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Swede splitting

ColinAColinA Posts: 392
in Fruit & veg
I grow a small amount of swede every year and each year they show signs of splitting and then healing with no detrimental effects on the plant or the flavour. Is there a cure for this?

Posts

  • diggersjodiggersjo Posts: 172
    Never grown them, but is this a watering issue perhaps?
    Yorkshire, ex Italy and North East coast. Growing too old for it!
  • ColinAColinA Posts: 392
    The plants are regularly watered particularly during hot weather
  • JennyJJennyJ Posts: 10,576
    How often is "regular", and how much? Apparently they like plenty of moisture. My old next door neighbour once told me not to bother trying to grow swedes here because they need constant watering on our well-drained soil.
    Doncaster, South Yorkshire. Soil type: sandy, well-drained
  • ColinAColinA Posts: 392
    Watered every couple of days in high summer, and easy to grow in North East on our soil
  • WhiterotWhiterot Posts: 51
    It is a watering issue similar to potatoes who also suffer from Splits. I was reading yesterday on one of the farming blogs that some areas of Ireland have a big problem with splits or cracks this year due to too much or little rain and the supermarkets will not accept them. On my allotment I gave up growing the years ago for the few that we use I buy rather than risk disappointment. Fortunately this year I have had very few growing cracks in my potatoes and what I have had I have given to my daughter to use.
  • ColinAColinA Posts: 392
    Thanks for the info
  • Joyce GoldenlilyJoyce Goldenlily Posts: 2,933
    ColinA said:
    I grow a small amount of swede every year and each year they show signs of splitting and then healing with no detrimental effects on the plant or the flavour. Is there a cure for this?

    Splitting of root veg. is due to erratic watering. When there are long spells of very dry weather the skins set or harden, then when it rains or the veg. are watered the internal tissue swells in growth with the resultant skin split to accomodate the growing tissue. Tomatoes are another case of skin splitting when the skins thicken with dry conditions then split when watered. It does not affect the veg. other than looking unsightly. Just cut out any damaged areas and use normally.
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