very thin asparagus spears

We've had our bed producing for some 15 years. Around now, many spears come up, some nice and thick but most thin and spindly - I always wonder whether the bed is getting old; whether we don't feed them enough; or could it be the asparagus beetles? They're no good to eat.
We give them compost every winter or very early spring.
Should I cut them off, so they can't regenerate? Should I leave them to grow? Should I start thinking of renewing the bed, and how?
Thanks for your expert advice!

 

Sorry I've never grown Asparagus as a veg, but can only think, unless you have seedlings in the bed, which might explain the weak shoots, you should leave the weak ones to grow on and build up the root system.
Just pick the best shoots, but allow some of them to grow on as well.

Just hang around and see if a serious Asparagus grower turns up.

 

Hi
havnt seen you for ages , well 15 years isnt bad , I would give it a chance stop cutting any so it has a lots of growth to feed itself I would give it a heavy feed of manure and the compost and phosphorous fertiliser, make sure Autumn cut all the old fronds out and burn if possible this will kill some of the beetles off , I know my brother used Derris powder if you can still get ?? to kill the beetles off but this was done in June / July .

It may be all the wet we had last year is the ground well drained ? and do you stake the plants , if you are planing a new bed new site is best dont use the old one disease etc plus the beetles live in the soil over winter.

I would also take in to account its at least two years in the making "new bed" once planted etc then left to develop if you have the space

Spruce

 

I get that too. We just fry them ...

I cut them off, otherwise I think the plant will stop producing shoots. (I get Thick and Thin shoots on the same plant, rather than only on different plants, I assume yours are the same)

 

Other way around - and I think partly related to the "energy" that the Female plants have to expend on producing seeds.

I'm thinking about growing some more, F1 Male Only, plants and replacing the female plants in my bed. But I get some thin spears on crowns that also produce fat spears, so I'm not sure that's the top & bottom of it.

 

No I've been ill/gardening/busy otherwise!
It can't be the weather 'coz it's been like this for years. Every year I wonder what it is but only now do I have friends to ask!
If making a new bed, can I use crowns from the old one? They are spreading into the paths, so I could dig up the wayward ones.

I have the feeling I was pretty bloody arrogant when young, hate to think what that changes into ....
Someone else said they might be females. But does it matter if I just leave them, or is it best to cut them off? I get plenty of thick ones not to bother with the thin ones. By the way my son eats them raw - my digestive system isn't up to that anymore - and says they taste the same. But they're best when just picked.

 

I don't know, but I think if the plant produces spears that go-to-leaf then it will stop producing any more, so my thought would be to cut them off so that the plant keeps on producing more spears

Bonus is that IF they are actually seedlings, rather than thin-spears, that should be a permanent fix! (along with cutting down the foliage with an "berries" on it in the Autumn to prevent self-seeding perhaps?)

 

Is that true? I know it is for many plants. I thought you should cut asparagus for about 6 weeks: then they lose their taste anyway.
We always let it grow into an enormous bush, which our cats use like a climbing rack, especially when they were small. I support them (the stalks!) then of course.
I'm sure they are not seedlings: they are too close to the thick ones.
Love, A.

 

Will need someone else to confirm/deny that

The old saying is to stop on the longest day I think