Kitchen Garden Forum

For some reason, all my beetroot seedlings (outside - direct sown) appear to be toppled over (as if first stages of damping off) - they seem as if weak at the base of the stems as well ?! However, this happened several weeks ago and since then, none of them have died and all are growing well .... only (all) lying over on their side ! Sowed very thinly, so can't see that overcrowding could have been an issue - making then spindly. Only one thing was that we had a big storm at around time at which all toppled over which flooded the veggie patch a bit and may have washed the soil about and certain areas slightly sank - so maybe this had something to do with it ? Otherwise, I can't see what could cause this - anyone have any ideas ?

Not sure of your cause Szmiti, but if they are growing you will probably get some beetroot bulbs so dont worry too much, I plant mine in loo rolls or peat pots and then plant them out.

Compo

This has happend to me. When they get a bit bigger with a small root forming you can put them upright. I didn't bother with half of them and they grew fine, just a few of the roots were odd shaped when picked but that didn't matter. The ones I put upright were ok too.

this pretty much always happens to me at the beginning! They right themselves as they get bigger, don't worry

I transplanted my seedlings from modules last Sunday.
Although the seedlings all seem to have taken, the majority of the leaves have turned yellow.Definately not lack of water. Is this normal or have i got a soil deficienty.
Regards Brenjon

i have grown a mixture of plants for salad leaves.

Rocket,mizuna, 3 types of oriental mustard greens,komatauna...list goes on. but 'rudy chard' and 'bulls blodd- beetroot' also. i find that its very easy for the chards and beetoots to suffer from over-head watering and collapse in a 'damping-off' look-a-like fashion.

i have never been told of such risks..but i defo now believe it is an issue!!

Dear Brenjon, i don't think it will be due to a soil deficiency, as the plants should not react that quickly.
It just sounds to me as if the plants have had a bit of a shock, probably just to being planted out, and the huge amounts of rain.

There seems to be a lot of this problem about this year, and i'm wondering if it's a lot to do with people starting things of under cover, and then just planting them out witout hardening them off properly.
I know things like French and Runner beans cannot really be hardened off fully, but even with these, they do get away quicker once planted out.

Thanks for that reply Herby. I am sure that you are on the right lines as they seem to be looking a lot better in the last few days . I did them in modules as I was keen to get going with everything . The next I will sow them direct into the soil.
What or other peoples opinions of the merits of the two methods?
Regards Brenjon