Gadenin日本語Get the appCutting the crown is what starts the side shoots
A broccoli plant carries dormant buds in every leaf joint down the main stem. While the central head is growing it suppresses them. The moment you cut that head off, the suppression lifts and those buds break into smaller spears, usually within seven to ten days. This is not a bonus; it is a second crop that often totals as much weight as the crown did.
Because of that, cutting the main head early rather than late is worth doing. A crown left until it is straining at its maximum size has already started pushing the plant towards flowering, and the side shoots that follow are fewer and looser. Cut while the buds are still tight and the plant switches cleanly into producing shoots.
- Cut 5 to 6 inches below the head Take the crown with a good length of stem attached, cutting through the main stem below the point where the head branches. The stem is good eating and the cut sits clear of the leaf joints you want to shoot.
- Cut at a slant Angle the cut so rain runs off. A flat cut holds water in the hollow of the stem, which rots down into the plant and can kill it before the shoots get going.
- Leave every leaf on the plant Do not tidy the plant up when you take the crown. Those large lower leaves are what powers the side shoots, and stripping them cuts your second crop in half.
Cut in the morning while the plant is full of water. A head cut in the afternoon heat is already limp, keeps badly, and the open cut dries and cracks rather than sealing over.
What to expect, and for how long
The first side shoots appear in the leaf joints nearest the cut and are the largest, typically 2 to 3 inches (5 to 8 cm) across on a long tender stem. Shoots from further down the plant are smaller. Over the whole run you might pick every three or four days for six to ten weeks, depending on temperature and how well you keep up with picking.
Not every type is equally generous. Plants selected for one big uniform crown throw far fewer shoots than sprouting types, which are bred for exactly this and will produce spears for months given a mild season. If side shoots are the point of growing it, spacing at 18 inches (45 cm) and keeping the plant fed matters more than anything else.
| Weeks after cutting the crown | What you get | How often to pick |
|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | Buds swelling in the upper leaf joints | Nothing yet. Feed and water |
| Weeks 2 to 3 | Largest shoots, 2 to 3 in (5 to 8 cm) | Every three to four days |
| Weeks 4 to 6 | Steady flow of smaller spears | Every three days |
| Weeks 7 to 10 | Thin spears, opening faster | Every two days or pull the plant |
Pick constantly, and pick before the buds open
Side shoots run on the same rule as sweet peas: the more you cut, the more you get. Every spear you leave to flower tells the plant it has succeeded in setting seed, and production drops away. In warm weather a shoot can go from tight bud to open yellow flower in two days, so this is a crop that needs visiting, not inspecting weekly.
Snap or cut each shoot at the base where it joins the main stem, taking 4 to 6 inches (10 to 15 cm) of stem with it. The stem is the best part. If you find shoots already in flower, take them off anyway and compost them; leaving them on suppresses everything behind them.
- Go through the plant every three days In warm weather make it every two. Look down into the leaf joints, not just at the top of the plant, because the lower shoots are easy to miss until they have flowered.
- Take the stem, not just the head Cut 4 to 6 inches (10 to 15 cm) down. A longer cut into the joint also opens a new bud below it more reliably than a short pinch.
- Remove any shoot showing yellow Once a spear opens it is done. Cut it off and discard it so the plant stops investing in it.
Feed and water the plant back into production
A plant that has just given up its main crown is depleted. Give it a liquid feed within a few days of cutting and then every fortnight while the shoots keep coming, and keep the soil evenly moist. A plant left dry after the crown is cut will produce one flush of thin shoots and then stop.
Watch for aphids at this stage. Gray cabbage aphid colonies settle in the tight new shoots where the spray never reaches, and once they are inside a spear it is unusable. Turn the leaves over on your picking rounds and squash the first colonies while they are still a coin-sized patch.
- Liquid feed within three days of cutting A general purpose liquid feed at the base gets the buds moving. Repeat every two weeks while you are still picking.
- Keep the mulch topped up Side shoot season often runs into the hottest or driest part of the year. Two inches (5 cm) of mulch keeps the soil moisture steady, which keeps shoots tender rather than stringy.
- Check leaf undersides every visit You are at the plant every three days anyway. Turn two or three leaves over each time and deal with aphid colonies while they are small.
When to give up on a plant
Pull the plant when the shoots come thin, open within a day of appearing, and taste bitter. That usually means either the weather has warmed past the point where the plant can hold buds tight, or it has simply exhausted itself. Keeping a spent plant in the ground occupies a bed and shelters aphids and whitefly for the next crop.
Record the date you cut the crown and the date you pulled the plant. That interval is the honest measure of how much a given planting gave you, and comparing it across sowings tells you which slot in the season is worth repeating and which one only ever produced a single head.
Do not leave the stumps in the ground over winter on a plot with clubroot or root fly history. Lift the whole root, knock the soil off and check it, and take it off the plot rather than composting it.