How to Handle Clubroot in your Vegetable Garden

Clubroot is a plant disease that affects broccoli, brussel sprouts, cabbage, kale, radish and turnips as as those plants associated with the cabbage family that are not mentioned.

This disease is caused by an organism that attacks and destroys the root system of your plants. The roots will look swollen, have lumps and look wilted.

If not caught early and handled properly the disease could release spores that could spread to the rest of the soil.

Here is how you can handle and control clubroot.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

1. For starters choose a species of plant seed that has been engineered to resist clubroot. This will go a long way in helping to prevent the disease from getting into your soil in the first place.

2. If your garden has been infected with clubroot, do not use any type of animal manure as fertilizer for at least 3 seasons. The clubroot organism can attach itself to manure and spread, defeating the whole purpose of fertlizing in the first place. Instead use organic compost made from grass clippings, leaves and food scraps. If you don't have a compost pile, now would be a great time to start one.

3. Take a pH sample of your soil and get the level to around 7.2. This can be done easily by adding compost, calcium or ground up limestone depending on where your pH level currently sits.

Resources

• Home Vegetable Gardening Resource
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