Pests & diseases › Violet Root Rot
Violet Root Rot
Soil-borne fungus covering asparagus, beetroot, carrot and parsnip roots with a purple web of mycelium.
Symptoms
- Yellow stunted tops
- Roots covered in dense violet-purple fungal threads
- Soft rot beneath
- Spreading patches in the bed
Lifecycle
Persists in soil 5+ years. Worst in warm wet acid soils.
What to do
- Lift and burn all affected plants
- Mark the infected patch — keep susceptible crops off it for years
If it's bad
- None
Stop it coming back
- Sharp drainage — add grit on heavy soils
- Lime acid soils
- Long rotation away from infected ground
Crops it goes for
Plan the plot, track every sowing, cook the harvest
Sowing reminders and harvest forecasts for your own frost dates, the Seed Tin, Scan Centre for any label or packet, and the Potty Mouth Garden Club. Free to start.