[Totty]

I posted recently that i was worried the ph may be too alkaline in our new garden. I was reassured it should be fine. Celeriac is growing well, but the autumn cauliflowers in the same bed dont look too special. A couple of the plants have got purple/red outer leaves and dont seem to be growing away as i think they should. The lettuce and courgettes in the next bed are growing but not thriving, and in a third bed some PSB plants look ok with no red on any leaves at all. What is going on?

Totty

[Trillium]

There should be simple home test kits for testing soil pH levels available at garden centres. Phone around to find one and do the test which takes only a minute, and you'll know for sure. Then you'll know what to do for next year.

[JayG]

By all means check the pH of your soil, and check it in each of the beds as it may differ (you presumably have no way of knowing what has or hasn't been done to the soil in the past.)

It takes time to understand your soil type and also how different parts of the garden may suit some crops more than others (sun, rain and wind exposure, for instance.)

In the short term it wouldn't hurt to give everything a liquid feed for a quick boost and hoe in a little general purpose fertiliser for a longer-lasting feed.

[Salmo]

Those plants sound as though they are short of nitrogen. A bit of liquid feed or some sulphate of ammonia should perk them up.

[Totty]

ok thankyou!
 Forgot to mention that i did a ph test and it is showing a ph of between 7 and 7.5. I hoed in a bag of farmyard manure and a sprinkling of sulphate of iron to try to tip the balance slightly.

Salmo stated what i thought may be the problem in that there may be a shortage of nitrogen. Am i right in thinking that using some nettle tea may give them the boost they need if this is the case? If so does anybody have the dilution rate, and how often should they be fed. Thanks in advance.

Totty
 

[Yorkie]

Impossible to give a precise dilution rate because nobody knows the strength of your original liquid!  Aim for the colour of weak tea, which may be 1:10 but may not be 

I'd try it a couple of times and see if they perk up.

[Totty]

Ok tahnks for all advice

[Totty]

Ok i think i have found the problem. while watering the cauli plants earlier, i noticed one of the plants with discoloured leaves was wobbling a bit. I pulled it, and low and behold, maggots in the root! I pulled the other three dodgy plants and they all had the maggot!
 Not having any felt mats to hand, i cut some sacking up into squares and slit them, so as to surround the plant base as the root fly mats would. The sacking is impenetrable, with no small holes but will let water through if that makes sense. Will this be adequate to keep the fly off the remaining plants?

Totty

[Yorkie]

I suspect that the damage is done for this year, but nothing ventured.

[Totty]

As you thought! the damage was done. I have now lost all my Caulis, PSB, and kale in one hit! New garden looking very bare. DT Brown to the rescue with winter and autumn brassica packs....hopefully the collars that accompany them will stop the little XXXXXXXXXX!!!

Totty