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Should I prick them out?

rlewrlew Posts: 73
in Problem solving


Should i prick them out and put into their own 9cm pots now or wait a bit longer? Always struggled with beetroots.... 

Posts

  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    Ideally - you'd wait until you can see some roots coming out of the bottom. :)
    They don't look as if they have proper leaves yet - just the seed leaves. 
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • chickychicky Posts: 10,410
    If they were mine I would pinch out the spares so there is just one plant remaining per module.  They should then have enough compost each to grow on a fair bit.  I would plant them out (after hardening off) straight into the garden from those modules, and not bother with the 9cm pot stage
  • LynLyn Posts: 23,190
    I agree with a Chicky,  most root veg don’t like root disturbance.
    Gardening on the wild, windy west side of Dartmoor. 

  • JennyJJennyJ Posts: 10,576
    I seem to recall Geoff Hamilton sowing beetroot in modules like that and just planting out the whole clump to get a cluster of smaller beets rather than one bigger one.
    Doncaster, South Yorkshire. Soil type: sandy, well-drained
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    That makes sense re the removal of excess seedlings and leaving one in each module to grow on. Not something I ever grow, so I bow to the better knowledge of those who do  :)
    That also makes sense @JennyJ. It works with other veg too, and basil is always better moved in clumps rather than individual seedlings potted up. 

    Unless you need a large quantity @rlew , but you'd be better sowing another lot if that's the case  ;)
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • JennyJJennyJ Posts: 10,576
    I've never tried it myself because I don't like beetroot roots. I sow it thickly for cut-and-come-again baby salad leaves, and when I eventually ditch the plants they don't have very much root on them.
    Doncaster, South Yorkshire. Soil type: sandy, well-drained
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    I do it with lettuce too @JennyJ , especially at this time of year when they're in the house.
    I do a mix later on when I let some grow into bigger plants, although I rarely leave them to become full sized lettuce, and use some as cut and come again. Regular sowings mean you have a good supply too. I agree - the root systems are often tiny when the plants are done - presumably because you're restricting the overall growth  :)  

    We've just been debating it on another thread that Sheps started about lettuce growing.  :)
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • Allotment BoyAllotment Boy Posts: 6,774
    Charles Dowding (the no dig guru) plants the whole plug as a clump. In soft soil they will push each other aside and grow quite well. Best if you want small roots though.  I  am trying it this year with my first sowing, my soil is London clay so not sure how well it will work. 
    AB Still learning

  • rlewrlew Posts: 73
    All good advice, thankyou. I'll thin them out so 1 per cell. 
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