Return to the Vegetable Gardening Forum
| Post a Follow-Up
Kale has trunk/stem rot, please advise
| | |
Posted by
SunshineZone7 (
My Page) on
Sat, Sep 6, 14 at 15:04
| My Kale has been going strong all summer despite the cabbage worm damage. Now many of the plants are drooping so I inspected and found the trunks are mushy and full us tan goo. It is really gross! So I pulled the affected plants but I realize this is probably going to spread to all plants. 1. What can I plant (edible preferred) in this space right now that will not be affected by the rot? This is in my front yard so I cannot leave the space empty. 2. How long will this disease linger in my soil? |
Follow-Up Postings:
RE: Kale has trunk/stem rot, please advise
| | |
| Are you sure the rot is from disease and not because of bugs? Rodney |
RE: Kale has trunk/stem rot, please advise
| | |
| I don't see bugs when I pull the plants. Other than some cabbage worms on underside of leaves. There is an area on the stem that will be completely mushy. If it was a bug what bug would do that? |
RE: Kale has trunk/stem rot, please advise
| | |
| My issue this year with my dino kale was cabbage loopers. BT helped with that and I'm going to use Tulie fabric next year to keep the butterflies off of them. |
RE: Kale has trunk/stem rot, please advise
| | |
| I don't see bugs when I pull the plants. Maybe a bug tunnelled into the stem and the opportunistic microorganisms took it from there? |
RE: Kale has trunk/stem rot, please advise
| | |
There are several root rot organisms that attack brassicas. Sclerotinia sclerotiorum, a fungus. Another fungus Leptosphaeria maculans (dry rot) Phoma lingam (Black leg) another fungus that can cause havoc. Black rot Xanthomonas campestris pv. campestris is a bacteria that that plugs the water conducting tissue of the plant causing severe wilt. Infection will lead to soft rot organisms. Phytophthora megasperma another fungus but one that thrives in warm wet conditions.
Fungi are difficult to control and all of these have an extended life span in the soil and are also carried on the seeds. |
Here is a link that might be useful: root/stem diseases of brassicas
RE: Kale has trunk/stem rot, please advise
| | |
| Probably was cabbage root maggots. I get them bad in turnips and rutabaga. You could put carrots there or lettuce or spinach, anything but brassicas. I am sure there is no rot involved other than what the bugs did. I sometimes pull turnips that break in the middle. |
RE: Kale has trunk/stem rot, please advise
| | |
| Thank you for all the responses. Whatever the problem it is spreading from plant to plant. I am down to my last 5 plants. I was really hoping to enjoy my kale into late fall but at this rate my remaining plants will be affected within the week. I still cannot figure out for sure what is doing this. Farmerdill, I am looking into all the possibilities you detailed. Thanks again |
RE: Kale has trunk/stem rot, please advise
| | |
| Companion plant your brassicas with herbs, marigolds, and carrot family. This is how I learned to grow them and my kale plant is bug free. I think the soil chemistry of these pants together helps deter bad bugs. |
RE: Kale has trunk/stem rot, please advise
| | |
| The rapid spreading suggests sclerotinia rot. Do you see a white fuzzy growth on the bottom of the stem where the rot is? Pull up a dying or dead plant and split the stem open where the rot is. Do you see any hard black things looking like mouse poop? |
RE: Kale has trunk/stem rot, please advise
| | |
| See it is mushy, no bugs no black things |
RE: Kale has trunk/stem rot, please advise
| | |
| Perhaps a bacterial soft rot such as Erwinia or Pseudomonas? |
RE: Kale has trunk/stem rot, please advise
| | |
| Yes after searching and searching I think it is a bacterial rot. I am trying to figure out how long this will persist in my soil, and any way to stop the disease process. |
RE: Kale has trunk/stem rot, please advise
| | |
| Spring sown kale really doesn't do well through hot summers--and you're zone 7, right? For fall/winter kale, I sow in mid July. And of course, rotate your crops. |
Post a Follow-Up
Please Note: Only registered members are able to post messages to this forum. If you are a member, please log in.
If you aren't yet a member, join now!
Return to the Vegetable Gardening Forum
Information about Posting
- You must be logged in to post a message. Once you are logged in, a posting window will appear at the bottom of the messages. If you are not a member, please register for an account.
- Please review our Rules of Play
before posting.
- Posting is a two-step process. Once you have composed your message, you
will be taken to the preview page. You will then have a chance to review your
post, make changes and upload photos.
- After posting your message, you may need to refresh the forum page in
order to see it.
- Before posting copyrighted material, please read about Copyright and Fair Use.
- We have a strict no-advertising
policy!
- If you would like to practice posting or uploading photos, please visit
our Test forum.
- If you need assistance, please Contact Us and we
will be happy to help.
Learn more about in-text links on this page here
