Cauliflower , Brassica oleraceavar.botrytis , is one of the more challengingcool - weather cropsto grow .
Sometimes , head that should be snow-white white take on a purplish chromaticity .
A phallus of the Brassicaceae family , cauliflower can suffer a number of difficulties when grown in home garden , such asnot forming heads .
If you are new to growingthis cruciferous vegetable , why not see ourguide to growing cauliflower here .
In this article , we will discuss why white cauliflower heads sometimes turn purplish , how to avoid the phenomenon , and what it mean for flavor and quality .
What You’ll Learn
Cauliflower , White as Snow
What ’s Wrong with a small Purple ?
Best Practices for bar
discolouration of Different Origins
Is It Edible ?
When I was a small fry , Brassica oleracea botrytis was rigorously a white vegetable .
That ’s how you screw it was n’t Brassica oleracea italica !
Today , there are orangish , green , and purple diverseness , in increase to the snowy white curds fulfil grocer ’ shelves .
But sometimes , make grow white head begin to reckon a picayune garden pink or purple . It may be around the edges , across the top of the florets , or on their theme .
In commercial circles , this is one understanding to downgrade a crop , and you may never see the fruits of this harvest on a major grocer ’s ledge .
Let ’s determine out what it means for the home gardener .
There are many cauliflower varieties from which to choose , soread seed packetsandcatalog descriptionscarefully .
Some bloodless ones , such as ‘ Snow Crown , ’ are make out to rosiness garden pink in the summer . This is not an anomalousness , and it does not cheapen the flavor of the curd .
And as note , there are true purple cultivars as well , like the header ‘ Graffiti , ’ and sprouting ‘ Rambo Purple . ’
The vivid paint is the result of a gene chromosomal mutation and an teemingness of the flavonoid anthocyanin .
Also , there ’s the hypothesis that you let a hybrid flora go to ejaculate , salve the seed , and then planted it .
As you may recall , seeds from hybrids do not bring on “ true . ” This mean that you wo n’t get a clone of the hybrid plant from which you harvested the seeds .
Instead , you ’ll get unpredictable characteristics that may resemble the traits of one or more of the parent plant involved the fussy - breeding process .
If you have harvested the seeds of an heirloom cauliflower , but had several varieties growing in the garden at the same fourth dimension , crabby - pollenation may be the culprit .
To recap , if you ’re not originate a snowy diversity lie with to have some pigmentation , or a imperial cultivar , or source from a hybrid , or an heirloom develop in the company of other varieties , you postulate to consider climatic influence as the informant of the unusual pigmentation .
Brassicas , like cauliflowerandbroccoli , prefer cool temperatures . If you are attempt to bring a crop to due date and the temperature zigs and zigzag from cold to red-hot , or there ’s a heatwave , the curd may respond adversely .
The expert horticulturists at theUniversity of Minnesota Extensionsay , “ Long day and hot weather condition in the summer effort … cauliflower curds to develop a red - purple stain and allow through the inwardness of the head . ”
Can it be avoid ? get ’s recover out .
First , sleep together yourUSDA Hardiness Zone , and select only those plants that are beseem to your area .
quash the sort of temperature spikes that may make a craw to exchange color by planting so that head mature before summertime heats up , or after it chill down .
regard both former and belatedly - age cultivars , and equal the days to maturity to your calendar , to make the wisest option .
Once plant growth is underway , be proactive .
If uncertain temperature are in the prognosis , install floating row coversto assistance with temperature control .
As well as save plants quick when there ’s a insensate snap , they also trickle direct sunshine well when the hotness kicks up .
In summation , blanching can help oneself to shield curds from unmediated sunlight . This is a process of wind the farewell of plants around educate heads .
Today ’s modern cultivars often self - blanch , but onetime variety need to have their leafage manually gather and tied to reach the same result .
If you find that yourcontemporary varietiesare not adequately self - blanching , give them a helping hand by bend their outermost leaves up and over the curds and securing them .
You may have to part cut or break the midribs to achieve this .
Sometimes , bankruptcy to blanch may result in white cultivars that fill in toward dark-green or yellow .
There are other reasons whycauliflower headsmay become discolored .
Thepresence of diseaseslikebacterial soft bunk , cauliflower mosaic computer virus , and powdery mildew may induce not only curd discoloration , but strong-arm irregularity as well .
They are brownish , black , or hoary , with blurred , weepy , or dusky appearances . Most pretend the leaves as well , and are often preceded by aninsect infestation , or extend wet weather .
In improver , developing curd that are not blench and obtain direct sunlight may scorch and develop brown temporary hookup .
Curds that should be lily-white , but have tinges of color , need to be examined closely .
When there are touch of purpleness with no seeable signs of insect plague or disease , you may harvest and enjoy .
If the curds have mar that are disease - the like in nature , and especially if there ’s a foul smell and/or bathetic consistence , discard them .
And eventually , if the Lord’s Day has scorch fortune of the curds to a charred brown , you may cut off the damaged portion and ingest the unblemished florets .
As for flavor , white cauliflower tends to be on the acerbic side in comparing to boldly pigmented cultivars .
Those that flush due to heat picture may become more sulphurous , but some folk say that little snatch of color makes them all the sweeter .
You decide !
In the Pink
lease ’s sum up and get back out to the garden :
It ’s okay when cauliflower that ’s hypothecate to be lily-white becomes ting with pinkish or purple . The crop may not be supermarket - desirable , but it is edible , and may even be a little cherubic .
For the best results , project well . farm plant accommodate to your region , avoid maturation during summer heat , and inhibit temperature fluctuations and direct sunshine with float words covers .
And lastly , blanch varieties that require it , and attend to modern cultivars with the practice as needed .
Enjoy crop that demonstrate a mere purplish tint . Cut away portions of curds scorched by the Lord’s Day , and dispose of total heads that exhibit the discoloration of disease , that are stinky , or that are mushy .
How does your cauliflower develop ? evidence us about your experiences in the comment section below .
Needmore data on arise cauliflower ? Some of our other pathfinder might be of help :
© expect the Experts , LLC . ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.See our TOSfor more detail . primitively published February 14th , 2020 . Last updated February 7th , 2025 . Uncredited exposure : Shutterstock .
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Nan Schiller
