wilting brassicas - help!

[jennybain]

Hi - I wondered if anyone had advice for me. I am newish to growing veg and my brassica seddlings all germinate, grow to their first true leaves and then turn yellow and wilt. I attempted cauliflowers, sprouting broccoli and brussels sprouts last year and have calabrese, cabbage and kale seedlings this year which are turning the same way.

I germinate them indoors and then move them to an unheated greenhouse. Due to the last week being particularly sunny, I wondered if they had overheated though? I have moved the least sickly ones into a cold frame but I think it may be too late.

Where am I going wrong? I am beginning to wonder if I should cut my losses and plant something else in their space.

[zazen999]

Start them outdoors. Brassicas don't need the heat. Sow and put them straight into the cold frame.

[jennybain]

ahhh - so they were probably overheating int he greenhouse. Would you recommend to sow in modules or straight into a seed bed?

[zazen999]

Either to be honest [seed bed, modules, seed tray, pot].

They were probably started too warm, and not hardened off before they went into the unheated greenhouse rather than unhappy about a too warm greenhouse.

[jennybain]

right -okay. The calabrese I have sown are in modules and have just started to show when I realised what had happened to the cabbages, so I moved them from greenhouse into cold frame yesterday. Hopefully I have caught them in time. Time will tell.

[DaveInBraknell]

I know it sounds strange , but perhaps try hardening them off?

half a day in the greenhouse at night in the home? For a week or two. You won't be able to transfer them for about 6-8 weeks anyhow.

I think the point being made is the shock to the plants is the variation in temperature in a short period of time, thus imagine going from a nice warm +15 degrees house to a -4+5degree cold house in the evening..

Then build it up..

Dave

[walshie]

I too have wilting Cauliflowers. I started mine in an unheated greenhouse, in modules and 90% of them germinated half All year round and half Alphas. Then I noticed yesterday that my all year rounds had started to wilt. Any ideas - too hot maybe?

Walshie

[Norm]

my brassica seddlings all germinate, grow to their first true leaves and then turn yellow and wilt.

Probably a totally dumb question, but what type of growing medium are they in? I've started all my stuff in the heated greenhouse and moved them to a warm polytunnel and everything's going great guns, but I use a peat based compost.

[walshie]

I used a non-peat based, the rest of my brasicas are okay but they havent produced there true leaves yet unlike the caulis which only started wilting when the true leaves appeared.

[snohare]

How and with what are you watering them ? It could be damping off. Try sprinkling cinnamon powder on the soil, see if that helps.

[gojiberry]

Yellowing leaves could suggest to much water and being waterlogged.

Ian

[walshie]

Just normal ground cinamon? They are being watered by sitting in a tray so it could be too much water. i repotted them in fresh compost and pots today and put them out in the cold frame - hope they survive. Sowed some new ones incase they dont.

[Two_Sheds]

They shouldn't be sitting in water, Walshie.
Just give them a sit in it for about 5 mins, then drain the rest away.
I have my (flower) seedlings on a hot windowsill at the moment, and I'm only watering them sparingly about twice a week.

You can tell if they need watering, because the container feels light.

[snohare]

I believe it's just normal ground cinnamon as you find in an Asian foods shop, Walshie. But I think Two Sheds has put his finger on the problem.

[zazen999]

Two-sheds is a hot tottie girlie....


Sorry. I had logged out to go out but had to come back in for that. Gosh, I'm pedantic. I need to go out more often...talking of which I'm off.