Brussel Sprouts Question

[cbar]

My plants are huge, some up to 4' and looking good. I know this is a late season crop but it seems as if I'm not getting the sprouts developing the way I think they should. It seems like they begin to grow but then turn into more leaves. I've attached a couple of pix that attempt to show what I'm trying to describe. Thanks for any suggestions!

[TWC015]

I have a few questions I want to ask to determine the problem.

1. What is the variety of Brussels Sprouts? If you have Long Island Improved or Catskill, I would suspect this to be a problem. I grew these open pollinated types last year and they never made sprouts even though they grew during the winter when I have temperatures below 70°F. I grew Jade Cross hybrids last year and they did excellent compared to the open pollinated sprouts.

2. What have your daily high temperatures been like recently. Brussels Sprouts will not form nice closed sprouts if the temperatures are consistently above about 75°F.

Your plants look nice and healthy. My guess is that your are growing Long Island Improved or Catskill sprouts. The leaf shape looks more like one of those types than a hybrid.

[cbar]

Thanks for the reply. Honestly I don't know what type they are, I bought them at the local nursery! I'm in suburban NY, we had a very hot and dry summer, though that has moderated quite a bit in the past couple of weeks.

[TZ -OH6]

I agree with the difference between Long Island Improved/Catskill and Jade Cross/hybrids. I think that I saw somplace that high soil nitrogen is also involved with loose buds. The good news is that I get the bulk of my bud growth after the first frost, but I also plant late. As long as the soil is not frozen and the air temp gets up during the day the plant keeps growing. Topping the plant and taking off some of the lower leaves may induce the buds to develop faster.

[DoubleDogFarm]

Chris,

Here is some information.

Making sure that the plant has plenty of nutrients can also help the plant fight producing loose leafed, poorly formed heads in warm weather. Work in fertilizer or manure into the soil you plan on planting your brussel sprouts in. You can also trim the top of the plant once it reaches 2 -3 feet tall. This will help it redirect energy back into the heads.

The rest is here.
http://www.gardeningknowhow.com/vegetab ... -heads.htm

Eric

[TWC015]

I'd expect the plants to make nice, closed sprouts once the temperatures get into the 60s for highs and the rain is more frequent.

If your plants never make good sprouts, I would be sure to buy hybrid Brussels Sprouts. I had good success with Jade Cross E hybrids.

[TWC015]

Last year, I didn't plant my Brussels sprouts until late September. They continued to grow through the winter and I got most of my sprouts in February before they flowered in March (biennial).