brassica seedlings not very lively

[gwynnethmary]

I sowed cauli, sprouts and calibrese several weeks ago and got good germination.  I have now potted on the seedlings into paper pots.  The calibrese look quite healthy and are growing a second set of true leaves, but the sprouts don't seem to be doing much, and the cauli look very sad!  Did I just do it too early, and should I start all over again, or just wait and sow some more straight into the soil?

[gwynnethmary]

[lincsyokel2]

Mine are a bit slow, i have them in the conservatory.

Patience, grasshopper...............

[plainleaf2]

it usually takes brassica seedlings 12 weeks to reach transplant size.

[Tee Gee]

Difficult one this, but from the clues you give this is my guess!

I have now potted on the seedlings into paper pots.

I have never used this method as such, I once used peat pots and found them too fussy and keeping the moisture levels right as I recall was a bit of a pain.

My guess is yours are too wet and possibly even a little cold as hardy as they are.

Is the paper very wet? I think they should be touch dry.

The calibrese look quite healthy and are growing a second set of true leaves,

This clue suggests you have pricked them out a mite early, you should wait till you see a sign of the real leaves before pricking out!

Having said that I sometimes prick mine out at that stage if I need the space but I keep them quite warm for a couple of days after to help them along.

I pricked mine out last weekend and they are now down in the cold greenhouse on my allotment. In a two or three weeks time I will put them into the coldframe!

[Vinlander]

I'm always a bit wary about small paper pots - due to the square/cube law that's an awful lot of surface for not much water inside - so they can dry out very quickly if exposed, nearly as quickly (due to wicking) if any part of the paper is exposed to dry air.

On the other hand they can drain badly if they are completely enclosed.

All this is manageable - but I always make sure to water them with seaweed solution to avoid the risk of nitrogen theft - because the some individual paper fibres are small enough to begin rotting within the timescale.

[Jokerman]

mine seem really slow as well.... just gonna wait and see what happens.....   :-\