Broccoli plants - early senility

Broccoli plants - early senility
Broccoli plants - early senility

On such a day with high sun and 10-12 ° in the greenhouse, it was quite appropriate to go house walking in there among the overwintering plants, in order to be able to detect any signs of dissatisfaction or misdevelopment early on. And it was there.

Upon closer inspection, the small broccoli plants were found to be in imminent danger of developing what is called early senility, and therefore risk having an excessively short and unproductive life. The roots had reached the bottom of the pot, and when they could not move on they had begun to twist around and around instead. And when the roots can not grow downwards, it makes the plant react as if it can not grow and is now an adult - after which it goes over to Step 2 and puts flower or fruit. In broccoli, small 10-20 cm tall plants suddenly form a middle pea the size of a pea. Which then blooms. In spit bowl, the plant blooms without forming quite a few leaves, let alone the hint of a head.

The risk of misdevelopment is of course greatest when the weather in the early winter has been relatively mild - where it is important to detect the early signs before the light returns in February and the plant growth starts again. And with timely care, the treatment is pretty straightforward: repotting into larger pots. Therefore, overhaul of the overwintering is a fixed item on the todo list for January.