Barerooted plants which have been exposed to drying or severe water stress immediately following transplanting are also more likely to button. Setting young, healthy transplants that have not initiated head formation. Setting plants under favorable conditions for growth and irrigating to relieve moisture stress. Maintaining rapid vegetative growth, particularly for the first few weeks after field setting. Land Preparation Proper land preparation for broccoli is essential.
Proper preparation allows the plant to attain maximum root growth and development.
Plants grown under these conditions will be able to remove water and nutrients from a larger volume of soil and will not be as susceptible to drought stress. Do Not use a disk harrow after turning because this will result in undesirable soil compaction. Smoothing operation should be in the same direction of rows leaving tire tracks exposed so that all future trips can be in the same tracks, thus eliminating further compaction. Fertilizer and Lime Broccoli is a fast growing crop, and the fertilization schedule should always be based on a soil test recommendation. Test the soil several months prior to planting to determine lime requirements.