I sowed some spring onion seed 3 wks ago and no sign of them seed is OK till 2010 i bought it last year but packet only opened now, i have put some more into my greenhouse in plug trays to see what happens. any thoughts what problem could be?
were they planted in the ground? I suspect that when I think i've had poor germination, I haven't really. The slugs have had them before I can properly see them, they're so small and fiddly. Also for me, as I sow them in blocks rather than rows, it's difficult to tell if i'm losing any
3 weeks isn't too long, if they've been outside
I sow them in a large pot (in coldframe) and then transplant them outside like leeks (when they are 2-3mm thick). Mine never seemed to work direct in the ground, but I have found this method much better.
Sparky - i'll give that a go. It's so difficult to weed them on the plot when they're really small
Mine were sown 5 weeks ago and germinated but are still only as thick as a blade of grass, about 4 inches high. Don't seem to be getting fatter ???
Quote from: ktlawson on May 18, 2008, 00:42:30
Mine were sown 5 weeks ago and germinated but are still only as thick as a blade of grass, about 4 inches high. Don't seem to be getting fatter ???
Mine are exactly the same :(
I put some in plastic pots & the rest on my lottie. The pots are bursting with strong growth but the lottie ones are like blades of grass with many gaps. My soil is clay based so i think the heat baked it too hard for proper growth of such tiny seedlings despite regular watering. Ive sown a new row under fleece at the lottie to give it a good go but if these fail i will stick to growing in pots & then transferring like leeks.
For better germination outside, sow into a drill, and top with a coarse compost, not soil(or John Innis). Keep wet.
We struggled for years to grow spring onions, now they come up like weeds!
Quote from: bionear2 on May 19, 2008, 11:43:30
For better germination outside, sow into a drill, and top with a coarse compost, not soil
They are in multipurpose, in containers. No soil ???
it's all down to heat and moisture content of the soil, when seeds are sown in compost and placed in a green house, kept warn and moist they germinate better than out side and as we all know how the weather and tempertures change, its a wounder how anything grows here,
but as for my spring onions sown around three weeks ago out side, they are the same size as KTLawson, blade of grass and seemed to have stopped growing now the tempertures are cooler than a few days ago >:(
Quote from: ktlawson on May 18, 2008, 00:42:30
Mine were sown 5 weeks ago and germinated but are still only as thick as a blade of grass, about 4 inches high. Don't seem to be getting fatter ???
Mine too. Sowed them months ago, no problem germinating but they seem to have stuck at the seed leaf stage.
Just thought to tell you the seeds i put in the green house are coming through ;) just as windygale said they would, only taken 6 days so feeling good. so have put in some beetroot as well in the g/house as that wasnt doing much in ground neither so will see how that goes.
Yep Im definitely getting much better results from everything Ive germinated on windowsills than stuuff i put directly into the ground. Have even started to start stuff off indoors that say to only sow direct, like sugar snap peas etc. This is my first year so its all about experimenting for me but reckon I will continue to germinate indoors next year especially as it gives my seedlings a chnace to get strong before they have to face the real world of slugs & other pests :o