Kickstarting transplants

[devonstew]

Hey

Been wondering why some transplants just sit there whilst others get going….for example with my beets this year I grew a load of seedlings to gap up the drilled crops and since planting some have literally done nothing, even with all the lovely (ish) weather. It doesn’t seem like beets to be that bothered about a coolish July….anyway I’m a little concerned because the harvest is going to be quite small unless these stalling plants get going sharpish!
So any ideas on how to get them moving….

Cheers
stew

[charles]

That is a puzzle Stew, July has plenty of growing opportunities! Ws it the same module compost, plants not stunted there perhaps? Some Detroit beets I planted after shallots, on June 20th, are medium size now, and yours should be growing away. Soil ok?

[devonstew]

Yes I think soil should be fine, only its second year of production – onions the first year and a few autumn salad crops then a good load of manure in the spring.
Could be module compost, but I would have thought that once in the soil they would recover and grow on? Do stressed module plants not always recover?

thanks

[charles]

Interesting as I have found some problems with a poor batch of module compost I was given by Arthur Bower, a new peat free range to try, using “Sylvagrow” wood fibres.
Turns out it is “Sylvanotgrow” (truly amazing how plants stood there!) and many others had similar experience, the basil I potted into it took a long time to get going again so perhaps that is the cause, what was your potting compost?

[devonstew]

New Horizon, the same for all plants grown this year and everything else has seemingly been fine….don’t even think that the beets were in there overly long either…..maybe a month or five weeks….but each plant has different requirements I assume.
I was looking again today and some transplants have done a little better than others, but none are great and they have been in the ground since 2 July. The drilled ones are looking great btw

thanks

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