I've been getting some conflicting information about brown parsnip canker which i've now declared to be my biggest enemy. According to NVS information God, Dave Thornton, it is an air borne fungus that manifests itself as yellow spots on the foliage during the growing season. When the spores 'sporellate' (his word not mine) they land on the surface of the growing medium, in my case sand, and then work their way into the parsnip via the crown.
There is also a black canker which would appear to be soil borne and which i'm fairly sure I don't suffer from. Both diseases do not like free draining soil which my sand obviously is, nor the application of lime which I include in my borehole mix. When you consider I didn't get a spot of 'canker' on my Pinnacle parsnips in 2008 i'm at a loss as to why I've suddenly suffered from it in the last couple of seasons. As I have said, I shall be drenching the sand with Jeyes Fluid when refilling the drums which should kill any overwintering spores in the sand....if there are any!
Another consideration is that parsnips can suffer from carrot fly attack and i'm now wondering if it was actually these little critters that have caused me the problem. I've searched on the internet and the signs of attack on parsnips doesn't appear to look the same as it does on carrots. They appear to be shallower (perhaps the grubs don't find them as palatable as carrots?) and brown rather than the black tunnelling you get on carrots. Either way it means I shall have to erect a physical barrier over my 'nips this season to prevent all possible scenarios. When I exhibited these parsnips at Leicester in 2008 a fellow NVS man reckoned they would have competed at National level and I would dearly like to get a set of 5 at Llangollen to compare against the very best. I always pull quite a few parsnips for a couple of shows on August Bank Holiday weekend but as I am now committed to having a go at the National I shall hopefully be taking some with me to Wales instead.
And just a quick word to wish Andy Murray all the best on Sunday as he bids to become England's first tennis grand slam winner in over 70 years. Go Andy!
9 comments:
Not sure how relevent it is, but I got an attack of the brown canker variety last year on my container grown parsnips, but not on those on the plot. My solution was to remove the infected leaves as soon as I spied yellow spots and burn them. The resultant new leaves were not infected at all and were clear for the rest of the season. Although not of exhibition quality by a country mile, my eventual harvest produce lovely clean roots with no sign of disease.
P.S. Good perspective in that photo, Simon. It's only us that have met you that will notice those roots are just 2'6" long.
Hi
Dont know if this helps-Jeyes fluid is a disinfectant-which does not kill bacterial spores.
Sterilising kills spores-I use baby sterilizing fluid on my pots.
I dont show so dont know if would make a difference.
This info is on Jeyes website...
"Jeyes Fluid can be used for a multitude of outdoor cleaning tasks, from neutralising odours and killing bacteria in and around drains, to disinfecting after pet fouling or clearing up wild and domestic bird mess. It is also perfect for clearing fungi, mould and algae from paths, driveways and patios as well as cleaning and disinfecting pots prior to planting."
That'll do for me!
They do look impressive mate
I hope this is the sort of thing I am able to grow
If my pipes yield snips half the size I'll be well chuffed. Very impressive, best of luck warding off the canker.
aye they look nice simon all the best for this year.i will be trying to get the same results with mine. and am doing polar as well.
They were good but it was 3 seasons ago.
You're only as good as your last season and last season my parsnips were crap.
Smithy - How were your carrots last year( oh and your peas??)
They were crap too! Lol
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