Brussel Sprout Failure

[agdodge4x4]

Im near Houston, TX and Ive been gardening for probably 15 years and Ive never had issues like I have had over the last several. This year, most of my cole crops have failed. We have had a very warm and humid winter. I planted my transplant brussel sprouts in early october, and as of today, most are maybe about 1" taller than they were when I put them in the ground. They were fertilized with a complete fertilizer at planting. They havn't grown a bit. Im also now pretty sure they have black rot. I don't have a black ring inside the stem, but the leaves are yellow and have black veins. The ones that don't arent probably going to make and sprouts by the time spring planting comes in.

I have had soil samples done last year, nutrient levels are great. I recently adopted a no till type of setup, so Im heavily mulched...so no weed problems. I also installed a drip irrigation system so they get watered regularly when its needed.

Im at a loss. Can a warm winter cause this? Im now considering letting my 50x35 garden go fallow for 2 years to see if I can come up with something. Im only using chemicals when I have to, which as of the last two years is a LOT.

[applestar]

Hmm... When originally reading the initial descriptions, I wondered if you had club root -- slow stunted growth. But you said you suspect black rot.

In either case, once the disease takes hold, it's tough to get rid of. Do you rotate crops?

One of my garden beds ended up showing signs of club root, and I inadvertently spread it to nearby beds before recognizing it. It took several years of not growing cole crops in those beds -- and lots of compost and organic mulch to encourage healthy microbial activity, but I put cole crops back in rotation for those beds and was pleased to be able to grow them again.

[agdodge4x4]

I don't rotate crops. Its a single 50x35 garden. I generally plant things wherever I have space in it. I have some other spots I could plant cole crops though. How far away do they need to be?

[imafan26]

I have problems growing Brussels sprouts in a warm climate too. It does sound more like club root than black rot. Club root will cause stunting. Both diseases are caused by soil borne pathogens. There isn't much you can do once the disease hits. Solarization and crop rotation reduce the disease but does not stop it. You usually have to plant somewhere else. I can get them to grow but they are so slow that they bolt before they produce many sprouts. I even planted them in partial shade and it lasted a little longer but they still bolted. They need about 4 months of cool weather to produce. If you live at a higher elevation and have at least 3 months of temperatures around 65 in the daytime it can be done. It grows best in zone 5-8. In warmer zones, you will have better luck with broccoli.
http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/vege ... _crops.pdf

[agdodge4x4]

That sight is my go to. I pulled one. It is not clubroot. I get my mulch from a municipal facility. Its double ground and generally steaming when they dig it. Is this disease something could have gotten from there or is that pretty unlikely?