Celeriac problem

[bussinspain]

Hi guys - what I am doing wrong? I am now on my 3rd sowing of celeriac Monarch seeds. The first were sown in a protected plastic greenhouse on 24th February (been nice and warm here) - only now are there 4 seedlings up of the 20 that were originally sown. The next lot were sown on 1st April - so slow in germinating that I then sowed some more on 25th April. The 2nd batch are now only just coming through.

[Scarlet]

How cold is it there at night? I think they need constant warmth.

[bramble]

I sowed mine in the heated propogator in March and had 100% germintion. Think they need some heat to germinate fully.

[bussinspain]

Thanks. That must be it then - a bit more heat at night. The 2nd sowing are now up so fingers crossed. I love celeriac - just need to convince hubby to like it too!

[meteor]

Some gentle heat and make sure you are using fresh seed, all the umbelliferae family including celeriac have a notorious short shelf life for seeds.
Best of luck with this sowing

[Penellype]

I have grown celeriac twice using the following method and have had more seedlings than I can possibly manage, having expected poor results especially from year old seed.

Fill a pot with compost and water it. Sprinkle seeds on top of the compost and do not cover them. Put a plastic bag over the pot and secure with an elastic band. Put on a windowsill on a saucer until they germinate - look for some growth in 7-10 days. Once leaves start to appear remove the bag.

The seeds need light and warmth to germinate, which is the reasoning behind this method.