and not plant anything in that area for 2 months :?: .The ph of the soil is 7 - 7.5.

[DD.]

There is no known cure for club root. It is a fungal disease that can survive in the soil for 5 - 10 years or more.

There are ways to LESSEN the severity of the attack such as liming but it is not a cure. Growing brassicas in 3" pots so that they have a large rot ball when planted out helps as well, but the plants will still be attacked & the club root perpetuated.

Potatoes are not brassicas and can safely be planted in affected soil.

[pol and mick]

Thanks for the advice dd, i'm glad i can still use that area of soil.

[R66VEY]

i would still lime before i put the potatoes in

[DD.]

i would still lime before i put the potatoes in

The RHS say NOT to...

http://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profiles1200/crop_rotation.asp

as do a lot of other sites when doing a Google search. Numerous mentions of the use of lime increasing the chances of scab.

[gobs]

the use of lime increasing the chances of  scab.

I'd say, it increases scab, whereas manure reduces it.