leggy beetroot seedlings
Lorea
Posts: 81
in Fruit & veg
my beetroot seedlings in modules have shot up into long, thin leggy things, after about two weeks. Is it still worth planting them out, and if so, how deep?
0
Lorea
Posts: 81
Lorea
Posts: 81
Posts
Leggy anything usually means an absence of good strong light, Lorea. They've been straining to get to what light there is. Have they grown in their typical clusters? Have you separated them yet?
Hi Italophile, I know what you mean, but they were in a place with loads of light. What I suspected was that they'd bolted, which is what's happened to me in the past when I've sown them outside and we've suddenly had hot weather. We had temps of 26ºC-28ºC in March for two or three weeks just after I'd sowed them. They are 'boltardy' though which I thought didn't bolt, or at least not as quickly as other varieties.
They're still in the modules where I sowed them, so I haven't separated them yet, and wasn't planning to.
What do you think? Shall I still plant them out?
Bolted !!! Hmmmm
Its probably a combination of light and being too hot. Sometimes a sunny windowsill is still not enough light as they have to follow the light, as opposed to 360 degrees in a greenhouse, also, these really do like cool conditions.
That reminds me, I must set mine away !!
Ah well, sounds like they got ahead of themselves with the burst of warmth. I've never found any of the so-called "bolthardy" things actually live up to their name.
I'd plant them out. Why waste them? Depending how leggy they actually are, maybe tuck them in at least half an inch deeper. I direct-sow mine allowing for the clusters, only sowing about a third of what I need, and, once they're up, I carefully separate them and transplant the extras. I lose very few in the process.
Thanks guys. I'll plant them out anyway and see what happens.