Problems with bathroom stationery centres!

herbaceous

I have used the cardboard rolls from the middle of loo paper for peas, beans and parsley seeds for years. My daughter, has followed suit now she has a garden.

Last year and this the seeds germinated but the plants have not thrived (accept the heat may be a problem) for either of us. The seeds I sowed in plastic cups are great. I have always kept the cardboard damp as it dries out quite quickly.

The plants from the plastic cups - great
The plants removed from the loo rolls - recovering
The plants planted in the loo rolls - dying

I can only imagine there is now something in the manufacture that makes them unsuitable? Has anyone else noticed this?

Fire

Interesting. This year I did plant various sweet peas seeds in loo rolls and others in pots (from the same packet). The ones in pots did much better, with a much larger, established and healthy root system. It seemed to me that loo rolls are too narrow to really do the job. It didn't occur to me that there was anything in the loo roll that was inhibiting them.

Kitty 2

We've had no problems herbaceous. OH has been using loo roll inners to sow peas for years now and the only issues have been risk of drying out (as you said) and a bit of mould.
This years crop is doing fine, pods are swelling nicely 😋. The whole thing gets planted out, burying the tubes underground to rot away.

Could it be brand specific maybe? I don't know.
I buy "Nicky"🚽

herbaceous

Good thought Kitty2, I did change brand about three years ago! Maybe the big green W use different innards?

Well Fire, have you changed brands? Its a mystery 

Fire

No, but mine were ok, just not thriving.

herbaceous

The plastic cups come from a rather tasty iced coffee which I treat myself to occasionally (OK a couple of times a month), may have to up the treats! Although the cups have lasted several years so far, just not as convenient as the loo roll middles as they are tapered at the bottom.

I feel an experiment coming on, have to go buy some other bathroom stationery and sow seed under controlled conditions. Oh dear, that's going to be really hard 

Fire

"Bathroom stationary" - a new phrase to me. I was confused by your post title. I thought maybe predictive text had gone skew-whiff. 'Bog roll' now feels really common.

herbaceous

I don't have anything as fancy as predictive text Fire, I'm just ordinarily skew-whiff 
it started as a family joke, a comment from one of my daughters, and has persisted as these things do.............

Fire

As a stationary obsessive, I'm now wondering if I could have special notepads next to the bath, for moments of creative inspiration.

herbaceous

Absolutely! Mine are called 'tiles' but rarely get used, those moments are few and far between!

Fire

With lipstick?