Dodgy asparagus

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Dodgy asparagus

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nettie

Joined: 02 Dec 2004
Posts: 5888
Location: Suffolk

Posted: Mon Apr 18, 05 9:14 pm Post subject: Dodgy asparagus
Hi there, some of the taller spears of my asparagus look sort of pinched at the base, and squashed, and a bit brown. Is this just good old fashioned frost damage or could it be something a bit more sinister? Please help, I don't want to lose any more of them!

Treacodactyl
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Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 25795
Location: Jumping on the bandwagon of opportunism

Posted: Mon Apr 18, 05 9:21 pm Post subject:
Do you get many slugs? Do you have many stones? Was the bed manured and was it very fresh?

Treacodactyl
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Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 25795
Location: Jumping on the bandwagon of opportunism

Posted: Mon Apr 18, 05 9:25 pm Post subject:
Looking in Mr Hessayon's Veg Expert he also mentions frost can turn the new spears black; if the shoots are spindly then too many may have been cut last year; and if they have purle mould it may be all over.

nettie

Joined: 02 Dec 2004
Posts: 5888
Location: Suffolk

Posted: Mon Apr 18, 05 9:27 pm Post subject:
A) no B)yes C) don't know as I only got my mitts on the plot a month ago! Parts of the plot have been manured but it looks pretty well rotted to me. The newest shoots look OK so far. Any ideas, Treacy? Are slugs a problem? My home asparagus bed never got nibbled.

Treacodactyl
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Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 25795
Location: Jumping on the bandwagon of opportunism

Posted: Mon Apr 18, 05 9:33 pm Post subject:
Our slugs will nibble the shoots. Stones also deflect new shoots on our bed and very fresh manure may burn the shoots but I've not seen that. I'd remove and burn any very damaged or rotting shoots and see what happens.

nettie

Joined: 02 Dec 2004
Posts: 5888
Location: Suffolk

Posted: Mon Apr 18, 05 9:44 pm Post subject:
Well I actually nibbled one (Can't bear to waste the stuff!!) and there was no loss of flavour, although the stem had a few sort of air pockets in.

Treacodactyl
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Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 25795
Location: Jumping on the bandwagon of opportunism

Posted: Tue Apr 19, 05 5:59 am Post subject:
It's still early for the main shoots so see what happens over the next month.

judith

Joined: 16 Dec 2004
Posts: 22789
Location: Montgomeryshire

Posted: Tue Apr 19, 05 8:54 am Post subject:

nettie wrote:

the stem had a few sort of air pockets in.

That definitely sounds like slug damage to me.

nettie

Joined: 02 Dec 2004
Posts: 5888
Location: Suffolk

Posted: Tue Apr 19, 05 5:09 pm Post subject:
No holes on the outside though Judith, just sort of hollow on the inside. Am baffled!

judith

Joined: 16 Dec 2004
Posts: 22789
Location: Montgomeryshire

Posted: Tue Apr 19, 05 5:13 pm Post subject:
Very odd. Unless it is those pesky underground slugs getting in below the soil line and working their way up inside.

Treacodactyl
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Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 25795
Location: Jumping on the bandwagon of opportunism

Posted: Tue Apr 19, 05 5:41 pm Post subject:
Is the bed too dry?

nettie

Joined: 02 Dec 2004
Posts: 5888
Location: Suffolk

Posted: Tue Apr 19, 05 9:11 pm Post subject:
I wish I could say it was!

Bugs

Joined: 28 Oct 2004
Posts: 10744

Posted: Wed Apr 20, 05 7:22 am Post subject:

Nettie, I had a look on the big bad internet for you and found this from a US website:

"Hollow Stem. Bodnar (5) reports that warm, wet growing conditions favor the development of a hollow cavity in the middle of the spear. This problem is compounded where excessive nitrogen has been applied, causing rapid plant growth. "

From this site: https://ohioline.osu.edu/b826/b826_14.html

So you said the bed isn't dry and you don't know if it was manured recently (or depending on where it is could it have got fertilised by a neighbouring plot as well/instead?).

Are you able to post a pic of the inside of the stem or have you scoffed them all?

nettie

Joined: 02 Dec 2004
Posts: 5888
Location: Suffolk

Posted: Wed Apr 20, 05 11:53 am Post subject:
Bugs you are a star. I reckon that could be it. Thank you! And yes I have scoffed the not-too-bad ones

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