Blind Bud

When a cauliflower plant fails to produce a head, the condition is called “blind” or “blind bud”. Everything else about the plant looks perfectly normal. There is simply no head.

Newly forming cauliflower head (artverau) Pixabay

Since cauliflower plants take time, water, and real estate to grow, the lack of head production can be very disappointing. There are several causes of blindness in cauliflower, and many are preventable.

How do cauliflower heads form?

When a healthy cauliflower plant grows, it starts by producing significant numbers of large, broad leaves. In the center of all that lush growth is a nub of a bud. That bud (apical meristem) grows into the dense head of curd we know as cauliflower, except when it doesn’t. Bud blindness can result from bad seed, damage, or temperature extremes.

Bad seed

Some varieties are prone to blindness. Check the seed packet to see what it says about the possibility of bud blindness. You’ll want a resistant variety. Also, if the genetic information contained in a seed is damaged, blind bud can occur. That damage may be due to a seed’s age, storage, or the original crop. Investing in high-quality, certified pest- and disease-free seeds, reduces the likelihood of bad seeds getting into your soil. Storing your seeds in a protective seed box helps, too.

You can make your own seed box

Damaged goods

When animals, birds, diseases, insects, or human collisions damage the growing tip of a cauliflower plant, a head can fail to form. Common insect pests include aphids, flea beetles, leafhoppers, and slugs and snails. Animals and birds are often attracted to these tender buds. Once they have been chewed up (the buds, not the birds), it’s too late. Floating row covers can thwart some of these pests

Insect feeding can damage central cauliflower buds (Joievictor) CC BY-SA 4.0

Too hot (or cold) to handle

Cauliflower heads form best when temperatures are in the 50°F to 60°F range. Temperature spikes in either direction beyond that range may damage the growing tip enough that heads cannot form properly. Providing shade or shelter, as needed, can protect those tender growing tips.

You can also prevent blind bud by selecting varieties suitable to your USDA Hardiness Zone, starting plants at the proper time, and spacing plants with mature sizes in mind.

Sweet, delicious, homegrown purple cauliflower! (Kate Russell)

There is simply nothing that compares with a homegrown cauliflower.