[Parsnip]

My plot neighbour has it. He showed me one of his cabbages that had it yesterday.. :blink:

Our plots were fallow for about fifteen years before we took them on,..He grew everything himself from seed, brought nothing in at all. He is an elderly guy and a  very experienced  grower who is there virtually everyday and has his plot full of stuff and it is perfect!

Could I be affected from his plot I wonder...? I planted my greens sometime after his so they are nowhere near ready. I'm not sure what causes it, could the manure he used affect it?

[SG6]

Club root is a fungal disease.
There is no chemical cure so once present it can only be restricted but seemingly not eliminated.

To minimise the effect it is best to grow seedlings in pots to a bigger size then normal then plant out. The plants start out with a bigger root system and get affected a little later in their development.

In effect growing from seed in the ground causes the seedlings to be exposed to the fungus earlier.

Club root can be reduced by liming the soil, raising the ph. The fungus simply does not do a well in alkaline soils. Also improve the drainage, raised beds?.

Weeds related to brassicas may well have "supported" the fungus before you came along and started to cultivate. Possible weeds are: shepherd’s purse, charlock, wild radish.

Some cultivars show some levels of resistance:  calabrese ‘Trixie’, swede ‘Marian’ and kale ‘Tall Green Curled’.  Cabbages ‘Kilaxy’ and ‘Kilaton’ and cauliflower ‘Clapton’ also show resistance.

It seems like damage limitation is the order of the day and select any brassicas varieties with resistance but couple that with treatment of the soil.

[Parsnip]

Thanks SG6, when you say wild radish I assume you mean horseradish ? Mine is absolutely covered in it caused by the rotovating they did to the plots before I started.

[SG6]

Whatever wild stuff is/was there would not cause it but once the fungus found it's way to your plot, and the surrounding area, it would be a source on which the fungus would feed and multiply.

There will be several wild species that are of the brassica family that will feed the fungus. Seems that the fungual variety likes damp neutral to acid conditions. Hence the liming and improved drainage to minimise it.

Does make me wonder if a heavy watering using a fungicide solution would help, but probably an impractical option.

Present problem is that fungus thrives in warm damp conditions and with the slow change in climate that is the direction we are heading towards. So all of them will be on the increase. So it will be a good idea to start considering it sooner rather then later and plan accordingly.