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Quote from: InfraDig on December 01, 2009, 08:52:25
Please can someone explain monogerm/multigerm? What are the benefits of one over the other? Sorry if I am being thick!

Thanks.

The standard old-fashioned beetroot sed is actually a rather corky structure containing several actual seeds. Monogerm varieties were bred (mostly for the commercial boys) so that each seed drilled in would only produce one plant, saving on either a back-breaking manual thinning operation or the yield reduction caused by having a bunch of plants all growing on one station.....

I grew Boltardy this year because it was in a seed collection I bought on ebay and although I was very happy with the results there was a signficant amount of faff early on reducing the seedlings down to one per module, in some cases I didn't succede.... Unlike onions where there is significant overall yield increase for having 3 or 4 plants pers station (even if the actual plants are smaller the total crop weight is higher) beetroot don't seem to take kindly to it so the choice is 3 ping-pong balls  or a decently sized beet....

chrisc

All is clear. Thank you very much. I hadn't realised that!

A multigerm beet (the 'normal' sort) is several seeds fused into a lump. So you plant one, and several plants may come up, which then need to be thinned. A monogerm variety is a single seed. You plant it and only one comes up, so it doesn't need thinning.

When you say "fused", can the seeds be split up, with, say, gentle rolling?

Quote from: InfraDig on December 01, 2009, 15:27:52
When you say "fused", can the seeds be split up, with, say, gentle rolling?

Possibly but you'd have the devils own job distinguishing a seed frmo a lump of the corky stuff that binds them up together. Monogerm just gets round all that in one swell foop...

chrisc

You'd spend forever trying to separate multigerm seeds, and probably not get anywhere. better to plant them normally and thin, or use a monogerm if you don't want to be bothered.

seems a bit complicated, i never thin then I just plant them with 2/3 inches between the next one in the row and 12 inches between the rows

The beets seem to find their space and i start taking them when they are a useable size = golfball and so on until they are all gone - eating as fressh every week and pickling those I dont eat fresh

This year I have now 23 x 1 litre jars of pickled beetroot - enough for the rest of the winter/spring season and then 1 will have fresh crops

dax

What a beautiful cat, my beetroots just didn't grow this year, I watered them, perhaps too much. Will just check the seed packet, think it was a freeby.  The allotment next to me that doesn't visit that often had beautiful beetroot.  Not fair.

I sow them like Daxzen, perhaps not so much between rows.  carefully spaced they don't need too much thinning, and pulling every other one give the others a chance to grow a bit more.  And sowing in succession is a good tip too, though we have lost quite a few to slugs and snails this year.  >:( >:( >:(

i have been lucky with beetroot over the years

i always water the sol before i sow and that's it - they fend for emselves

tough love!

my cat is a ragdoll - we have three - loverly gentle boys they are

mustn't forget the 10 yar old house rabbit - he loves beetroot too!

dax

I started my beetroot in a seed tray and then transplanted them. For an experiment really. It worked. Was I just lucky?

We grow Sanguina from Real seeds and it always does the job.

Quote from: InfraDig on December 02, 2009, 16:03:42
I started my beetroot in a seed tray and then transplanted them. For an experiment really. It worked. Was I just lucky?

I don't know if it is right or wrong but that is what I did and they came up trumps  ;D

Quote from: InfraDig on December 02, 2009, 16:03:42
I started my beetroot in a seed tray and then transplanted them. For an experiment really. It worked. Was I just lucky?

It's how I gow Boltardy... one seed per module, try to thin the clumps in th emodules, plant out at 6" gaps in foot spaced rows.... but I was rubbish with them and they were too long in the modules. alternately drowned or scorched and some ended up in a flowerbed.... and I still got good beetroot.....:D

It's the issues with thinning that lead me to look for a monogerm and the fact that I'm hoarding the last bottle for Christmas leads me to stumo-roots to increase the crop without taking up more space.... though if more space is needed I'll find it......

chrisc

Do seed tapes have monogerm seeds in them.  I believe you don't have to thin?

Me too Shilton, I've grown Sanguina for the last two years and had exellent beetroot
they don't grow to big and the flavour is great

Quote from: tomatoada on December 03, 2009, 13:54:39
Do seed tapes have monogerm seeds in them.  I believe you don't have to thin?

I don't know if they are monogerm on the tapes but they will like onions grow out from each other as they get bigger...  :-\

Quote from: daxzen on December 02, 2009, 13:29:47

The beets seem to find their space and i start taking them when they are a useable size = golfball and so on until they are all gone - eating as fressh every week and pickling those I dont eat fresh

I did this as well and it worked quite good for me. I grew some choggia and golden for the first time as well. The choggia yield was crazy!

QuoteI grew some choggia and golden for the first time as well.

Choggia is nice raw, but I did not eat all I produce.  Germination of Golden did not seem to be as good as red so I found it did not need much thinning.  Seems to produce golf ball size quite easily.  Love the taste.  Definitely on the list for next year.

Right I'm going to ask a divvy question

How can you tell if they are monogerm or not. I've looked at the packets of beetroot that I have and none of them mention owt to do with it  ???