pre germinating parnsips - problems

[aquilegia]

HELP!  :'(

Last Saturday I started pre-germinating some parsnip and carrot seeds.

I put parsnip seeds on a piece of kitchen towel and folded it over, lightly dampened it and put it in a sealed plastic bag. I did the same for carrots and left them both on the kitchen worksurface.

On Tuesday I dampened both kitchen towels again as they were becoming dry.

On Wednesday, a few of the carrots had developed roots, but the parsnips had done nothing.

Yesterday about half of the carrots had roots, but a few parsnip seeds had mold growing on them. I removed these, transfered the rest to a new towel (I can't bear to throw them away), redampened it, put it on a plate with a plastic bag over the top (not sealed, so the seeds can breath) and put them on the video recorder (it's consistently warm there).

Anything else I can do to improve things?

Parsnips are the best vegetable and I must grow them.  :'(

[aquilegia]

[The gardener]

>>Last Saturday I started pre-germinating some parsnip and carrot seeds.

I wouldn't recommend pre-germinating carrots, however I would be interested in your results.

>>.I put parsnip seeds on a piece of kitchen towel and folded it over, lightly dampened it and put it in a sealed plastic bag. I did the same for carrots and left them both on the kitchen worksurface.

I prefer to place mine on a dish, e.g. a side/dinner plate and pour a little water on to it to soak the paper, removing the excess water when the paper is well and truly soaked.

Then I sprinkle the seed thinly on to the dampened paper..........I do not fold the paper........by doing so when you open it up to get at the chitted seed you may break the embryo root system.

>>On Tuesday I dampened both kitchen towels again as they were becoming dry.

I keep a hand spray handy and just spray them lightly as required

>>On Wednesday, a few of the carrots had developed roots, but the parsnips had done nothing.

Parsnip seed is a bit erratic in germinating and can take anything like up to 10 days to chit.

>> put them on the video recorder (it's consistently warm there).

Far too warm here I would say,10°-12°C (50°-55°F) should be sufficient.

Them going 'mouldy' was probably down to them being too warm, and seed sitting on top of each other.

I hope this helps.

[aquilegia]

Thanks TG - I shall follow your recommendations and let you know what happens with the carrots (I was hoping it would mean less thinning, ergo fewer carrot flies!)

[john_miller]

  Covering anything with plastic will provide perfect conditions to incubate fungi (mold). The spores are everywhere (we breath thousands at every breath) and are unavoidable, just don't encourage them!

BTW, everyone (and Hugh's cousin of course), it's snowing here again.

[loopylizzie]

Hi,As a complete newbie last year I too tried to pre germinate parsnip seeds on damp kichen roll and found a good crop of moldy un germinated seeds. Later I just popped the seed straight into the ground and they did o.k. I will be doing the same this year. :)

Hope your not offended by a newbie sharing what little experience I have.

Maybe someone older and wizer will come back with a good reason not to direct sow   :-[

[gavin]

Hi Loopylizzie - welcome!  I do the same as you - direct sow in my beds, just a bit later than it suggests on the packet.  Bone idle, I am!

All best - Gavin

PS  

Offended by a newbie sharing what little experience I have

Never; the more the merrier!  Chorus - "And so say all of us, and so . . . "

:) :) :)

[The gardener]

For the record I do not pre-chit my seed .....direct sowing for me.

My comments were for the benefit of those that want to pre-chit.

[philcooper]

When I chit by mixing the seed with damp vermiculite or sand in a sealed poly bag, I've never had problems with mould.

I had some old sweet pea seeds and followed the Gardeners' World advice to chit these between sheets of damp kitchen paper, I had lots of mould.

May be its something to do with the large surface area (scope for lots of spores?) on paper whereas a sealed bag except as you are putting the  seed and meium in is not open to spores?

Phil

[allotment_chick]

Keep the faith aqui!  

I started mine in folded damp kithen roll (just as you described) in a margarine tub with the lid on, on a south facing windowsill. Transplanted 12 seeds with rootlets into rootrainers yesteday (as the lottie is like a quagmire at the mo!) and hopefully a few more to come.....

I find margarine tubs indispensible - any seed big enough goes in them (I've just put the morning glory in to chit and trying peppers and aubergines too as not much seems to be happening in the greeny - I'm hoping the more stable temperatures in the house will work.)  Never have to rewet the paper this way.  Can't say I've ever had trouble with seeds going mouldy, either - but this would suggest to me that they are the non-viable ones anyway.

AC x

[Len]

Last year I placed three-four seeds under a half plastic bottles in their final pos. The bottles were held with a cane through the top stopped with a cork to prevent the wind blowing them away. I had uniform success all the way along a 25' row and just had to thin. This year I am only going to use two seeds per bottle.

[philcooper]

Carry on at that rate Len, and in 2 years you won't need any seeds!! ;D