Carrots In My Veggie Garden Are Poorly Developed. How Did This Happen?

Are the carrots in your garden forked and misshapen?

Are the carrots in your garden misshapen and covered with numerous hairlike roots?

Are the carrot side roots riddled with round swellings?

Does the carrots in your garden have green shoulders?

Are the carrot roots riddled with dark tunnels?

Are the tunnels formed in a zigzag pattern and mostly on the upper part of the root?

Are the tunnels randomly patterned and filled with sawdust-like material?

Do the carrots have small, irregular holes and do the whole plant look stunted and yellow?

Are the carrot roots or crowns rotted?

Do the carrot roots have internal cavities and are they splitting open?

Do the carrot roots have jagged cracks all over them?

Forked and misshapen carrots are caused by lumpy or heavily compacted soil. You can prevent this by tilling soil deeply before sawing and by adding lots of compost when preparing the soil.

Round swellings on the side roots are caused by root-knot nematodes. Prevent root-knot nematodes by applying chitin or introducing parasitic nematodes to the soil before planting.

Plant disease aster yellows cause carrot roots to grow small, woody, hairy and to taste bitter. There is no cure for aster yellows. You should destroy infected carrots. Since aster yellows are spread by insects called leafhoppers, you can prevent it by spraying carrots by insecticidal soap in the evening.

Green shoulders on carrots is caused by light exposure. To prevent it you should cover carrot roots by 2 inches of soil so there is no light exposure.

This type of damage is caused by carrot weevils and their larvae. You should destroy infected roots. You can control larvae by introducing parasitic nematodes to the soil, and adults by covering seedbed with row cover or by spraying pyrethrin as soon as adults start showing.

This type of damage is caused by carrot rust fly and their larvae. You can control larvae by introducing parasitic nematodes to the soil, and adults by covering seedbed with row cover. You can also prevent problems by planting carrots after June 1st to avoid the first carrot rust fly hatching of the season.

Carrot beetle larvae make tunnels in the carrot roots. Fall cultivation will reduce overwintering populations of carrot beetles. Use crop rotation for prevention.

Wireworms cause small holes in carrot roots and stunted yellow look. Damage by wireworms usually occurs late in the season. you can control wireworms by introducing parasitic nematodes into the soil.

Root rot may be caused by various fungal and bacterial diseases. Root rot often occurs in a soggy, poorly drained soil. Prevent root rot by planting carrots into well-drained soil, and keep the soil moist but not flooded or soggy.

Cavity spot is the condition caused by calcium deficiency, high levels of potassium and sometimes diseases. If the soil pH is bellow 6.2 raise its calcium level by adding gypsum or high-calcium lime to the soil and don't use a fertilizer high in potassium.

Cracks in the carrot roots are caused by freezing damage or by uneven soil moisture. To prevent freezing damage and to better keep evenly moist soil, use mulch before the temperatures drop.

Poorly formed and pale carrot roots can be caused by nutrient deficiency or extreme temperatures in the soil. Before planting you should do a soil test to amend the soil if needed. Use mulch to prevent temperatures from fluctuating too much.