Topic: growing wasabi

[goodlife]

Has anybody here tempted to grow any wasabi?
Well..I have 'some' now .. I bought small supply of seeds, swapped some and was left with 15...and then I did bit of reading on net about he subject... All info is about how to grow them from roots/plants and very little about seeds. In fact one source said 'not to bother'..they are practically impossible to grow from seed as the seed don't have any dormancy, they don't tend to live very long.
Now my few little seeds felt like waste of money...but..I soaked them for a day in pond water...sowed them in multipurpose and watered them in with more pond water...AND...today I have A SEEDLING! Just one..but its better than nothing
And now the 'fun' start...there is very confusing advise around as what to do next.."they like acid soil"...."they are brassica family best grown in ph6-7"..only thing that different sources seem to agree is that they like shade..
So if anybody has grown any wasabi..and from seeds..PLEASE..I could do with some info to help with how to carry on with my seedling.
Otherwise I must put my grey cells into serious workout and start thinking of 'how nature would do it'

[winecap]

This may not be very helpful. I thought about growing wasabi, but the name seemed to describe two entirely different plants - one quite like horseradish and one entirely different. Just thought I'd mention that, as that may be the cause of the differing advice on how to grow it. The one unlike horseradish, which claimed (on a US website) to be the real wasabi was the one I wanted, but I wasn't sure whether any of the seed I located here related to that, so I didn't proceed.

[goodlife]

Yes, I have noticed that some are not even writing about right plant

There is now few sources in UK where to by plants if you were thinking having a another go.
I just have to do it now cheaper and more difficult way..for now..

[Jayb]

Sorry can't help with young seedling care, I started with a small cutting a few years back.

It maybe not as recommended, but I've had quite good results growing wasabi in a pot of multi-purpose compost. They don't seem to be particularly needy watering wise though I do try and remember to keep them damp, most of the time! I thought I'd lost my plants last summer. I think the problem was they were in a slightly shadier spot than usual and with all that cloudy-rainy weather it was just not bright enough, unfortunately I didn't cotton on very quickly. I lost some of my plants but those that remain are now starting to look ok, though no flowers this year and the roots look to have suffered quite a bit. I've been growing them inside a polytunnel, this year though I'll be placing them in a part sun spot rather than shady.

Although they produce a fairly leafy plant which is attractive, I've found they are quite slow to make roots and nothing of great size yet, hopefully I'll improve with their care and get better results.   The leaves and stalks also pack a fair punch so are good in a salad etc but probably best not to take too many.

[goodlife]

Ok thanks ..that about it 'needing acid soil' info then.. Hmm..so 'our' shady is too shady...

[Jayb]

It's a lovely plant and I've found it so much easier to grow than I thought it might be.
Some pictures, from a root transplant through to bigger plant and flowering.

[Jayb]

Hmm..so 'our' shady is too shady...

Yes, I think our sunlight is not as intense for the plant, so it will take a bit more light than most describe, just my thoughts though. Although when we have our scorcher of a summer.........

[goodlife]

Wow! They are looking good!
Is it just MP compost or did you mix anything with it? Have you got trays under the pots to hold some water?
Have you used any fertilizer? Some sources say that they like 'trickle of Nitrogen' and some sulphur content will help to bring the best flavour out of the roots.

[Jayb]

Thank you, pictures are from 2010.

I'm afraid my plants just get pretty much the basics. In a pot, MP compost, no tray for water, no special fertiliser - just a watering with whatever I'm feeding the toms with. Kept in poly tunnel summer and winter no extra fleece. Normally they seem to do quite well so I've not experimented with anything else.

I did think of doing a gravel bed, which I may get around to?

[ruud]

Hi goodlife sowed my wasabiseed last week in the greenhouse and today i saw a pot full of wasabiseedlings.They look almost the same as cabbageseedlings.So now step two how to raise them into adult plants.

[goodlife]

Pot FULL! ..and I only got 1 seedling. Time will tell if mine is true wasabi..looks like turnip seedling to me...

[InfraDig]

There was something on Countryfile about this, in the last two weeks (?) I think. Growing it in Hampshire, in a similar way to watercress. Perhaps it is still on iplayer?

[InfraDig]

It is still on iplayer, Hampshire, about 39 minutes in.

[Jayb]

Goodlife and Ruud, how did your plants do? I managed to kill mine last Autumn.
I was wondering whether to trying starting some from seed?

[ruud]

Mine grew and grew and than they were 15 cm tall and started to flower and died.Conclusion i did something wrong in the time of sowing or the weather did the plants flowering.I know that wenn you are sowing chinese cabbage or pakshoi to early in the season it goes into flowering.So it wasnot a big succes.

[kGarden]

Dunno if helpful, but there was a bit about a "farm" in the UK growing Wasabi on Countryfile a month or so back. They have a snippet on their website:

http://www.thewasabicompany.co.uk/countryfile

[goodlife]

Goodlife and Ruud, how did your plants do? I managed to kill mine last Autumn.
I was wondering whether to trying starting some from seed?

Mine did not do anything at all  Well, I did get some to germinate and then nothing...they were not happy with me and the seedlings didn't want to grow. So that's that.....for now. I might get my thinking cap on one day and start again with knowledge of 'what not to do'.

[Jayb]

Sorry yours died Ruud, sounds like they got off to a flying start. Mine used to flower each spring and were ok. Perhaps it got too hot for them or sunny?
I killed mine with lack of water, could have kicked myself for being such a numpty!
GL, I wonder why they just didn't want to grow, you have a great growing sense. Hmm, tricksy things!

Thanks KG, I was looking at their website a couple of days ago and it does seem they are the people getting it right  Good to know they can be grown well in the UK if you get the conditions right.

I think I'll have a search for some seeds and hopefully find a source, though they are sounding quite a challenge to get started and grow.

[goodlife]

GL, I wonder why they just didn't want to grow, you have a great growing sense. Hmm, tricksy things!

I have a feeling that I killed them with kindness... Knowing that they are supposed to be difficult to grow from seed..or to grow, full stop...I might have been overly eager when tending to their needs and may have tried to force them to get on 'before they out of their nappies' 
Any new plants I grow...I'm either overly 'motherly' and or stalking them several times a day, not leaving them alone so I can catch every little minute detail in their development....
No wonder I don't have kids...they would have been seriously messed up with me....

[Jayb]

Lol I know the feeling, especially with seeds and seedlings, a compulsive compost and pot watcher here!