Cauliflower and its possible diseases
Unfortunately for gardeners, almost all crops grown, including cauliflower, are subject to some kind of disease or pest attack. Everyone can cope with them, the main thing is to recognize the first signs and help the plant.
Diseases of cauliflower
- Bacterial head rot manifests itself in the fact that spots appear on the heads, which are characterized as watery. Subsequently, they become brown. Prevention and control: shed the soil with 0.4% colloidal sulfur (5 grams per square meter) even before planting the seedlings. Destroy infected plants by burning them together with the roots.
- Cabbage mosaic appears 1-1.5 months after the seedlings are planted. The veins on the leaves become lighter, a dark green border forms around them. Then the leaves wrinkle, as the veins stop growing, necrotic spots can be noticed, the leaves may fall off prematurely. Carriers of the pathogenic virus are weeds, aphids and infected neighbors in the garden (that is, already sick cauliflower), therefore, the fight against the disease implies the eradication of weeds and the destruction of aphids.
- Blackleg. The disease affects the plant at the root collar, it becomes thinner, darkens, and a typical "constriction" appears. The plant dies. The root system practically does not develop, the root can be easily pulled out of the soil. Greenhouse plants that are too densely planted are more likely to get sick. High temperature and humidity contributes to the development of the disease. Timely airing, loosening the soil, adding sand, careful selection of healthy seedlings before planting in open ground will serve as prevention.
Cauliflower in general, as far as I know, is a more capricious plant, it often gets sick, in our case, due to the climate, a black leg often arises, therefore we do not especially grow this type of cabbage.
I also had to deal with a cauliflower disease such as fusarium. It manifests itself by staining the leaves in red-orange colors, in addition to everything, they dry out and curl. The disease is fungal, so the only way to fight is to dig up and destroy. Then it is useful to disinfect the soil where diseased plants grew with a solution of copper sulfate.