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PSB wilted/dying due to the cold?

andy_doc_stuartandy_doc_stuart Posts: 21
in Fruit & veg
Hi everyone, another PSB question…all bar one of my PSB plants seem to have died back. I had a good half dozen which were thriving until the cold snap in December. Had a look this morning and it seems the cold has done it’s worst again. 
Anyone know if it could be anything else? I thought PSB was frost/cold resistant? 
This has never happened to me before in other cold winters.

many thanks

Posts

  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    What's PSB?  :)
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • TopbirdTopbird Posts: 8,355
    @Fairygirl - from the OP's other posts I'm guessing purple sprouting broccoli.

    Can't help with the original question - sorry.
    Heaven is ... sitting in the garden with a G&T and a cat while watching the sun go down
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    Ah - thanks @Topbird :)
    Can't help either but maybe @Dovefromabove can - I think she grows it but I might be wrong. 
    Like many plants though - wet/freeze/thaw cycles are the most damaging of all. A bit of frost, when conditions are largely dry, does far less damage, so that might be a factor.
    If you have photos, that will also help @andy_doc_stuart :)
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • philippasmith2philippasmith2 Posts: 3,742
    There is a limit even for cold/frost hardy plants.  The UK has had much lower temps than normal over the last couple of months and a lot of rain too.
    Depends on your location and whether you were able to offer them some protection during the worst of the weather.
    It's not been a brilliant year for some winter veg outside -IME anyway.
  • SkandiSkandi Posts: 1,723
    All of mine died at -10 they turned to mush all the way down the stems there wasn't any wind or thawing over that time, from previous tries here I would say that at -5 you get 60% survival and colder than that they all start to die.
  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,147
    When we had an allotment we had one really bad winter when everyone’s PSB seemed to have died. All the allotment holders pulled theirs up … all except me … I had a small baby and didn’t have time to spend doing stuff on the allotment in the winter … so I left it … I won first prize with my PSB in the village Hort Soc spring show … mine had recovered and no one else had any. 
    Don’t give up yet … it might take a while to recover but you may well be picking it in April 🤞 

    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





  • andy_doc_stuartandy_doc_stuart Posts: 21
    Fairygirl said:
    Ah - thanks @Topbird :)
    Can't help either but maybe @Dovefromabove can - I think she grows it but I might be wrong. 
    Like many plants though - wet/freeze/thaw cycles are the most damaging of all. A bit of frost, when conditions are largely dry, does far less damage, so that might be a factor.
    If you have photos, that will also help @andy_doc_stuart :)
    Sorry, yes purple sprouting broccoli.
    will get a photo and upload 
    thanks!
  • andy_doc_stuartandy_doc_stuart Posts: 21
    Hi again everyone, taken a bit to get a photo, but here they are. One of the purple sprouting broccoli is still ok. But the rest have either died completely or been stunted. The very cold spell we had 2 years ago didn’t affect my plants at all, but this year this has happened. Thanks all for any ideas…
  • andy_doc_stuartandy_doc_stuart Posts: 21
    Dovefromabove said:
    When we had an allotment we had one really bad winter when everyone’s PSB seemed to have died. All the allotment holders pulled theirs up … all except me … I had a small baby and didn’t have time to spend doing stuff on the allotment in the winter … so I left it … I won first prize with my PSB in the village Hort Soc spring show … mine had recovered and no one else had any. 
    Don’t give up yet … it might take a while to recover but you may well be picking it in April 🤞 
    Dovefromabove said:
    When we had an allotment we had one really bad winter when everyone’s PSB seemed to have died. All the allotment holders pulled theirs up … all except me … I had a small baby and didn’t have time to spend doing stuff on the allotment in the winter … so I left it … I won first prize with my PSB in the village Hort Soc spring show … mine had recovered and no one else had any. 
    Don’t give up yet … it might take a while to recover but you may well be picking it in April 🤞 
    Dovefromabove said:
    When we had an allotment we had one really bad winter when everyone’s PSB seemed to have died. All the allotment holders pulled theirs up … all except me … I had a small baby and didn’t have time to spend doing stuff on the allotment in the winter … so I left it … I won first prize with my PSB in the village Hort Soc spring show … mine had recovered and no one else had any. 
    Don’t give up yet … it might take a while to recover but you may well be picking it in April 🤞 
    Dovefromabove said:
    When we had an allotment we had one really bad winter when everyone’s PSB seemed to have died. All the allotment holders pulled theirs up … all except me … I had a small baby and didn’t have time to spend doing stuff on the allotment in the winter … so I left it … I won first prize with my PSB in the village Hort Soc spring show … mine had recovered and no one else had any. 
    Don’t give up yet … it might take a while to recover but you may well be picking it in April 🤞 
    Dovefromabove said:
    When we had an allotment we had one really bad winter when everyone’s PSB seemed to have died. All the allotment holders pulled theirs up … all except me … I had a small baby and didn’t have time to spend doing stuff on the allotment in the winter … so I left it … I won first prize with my PSB in the village Hort Soc spring show … mine had recovered and no one else had any. 
    Don’t give up yet … it might take a while to recover but you may well be picking it in April 🤞 

    Hi Dovefromabove
    Sorry I’ve no idea why the website has quoted your post 5 times!
    Would you say that the PSB in the photos above are frost damaged, or something else? It’s a real shame as I was looking forward to plenty of it in April!
    Thanks

  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,147
    I would stake them firmly with a tomato cane or two each ... and apply a bit of tomato feed to the soil around them ... and cross my fingers 🤞

    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





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