how do you grow successful brassicas?

[mew]

Hi

Its my second year at growing my own. Last year i failed miserably at growing my own brassicas so i ended up purchasing plug ready plants from a local garden centre after battling it out with what must have been hundreds of seeds.

Still, im not giving in, I will try again this year with some savoy, calabrase and cauliflower and wondered if anyone could tell me how on earth I can get past.... I think its called damping off?? I get to the first signs of growth and then they wilt and die.

I tried starting them off in a windowsill, that failed, then I tried the unheated greenhouse, same again, then I tried less watering, still the same result.

Any tips would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks as ever
MEW x

[Smooth Hound]

if you sow them in seed trays in the greenhouse , that should be fine, once they have grown there seed leaves and one lot of ordinary leaves, carefully prick them out, and if you have some transplant them into little pots of compost , never handle them by their stems or roots, only by the leaves, then when they are strong enough, probably may , then plant them in the garden, i would also recommend putting some netting or floss over them, held down at the edges with stones, or i keep my milk cartons and fill them with water and use them to keep the floss over, it hasnt got to be perfect , as long as they keep the floss over most of them. I f you do really have no success with germinating the seeds , then you could get a heated germinator, just big enough for the seed tray, but in all honesty it should be fine in an unheated greenhouse, as to watering, the soil should be damp not sodden if you see what i mean, and it mustnt dry out, you could try keeping a full watering can in the greenhouse rather than filling it from a cold tap at the last minute, that way the water will not shock the seds/sedlings.

[maggienetball]

Last year I bought a little kit that consisted of a mini propagator (not electric) and a load of the dry discs that you soak in water and then pop a seed in each one.

I've got to say those plugs are brilliant. I had 100% success and I only placed one seed in each. They only need watering when they start to look dry. Also you plant the whole plug straight in the ground and don't have to prick them out (which can sometimes be a bit risky).

The kit cost about £2.99 I think and it held about 48 plugs at a time. The kit is reuseable although the plugs aren't (unless the seed fails and then you can just pop another one in). Plugs are cheap enough though.

I must add though that although I had 100% success rate with the seedlings, the caterpillars ate most of my plants, even with micromesh and fleece covering. I have never beaten them yet!!! Grr

[mew]

thanks
fingers crossed for a bit more success this year

[Wombat]

Hey Mew!

A watering with camomile tea before and after germination can help, it keeps the fungusses heads down

Nev

[possum]

chuck em straight in the soil. i have never had any problem germinating, just stopping the blighters tha want to eat them later from getting them

[hedgewizard]

Damping off is a fungal disease - you can help things along by;
- not watering with rainwater, unless you've "sweetened" it with Citrox or potassium permanganate
- watering with a capillary bed instead of a watering can
- making sure ventilation is good as soon as the first shoots are up (i.e. taking any cover off)

[mew]

Thanks Nev, i'll have to buy some camomile tea and have a go with crossed fingers and thanks hedgewizard, will remember not to use rainwater this year. Will see how I fair with tap water instead xx

[Thurston Garden]

I thinly sow my brassicas in seed trays and cover with alight sieving of compost. I then grown them on in the polytunnel and once they are at 4 leaves, lift the now tangled root mass out of the tray in a oner and break off each individual plant and plant it with a trowel. I very firmly heel the plants in cos brassicas don't like light or freshly dug soil.

Cauli's are quite hard to grow - I have not had much success, but don't actually like them so don't try very hard lol

[hedgewizard]

Caulis are confined to my tunnel under fleece now - I've had my heart broken too many times trying to grow them outside because we're on light sand. Of all the brassicas they're the most whiny bitches - but they like the tunnel!