Mustard greens are a beloved ingredient around the world, and for good reason – their slightly bitter flavor adds depth to a wide range of dishes. From the Indian staple sarson ka saag, served with warm roti or naan bread, to Ghanaian peanut soup, mustard greens bring excitement to many cuisines. However, growing your own can come with its share of challenges.
On the upside, mustard greens are relatively easy to cultivate, especially in cooler climates, where they thrive as hardy cousins of cabbage. They mature quickly and have few growing issues – but that doesn’t mean problems won’t arise. In fact, some common obstacles to overcome when growing your own mustard greens include [list of potential issues]. Fortunately, most solutions are straightforward and easy to implement.
9 Problems to Watch For When Growing Mustard Greens
While many herbivores might not be fans of mustard greens, certain insects have a taste for them. In fact, they’re susceptible to various fungi, viruses, and bacterial infections too. If you notice unwanted insect visitors, try companion planting. Members of the mint family, such as spearmint and catnip, can help deter cabbage worms, while yarrow, tansy, fennel, dill, and buckwheat attract beneficial insects like braconid wasps and lacewings.
Once your mustard plants are thriving, you can harvest individual leaves or grab them all at once. Then, discover creative ways to enjoy the spicy flavor of these delicious greens! As you work towards success, be aware of common issues that may arise.
Seeds Aren’t Germinating
I recall a client who was frustrated with her cabbage and kale seeds refusing to germinate. After conducting a viability test to rule out any issues with the seeds themselves, we turned our attention to the soil. As it turns out, the acidity of the soil was the culprit. The client had previously grown tomatoes and peppers in the same area without issue, assuming that the brassicas (including mustard greens) would also thrive through crop rotation.
While brassicas do benefit from this practice, they require a specific environment to flourish. In this case, we needed to balance out the soil’s acidity by adding dolomite lime, wood ash, and aged horse manure compost. With these amendments in place, her brassicas grew like crazy. This experience serves as a reminder that it’s essential to conduct a pH test before planting anything in your soil and make adjustments as needed to provide the right environment.
Failure of Seeds or Seedlings to Thrive
One of the primary obstacles to mustard greens’ success is their reliance on specific environmental conditions. Unlike many other brassicas, they require a unique combination of cool temperatures, moderate humidity, and well-draining soil to flourish. The ideal soil pH for these plants lies within the neutral to slightly alkaline range, with an optimal mix of sand, loam, and clay. Failure to provide such conditions can result in compacted or waterlogged soil, which hampers plant growth.
To ensure optimal growing conditions, it’s crucial to offer mustard greens sufficient sunlight, while also providing shade during peak midday hours in warmer climates like the southern United States. Additionally, these plants are highly susceptible to competition from weeds, which can rapidly deplete the soil of essential nutrients if left unchecked. As a result, maintaining vigilant control over weed growth is vital for healthy, flavorful mustard greens.
Wilted Greens
When it comes to mustard greens, we’re not referring to the culinary kind that’s typically braised with olive oil and garlic. Instead, we’re discussing leaves that have wilted and drooped on their stem. One of the primary reasons behind this issue is a lack of adequate hydration. Mustard greens are notorious for being thirsty plants that require consistent moisture throughout the growing season. To combat wilting, it’s essential to provide these greens with regular watering sessions.
If installing a drip line isn’t feasible, you can still ensure your greens receive the necessary H2O by drenching the soil at both morning and evening intervals.
Stunted, Yellow Leaves
To support the growth of healthy mustard greens, it’s essential to provide them with an abundance of nitrogen-rich nutrients. Start by incorporating generous amounts of well-rotted compost into the soil before planting, followed by a slow-release fertilizer application at the midpoint of their growth cycle. This targeted approach will help maintain optimal nitrogen levels while keeping phosphorus in check.
By doing so, you’ll foster leafy growth and discourage unwanted bolting and flowering, ultimately yielding a more robust and productive harvest.
Bolting
If you’ve noticed your mustard plants suddenly going to seed, it’s likely due to a heatwave or growing them during the hottest part of summer. To avoid this issue, focus on cultivating your mustard greens in spring and autumn instead. This will ensure they don’t bolt prematurely. Mustard greens typically take 4-6 weeks to mature, making harvest time relatively quick. If you reside in a hotter climate, consider planting them in partial shade to minimize the risk of bolting.
In this scenario, the lack of direct sunlight may prevent the plants from flowering at the slightest temperature spike. If your plants do happen to bolt, don’t worry – let them go to seed and harvest the resulting seeds once they’re plump and ripe. Allow the seeds to ripen off the vine before processing them into your favorite mustard condiment recipe.
Defoliation
The cabbage white butterfly (Pieris rapae) is a common pest for gardeners who cultivate Brassicaceae crops like kale, cabbage, or Brussels sprouts. Its larvae can decimate entire crops unless you employ various methods to deter them. Surprisingly, even mustard’s strong scent and fiery taste are ineffective against these pests, which is why some growers use it as a trap crop to lure the butterflies away from their valuable greens.
However, this approach isn’t ideal if you’re using mustard for food or spice production. Fortunately, there are effective ways to protect your crops. A treatment containing Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) is particularly useful in killing various caterpillar and larvae species. You can purchase Bt concentrates from online retailers like Amazon.
Combining this treatment with floating row covers can significantly reduce losses by around 90%.
Additionally, slugs are another common threat to greens, which our comprehensive guide addresses.
Holes In the Leaves
The presence of holes in leaves is often attributed to two primary culprits: cabbage worms and flea beetles. Cabbage worms, characterized by their vibrant green color, exhibit remarkable camouflage abilities among brassica leaves. In contrast, flea beetle larvae appear as small, grayish, spiky entities reminiscent of tiny durian fruits. Adult flea beetles are diminutive, black, and feature a glossy carapace.
To combat these pests, consider employing Bt, diatomaceous earth, or row covers with floating rows to prevent access to your plants. Additionally, utilize sticky traps positioned at the soil level to capture larvae. For a more proactive approach, remove caterpillars in the early morning or late evening hours and allow poultry to graze on them. A variation worth exploring is cultivating red-leaved mustard varieties instead of green ones.
This difference in leaf color renders the worms and larvae more visible, making it simpler to detect and eliminate them.
Yellow-Leaved Plants that Droop During the Day But Perk Up at Night
The mysterious affliction affecting broccoli and other brassicas may be caused by the Plasmodiophora brassicae fungus, which leads to root swelling and distortion. This disruption in nutrient uptake can have devastating effects on plant growth. Unfortunately, there is no known cure for clubroot, and even regular crop rotation won’t significantly impact its spread. The pathogen’s ability to remain dormant in the soil for over a decade makes it challenging to eradicate.
However, deep tilling or adding quicklime may help expose fungal spores to sunlight, ultimately killing them off. To minimize the risk of infection, it’s essential to source seeds from reputable companies that have bred varieties resistant to this issue.
Fuzzy Gray Blotches on Leaves
When cultivating mustard in a cool, rainy climate, it’s not uncommon to encounter downy mildew – a fungal issue that can be challenging to manage. While there’s no guarantee for complete eradication, there are steps you can take to prevent its onset or mitigate its impact. Start by clearing the soil surface of any debris and trimming leafy growth that brushes against the soil. If you do spot affected leaves, remove them immediately and dispose of them through burning.
To further address the issue, treat your plants with an organic fungicide solution. The key is to catch downy mildew early, as this increases the chances of salvaging the majority of your crop. In addition to these measures, consider implementing crop rotation practices, where you refrain from planting brassicas in the same spot for at least four years following a previous harvest.
