[borderowl]

Hi folks!
            some of  my caulis and sprouts have started wilting and look like they're dying.
I planted them out about a month ago. Anyone know what's causing this? regards Kev

[Stoatus]

Could it be club root?

http://www.allotment-garden.org/grow-your-own/vegetables/brassicas/club-root

[Gandan57]

Ten to a penny it`ll be cabbage root fly.

Pull up the plants and see if the roots have been eaten and are full of maggots.

[shoozie]

Dont know, but this has been our spring with brassicas. 

We had cutworm a few weeks ago which killed one young cabbage over night - lifted the top and it came out, minus its roots - found the culprit and have followed Trillium's tip to plant a small stick against the stem.

 But over the last 10 days four young cabbages started wilting and losing colour, recovering only briefly after watering. Lifted the ones affected yesterday - loads of white root fly 'larvae'' feeding on the roots.  maybe worth lifting one to see if anything is lurking below.  We've now got collars - bit late for the rest of the early plantings and hope they have weathered the storm - at the moment they seem not to be affected...... at the moment !

[borderowl]

I pulled a couple up and there's no root left, just white maggoty things! When I got home from work tonight more than half of two beds have succumed I take it I can't save the others now can I? It's a shame, they looked really healthy when I planted them out!

[shoozie]

That's bad news borderowl. The rest of ours, so far anyway, seem to have weathered the first storm - though they are in a different bed (though I doubt that's relevant really). 

I found this article interesting
http://www.which.co.uk/documents/pdf/cabbage-root-fly-151755.pdf

It suggests  there is no treatment available to us.  But, that watering and a liquid feed might help more established plants.  Also earthing up. 

Personally, I'd lift all those showing signs of being affected - and concentrate on the ones looking OK (though there may still be larvae below) by watering and feed - that's what I'm doing as well as collaring from now on (gate and bolting comes to mind ). I also dug out most of the larvae I could find.  Hopefully somebody with more experience with this pest will give you more thorough advice

Best of luck

[borderowl]

Thanks for that shoozie. I''ll put some collars round the ones that are ok at the moment, if it's not too late. BTW what's best to feed them with?

[devonbarmygardener]

It certainly sounds like cabbage-root fly with those maggots.
I have a feeling that it is too late to collar them now unless you move the healthy ones to another bed.

It hasn't been a good year for brassicas. I've lost 2 sowings of brassica seedlings - all types - PSB, cabbage, black kale and caulis.
I'm on the third sowing now and fingers crossed they seem to be enjoying all this rain!!

[devonbarmygardener]

Oh I forgot feed!
I use a nitrogen rich foliar feed once they're in and growing and before I put them in I pre-lime the bed with granualar lime (a few weeks before planting) and throw a bit of granular growmore in with the seedlings.

[shoozie]

i gave them a liquid feed of cheap multi-purpose from b-n-q directly into the soil below the stem - don't know of this is the best, but it was the only liquid feed I had available to give them a quick boost.  

[borderowl]

Thanks for the help folks. If I dig them up, inspect the roots and maybe move them, would it not kill them? Also, is it too late to sow some more now? regards Kev

[devonbarmygardener]

There are some brassicas that can be sown and grown all year round - they are often called 'All Year Round'. Check your seed packets. A lot of greens have 2 growing periods - one as a winter cabbage and then later as a spring green.
If your remaining brassicas aren't al maggoty then they should survive a move. They're normall quite resilient plants.
 

[borderowl]

Thanks for that. If you put collars on them, do you have to keep making the holes bigger as the plant grows?

[mumofstig]

do you have to keep making the holes bigger as the plant grows?

the design means you don't have to

[borderowl]

This 'grow your own' lark is quite time consuming eh? The things you have to do! 
It's a good job I'm not relying on it to keep me alive!