Seedlings - a basic question

Discussion in 'General Gardening Discussion' started by magrat, Jun 29, 2009.

  1. magrat

    magrat Apprentice Gardener

    Joined:
    Apr 21, 2009
    Messages:
    27
    Ratings:
    +0
    Hi all,

    I'm a new gardener (introduced myself a couple of months ago) and have literally just planted some seeds and some seedlings of various different vegetables. I have a really basic question, which is probably dumb (!): I bought some beetroot and purple broccoli seedlings but when I tried to divide them to plant them into the ground individually, the roots were really entwined and to split them up I had to break some of them. Is this the wrong way to go about it? Does this mean they're now damaged?
     
  2. JWK

    JWK Gardener Staff Member

    Joined:
    Jun 3, 2008
    Messages:
    33,058
    Gender:
    Male
    Location:
    Surrey
    Ratings:
    +51,739
    It is really difficult to disentangle seedling's roots sometimes, pulling them apart is the only option and a little bit of root damage won't hurt brocolli, depending on your dexterity its easy to squash seedling stems which will be very bad for them. The main problem is with root crops like beetroot, where root disturbance is a bad thing and may cause deformed roots. Ideally you should sow these direct and thin them out, however if you buy young plants the best method is to try and get as much of the root ball as possible (root + compost). If that consists of 2 or 3 seedlings that would not matter, after a week or two you could thin out the weaker ones.

    As you have already done it then all I can say is let nature take its course, some may be deformed but they will still grow.
     
  3. Kristen

    Kristen Under gardener

    Joined:
    Jul 22, 2006
    Messages:
    17,534
    Gender:
    Male
    Location:
    Suffolk, UK
    Ratings:
    +12,669
    When you buy seedlings buy them small - they will be easier to separate - and if you buy larger plants, thinking you are getting "more" for your money, the plants may actually have spent too long in the pots and actually become stressed - which will translate into poorer crops later on.

    Beetroot can be grown from "clusters" of seeds. These produce several plants i one clump, which can't easily be separated. Let them grow, if there are loads thin them to about 3-per-clump (using scissors if you need to, rather than pulling and potentially damaging the remaining ones) and then "thin" by removing the other two as they fatten up. This will give you some early crop, and then the ones that remain will fatten up some more for you final harvest.
     
  4. AncientGardener

    AncientGardener Gardener

    Joined:
    Jun 20, 2007
    Messages:
    41
    Ratings:
    +0
    For years when I got too many seeds germinating in seed trays and pots, I would go to great lengths to lift them all out and carefully disentangle the roots, in an attempt to save every one. I always ended up with too many plants and quite a few stunted ones amongst them.

    Recently I had the 'brain wave' to snip off unwanted ones with a pair of nail scissors - cutting them off as close to the ground as possible. Simple, no root disturbance to the ones I wanted to keep and I end up with a sensible number of plants. It only took me 30 years to realise this!
     
  5. magrat

    magrat Apprentice Gardener

    Joined:
    Apr 21, 2009
    Messages:
    27
    Ratings:
    +0
    Thank you all for your replies - I wish I'd asked before I pulled them apart! I know for now though, so when these ones flop I'll do better with the second batch - that's definitely a good idea to cut them with scissors. Will they not just grow back though if you snip them off close to the ground?

    Thanks again - everyone is really helpful on this site!
     
  6. Kristen

    Kristen Under gardener

    Joined:
    Jul 22, 2006
    Messages:
    17,534
    Gender:
    Male
    Location:
    Suffolk, UK
    Ratings:
    +12,669
    "Will they not just grow back though if you snip them off close to the ground?"

    Not if the plants are very small, they won't have enough root, or surplus energy stored, to re-grow.
     
Loading...

Share This Page

  1. This site uses cookies to help personalise content, tailor your experience and to keep you logged in if you register.
    By continuing to use this site, you are consenting to our use of cookies.
    Dismiss Notice