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Old April 22, 2016   #1
Anthony_Toronto
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Default Brassica seedling fails

Couldn't see a separate section for cabbage/kale so asking here...have started a few seeds of kale or cabbage for the last 3 years, more this year than the prior two, and two years ago and last year 100% of them bit the dust in the seed starting tray or soon after setting out. This year about 1/3 are already dead in the seeding tray, despite every other seedling variety thriving. Is there any trick to getting cabbage and kale seedlings to survive??
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Old April 22, 2016   #2
MissS
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If you do not get many replies here, then try posting in the Miscellaneous Edibles section
http://www.tomatoville.com/forumdisplay.php?f=94

Are you keeping them too wet? Photos would help.
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Old April 22, 2016   #3
Jeannine Anne
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Are they stretching too far looking for light. I have several types sown right now. they go from a bottom heating set up till they pop then immediately go under lights till big enough to transplant, broccoli is the most touchy about being moved, add to that the other posters comment about being too wet. I bottom water mine as I find they dry out so fast and even a couple of hours without water and they are toast.
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Old April 22, 2016   #4
JLJ_
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I've quit starting brassicas indoors, in spite of our short season, as I've had good luck seeding them directly to the garden. I fix a planting area , moisten it, sow two or three seeds where I want a plant, and cover the spot with a clear 3 liter water bottle with bottom cut out and top removed. I then plant onion sets thickly around them which (somewhat) confuses the white butterflies.

I don't have brassicas planted this year as yet, but I would if weather and my schedule would cooperate. I water the seedlings lightly when they need it . . . not often . . . and leave the bottle in place until they look a little crowded inside it. It protects them from unexpected cold/snow/wind/birds/flea beetles -- and they're pretty tough plants when they're happy . . . which they seem to be, when started that way.

No hardening off needed as they live in their permanent home from the time they sprout. I do usually have to dust them with food grade DE when I remove the bottles, as there seem to be legions of flea beetles with knife and fork ready, just waiting for them to be uncovered.

If flea beetles find their way into a bottle, I remove it, DE the plant, and replace the bottle. Sometimes I've seen a whole convention of flea beetles around the top opening of a bottle, gazing at the plant inside, coughing, and saying bad words. But they don't eat the plant.

Works fine here. YMMV
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Old April 23, 2016   #5
b54red
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I started growing brassicas from seed even before I started growing tomatoes from seed. They are probably the easiest seed to get good results from when home planting. They tend to be more resistant to damping off but they will fall to it if they are kept too wet but also will die rather quickly if they get too dry. I have had the best luck planting them in DE and then transplanting them up into coffee cups with potting soil when they are large enough to handle without damaging them. I usually wait til they are at least 4 inches tall to pot up and I keep them fertilized throughout the process because they are heavy feeders even as young seedlings. You want to keep them growing fast so you get nice large plants to set out and you do need to harden them off just like tomatoes before transplanting into the garden. Another thing I like about them is the seed seem to stay viable for a very long time despite the small size.

I can only assume you are letting them stay either way too wet, letting them dry out too much when they are very small or not giving them enough fertilizer. If you are treating all your other seedlings the same then it is most likely either too little fertilizer or letting them dry out too much as they are less likely than things like tomatoes to get damping off and they tend to die from too little moisture when very small more than most other seed I have planted. I start bottom watering with dilute fertilizer as soon as they emerge and I keep starting medium moist until all have sprouted. Like most other seedlings they do need a good source of light or they will become far too leggy very fast.

Bill
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Old April 23, 2016   #6
Labradors2
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I love Bill's response!

I have always direct-sown my kale around the same time as I plant out my tomatoes and that has worked fine for me.

Linda
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Old April 23, 2016   #7
Father'sDaughter
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I had mixed results with kale until I adopted the DE starting method. Unlike Bill, however, I keep the seedlings in DE until plant out.

I use 2.5" square by 3.5" deep starter pots and as long as I fertilize regularly, I end up with healthy plants that are about 6-8" tall by the time they go out. With the DE, the second I see the plants start to droop a bit, they get a good watering and they perk right back up.

I actually planted my kale seedlings out last weekend and within two days I swear they grew another three inches!
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