Another parsley failure

**veggiechicken** · 06-01-2016, 03:49 PM

Supermarket herbs are sown really thickly, so that you can eat them young, probably within a week or so of purchase. They're intentionally overcrowded. If you want to keep them growing you have to prick them out and pot on.
Yours look like they've suffered from damping off disease. The compost may feel dry on the surface, but you need to know how wet it is down below

**Guest** · 06-01-2016, 04:05 PM

There is still life in them

. Cropping completely will weaken plants as they need some greenery to photosynthesis and regenerate. Old growth will die off and degrade to feed the plant (in nature however as far as gardeners are concerned that can encourage beasties). As has been mentioned parsley is usually purposely grown to be cropped and slung.

**veggiechicken** · 06-01-2016, 04:12 PM

This may help http://www.growfruitandveg.co.uk/gra...rbs_58340.html

**Lisasbolt** · 06-01-2016, 04:30 PM

You need to be careful how much you cut away as well, after all the plant needs its leaves to get energy to grow more.
Supermarket herbs will be forced grown under lights and are extremely hard to care for in your own house, and goodness knows how long they sit without any light in the supermarket.

**Nicos** · 06-01-2016, 04:32 PM

You've also cropped them to death!!!

Keep em going- leave in a frost free place and plant them out in March/April.
They should pick up then.

Like VC says- they are really meant to be cropped and chucked out which is why they are so overcrowded.

**veggiechicken** · 06-01-2016, 04:35 PM

Personally, I'd compost them or, at least bung them in the ground somewhere and let them live out their days in peace.

**Scarlet** · 06-01-2016, 06:43 PM

Any plant will look dead after you've chopped it's head off!
You need a few more pots, or 2/3 Very large pots. Some growing and waiting in the wings, some to be cropping from and a some pots that you've cropped from and are in recovery. You need more pots during the winter as there will be minimal growth during the winter short days.

To be honest I think those supermarket herb pots are only suitable for half a dozencuts at the most.
I have 3 pots on the go - all large.

Mine are in pots slightly larger than black flower buckets.

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**Lisasbolt** · 06-01-2016, 07:17 PM

Originally posted by Scarlet View Post

Any plant will look dead after you've chopped it's head off!
You need a few more pots, or 2/3 Very large pots. Some growing and waiting in the wings, some to be cropping from and a some pots that you've cropped from and are in recovery. You need more pots during the winter as there will be minimal growth during the winter short days.

To be honest I think those supermarket herb pots are only suitable for half a dozencuts at the most.
I have 3 pots on the go - all large.
[ATTACH=CONFIG]61307[/ATTACH]
Mine are in pots slightly larger than black flower buckets.

beautiful plant for this time of year, wish mine looked like that

**Alison** · 06-01-2016, 08:16 PM

They're designed to die so you buy another one at the supermarket.

**Nicos** · 06-01-2016, 09:04 PM

Bit like bunches of flowers...but you can eat them!

**sparrow100** · 06-01-2016, 09:54 PM

If you grow root parsley you get tasty leafy greens and delicious sweet roots at the end of the season. The parsley taste is a bit stronger.

Thanks Scarlet - have always wondered how many pots I should sow. More than I thought!

**Scarlet** · 06-01-2016, 09:59 PM

^^^well, I cook a lot, use herbs most days and we are a family of four. I also cook for friends most weekends. I sow those pots quite thickly, this year they aren't looking to bad as the weather has been so good.

**Scarlet** · 08-01-2016, 09:22 AM

ust thought I'd show my other two pots, one very heavily picked....
[
This one has been having a holiday for a while. I picked from this one most of the summer. Its now started flowering. Come spring I usually pull out the really old and will give it a feed, and maybe add a little compost. It should reseed itself but I often collect some seed and sprinkle in thickly.

The pot sizes maybe overkill but we eat a lot of herbs.

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**Bren In Pots** · 08-01-2016, 09:32 AM

I find that what self seeds seems to do better than that I sow so now I let my parsley grow were it wants. I still keep some close to the house in pots though.

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