Why Is Broccoli Hollow? Causes and Prevention Methods

Hollow broccoli means that the main stem of the broccoli has a hollow cavity inside, but without rotting. This is a common physiological disorder in broccoli cultivation, mainly occurring during the head maturation stage. At first, several small gaps form inside the main stem, and as the plant grows and matures, these small gaps keep expanding until they finally form one large gap, making it hollow. So what causes it to become hollow? Let's take a look together with Qinong Net.

I. Causes of Hollowing

1. The main cause of hollowing is improper planting management. When planting density is too sparse and nutrients are sufficient, the plant grows extremely fast, and the chance of hollowing is high.

2. Soil that is too fertile: during planting, in order to speed up growth and increase yield, farmers often apply excessive nitrogen fertilizer, causing the plant to grow rapidly and resulting in hollowing.

3. In addition, a lack of water during the growing period can also cause hollowing. During the broccoli head growth stage, the demand for water is relatively high; if there is a water shortage or improper watering at this time, the chance of hollowing is extremely high.

4. Temperature is also one of the causes of hollowing. Broccoli is a cool-loving vegetable, with an optimum growth temperature of 15-22 degrees. Generally, when the temperature exceeds 25 degrees during cultivation, photosynthesis and respiration speed up, causing the head to grow too quickly and resulting in hollowing.

5. In addition, when the plant lacks boron in the later stage of cultivation, the old leaves begin to fade, the leaves become thick and brittle, the tissues inside the stem degenerate, and lignification occurs along with it, causing hollowing.

6. Variety reasons: different broccoli varieties have different adaptability to the environment. Some are not prone to hollowing, some varieties are prone to hollowing, and in some varieties hollowing is hereditary.

II. Prevention Measures

1. Choosing varieties that are not prone to hollowing is one of the main means of preventing hollow broccoli. When selecting seeds, you should also choose varieties suited to local conditions that match the local climate and soil. Sow in time; to avoid missing the best sowing time and later developing hollowing caused by temperature, raise seedlings carefully. When transplanting, pay attention to density: it should not be too wide, nor too dense. The suitable density is a plant spacing of 30-45cm, with a row spacing of about 60-70cm.

2. When transplanting, choose a plot with good soil permeability and good drainage. When fertilizing, determine the amount of fertilizer according to the variety, soil fertility and growth condition. During the head growth stage, apply less nitrogen fertilizer and appropriately increase phosphorus and potassium fertilizer. If boron deficiency is found, promptly spray foliar fertilizer to maintain boron levels; these take effect quickly, and apply an appropriate amount of boron fertilizer as a top dressing.

The above are the causes of hollow broccoli and prevention methods brought to you by Qinong Net. We hope it can help you. To learn more about broccoli cultivation, please stay tuned to Qinong Net.