Author Topic: Parsnips (Read 4524 times)

Fleur · « **on:** December 10, 2003, 14:30:58 »

I have had a delivery of well rotted manure which has been spread over the vegetable garden, can I put it where parsnips are to be grown or will this cause forked roots?

rdak · « **Reply #1 on:** December 10, 2003, 14:55:58 »

I don't think parsnips (and carrots) like newly manured ground. I plan on growing some next year and am not going to manure where they're going. I believe they also like the soil to be fairly compacted and preferably free of stones.
This is all knowledge acquired 2nd hand, but I'm sure all those here with 1st hand knowledge will chip in...

budgiebreeder · « **Reply #2 on:** December 10, 2003, 15:47:44 »

No don't manure the ground where these crops are going or they will indeed fork.You are perfectly right also about the soil being stone free. I have found light sandy soil best for carrots.Just had some of this years crop mashed with swede for dinner as a matter of fact. Very nice they were too.

Hugh_Jones · « **Reply #3 on:** December 11, 2003, 00:18:30 »

If you want perfect parsnips, make sure that the ground is firm (not compacted), then use a long dibber (or even a crowbar) to make a hole about 18 inches deep. Wiggle the dibber about a bit to expand the hole to about 3 inches diameter; sieve some nice light to medium loam through a 1/2 inch sieve and fill the holes with it, then sow 4 or 5 seeds per hole, to be thinned out to 1 when they germinate. Repeat at 8 inch intervals along the row. You`ll grow whoppers that way.

Otherwise you can do like me, sow them thinly in rows and thin out to 6 inches, and get nice medium sized ones.

Incidentally, carrot fly will attack parsnips quite readily when they can`t get at the carrots, so if you live in a bad carrot fly area protect them during the summer.

Palustris · « **Reply #4 on:** December 11, 2003, 00:25:26 »

But why do they grow fanged in fresh manured soil? I always though it was because they did not have to go down looking for moisture and nutrients, but I wonder. Right about the carrot root fly, they play havoc with ours.

gavin · « **Reply #5 on:** December 11, 2003, 20:23:14 »

Hi Eric - I read somewhere that salts in the fresh manure kill the growing tip of the tap root; so they grow out in all directions round and past the dead tip.

True? False? Don't know - but I would like to!!!! Not that I've ever had any real success growing carrots long enough to fork!

All best - Gavin

Hugh_Jones · « **Reply #6 on:** December 11, 2003, 20:48:14 »

Gavin, try growing a few in the same manner as I`ve suggested for parsnips - but smaller holes and closer together. It`s not the best way to get a big crop, but you should get some big carrots!

gavin · « **Reply #7 on:** December 11, 2003, 22:26:26 »

Aye, Hugh - I'd spotted that. But how to keep the carrot fly away - when any structure (even a mesh tunnel) gets trashed or burned?

Perhaps a 12-bore ----------------- no, NOT for the carrot fly! I'm thinking of any unwelcome ....... who dares glance over our non-existent fence!

We'll see what this year brings.

All best - Gavin

Hyacinth · « **Reply #8 on:** December 11, 2003, 23:10:47 »

Please may I come in with a quick question re: manure & root crops? One patch that will take the manure-friendly/essential crops was spread with well-rotted some while back..the other, which will take carrots, etc. has not & hasn't had manure for abt. 3 seasons...planned to lime it (but I forgot), then bung over a general fertiliser before sowing next spring. However, OK to fork in a titchy bit of w-r now or doesn't it need it? Then, if lime is needed (and it's been abt.3-4yrs since I limed & it probably does), do that early March? The plot produces well, but no idea of its Ph value & won't have 'til I do a test next spring..thanx - Lish

Hugh_Jones · « **Reply #9 on:** December 11, 2003, 23:37:18 »

Alishka, presumably by w-r you mean well rotted. If so, no, it`s not alright if you want decent carrots. I always work on the basis of no carrots or parsnips for 2 years after manure or compost. And why do you assume that you need to lime it just because it is 3 or 4 years since you last did it? The time to lime (unless you are growing brassicas) is when your pH meter says so. Carrots will grow perfectly happily in pH conditions of 5.5 to 7.0, so only lime if your pH meter shows that you are below 6.0. Otherwise all you need is a good dressing of Blood,Fish & Bone worked in a few days before sowing.

gavin · « **Reply #10 on:** December 11, 2003, 23:48:08 »

Hi Alishka

Hmmm - while I've been thinking and typing, Hugh got there first!

I was thinking about what's to follow your carrots and roots the next year? If it's brassicas to follow, I'd lime for them next winter. If it's potatoes, don't lime this year, or next, until they're lifted and out of the way!

All best, Gavin

Hugh_Jones · « **Reply #11 on:** December 11, 2003, 23:59:28 »

Follow the carrots and parsnips with potatoes, and use the manure. After lifting the potatoes, lime and grow brassicas. Follow the brassicass with legumes, and then back to carrots & parsnips - giving a full 4 year rotation. That takes care of the main standby crops. Onions & leeks could use part of the previous year`s potato patch (without the lime), and all the other odds and sods can be worked in somehow.

john_miller · « **Reply #12 on:** December 12, 2003, 02:04:07 »

For Gavin and Eric in particular:- Gavin is correct when he says that the danger with growing carrots and parsnips on freshly manured ground is that the excess salts will burn out the main growing point and cause the root to fork. This is because the main growing point is producing the plant hormone auxin, which suppresses the growth of secondary growing points. When the main growing point is killed then it's production of auxin ceases and hormonal changes take place further back at root buds (formed on the main root, they are readily visible in many varieties as a white line on the root with a defined 'spot,' generally in it's centre, which is the actual root bud) which allow them to start growing. If one bud becomes dominant, as tends to happen, then you will end up with two forks. If not, then multiple forks will occur. As these roots elongate then they will in turn produce auxin to suppress the growth of other root buds and become the main growing point.
This is the same as happens with the above ground parts of plants, except in the reverse direction.

Hugh_Jones · « **Reply #13 on:** December 12, 2003, 02:56:00 »

That raises another point, John. As you will possibly have noticed, I always leave a 2 year gap after using compost before sowing carrots and parsnips, and 2 years on my hungry gravel means virtually no discernible humus residues left. But I still get a proportion of forked (some badly forked) roots. Are there any other factors (e.g. the presence of a stone at the critical point) that can lead to the death of the growing point? I have noticed that when I have used the `hole filled with sieved compost` method I have always had clean roots although the soil used to fill the holes is still the same gravelly stuff but with the gravel sieved out, so I have always assumed the presence of the stones to be a factor in the forking.

john_miller · « **Reply #14 on:** December 12, 2003, 03:23:03 »

Yep (you do speak Americanese don't you?), the stone will cause the very tender cells at the growing point to suffer sufficent mechanical damage that they are killed. One article I read indicated that plant roots exert about 2,000 pounds per square inch of force as they grow through soil. Obviously an impermable layer of rock at this pressure will cause considerable damage to anything let alone newly formed cells! This will again result in the cessation of auxin production, resulting in forking.

Hyacinth · « **Reply #15 on:** December 12, 2003, 11:06:51 »

That is an impressive statistic, John and thanks for the input - it's great that you come here & sort us out.

Hugh - meant to write that I would do a Ph test first and lime afterwards if necessary. Oh, and I see that I wrote I'd manured the plot that takes carrots, etc? Well, I don't, I haven't, and, no! I'd not been drinking when I posted...

My question was prompted by BB writing a while back that he manures his lottie and I wondered if this particular patch might need some now?

Like Tim, crop rotation isn't such an option for me - I'm growing in limited space and, apart from sprouting, don't 'do' brassicas. The carrots (Nantes 2) stay more or less in the same patch & I've never had disease or fly - (may my good fortune continue). Digging the patch out and removing all stones some years ago has paid dividends - perfect baby carrots every time, every year. :D - Lishka

gavin · « **Reply #16 on:** December 12, 2003, 11:17:03 »

Ahah! :D

Thank you, John - I've read books old and new, talked and listened for four years. Heard the tutor of a gardening course tell everybody "the idea is probably rubbish, but everybody says it, so no harm in doing it."

Thank you for the explanation and confirmation - much appreciated.

All best - Gavin

BikerBob · « **Reply #17 on:** December 16, 2003, 15:18:32 »

While discussing Parsnips and it does`nt seem to have been mentioned before in this topic. The following is an extract from this months Kitchen Garden mag.
Pringles for your Parsnips.
(enclosing a photo of his parsnips which weighed in at 3 and 2lb with two examples)
I decided this year to use Pringles Crisps tubes. I cut the bottom off and filled the tubes with seed compost, then sowed the seed. I kept them in the greenhouse until transplanting the tubes onto the allotments. The tubes protected the parsnips and expanded during growth. I am truly amazed and excited at this year`s crop, so much so, that I have already asked my friends to save the tubes for next season. Unquote.
Editors reply: Growing rootcrops in pipes isn`t new, but pringles tubes are a bit different. Unquote
So if you have`nt tried this method already, you might wish to try it next season.
I don`t grow them personally as they take too long to grow and I don`t have that much room available on my garden plot. Presumably you could do the same method for carrots, with toilet roll inserts etc!!
Bob ???

rdak · « **Reply #18 on:** December 16, 2003, 15:50:25 »

would you bury the tubes or have them standing on the soil?

BikerBob · « **Reply #19 on:** December 16, 2003, 21:19:21 »

As it said they were transplanted into his allotment, they would be buried into the earth presumably.!

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Author Topic: Parsnips (Read 4524 times)

rdak

Hugh_Jones

Hugh_Jones

Hugh_Jones

Hugh_Jones

Hugh_Jones

rdak