About Root Disturbance

[veg4681]

I was compiling notes on various root vegetables (beetroot, turnips, radish, carrot) and they all imply that you have to take care not to disturb the roots when planting out. Okay it's loo rolls jobbie for parsnips but is this also very crucial for other veggies. I've sowed various root veg such as beetroot, turnips and radish and been repotted as seedlings (obviously been disturbed), are they then no good? It seems we're mostly better off just direct sowing but the slug....is there no winning ?

[Paul Wagland]

I direct-sow all of those, I think slug damage is less harmful than the disturbance caused by transplanting the seedlings. I seem to be quite lucky with slugs though - maybe it's all the wildlife ponds I build!

[veg4681]

Oh well, I will plant them out anyway, root disturbed or not and see how they'll turn out. If they're severely deformed and/or no good for eating, I will drop all root vegetables from future growing. Life's too short to be bothered like this.

[Tigerella]

Hi

When I first started last year, that was one thing that held me back.
But now I am trying to start most things in pots.

Last year I think I left some things in pots too long, they did not do very well after planting out.
Still learning.

T

[queen of the cobs]

I was really worried about this when I first started out, but I think if you are careful then it is fine, ie don't pull your seedlings out of pots; gently lift the whole rootball, knock off excess mud and plant out into a prepared hole. I've done this with everything as I start things off in my greenhouse for a bit of a head start when it's cold and I've never lost anything. I also replant the thinnings from my turnips (which I did sow direct) and they were absolutely fine. Just don't let them become potbound (when the roots will be curling round and round the bottom of the pot trying to find more space.

[Snadger]

I always either grow brassicas in a seed bed or in trays and then transplant them to there final position. Here's the reason why!

Brussels Sprouts - how to plant and care for Brussels Sprouts

[sewer rat]

All my leafy brassicas (cabbage, cauli, sprouts, etc) are started in 12 cell packs and planted out when ready, as are a lot of my other crops (except leeks which are grown on in 1 litre pots - about 30 to a pot) but I do direct sow the following - broad beans, runner beans, french beans (polytunnel only), peas, beetroot, carrot, turnip, swede.
My onions are grown from sets as are my shallots and are hand planted.

[SarzWix]

I started my Swedes off in modules last year as recommended by Andrew Tokely from Thompson & Morgan. It worked fine, so I tried doing beetroot that way & they were fine as well. It wouldn't do for carrots or parsnips though.

[Cutecumber]

It's not root disturbance you have to avoid per se, but restriction of the growth of the tap root.

If you start carrots and parsnips off in any kind of small container - cell, pot, loo roll, rootrainer... whatever, they will not develop properly if the first root gets to the bottom. If this occurs, the plant starts sending out new roots and you end up with fanged, short roots.

Beetroot are not so problematic and can last longer in cells before being planted out.

Veg4681 - root vegetables are easy compared to most, I think you are making things too complicated for yourself. Sow direct, cover with some fleece and leave well alone.

[veg4681]

It's not root disturbance you have to avoid per se, but restriction of the growth of the tap root.

If you start carrots and parsnips off in any kind of small container - cell, pot, loo roll, rootrainer... whatever, they will not develop properly if the first root gets to the bottom. If this occurs, the plant starts sending out new roots and you end up with fanged, short roots.

Beetroot are not so problematic and can last longer in cells before being planted out.

Thanks for the technical clarification on root disturbance, so long the roots haven't reached the bottom of the pot or plastic cup or loo roll or peat pot, then I should be fine. I can't see myself planting them out after the roots have got that far.

I've come up with a cunning plan (not Baldrick standard I hope ) with direct sowing from pre-germinated seeds which is then covered with 1/3 buried clear plastic cups with tiny ventilation holes at the top that are too small for slugs to squirm through. Would this work?

Just what I thought, surely root disturbance is less of an issue with round shaped root vegetables as in beetroot, turnip, swede and of course, some of these fancy round shaped variety of radish and carrot.

[The Doctor]

I would tend to agree with Paul. I try and avoid transplanting anything where the root grows directly into the vegetable because I never seem to have much luck getting them to develop afterwards.