Allotment Gardening Advice Help Chat

Growing => Grow Your Own => Topic started by: rookie1 on June 06, 2018, 14:01

Title: Puny sweetcorn seedlings
Post by: rookie1 on June 06, 2018, 14:01
Afternoon all - I have some sweetcorn seedlings which I sowed two seats per toilet roll interior tubes. They're mostly doing OK, but are rather narrow of girth  ???. As I'd like to plant them out in the veg plot in the next week or two, is there any way that I can bulk them up? Most books say to plant out when the diameter of a pencil, but I fear that could take many more weeks. They've been on a sunny windowsill up to now. Any advice welcome. Many thanks
Title: Re: Puny sweetcorn seedlings
Post by: JayG on June 06, 2018, 14:07
If they all germinated I think 2 sweetcorn plants in a toilet roll tube is more than a little crowded, which is probably why they're not exactly romping away.

Start putting them outside today to harden off, water with a liquid feed to give them a bit of encouragement, and get them planted out ASAP - you will have to carefully separate them when doing so; try to disturb the roots as little as possible.
Title: Re: Puny sweetcorn seedlings
Post by: rookie1 on June 06, 2018, 14:31
Thanks JayG. I wondered if I'd made a mistake by letting two seedlings per tube develop. Will do as you recommend and keep everything crossed they make it when planted out.
Title: Re: Puny sweetcorn seedlings
Post by: sunshineband on June 06, 2018, 14:42
Once they are well fed and planted out, flowing JayG's advice.they will romp away … they do take about a week to "settle in" though, and get their roots working properly again, so don't worry if there is no immediate thickening up
Title: Re: Puny sweetcorn seedlings
Post by: rookie1 on June 06, 2018, 15:29
Reassuring words, Sunshineband  :)
Title: Re: Puny sweetcorn seedlings
Post by: Goosegirl on June 06, 2018, 16:39
I usually sow two seeds in a 6" pot so if one doesn't germinate I've still got another one. If they both germinate, then gently nip out the weakest one.