Cauliflower diseases and pests
The database lists 5 problems recorded on this crop. 2 of them can cost the whole harvest, and 3 survive in soil or debris into next season — those are the ones that decide your rotation. The largest number are active in June.
Pressure through the year
The number of problems listed as active in each month. Pick a month to see what to sow, plant and harvest then.
Start from what you can see
What actually prevents them
Water at the base of the plant in the morning, never over the leaves. Splashing soil onto foliage is the delivery route for every problem listed here, and morning watering lets anything that does land dry before nightfall.
Applies to: Alternaria Leaf Spot (Brassicas)
Mulch the soil surface. A physical barrier between last season's spores and this season's lowest leaves removes the first infection of the year, which is the one that seeds all the others.
Applies to: Alternaria Leaf Spot (Brassicas)
Give the plants their full spacing 60×70 cm and keep the centre of each one open. Air moving through the planting dries the leaves faster, and leaf wetness duration is what turns a spore landing into an infection.
Applies to: Alternaria Leaf Spot (Brassicas)
Rotate this bed and everything else in the same family on at least a three-year cycle. 3 of the problems below survive in soil or crop debris between seasons, so returning the same crop to the same ground hands them the host they were waiting for.
Applies to: Cabbage Root Fly, Clubroot, Alternaria Leaf Spot (Brassicas)
Clear and remove the spent crop at the end of the season rather than digging it in. Debris left on the surface is where the persistent problems overwinter, and next spring they start from your own bed rather than from somewhere else.
Applies to: Cabbage Root Fly, Clubroot, Alternaria Leaf Spot (Brassicas)
Keep watering and feeding even rather than generous. Several problems on this list are not infections at all: they are the plant reacting to a swing in water, temperature or nutrient supply, and consistency prevents them where no spray can.
Applies to: Boron Deficiency
Keep affected material out of the compost heap — 1 of these survive a garden heap and come back with the finished compost. Bag it for municipal green waste, which is composted at temperatures a garden heap does not reach.
Applies to: Clubroot
Every listed problem
Ordered by how much they can cost you.
Fungal diseases(2)
- ClubrootSevere
Stunting, wilting in midday heat, and yellowing of older leaves above ground; swollen, distorted club-shaped roots below ground that rot and smell.
- How it spreads
- Soil and crop debris
- Compost
- Keep out of the compost
- Conditions
- 12–27°C · humidity ≥70% · wet leaves / rain
- First move
- Fix the cause, not the leaf
Also at risk: Cabbage, Radishes, Kale, Broccoli, Brussels sprouts, Kohlrabi
- Alternaria Leaf Spot (Brassicas)Moderate
Round dark brown to black spots with concentric rings, like a tiny target, often with a yellow halo. Spots enlarge, merge and shred in wind. On cauliflower and broccoli the curd develops sunken black specks that make it unusable.
- How it spreads
- Rain and irrigation splash
- Compost
- Hot compost only
- Conditions
- 18–28°C · humidity ≥85% · wet leaves / rain
- First move
- Treat, then re-check in 5–7 days
Also at risk: Cabbage, Kale, Brussels sprouts
Pests(2)
- Cabbage Root FlySevere
Young plants wilt in sunshine, recover overnight, then wilt worse each day until they die. Leaves take on a blue-grey cast. Pull a failing plant and the roots are ragged stumps riddled with white maggots.
- How it spreads
- Soil and crop debris
- Compost
- Safe to compost
- Conditions
- 10–25°C
- First move
- Fix the cause, not the leaf
- CaterpillarsModerate
Ragged holes and chewed leaf margins, stripped stems, dark green or black droppings (frass), and tunnelled or bored fruit; large green or striped larvae present.
- How it spreads
- Carried by insects
- Compost
- Safe to compost
- Conditions
- 15–33°C
- First move
- Treat, then re-check in 5–7 days
Also at risk: Cabbage, Kale, Broccoli, Brussels sprouts, Kohlrabi, Sweetcorn
Nutrient deficiencies(1)
- Boron DeficiencyModerate
Brown, corky patches inside beetroot, swede and celeriac roots. Cauliflower curds go brown and the stem is hollow with a brown lining. Growing points die, young leaves are brittle and distorted, and fruit sets poorly.
- How it spreads
- Not contagious
- Compost
- Safe to compost
- Conditions
- dry air ≤45%
- First move
- Fix the cause, not the leaf
Why rotation matters here
3 of these overwinter in the soil or in crop debris rather than on the plant. Pulling the sick plant does not remove them: they wait for the same host to come back to the same ground.