[AlistairMcLennan]

Hi folks,

Just pulled some parsnips and I have noticed what looks like rot on them. Pic attached to help.

Help from the knowledgable folks would be grateful.

Cheers

[JayG]

It's parsnip canker, caused by fungi which attack damaged parts of the root, usually after carrot fly larvae have attacked them, and therefore usually worse near the tops.

It can happen even without carrot flies (e.g. if slugs or even careless hoeing has damaged them) but in my experience the carrot fly is usually to blame.

If it's not too bad you can peel off the damaged parts - the rest will be fine.

Using fine netting is the only sure way of keeping the flies at bay - they don't usually get affected as badly as carrots do so I don't bother, although sometimes I think I should when I dig up a particularly 'cankerous' specimen. 

[AlistairMcLennan]

JayG - thanks for your reply. Thought it might be canker but rather than look like a fool and say that's what I thought, better to get knowledge folks to help. I did have my protection frames with enviromesh over it for most of the year, only lately took it off as the leaves were getting totally squashed by the height of the frame.

Thanks for the help

[beesrus]

In a world sadly going net crazy, including me, a little canker is usually a very small price to pay to have one of our main allotment root crops net free.
My only worry with the fly and uncovered parsnips is that it might encourage more flies to over-winter on the plot
As of yet, a price worth paying with canker resistant varieties. Even the supermarket parsnip luvvies have a bit of canker on occasion.

[JaniceB]

I got all my parsnips up today and a couple of the larger ones looked a little like your picture. I cut round the damage and there was still plenty of crisp white parsnip underneath. Five of them have just been turned into a spectacular spicy parsnip soup!
I was hoping to leave them in the ground as I needed them but a critter was eating them from the bottom up. I have similar hopes for some late carrots however I suspect a two-legged critter nabbed those as I found perfect rows of carrot-shaped holes and no tell-tale skins or rejected tops that the voles/shrews/mice usually leave!

[theothermarg]

I lost a lot of parsnips this year and think the culprit was Muntjac as the top 2/3 inches have been gnawed away
it is very fond of brassicas (that includes swede) as well and usually leaved a slimy little pat fortunately most of these are netted against birds it's footprints shows it has tried though.
Have just dug up a few that it left me and a lot of root ends that it couldn't get at.
So it seems if I am to have any next year even roots will have to netted. They don't stop mice eating beet and carrots of course  or should I say deer o dear 
marge
 

[AlistairMcLennan]

beesrus - I only use the enviromesh on the items that I need protecting. I am not a fan of using sprays on my plants if I can avoid it. For my strawberries, I use a lot bigger mesh so the bees and likes can get into to get the pollen.

JaniceB - I cut out the bad bits as they looked good apart from the bit of canker. I am leaving them in the ground as I am pulling a few each week so it will not be long before they are finished off. Thankfully, I only have to worry about the 4 legged moggie and he doesnt like my veg :-)

theothermarg - My veg patch is at the bottom of my garden so I do not get any wildlife that should eat anything. I do like to net my veg to save it being eaten to death my the bugs. Also, the slugs have taken a real liking to my garden so I got my pellets at hand.

I post videos to Youtube if anyone is ever interested https://www.youtube.com/user/AlistairMcLennan

Thanks for all the replies

[Goosegirl]

JayG - thanks for your reply. Thought it might be canker but rather than look like a fool and say that's what I thought, better to get knowledge folks to help. I did have my protection frames with enviromesh over it for most of the year, only lately took it off as the leaves were getting totally squashed by the height of the frame.

Thanks for the help

Just as an aside, never think you are going to sound like a fool if you put your opinion on here and it turns out to be wrong, as this site isn't one that disses anyone for that. As it turns out, you were right! 

[Ema]

Had this on a few of my parsnips last year and had very bad carrot fly problems on my carrots too

[Lesleyk]

I don't know if this will help, but my understanding is that the fly can't actually get at plants that have an 18", or higher, barrier around them, so I routinely put a low "fence" of netting around my carrots and parsnips when I sow the seed, and it does seem to work, with the odd little bit of canker on the parsnips which I can put up with.  Like other contributors, I prefer not to use chemicals if I can avoid them.

[AnneB]

I don't know if this will help, but my understanding is that the fly can't actually get at plants that have an 18", or higher, barrier around them, so I routinely put a low "fence" of netting around my carrots and parsnips when I sow the seed, and it does seem to work, with the odd little bit of canker on the parsnips which I can put up with.  Like other contributors, I prefer not to use chemicals if I can avoid them.

I find that I need to net completely.  A barrier open at the top just doesn't work for me.  Carrot flies are very small and can get blown by the wind.

[AlistairMcLennan]

Many thanks for all the replies.

I do have protection frames, so it was covered for a large part of the year until it looked like the tops of them were being squashed but the frames. I might be just something I need to live with (squashed tops).

I was thinking of buying canker resistant seeds like Gladiator F1.

[JayG]

Don't put too much faith in the canker resistance of Gladiator - I grow them and they're a good reliable variety but they still get canker, although of course I have no way of knowing how much worse it might be with a different variety.

[AlistairMcLennan]

JayG - Yeah I think will reply on the Enviromesh Frame to keep those bugs out that I dont want and also make sure I am killing off the dreaded slugs 

[JayG]

Make sure you don't leave even tiny gaps at the edges of the netting - carrot flies may well be crummy flyers but that doesn't mean they can't walk towards their targets!