Brassica disasters

[Lotsaveg]

I really don't know what's going on this year. I've been sowing cabbage, kohl 'RABI' (not kohl rabbi as my automatic spell checker keeps changing it to!!!), cauliflower and broccoli since February and soon after germination the seedlings all keel over and die. Leaves start to go brown and necrotic before the stems wilt. I've tried inside the greenhouse and outside under cloches and netting.

I've never had this problem before and wonder if its the compost I'm using. Arthur Bowers which seems to have lots of odd things like bits of string and plastic. Smells very farm yardy as well.

Looks like I'll be buying platelets (PLANTLETS!!!) from the local garden centre for the first time !

P.S Does anyone know how to disable automatic spell checkers?

[Florence Fennel]

I'm hopeless with brassica seed Lotsaveg. I try every year, but this year is no different to the last three and I've got about 6 plants out of brocc, cabb & cauli when I've sown lots and lots, so looks like I'll be buying plants - again. I was advised though to treat them mean to keep them keen by growing in trays, but out in the open, could it be you've over coddled them?

[Shadylane]

Could it be damping off? I had that with loads of mine this year. I wasn't having much luck with the peat free I was using so tried my own mix of homemade and sand. Won't be doing that again Got some New Horizon now and all is well. I'd bet it's the compost if you've never had probs before.

[PAULW]

Sounds like you are a drowner, which is the same thing that I have managed to do for the last three years, this year however I think I have cracked it, seeds sown in unheated greenhouse as soon as they hatch I transfered to small greenhouse/coldframe and shut the door on them left for two weeks after two weeks open door give them a quick soak from the bottom put them back into small greenhousecold frame and shut door again, if weather gets warm leave door open and water when plants start to wilt.

[Lotsaveg]

Many thanks for comments. I've never had a problem like this in 10 years of growing brassicas, so I'm really at a loss to know what I've done wrong.

The only thing I can think of is perhaps the Arthur Bowers compost contains more nutrients than the seedlings can deal with. The presence of plastic and string tells me it contains recycled garden waste, so maybe something else is lurking in there.

You really can't beat cooking veg within 20 minutes of picking it so I'm not going to miss out this year just because I can't get the brassicas past the seedling stage.

Looks like a trip to Notcutts on Saturday to buy my collection of platelets! (and perhaps donate some blood at the same time)

[Potstubsdustbins]

I always sow my brasica seed in last years riddled compost and only transfer to new compost after germination.

Mind you having said that I went through a period where I grew 3 cauli's in 2 years.

Colin.

[Lotsaveg]

I've made one last try today. I marked out four areas of one of my raised beds (approx 6" x 6" each), finely dug them over and removed all stones, then sowed two cabbage and two cauliflower varieties into them.

If they germinate and grow to a reasonable size I'll separate them out and plant them into rows within the bed.

Fingers crossed

[Lotsaveg]

Deleted replicate post

[SarzWix]

Sounds like it might be the compost... But, is it fresh seed? Have you done a germination test? (Seed on damp kitchen towel, in a tupperware container, or similar, to see if the seed does actually sprout). Have you managed to grow anything else in the compost?

My brassicas have all been slow to germinate, as have the leeks. And I've had a lot of problems with beans and curcurbits germinating and then keeling over. But the brassicas and leeks are popping up now I've put the trays outside in the shadiest part of the garden, and the beans etc have failed because I've struggled to keep the temperature down in the day and up at night - they've boiled and then gotten chilled.

[SarzWix]

Sounds like it might be the compost... But, is it fresh seed? Have you done a germination test? (Seed on damp kitchen towel, in a tupperware container, or similar, to see if the seed does actually sprout). Have you managed to grow anything else in the compost?

My brassicas have all been slow to germinate, as have the leeks. And I've had a lot of problems with beans and curcurbits germinating and then keeling over. But the brassicas and leeks are popping up now I've put the trays outside in the shadiest part of the garden, and the beans etc have failed because I've struggled to keep the temperature down in the day and up at night - they've boiled and then gotten chilled.