[RichardC]

A couple of my caulis have died and I'm not sure why. Went to the plot theis morning and while all the rest look healthy, two of them were flat on the ground and when I had a look, the leaves just fell off 

Any thoughts?

Richard

[Yorkie]

Has anything eaten away at the roots?

[peterjf]

could be wind rock , ytrr banking all the caulis up , right upto 1st leafs , then give them a good soaking , caulis love plenty of water and liquid feed ,

[MoreWhisky]

Didnt know that peter thanks for the tip.

[daveylamp]

look for chaffer grubs

[RichardC]

Thanks for the advice all.

They were only planted out a couple of weeks ago and were planted right up to the bottom leaves and have certainly had plenty of water, although it has been pretty hot since they were planted (until now!).

What would a chaffer grub look like daveylamp? There were no obvious signs of any visitors.

Richard

[beansticks]

They are great white/creamy ugly things with short legs,often found where ground has been cleared of grass.Other possible cause could be clubroot.

[strangerachael]

another possibility is club root - I had a couple of brassicas keel over last year and when I pulled them out I could see the roots looked like big clumps of white wax.

[RichardC]

They are grown from seed in new cell trays then potted on into new pots, before being planted out, Have only been out a couple of weeks and I know that they haven't followed other brasicas, even though it is my first season on this plot. I know this for a fact, as the previous seasons brasicas were still in place in another bed!

Would club root still be a possibility? Really don't want to think about that!

No sign of any beasties when I went to the plot this evening to get some salad leaves for tea.

[Yorkie]

Club root can persist in the soil for years, but if brassicas were grown successfully on the plot last year (i.e. didn't have really gnarled roots when you dug them up) then I'd consider other options first. 

[RichardC]

Thanks for that yorkie, makes me feel a bit less worried.

Think I will just keep a watching brief on the other caulies for now and see what happens. I will keep you posted.

Thanks all.

Richard

[daveylamp]

chafer grubs mostly under lawn but have had lettuce and cabbage eaten just under soil with a grub about the size of a ladys little finger leathery looking thing.

[strangerachael]

Club root isn't necessarily a disaster - although I had a couple of plants affected last year, I haven't had any this year. You can help prevent it by getting the plants to a good size before planting out, and putting plenty of lime in and around the planting hole.