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Radishes

Last updated on December 21, 2023

Radishes

Growing Radishes

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Varieties

Common

Cherry Belle, Monica, Tinto, Red Satin, Kasper.

Chinese (Lo Bok)

Mino Summer Cross, Everest.

Japanese (Daikon)

Relish Cross, April Cross, Omny.

See your seed dealer for the most recent variety recommendations.

 

Seed Treatment

Use only hot-water-treated seed when planting into new land where radishes have not been grown. If damping-off has been a problem, treat seed with Thiram seed protectant, according to label directions.

 
For control of Pythium damping off, use seed treated with Apron XL LS seed protectant.   For control of damping off and seedling blight caused by Pythium spp., Fusarium spp. and Rhizoctonia spp., use seed treated with Apron MAXX RTA.  
 

Seeding

 Use a drill with a scatter shoe to drop 21 seeds 15 mm deep every 25 cm of row. Space rows 20 cm apart.

 

Fertilizer

A soil test is necessary to determine phosphate and potash requirements. Use the Vegetable Production Guide: Nutrient Management (PDF) for recommendations based on soil test results. 

Muck Soils

Broadcast and incorporate 70 kg/ha (28 kg/acre) nitrogen and all of the required phosphate and potash.

If fertilizer is to be banded at time of seeding, rates greater than 70 kg/ha (28 kg/acre) of potash should be broadcast and incorporated prior to seeding.

 

Radish Weed Management

Roundup may be used as a pre-emergence treatment to kill all weeds present, prior to planting. See “Stale Seedbeds section of the Vegetable Production Guide: Pest Management (PDF, 1.2 MB).

Radish Insect Management

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Root Maggots

Small flies lay eggs in soil near plants throughout the season. White maggots tunnel and etch surface of roots, making them unmarketable.

Control

See table below. For Lo Bok recommendations, see the Specialty Vegetables section of this guide.

Chemical Control of Root Maggot - Muck or Mineral Soils
Product Rate PHI* Comments

Verimark

(cyantraniliprole)

Group 28

 10 to 15 mL of water per 100 m of row 21
  • Apply as a narrow band in-furrow.  Direct spray on the seed in furrow.
  • Check label for rate conversion table for L/ha rates for different row spacing.
  • Do not apply more than 15 mL per 100 m of row per year or 1.7 L/ha (690 mL/ac) - based on 90 cm row spacing.
  • Do not make more than 1 soil application per  season.
  • Do not make a subsequent foliar application of a group 28 insecticide for a minimum of 60 days following an in-furrow application of Verimark.
  • Do no re-enter treated area for 12 hours.

*PHI = Pre-harvest interval
BUFFERS – Refer to product label for buffer requirements, and consult the Vegetable Production Guide: Pesticide Regulations and Safety (PDF).
PESTICIDE GROUP DETAILS – see the Vegetable Production Guide: Pesticide Toxicity Table (PDF).

 

Radish Disease Management

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Black Root (Aphanomyces)

Black, constricted bands girdle roots.

Control

Grow only small globe-type varieties, as they are not seriously damaged. In new land, where the disease has not occurred, use hot-water-treated seed to avoid introducing the fungus. Diseased refuse should be plowed under deeply. Provide good soil drainage and follow a 4-year rotation.

 

Downy Mildew (Peronospora)

Downy mildew frequently occurs in late summer and fall, and shows as a white, fuzzy fungus in patches on the undersides of leaves and rough blackened patches on roots.

Control

  • Avoid planting radishes after radishes in the same year.
  • Bury crop remains or remove them from field after harvest to prevent carry-over of diseased refuse, control volunteers and wild radish.
  • Reduce density of plantings in the late summer to improve air circulation.
  • Increase the phosphorus to potassium ratio of the fertilizer applied prior to late seedings.

Chemical Control of Downy Mildew
Product Rate PHI* Comments

Ridomil Gold 480 SL

(metalaxyl – M & S Isomer)

Group 4

 1.2 to 2.4 L/ha
(480 to 980 mL/acre)		 21
  • Suppression only.
  • Apply before or at planting as a single broadcast or banded application.
  • For banded applications, use an 18 cm band.
  • Make one application per season.
  • Do not enter treated area for 12 hours.

*PHI = Pre-harvest interval
BUFFERS – Refer to product label for buffer requirements, and consult the Vegetable Production Guide: Pesticide Regulations and Safety (PDF).
PESTICIDE GROUP DETAILS – see the Vegetable Production Guide: Pesticide Toxicity Table (PDF).