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| What's the longest amount of time I can keep my broccoli plants in their small cells that I started the seed in? Last year, I learned about the "buttoning" phenomenon the hard way and had many plants that only produced a single bite-sized head. I'm trying to avoid that this year so I'm trying to figure out how long I can keep seedlings in their cell packs before they "go bad". I'm doing succession seed starting so if the weather doesn't cooperate for my first batch, hopefully the second or third will be ready in time. But I'd like some idea of when my first batch is past its prime and not worth planting out in the garden. Thanks! |
Follow-Up Postings:
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- Posted by theforgottenone1013 5b/6a MI (My Page) on Fri, Feb 28, 14 at 11:18
| You can start them around a month ahead of time. At that age the seedlings are still young, vigorous, and will transplant well into the garden without any problems. Starting them any sooner/earlier and you run the risk of stressing the plants, in my opinion. And as you know, if brassica seedlings get stressed (due to watering inconsistencies, being rootbound, seedlings being over mature, etc.) they won't do well. Rodney |
This post was edited by theforgottenone1013 on Fri, Feb 28, 14 at 11:21
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| I usually go about 6-8 weeks including hardening off. But broccoli does well here. Cauliflower is a bit more finicky. But I never attribute it to too old of a seedling. I think it's more of temperature issue with it. I still do well with it, but occasionally I get one of those crappy looking 3 inch heads. Kevin |
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| I go 27 days from sowing to transplant out....works excellently. |
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| That's quick wayne! Whatever works, right? Kevin |
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| I germinate brassica seedlings in an open flat and then transplant into their individual 72 tray cells (6 pack size). From the time of potting up, I try to have them in the ground within 3-4 weeks. Any longer is usually asking for trouble. If you want to buy some extra time, pot up into 4" pots. -Mark |
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| A like Mark's timing: Brassica are cool crops and need not to be pampered inside for too long. All is needed is to germinate and have few sets of leaves. Then train them to go in the garden, out in the field and enjoy cool spring weather. |
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| Unfortunately, cool spring weather this year is -5, with 2 feet of snow on the ground. My brassicas are in 4" pots getting their 2nd true leaves now, but if I can get them in the ground in April, it'll be miraculous. |
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- Posted by Creek-side 5 (My Page) on Sun, Mar 9, 14 at 8:55
| I planted mine on March 1, and I plan on moving to pots in about another week. How low of temperatures can they take when they are 6 weeks old or so? |
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| I planted a backup batch of broccoli seeds this week, Just In Case. I'm assuming the cabbages won't have buttoning problems. Normally, I'd have the brassicas starting to go out to be hardened off by now. Once hardened, they can take temps in the mid-twenties. But even if the snow melts, even if the ground thaws, it'll be mud. |
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| Just starting broccoli (which always bolted for me, so I want to get out ASAP this year - as soon as the snow melts), kale, mustard, spinach, chard, tat soi, and lettuce over the next couple of weeks. Wondering when to start these (trying to follow Johnny's calculator this year, LFD May 15 - maybe), with the exception of peppers which I want to start tomorrow since they seem to take so long. Should all the cool-weather greens be started in my cooler basement (starting to warm up to almost 50 now) or in the 67-degree house as I did with kale last year? Looks like kale will get leggy if let go too long (had to share lights with nightshades, and didn't help that we went on vacation in mid-April so I didn't get the kale out until May), but starting early I can keep them under lights until my tomatoes need them in April, by which time I hope I can plant out under row cover. What about other brassicas, lettuce, etc.? Do they need intense light once germinated? I'm wondering if I start these in the next 2 weeks if they will do better in cooler area, with lights, than upstairs, and when and where to move them to once I need lights for the tomatoes next month. Is natural sunlight OK by then, start hardening off outside during the day and moving them back to cool basement at night until nights are above freezing (which they should be by mid-April but who knows this year)? |
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