Brassica probs

[Clara]

Anyone have any idea what would cause cauliflowers and broccoli to throw out lots of leaves and relatively small heads (that seem to bolt quite quickly). My soil is quite poor (an ongoing project), it's a sort of dry silty clay (this is spain so the clay soil is not wet) that gets a hard cap very easily. Aside from the general soil improvement we're doing (making raised beds and trying to get as much compost and muck in there as poss), is there anything that I could concentrate on doing to this years beds for these guys that might make them happier.

BTW they are healthy looking plants and they taste good, I'd just like more return for our efforts!

[Odsox]

I think you answered your own question Clara, cauliflowers especially like rich soil and cool(ish) growing conditions.
Best thing to do is first check the pH as all brassicas like the soil a bit on the limey side.
Then what I do is to raise the seedlings in pots and when I plant them out I dig a hole twice as big as necessary and throw a good handful of pelleted chicken manure in the bottom, partially fill and plant the cauliflower on top.
If it's a bit warm where you live maybe try growing caulis in the cooler months.

[The Riff-Raff Element]

The other thing it could be is a slight misbalance of nutrients. A relatively high nitrogen / low potassium & phosphorous combination would favour foliage production over flowerheads, and since it is flowerheads you want in cauliflowers & broccoli this would be a problem.

Certainly I'd start by checking for a pH: around 7.2 is ideal, but not higher than 7.5 otherwise nitrogen becomes more mobile in the soil than K or P leading to the above.

If the pH is OK, I'd add a little dried blood to the soil to encourage the flower heads along a bit. Oh, and as much water as you can spare.

Good luck!

[Clara]

Thanks for all that, I will dig out the pH meter when it gets warm enough for me to dare go outside.

Water isn't the problem, they've had loads, we don't have to ration it at all. I'm wondering if there is an alternative to the dried blood, since I reckon I'd have a hard time getting it here (unless I off some of the useless cats I've got hanging around ), is this for the P and K? Is there a plant source that I might have growing? How about donkey poo - got loads of that!

[Millymollymandy]

Dried blood is pure nitrogen (N) but so is horn/hoof type of stuff too. Can you get anything like that there? Failing that maybe if you chopped up some stinging nettles and put in the planting holes as they are stuffed full of nitrogen - no idea how effective that would be but just a thought!

Actually isn't chook poo nitrogen rich as well - not that you can use it fresh but maybe composted. Or you could make nettle tea like people do with comfrey and that'll add nitrogen as a feed when you water.

[The Riff-Raff Element]

Dried blood is pure nitrogen (N) but so is horn/hoof type of stuff too. Can you get anything like that there? Failing that maybe if you chopped up some stinging nettles and put in the planting holes as they are stuffed full of nitrogen - no idea how effective that would be but just a thought!

Actually isn't chook poo nitrogen rich as well - not that you can use it fresh but maybe composted. Or you could make nettle tea like people do with comfrey and that'll add nitrogen as a feed when you water.

OOPPS - MMM is quite right (it was past my bed time) and it is bone meal that should be used to avoid increasing a surfit of nitrogen and boost phophorus and (to a lesser extent) potassium. The other stuff that might work help is wood ash, which contains practically no nitrogen, but is particularly rich in potassium. The potassium is there as the oxide, which will also bring up pH.

[The Riff-Raff Element]

Re. the usless cats: I'm not sure how much blood you'd get, even if you were assiduous in giving them a good wringing. But I have heard that walling cats up in new buidings is supposed to bring good fortune (though obviously not for the cats concerned), so you could try burying a couple in the veg garden (stun them with a shovel first or they tend to wriggle) and see if that helps things along. If nothing else it would thin 'em out a bit.

Note to cat likers: obviously I would never actually do this, but I find daydreaming so theraputic

[Millymollymandy]

Oops too, I only read Clara's last posting so was giving info on nitrogen, not realising that was what she didn't need!

[The Riff-Raff Element]

Oops too, I only read Clara's last posting so was giving info on nitrogen, not realising that was what she didn't need!

What a pair we are! Good job we're not paramedics or air traffic controllers or something or there'd be some real carnage

[Clara]

Raffers - glad to see we share the same dark humour, sadly we've just finished the extension.