Cauliflower farming guide

Cauliflower is a cool-season crop and a descendant of the common cabbage. It is more difficult to than its relatives because it does not tolerate the heat or cold as well. For this reason, cauliflower is usually grown commercially.

White cauliflower head

Scientific Name: Brassica oleracea
Varieties: Galleon, Purple Cape, Rosalind, Self-Blanche, Snowball.

Conditions favoring cauliflower farming - prefers well-drained, fertile soil high in organic matter, pH 6.0 to 7.5. Can tolerate slightly alkaline soil. Needs plentiful, consistent moisture.
-Can tolerate light shade but will slow maturity. Light shade can be beneficial in warm weather.

Cauliflower head

Land preparation and Planting cauliflower
-Select a site with at least 6 hours of full sun.
-Soil needs be very rich in organic matter; add composted mature to the soil before planting. Fertile soil holds in moisture to prevent heads from “buttoning.”
-Test your soil - (Get a soil test through your cooperative extension office.) The soil pH should be between 6.5 and 6.8.
-It is best to start cauliflower from transplants rather than seeds.

-Space the transplants 18 to 24 inches apart with 30 inches between rows. Use starter fertilizer when transplanting.
-Plant fall cauliflower about the same time as fall cabbage. This is usually 6 to 8 weeks before the first fall frost and also need to be after the temperature is below 75 degrees F.
-If you really want to try starting cauliflower from seeds,start the seeds 4 to 5 weeks before the plants are needed. Plant the seeds in rows 3 to 6 inches apart and ¼ to ½of an inch deep. Do not forget to water the seeds during their germination and growth. Once they become seedlings, transplant them to their permanent place in the garden.
-In early spring, be ready to cover your plants with old milk jugs or protection if needed. For fall crops, shade them if they need protection from the heat.
-Add mulch to conserve moisture.

Cauliflower heads

Cauliflower pests and diseases
1.Blackleg - Damping-off of seedlings; round or irregularly shaped gray necrotic lesions on leaves with dark margins; lesions may be covered in pink masses in favorable weather conditions.

2.Downy mildew - Small angular lesions on upper surface of leaves which enlarge into orange or yellow necrotic patches; white fluffy growth on undersides of leaves.

3.Wirestem (Damping-off) - Death of seedlings after germination; brown-red or black rot girdling stem; seedling may remain upright but stem is constricted and twisted (wirestem).

4.Clubroot - Slow growing, stunted plants; yellowish leaves which wilt during day and rejuvenate in part at night; swollen, distorted roots; extensive gall formation.

5.Bacterial soft rot - Water-soaked lesions on leaves and flower heads which expand to form a large rotted mass; surface of lesions usually crack and exude slimy liquid which turns tan, dark brown or black on exposure to air.

6.Cabbage Looper - Large or small holes in leaves; damage often extensive; caterpillars are pale green with a white lines running down either side of their body; caterpillars are easily distinguished by the way they arch their body when moving; eggs are laid singly, usually on the lower leaf surface close to the leaf margin, and are white or pale green in color.

7.Cucumber beetles - Stunted seedlings; damaged leaves, stems and/or petioles.

8.Large cabbage white (Cabbageworm) - Large ragged holes in leaves or bored into head; green-brown frass (insect feces) on leaves; caterpillar is green in color and hairy,with a velvet-like appearance; may have faint yellow to orange stripes down back; slow-moving compared with other caterpillars.

9.Ring spot - Small, purple spots surrounded by a ring of water-soaked tissue on leaves which mature to brown spots with olive green borders 1-2 cm across; spots may develop numerous fruiting bodies which give them a black appearance or develop a concentric pattern; heavily infected leaves may dry up and curl inwards.

10.Cauliflower mosaic - Mosaic patterns on leaves; vein clearing and or vein banding; stunted plant growth; reduced head size.

11.Powdery mildew - Small white patches on upper and lower leaf surfaces which may also show purple blotching; patches coalesce to form a dense powdery layer which coats the leaves; leaves become chlorotic and drop from plant.

12.White rust - White pustules on cotyledons, leaves, stems and/or flowers which coalesce to form large areas of infection; leaves may roll and thicken.

13.Sclerotinia stem rot (White mold) - Irregular, necrotic gray lesions on leaves; white-gray leions on stems; reduced pod set; shattering seed pods.

14.Black rot - Irregularly shaped dull yellow areas along leaf margins which expand to leaf midrib and create a characterstic "V-shaped" lesion; lesions may coalesce along the leaf margin to give plant a scorched appearance.

15.Diamond black moth - Young larvae feed between upper and lower leaf surface and may be visible when they emerge from small holes on the underside of the leaf; older larvae leave large, irregularly shaped shot holes on leaf undersides, may leave the upper surface intact; larvae may drop from the plant on silk threads if the leaf is disturbed; larvae are small (1 cm/0.3 in) and tapered at both ends.

16.Thrips (Western flower thrips, Onion thrips, etc.) - If population is high leaves may be distorted;leaves are covered in coarse stippling and may appear silvery; leaves speckled with black feces; insect is small (1.5 mm) and slender and best viewed using a hand lens; adult thrips are pale yellow to light brown and the nymphs are smaller and lighter in color.

17.Cabbage aphid - Large populations can cause stunted growth or even plant death; insects may be visible on the plant leaves and are small, grey-green in color and soft bodied and are covered with a white waxy coating; prefer to feed deep down in cabbage head and may be obscured by the leaves.

18.Flea beetles - Small holes or pits in leaves that give the foliage a characteristic “shot hole” appearance; young plants and seedlings are particularly susceptible; plant growth may be reduced; if damage is severe the plant may be killed; the pest responsible for the damage is a small (1.5–3.0 mm) dark colored beetle which jumps when disturbed; the beetles are often shiny in appearance.

 19.Beet armyworm- Singular, or closely grouped circular to irregularly shaped holes in foliage; heavy feeding by young larvae leads to skeletonizedleaves; shallow, dry wounds on fruit; egg clusters of 50-150 eggs may be present on the leaves; egg clusters are covered in a whitish scale which gives the cluster a cottony or fuzzy appearance; young larvae are pale green to yellow in color while older larvae are generally darker green with a dark and light line running along the side of their body and a pink or yellow underside.

20.Cutworms - Stems of young transplants or seedlings may be severed at soil line; if infection occurs later, irregular holes are eaten into the surface of fruits; larvae causing the damage are usually active at night and hide during the day in the soil at the base of the plants or in plant debris of toppled plant; larvae are 2.5–5.0 cm (1–2 in) in length;larvae may exhibit a variety of patterns andcoloration but will usually curl up into a C-shape when disturbed.

21.Root knot nematode - Galls on roots which can be up to 3.3 cm (1 in) in diameter but are usually smaller; reduction in plant vigor; yellowing plants which wilt in hot weather.

Harvesting cauliflower - Cauliflower heads are ready for harvest when the head reaches 15 to 20 cm in diameter (6-8 in), usually about 7 to 12 days after blanching begins. Harvest the head by cutting the main stem with a sharp knife, including some of the central leaves which will protect the head. -The heads can quickly become over-mature, leading to reduced quality. Be sure to harvest the heads while they are still firm, before individual florets can be distinguished.

Cauliflower head

Health benefits of cauliflower - Just one serve of cauliflower can equal 87 percent of your recommended daily intake of vitamin C. And you know what vitamin C is good for skin and brain health. So be sure to add cauliflower to your meals and let your body enjoy the antioxidant boost.

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