summertime veggies receive all the attention . Tomatoes , squash , eggplants , attic , and melons overrun the handbasket at farmers food market and neighbor share their bounties with each other in August .
But there ’s something extra extra about other outpouring and fall vegetable like brussels sprouts .
You know what I ’m talk about if you ’ve ever gear up a table with a stalk of sprout as the centerpiece . And is there anything in the world more satisfying than snapping off a ripe sprout directly from the stalk in the garden ?
Photo via Alamy.
coolheaded - time of year veggie are wanted because they bug out up when the rest of the garden is still waking up or tucking in for the sleeping season .
We relate to vendors to help you find out relevant products . If you grease one’s palms from one of our links , we may earn a military commission .
That ’s why it ’s so heartrending when a disease steals them before you have the chance to shave them into a salad or guy them with butter in the oven .
We do n’t want you to lose those tasty sprouts . This guide will help you kibosh diseases before they can start . If those sneaky pathogens manage to take detention , we can also assist you get them under control .
Here ’s what we ’ll brood :
What You’ll Learn
Best Practices to Avoid Diseases
You ’re snuff it to comment a approach pattern here . Many of these problems may be avoided with some just basic garden hygiene .
If there ’s one thing you’re able to do that will really help you to avoid most of these problems , it ’s rotating your crop .
A good rule of ovolo is to found something different in the spot where your brussels sprouts were growing for the following two age .
Make certain whatever you implant is n’t in theBrassicagenus , since these industrial plant can also act as hosts .
It ’s also a good exercise to keep your garden Mary Jane - complimentary . There are several types of Mary Jane out there such as wild mustard that are members of theBrassicagenus .
These can dissemble as host to many of the types of fungi and bacteria that infect brussels sprouts .
Finally , always essay to irrigate at the grime level rather than on the foliage or heads of plant . Watering in the morning is adept because the wet will usually have time to dry off during the twenty-four hour period .
11 Common Diseases in Brussels Sprouts
All brassica crop are hit hard by fungal pathogen in especial . We ’ve round off up the most common diseases you might encounter so you ’ll be set up to deal with problems before it ’s too latterly .
1. Alternaria Leaf Spot
Black smirch , also bang as Alternaria leafage spot , is caused in brussels sprout by the fungiAlternaria brassicicolaandA. brassicae .
At first , this disease show up on the foliage as lots of little black spots about the size of a pinprick , but the spots speedily expand and merge , causing the folio to become necrotic and drop .
The symptom commonly start on the broken , quondam leaves , but they can cover the intact industrial plant , including the head of the sprout , as the problem progresses .
fortuitously , it ’s mostly just a cosmetic outlet . And even if it does attack the sprouts , you could unremarkably peel off the extinct leave after harvesting and the internal parts will be fine .
Fungicides can help if you require to keep black spot under restraint .
Ourguide to Alternaria in turnipsis aspire at call the problem in Brassica rapa plants specifically , but you may use all the same treatment on brussels sprouts as well .
The hybrid sprout cultivar ‘ Mighty ’ is insubordinate to Alternaria . view found it next season if you experience this disease to be a problem in your arena .
‘ Mighty ’
receive a heavy fourth dimension finding this particular plant?Burpee comport the seedsso you’re able to enjoy this tasty loan-blend .
2. Bacterial Leaf Spot
Brussels sprout do best when the weather condition is coolheaded and moist . Unfortunately , so doesPseudomonas syringaepv.maculicola , the bacterium that make bacterial foliage dapple .
True to its name , it causes black or purple spots on the leaves , usually with a yellow-bellied halo . These can merge and cause the foliage to be get over in large , wry , brown patches .
The pathogen lives in plant debris and seeds , and any brassica can act as a host , though cabbage , brussels sprout , radish , and turnips are the most common target .
If you ’re garden somewhere that stays relatively ironic , you ’ll probably never encounter this trouble , but masses in squiffy climate should take forethought .
That means always carry care to water system in the morning at the soil level , and not on the leaf or form head teacher .
Always purchase endorse disease - free ejaculate , and be certain to strip up any debris around your plant life .
You should also hit any Mary Jane , particularly those in theBrassicagenus such as mustard greens , cress , and pepperweed .
last , rotate those crops . Do n’t engraft any brassicas in the same place more than once every three year .
3. Bacterial Soft Rot
You ’ve credibly hail across bacterial soft bunk before and you might not even realise it .
This disease causes veggies and fruit of all kinds to rot in depot or out in the subject area . If you ’ve had a tater rot into a kitschy mess in storage , you might have been shell out with bacterial delicate rot .
It ’s cause byPectobacterium carotovorum(previously classified asErwinia carotovora),Dickeya dadantii(previouslyErwinia chrysanthemi ) , and sure type of bacteria in thePseudomonasgenus .
These pathogens enrol your sprouts through wounds on the industrial plant . These lesion can be induce bypruning , wind damage , or dirt ball .
Insects such asaphids , leaf miner , andthripscan also carry the pathogen , and it can be spread in H2O or carried on tools , your work force , or even your dress .
Since there is no cure , you need to take preventative measures against this disease . Ourguide to soft rothas all the tips you ’ll need .
4. Black Rot
You do n’t want your flora to undertake any of the diseases on this list , black rot especially . It can kill an full plant middling rapidly .
Even worse , there ’s no therapeutic . You might be capable to slow it down , but once your plants have it , they have it for life .
The bacteriaXanthomonas campestrispv.campestrisis to find fault for this devastating problem , which causes the roots to molder and the plant to die .
Besides the most obvious symptom of plant death , what do you look for ? At first , your brussels sprout wo n’t show any symptoms . But eventually , you ’ll start to see scandalmongering splotch on the margins of the foliage .
These elaborate into large , yellow , v - shape patch with the pointy morsel aiming towards the snapper of the folio . As the disease progresses , these patches turn dry and dark-brown with necrotic streaks .
Next , the stem start to moulder from the interior and the roots rot underground . Eventually , the plant ca n’t support itself and it starts to wilt , even if there is plenty of moisture in the soil .
It ’s toilsome to catch this disease when it ’s just start because you may‘t see evidence of it , and other symptom can resemble so many other things .
But if you do overhear it , you may treat it with a cop fungicide . It wo n’t stop the disease , but it will slow its onward motion .
Cu fungicide is indispensable . It may be used to handle all form of problems on this listing .
If you do n’t already have some , Arbico Organics carry Bonide Copper Fungicidein quick - to - spray 16- or 32 - ounce bottles , and a 16 - ounce concentrate .
Bonide Copper Fungicide
Your best stake is to avoid sinister rot in the first blank space . set about by buy disease - free seminal fluid , and do n’t plant somewhere where you ’ve had genus Brassica produce in the past three years .
Water at the grease level to avoid splashing water around , since grim rot pathogen spread in water .
Read more about controlling grim rotting in cruciferous vegetables .
5. Clubroot
With a name like clubroot , you might be visualise a works with a bragging , club - like root structure underground . That ’s fairly much the gist of it .
works taint with this disease have distorted , exposit roots with a lodge - like physique . Secondary rootage might have prominent bulb - corresponding growths .
As the disease progresses , the base set out to rot .
Unless you drudge up your plants and give the roots a lookover , how do you screw your plant life is infect ? It can be a bit grueling to tell .
Your brussels sprout plants might be stunt and they could wrick yellow . The leafage will also droop and droop easily with just a bit of heat or lack of water .
There is n’t any good handling other thanadding lime to the soilto raise the pH above 7.0 . This slows or finish the forward motion of the disease , but it does n’t extinguish it .
Since extinguish it all is n’t potential , how do you nullify clubroot , which is due to an obligate biotroph protist calledPlasmodiophora brassicae ?
Well , first , what does that mean ? Let ’s cursorily fix these term .
Rather than being a type of fungi or an oomycete , this type of disease pathogen is a single - celled eukaryotic being that does not jibe into the category of plant , animal , or fungus .
Though often relegate with other fungal diseases , clubroot is in fact something different . A pathogen that rely on works cells for food without killing them ( i.e. an obligate biotroph ) , it will all the same damage and cause stress to infected plant .
Good garden practice like crop gyration , purchasing disease - free plants ( note that it does n’t spread via germ ) , watering at the foundation of plants , and clean your tools , hands , andshoesif you ’ve been in a garden where the disease is present are vital for forfend the facing pages of this disease .
Crop rotation is always a good garden pattern , but it takes on a whole new level of grandness with clubroot .
The pathogen can live in the territory for up to 20 years , but it does n’t have the power to build up as much if you only grow genus Brassica in the same office once every four long time or so .
That say , if you find that you have a serious infection that heavy impact every plant you put there , do n’t put brassicas in that spot at all anymore .
6. Damping Off
Damping off may impact a distressing numeral of vegetable , and an infection stops your veg growing endeavors in their tracks .
When you put your seeds in the soil , they might not emerge or , if they do , they ’re weak and wilted .
You might see a brown , water - soaked lesion at the base of seedling stems .
If your wretched seedlings live on , they ’ll never flourish and you wo n’t have many – or more likely any – read/write head .
To learnhow to preclude and cover with damping off , check out our comprehensive scout .
7. Downy Mildew
Downy mildew is a disease due to the oomyceteHyaloperonospora parasitica , and it ’s incredibly common on Brassica and many other veggies .
It also does n’t weigh whether your plant is untried or old , this pathogen does n’t single out , though younger plants tend to be more negatively impact .
On brussels sprout , symptom first seem as pocket-size yellow or brown smear on the lower leaves . These expand and can finally pour down off total leaves . You may also see a white fungus covering the undersurface of the leaves .
As thing become sorry , the pathogen creep into the root word , heads , and roots , and induce them to rot .
It can be tough to dodge this peculiar trouble , since it lives on germ , in the filth , and on flora material . It can be unfold on the wind and in piss .
You really require to do your best to fend off downy mould , but all of us will probably have to manage with it at some point or another .
When it ’s your turn , stop out the copper antimycotic agent , neem oil color , or Reliant – the latter isavailable in quart containers at Amazon .
Reliant
This Cartesian product is peculiarly effective at plow this disease , but it should be reserved for knockout transmission .
Reliant ( or similar products like Agri - Fos or Monterey Garden Phos ) contain mono- and di - atomic number 19 salts of phosphorus acid , which help to improve the industrial plant ’s underground to pathogen .
Use it every other week while symptom are present , but be careful not to spray anywhere where the product might runoff into any lake , river , or streams .
Regardless of which treatment option you choose , be certain to cover every part of the stalk and leaves .
8. Powdery Mildew
Most case of fungi that infect brussels sprouts attack during nerveless or crocked weather . But powdery mold , cause by the fungusErysiphe cruciferarum , like it when it ’s ardent and dry .
If you produce your sprouts during the former give or former fall , you generally wo n’t have to interest about this disease too much .
Even if your flora is infected with this fungus , it is n’t probable to have the right experimental condition at these time of year to really disperse .
But the climate is change . Spring and downslope are both becoming warmer , and the chances that you ’ll come across this disease outside of the summer months are increase .
If your plants do happen to be hit with powdery mold , here ’s what you ’ll see : leaves will have small , whitened spot that gradually turn into a powdery mould .
quondam leaves are usually impacted first , and newfangled leave are n’t hit until the disease starts to really progress . At that point , the leaves might plough yellow or brown and give-up the ghost off .
Black berth may also form on the sprout themselves .
Some sprout cultivars and hybrid are resistant to powdery mildew . These include ‘ Dimitri , ’ ‘ Nautic , ’ and ‘ Roodnerf . ’
By the way , if you ’re newfangled to turn brussels sprouts , ‘ Nautic ’ is an excellent hybrid for beginners .
It ’s insubordinate to fusarium yellows and black guff and it dependably forms heads , even when environmental stipulation are n’t ideal .
‘ Nautic ’
you may find packets of seeds in a miscellany of sizesavailable from High Mowing Organic Seeds .
You should also seek to fend off letting your plants become too thirsty or give them too much nitrogen , which can exacerbate the trouble .
If powdery mildew is a common yield in your garden , deal your plant preventatively with a product that containsBacillus subtilis .
A preventive discourse that contains other beneficial microorganisms such asLactobacillusand phototrophic bacterium can do double - responsibility by preventing disease and encouraging healthy , vigorous growth .
Biojuvant Beny - Gro
Biojuvant ’s Beny - Gro comes in quart- or gallon - sized concentrate that you’re able to use as a foliar spray or soil soaking . Find it at Arbico Organicsif you want to purchase some .
To treat be powdery mildew symptoms , go out the ol’ true copper fungicide .
Learn to cover powdery mildew in our guide .
9. Ring Spot
Heads up , we ’ve convey another fungus here that ’s just wait to make a repast out of your brussels sprout !
Mycosphaerella brassicicolacauses a disease called tintinnabulation pip which , as its name suggests , causes small spots on foliage .
These bit are different from those because of Alternaria leaf berth in that they ’re gray and have tiny little flecks of black inside the circles .
While the spots do n’t form on the sprouts , enough spots on the leave of absence can slow down plant maturation or even abridge your harvest home .
It spreads in cool , damp weather via water and breaking wind , and can live in the ground for age . revolve your crop every class , piddle at the soil level , and plow with weekly sprays of copper fungicide as long as it is present .
10. Verticillium Wilt
Verticillium is terrible , horrible , no good , very defective news .
It ’s because of the fungi Verticillium dahliaeandV. albo - atrumand set on tons of unlike veg , fromwatermelontopotatoes , and all ofthe cole crops .
There is no cure , and plant that contract this disease will often die .
Vert , as it is sometimes call , usually causes less severe symptom on brussels sprouts than it may on other type of plants .
But less serious , in this case , means potentially no harvest or a severely reduced one rather than speedy death .
So what symptoms are we talking about ? Because much of the harm pass off to roots and stems where you ca n’t see it , you may begin to notice wilting before you see anything else .
Your plants will wilt in the passion of the good afternoon , even if they have plenty of water , and then find at night or in the break of the day .
You ’ll also see brown or yellow lesions on the leaf as the disease progresses . Eventually , the leaves may become flat and strike off , set forth with the older farewell at the bottom .
Since there ’s no cure , what can you do ? First , plant resistant varieties such as ‘ Capitola , ’ ‘ Confidant , ’ ‘ Dimitri , ’ ‘ Doric , ’ ‘ Marte , ’ Nautic , ’ and ‘ Speedia . ’
Rotate your crops so non - host plant get for four years between host plants .
move out dope , always sanitize your tools , and solarise your dirt in the off - season to reduce the number of infective fungi in the filth .
11. White Rust
The oomyceteAlbugo candidacauses a disease ordinarily call white rusting or white blister in brassicas .
The most obvious foretoken that your plant is infected with this pathogen is waxy raised white bumps on the underside of the leaf . These finally plow dark-brown .
The pinnacle of the leaves will usually have yellow spot , and thesprout heads might be small or deformed .
Prevention , as always , is a better choice than trying to treat the problem after it takes hold .
That mean spread out crop so that brassicas are n’t grown in the same position more than once every four years . Keep weeds out of your garden , and water at the base of plants .
For more entropy on identifying , preventing , and treat white rust , find out out ourguide to treating white rust fungus on turnips . The treatment and bar mental process is the same for brussels sprouts .
Don’t Let Diseases Destroy Your Favorite Dishes
I get laid , this list seems so long that there ’s no chance your brussels sprout will scat unscathed . Not to occupy , you have the knowledge you need to protect your precious veggie !
If you feel like this guide help oneself you out and you ’re ready to persist in yourbrussels sproutsjourney , you might desire to take a look at some of our other guide aimed at assist you arise this marvelous brassica . These let in :
© postulate the Experts , LLC . ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.See our TOSfor more point . Product picture via Arbico Organics , Burpee , High Mowing Organic Seeds , and Quest Store . Uncredited photos : Shutterstock .
About
Kristine Lofgren
