Parsnips - what went wrong?

[Farmer_Gyles]

our parsnips were looking great on the surface, but 2in down, they change to a tangle of baby roots .... what happened??



they were started in seed trays and potted on individually to 9" deep pots of MPC once they'd sprouted ... the top growth looked great ....

[BUFFS]

might it be that all that rain meant the roots didnt need to grow down to get to the moisture,it was always there on the surface,thinking about the amount we have all had,i think i will leave mine in the ground til needed,and fingers crossed..

[scarey55]

Parsnips hate being moved, I think that might be what went wrong. I did it in my first year (well, second really) the first year I didn't recognise the seedlings and "weeded" them all out
Now, I plant mine into toilet roll middles then plant the whole thing out once they've sprouted.

[roitelet]

Yes, it was probably moving them 'wot did it'. They are better sown direct. As you grow in pots I would suggest the deepest pot or container you can get and then station sow, 5 or 6 seeds to a station and then thin to one plant after germination.

If I can get mine out whole they are about 3ft long so that gives you an idea of the depth you need, and they were a short rooted variety!

[Scarlet]

As the others said. Direct sow, same for carrots. They really dont like to be transplanted. If you like to sow in modules use toilet rolls and plant the whole thing out.

[marchogaeth]

I thint it's all been said ^^^^. You have my sympathies. I don't think it's your problem but they don't like too rich a soil.

[Farmer_Gyles]

cheers all .... i've never grown parsnips before because i don't like them .... i'm already saving the loo roll middles for next year .....

[scarey55]

One quick thing. If you do use loo roll middles, plant them out just as the tap root gets to the bottom of the roll - they grow really fast so check every day.
What I do is germinate them on some kitchen roll (in a plastic box or similar) then put them in the loo roll middles once they sprout - they can take weeks and weeks to germinate.

Having said that, some people just plant the seeds straight in the soil and have no trouble at all

[Pinfold Plotter]

I sowed direct this year and they are one of the only things that are doing great on the plot. But previous years have been a bit hit and miss. They can take an age to germinate (apart from this year = came up in 2 weeks) and really don't like being messed with. You can go down the toilet roll route, but another alternative is sowing in a short length of guttering and sliding the seedlings into a trench in the bed. You can sow carrots this way too.

[VirginVegGrower]

Interrupted tap root I would guess, caused by being moved and not sown direct. Although I can never get mine to germinate when sown direct...I give up on snips.

[Two_Sheds]

Some of my parsnips were short and stumpy too, and they were sown direct, so transplanting wasn't the problem

These were all in the same bed, all treated exactly the same

[Aberdeenplotter]

Mine are fandabbydozy I hope. Direct sowing or prechitting the seed is the only way otherwise you are guaranteed to get forked roots. I say I hope because I haven't pulled any of my show snips yet which are growing in deep beds but they are looking good. The ones I have growing in the ground for the kitchen are fine. Have pulled a few.

[Potstubsdustbins]

Next year you might try a mix of 50/50 new and old compost or mix in some sharp sand.

Colin

[Plot10]

I used a combination of the above this year and so far so good, I haven't checked below the surface yet though.

I dug a trench, made up a mix of 50/50 used compost and sand then used this to fill toilet roll tubes which I placed in the trench and back filled the normal soil round them. I then sowed 2 -3 seeds directly into the tubes and they almost all germinated.

[Chef_uk]

One quick thing. If you do use loo roll middles, plant them out just as the tap root gets to the bottom of the roll - they grow really fast so check every day.
What I do is germinate them on some kitchen roll (in a plastic box or similar) then put them in the loo roll middles once they sprout - they can take weeks and weeks to germinate.

Having said that, some people just plant the seeds straight in the soil and have no trouble at all

I plant mine out as soon as their seed leaves emerge assuming the temps are ok and they don't need hardening off. Tap roots are nowhere near the bottom that early