Clubroot: Swollen Roots on Cabbages and Kale
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Stunted plants, swollen roots
Above ground, plants are stunted and the leaves wilt or turn yellow, especially on warm days. Lift one: the roots are swollen into club-shaped galls. It attacks cabbage, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, kale, radish, swede and turnip.
Why it never really leaves
Once clubroot is in the soil it stays for many years. Its spores travel in soil on tools, boots and equipment, and warm, moist soil favours infection.
Lime and pH
Acid soil favours clubroot. Liming toward neutral or above helps on heavier soils but is often ineffective on sandy soils, and the disease can still occur in alkaline soil. Test first; see soil problems.
Living with it
- Clean soil off boots and tools before you leave an infected bed.
- Pull infected plants, roots and all, and put them in the rubbish, not the compost.
- Improve drainage, since warm, wet soil favours infection.
Growing guides: cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli and kale.
Related problems: cabbage caterpillars, soil problems, why plants are not growing. Or go back to all garden problems.
Clubroot questions
How long does clubroot stay in soil?
Many years: Wisconsin puts it at ten years or more.
Is there a cure?
No. Once it is in the soil it cannot be eradicated; manage pH, drainage and hygiene instead.
Regional notes
The problem is the same on both sides of the Atlantic; local advice and timing differ. Trusted local guides for this page:
- UK: the RHS advice pages. Timing in your area: the UK vegetable planting calendar.
- USA: University of Wisconsin–Madison Extension: Cole crops disorder: clubroot (A1128); University of Illinois Extension: Give your soil a check-up this fall; University of Wisconsin–Madison Extension: Fall is a good time to test lawn and garden soil. Timing in your area: the USA vegetable planting calendar.
- Canada: University of Saskatchewan, Gardening at USask: Clubroot; Government of Alberta: Clubroot disease of canola and mustard. Timing in your area: the Canada vegetable planting calendar.
More problems: all garden problems.
Sources and further reading
- University of Saskatchewan, Gardening at USask: Clubroot
- Government of Alberta: Clubroot disease of canola and mustard
- University of Wisconsin–Madison Extension: Cole crops disorder: clubroot (A1128)
- University of Illinois Extension: Give your soil a check-up this fall
- University of Wisconsin–Madison Extension: Fall is a good time to test lawn and garden soil
Facts on this page are summarised in our own words from the pages above; each is supported by at least two of them, or by one plus well-established growing science (noted in our research file). Every source was opened and checked on 23 October 2026.
Keep a garden record
Most problems come back to the same beds in the same weeks. A simple record of what grew where, and when trouble started, lets you get ahead of it next year. Sketch your beds in the free Vegetable Garden Layout Planner Tool, and keep sowing dates, problems and harvests in the Global Vegetable Garden Planner (printable PDF). A record of where brassicas grew is the best defence against spreading clubroot. Every crop we cover is in the vegetable growing guides.
Last reviewed:
Fix The Cause, Then Plan The Next Crop
Troubleshooting works best when you improve the growing conditions and record what changed for the next season.
Keep going
Plan the next step
Use the printable SoilCommander planner for your region to turn this guide into sowing dates, bed layouts and weekly garden tasks.