Your comments and tips

17 Jun 17, Margaret (Australia - temperate climate)

I have just dug up old crowns to transplant, will these grow successfully in new fertilised beds or do I need to get new crowns? They are probably 30 yrs old but were still producing some shoots. Healthy long stems on the crowns.

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19 Jun 17, Mike (Australia - sub-tropical climate)

They are probably past their use by date. Usually only have a good productive life of about 15 to 20 yrs. You may get more though. My suggestion cut one into a few pieces and plant them out. If you have the ground buy a few new crowns and plant them also. Next spring 2018 will tell, if the old one don't do well then you have new ones on the go.

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22 Apr 17, Joy (New Zealand - cool/mountain climate)

Can you tell the difference between male and female asparagus, and what is the difference?

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28 Oct 18, Joe Legrand (USA - Zone 8a climate)

True Female have berries, but some new female do not have berries. Male are thumb size, most female are little finger or #2 pencil size like Mary Reed.

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23 Apr 17, Jack (USA - Zone 6b climate)

When the tops are allowed to develop into the feathery stage the female plants will have the berries which turn red when ripe.

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29 Mar 17, Charlie (Australia - sub-tropical climate)

I have 2 asparagus plants, both 2 1/2 yrs old. They look like they will be ready for harvesting this spring. My question is: they are not yellowing or dying back during winter. So do I trim, or leave them. Everything I have read states cutting back when yellowing but they just stay green and keep growing. We have had an extraordinary amount of rain so they are happy and health and a little too tall.

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12 Jun 17, Wendy (Australia - sub-tropical climate)

I used to live near Brisbane and grew asparagus for years - they never died back in winter. I would try to pick the coldest time (July) and would cut all the ferns (a couple of inches from the ground) and then mulch with the ferns and then mushroom compost and then sugar cane mulch. I would then clear away the mulch gradually in the spring - this seemed to stagger the harvest, so I could enjoy asparagus over a longer period of time.

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03 Apr 17, Mike (Australia - temperate climate)

It is March the first month of Autumn - not winter. In Aug 2015 I put 1 year old crowns (size of 50c piece) in.. They grew all the time until I cut them in Aug 2016. approx. 9" diameter. I watered them every couple of days. Spears came out a week later. I only picked for about 3-4 weeks. My plants are now 2 1/2 year old also. I gave my ferns a big trim a few days ago. They were 6' high with new growth about 2-3' longer. I even eat some last week. I will stop watering them from about end of June I think. Give them a chance to die off.

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30 Mar 17, John (Australia - temperate climate)

In cooler climates asparagus normally yellows and dies back in the winter as you say. in the spring if the spears are left they will grow on to form the big ferny tops that we are familiar with. The plant uses these tops along with manure or compost to regenerate the roots in readiness for next springs crop. You could try bending these over so they are bruised and nearly broken off to force the plant into dormancy. If you cut them off the plant may just send up some more spindly spears.

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19 Mar 17, Tony Bartlett (South Africa - Summer rainfall climate)

Can I grow asparagus down in the cape, near Hermanus. Also where down in that area can I purchase crowns. many thanks

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