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Beetroot

Hi everyone.  Does anyone have any idea why my beetroots have lovely healthy tops & no roots

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Posts

  • MuddyForkMuddyFork Posts: 435

    Try feeding them with tomato food it may help

  • ItalophileItalophile Posts: 1,731

    everos, too much nitrogen can cause the problem. Either already in the soil or added by fertilising. Have you fertilised them?

    Overplanting can also cause it, bulbs not having room to develop.

  • everoseveros Posts: 55

    Italophile.  Yes I have fed them.  Does this account for the leaves looking very lush?

  • ItalophileItalophile Posts: 1,731

    Yes, everos, especially if the fertiliser is nitrogen-rich. Nitrogen promotes leaf/foliage growth at the expense of everything else. Providing the soil is good and healthy in the first place, beetroot shouldn't need any fertiliser.

  • everoseveros Posts: 55

    Yes, Italophile, I think overfeeding may by the answer as this is the first year I've fed my beetroot. We live & learn!

  • Bf206Bf206 Posts: 234

    i've got the same problem. i'd dug some fertiliser into the soil before the seedlings went in (started from modules), plenty of large green leaves, but i've scratched around and just thin purple roots...

  • ItalophileItalophile Posts: 1,731

    Bf, fresh fertiliser isn't good for root crops. For most, it's best to sow/plant into soil that was fertilised, say, the autumn before. They won't need fertilising again during the season.

  • Bf206Bf206 Posts: 234

    The fertiliser went in about March time I think...

  • ItalophileItalophile Posts: 1,731

    That's a bit recent. As I said above, if the soil is decent in the first place, it shouldn't need fertilising. I don't think I've ever fertilised my various beetroot beds.

  • Bf206Bf206 Posts: 234

    ho hum. maybe I should sow some more? now have some bed space having pulled my garlic...

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