Topic: Brassicas are dead

[mpdjulie]

I sowed brussels, calabrese, brocolli, cabbage and cauli seeds 2weeks ago in my greenhouse.  It doesn't get exceptionally hot in there and I have never had a problem growing in there before.  Five days ago when watering they were fine.  Starting to grow their first true leaves and then Sunday when I went to lottie they were all shrivelled and yellow.  I don't know what happened.  The compost wasn't soggy or dry and it wasn't overly hot in there.  Any ideas on what happened?
Also I don't think it's too late to sow some more but I was thinking that maybe I should sow them direct rather then in seed trays, what does everyone else think?

[goodlife]

I always do mine in seed trays..never had any trouble like that.. ??? Any chance there being something in the water?

[budgiebreeder]

Exactly the same has happened to me this year.How odd.Interested to see the replies as i have been growing  my own for the last umpty thousand years lol(well quite a long time).

[mpdjulie]

Goodlife - I'm pretty sure it's nothing to do with the water as I use the same water on everything else and all is doing great.
 :)

[Bugloss2009]

have a poke around in the compost and see if you've got cabbage root fly larvae. They did for my summer brassicas the last two years.........

[Digeroo]

I had this happen to a batch of brassicas but gave them comfrey tea and they managed to pull through and I only lost two plants they are outside now and growing away fine.    I am blaming the compost - Homebase.  It was suggested to me there was not enough nitrogen in it.  So I quickly gave them a high nitorgen fix.   For me one variety was worse than the others.  Are you sure they are totally dead not not just yellow leaves.

[mpdjulie]

I had this happen to a batch of brassicas but gave them comfrey tea and they managed to pull through and I only lost two plants they are outside now and growing away fine.    I am blaming the compost - Homebase.  It was suggested to me there was not enough nitrogen in it.  So I quickly gave them a high nitorgen fix.   For me one variety was worse than the others.  Are you sure they are totally dead not not just yellow leaves.

When I'm over there today I'll take photos, but I am sure they're dying as they're shrivelling up aswell as yellowing.

[Ben Acre]

Lack of nutrients re pot in fresh compost in larger pots or trays.

[Tee Gee]

Snap!

I have lost around 1500 plants this year and I put it down to too acid compost!

I have tried making my own, I have bought some and I have used compost from my Daleks and it is the same with them all.

I have stuck my pH metre in the but that is only a guide as the graduations are so large!

But even with this I am recording the acid side of neutral.

Now I know with the compost I made my self with John innis base I forgot to add lime so that I put down to my mistakre! (nuff said!)

Some of you may recall last year I had trouble with my potting compost but then at least I managed to grow some plants!

Well some of this will be in my Daleks so I guess it has filtered through to this years compost!

As I mentioned in another thread the a single bag of compost I bought was 30% 'painted' wood chippings so I did not know what to expect.

I feel this can only get worse as they add allsorts of things to save peat!

Who knows/ probably 'Bassets' will take up producing compost!  ::) 8)

So now I am faced with the situation that I do not have any bedding plants to plant out this year ( I usually plant out 1000+) and I am disgusted with the veg plants I have planted out this year.

What I have found to date is; the 'weak/seedy looking plants I have planted out seem to be recovering now that they are in 'natural soil' meaning my soil is is in good fettle! as I always thought it was!

So on Sunday I went out to a garden centre and purchased over 30 perennials and these are going to replace my bedding arrangements of the past.

All my thousands of Daffodils will go too and I will start from scratch again on a garden that has taken me over forty years to get as it is now!

Regarding my two allotments; subject to the return I get from my efforts to date I will decide at the end of the season if I will give these up as well!

I am just totally p**sed off with the eurocrats the PC brigade and the the rip off seed merchants of today who are selling stuff off that in many cases is not fit for purpose!

It wouldn't be quite so bad if I could buy stuff to rectify my problems but you can't


This 'organic' thing has a lot to answer for!

I compare it with the 'blanket' cover the majority have to put up with from the few!

Things such as  Decimalisation, The Common Market, Metrication, Fuel prices, all things that have only escalated prices rather than benefited the masses!

So you see it is not only the compost that is acid I am truly bitter as well.

Thanks guys for letting me get all that off my chest I now feel slightly better!

[grannyjanny]

Sorry to hear you're having problems again Tee Gee. I do hope you don't feel the need to give up your plots. What will your son do for his veg box ;).

[Ben Acre]

My plants are ok I buy Cheap seed from these "Cheap" shops, perhaps known brand seed are no good?

[Ellen K]

oh TG I am so sorry - don't know the full history of your garden but, well, I feel your pain a little a bit actually.

I have lost all my lovely Daffs this year but it was down to the exceptionally cold winter I believe and at least all the tulips survived.

But I've also blended most of my compost using Moss Peat from Bulrush and I will go out and buy a few bags more before it disappears from the market.   I've used a lot of county tip compost this year and for all its faults at least you know what you are getting.  The garden centre bags - who knows what is in them?

But you are right, it seems as if any old garbage goes in to commercial compost and it will only get worse.

scary  :(

[BarriedaleNick]

Blimey you do sound pissed off but what has decimilisation, the organic movement, PC and eurocrats got to do with the lack of germination of your seeds.
You can still buy traditional peat based compost very cheaply - Wicks sells it for 300 lts for 13 quid.

[1066]

Sorry to hear about your plants, but I have to ask what has Decimalisation got to do with it  ???

Which reminds me of a story my mum used to relate. She overheard 2 older ladies in the shop, talking away, when one of them turned round to her friends and said "why don't they bring in Decimalisation when all the old people are dead?"  :D  :D

[1066]

Sorry to hear about your plants. But I do have to ask what has Decimalisation got to do with it  ???

Which reminds me of a story my mum used to relate. She overheard 2 older ladies in the shop, talking away, when one of them turned round to her friends and said "why don't they bring in Decimalisation when all the old people are dead?"  :D  :D

[Ellen K]

... the bit about Decimalisation was TG trying to end on a jokey note, duh!

(but also thinks the EU is an expensive waste of space).

[Allotment-junkie]

the best way to combat losing Brassicas is to have a little seed bed to one side to start them off in , You get Better plants as well like this , It is suicidal to try and get them going  and maintaining them in a Greenhouse Most will suffer from Burn and frazzle up, all you need is a little fleece or netting to protect them
And regarding the Seeds I sowed 200 all year round cauli seeds and 3 have germinated, its not the compost either its the seeds as they were sown side by side in the ground with some cabbages that had a 100% success rate in Germination

[Tee Gee]

Sorry if I have confused some of you but after the disaster of last year with a farmer selling me aminopolyprid affected manure and receiving a load of dodgy potting compost I thought all that was behind me.

But then I find this year my plants won' t grow.

Everything I sowed came up as expected( that was the easy bit)  it since I pricked them out my problems have occurrred they just haven' t developed.

For example I pricked out some seedlings out in the fist week in February and they are still the same size today as they were then.

Similarly I potted on some plug plants and these haven' t developed either.

So it's not the seeds it can only be the compost!

So what is angering me is that more and more and this is where the organic ,eurocratic thing is coming in

This recycling is going a bit to far (imho)and some of the stuff we are having to buy is not fit for purpose

That's two years on the trot I have suffered and   I put it down to things like this.

Thanks barriedale for the tip on Wickes but it is a bit late in the day for me to buy in so men more compost I am planning binning the lot( not even composting it)

So sorry folks It just that the whole issue is getting me down

[Ben Acre]

I have never come across this before, seems like a big mystery as to why they died,

[Jeannine]

Tee Gee, now you just listen to great grandma here.

Don't  you dare talk about giving up,your posts are one of the first I read and I am too old to lose that fix now.

If anyone can get there head and hands around what is happening you can.

It is horrible to have to go through all that you have and now another hurdle.

It has to come full circle and |I want to hear the cheery reports when it does.

Hang on Tee Gee, still cheering you on over here.

XX Jeannine

I was hoping you had some experience  of planting rice.. we are still under water here on most of our ground LOL.. but the rain has stopped today.