Pre-germination - answer to carrot fly?

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bayleaf

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Pre-germination - answer to carrot fly?
« on: January 04, 2011, 17:44 »
I've been reading in a book my dad gave me about pre-germination (when you leave seeds on wet blotting paper in a dark and stable temperature environment). I'd be interested to hear if people on here use pre-germination. If so has anybody done it with small seed like lettuce, parsnips, carrots etc with success? If it can be done with carrots this would avoid the need to thin the planted row later and would help to avoid carrot fly presumably? Any thoughts/experience with this?

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DD.

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Re: Pre-germination - answer to carrot fly?
« Reply #1 on: January 04, 2011, 17:54 »
I never thin carrots and still used to get carrot fly until I used protection, initially a polythene barrier then latterly enviromesh.

Not thinning may help, but it is no way an ultimate solution.
Did it really tell you to do THAT on the packet?

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Yorkie

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Re: Pre-germination - answer to carrot fly?
« Reply #2 on: January 04, 2011, 17:56 »
My parsnips and carrots were attacked by the fly and I didn't thin at all.  Should have protected them properly as DD advises!

Pre-germination is a good idea for sweetcorn and larger seeds, but caution is needed with veg such as carrots and parsnips because they have tap roots which will be damaged if planting is delayed at all after germination.
I try to take one day at a time, but sometimes several days all attack me at once...

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savbo

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Re: Pre-germination - answer to carrot fly?
« Reply #3 on: January 04, 2011, 18:15 »
having seen how malformed my parsnips are after pre-germination, I wouldn't do it to carrots - unless they bring back That's Life...

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bayleaf

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Re: Pre-germination - answer to carrot fly?
« Reply #4 on: January 05, 2011, 18:13 »
thanks -enviromesh it is for the carrots - but I'll try pregermination with beans, peas etc

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Aidy

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Re: Pre-germination - answer to carrot fly?
« Reply #5 on: January 05, 2011, 22:24 »
this has been the first year I have grown parsnips (why no idea) any ways I sowed three rows, one row pre-germed, one row sown direct in a drill and the last row sown direct in a drill lined with compost and backfilled with compost.
The best snips have been the pre-germed, the second were the compost drill and not far behind was the normal drill.
Next year for me anyway it will be pre-germed for my snips, dont bother with carrots, always get hit by the fly.
Punk isn't dead...it's underground where it belongs. If it comes to the surface it's no longer punk...it's Green Day!

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richyrich7

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Re: Pre-germination - answer to carrot fly?
« Reply #6 on: January 05, 2011, 22:28 »
I pre-germinate sweet corn thats about it.
I would have thought simply the moving/planting of carrot seed would produce some aroma for the fly to home in on.
Better IMHO not to thin and grown alternate rows carrot and onions, or even a mixed row of carrots and spring onions I'm trying that this year.

 
He who asks is a fool for five minutes, but he who does not ask remains a fool forever.

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waddecar

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Re: Pre-germination - answer to carrot fly?
« Reply #7 on: January 05, 2011, 22:44 »
I always pregerminate parsnips but then i only grow a couple of dozen, tried it once with carrots but i grow loads of carrots and its just too time consuming transferring to the drill.

Agree with others - enviromesh is best protection from fly

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digalotty

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Re: Pre-germination - answer to carrot fly?
« Reply #8 on: January 05, 2011, 23:10 »
thanks -enviromesh it is for the carrots - but I'll try pregermination with beans, peas etc


do you mean pre soaking them to give them a start or letting them germinate fully before planting , 
again thats a lot of peas i would imagine :wacko:
when im with my 9yr old she's the sensible one

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Jonajo

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Re: Pre-germination - answer to carrot fly?
« Reply #9 on: January 06, 2011, 09:53 »
For me, the fail-safe way for carrots is sow thinly, cover immediately with enviromesh or similar (draped over hoops and pegged well to the ground)  and leave well alone until you are ready to harvest. At least, that approach that I do has never failed. Although last year on two occasions I did get under the enviromesh to do some weeding to make it more "sightly" and there was still not a sign of carrot fly at all.

"Set down the wine and the dice and perish the thought of tomorrow"

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DD.

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Re: Pre-germination - answer to carrot fly?
« Reply #10 on: January 06, 2011, 09:55 »
That is exactly what I do to a tee.

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savbo

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Re: Pre-germination - answer to carrot fly?
« Reply #11 on: January 06, 2011, 09:57 »
I always pregerminate parsnips but then i only grow a couple of dozen,

Interesting - How big do you let the root get before planting? I let some of mine get over 1cm and I suppose these might be the most malformed...

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Stevens706

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Re: Pre-germination - answer to carrot fly?
« Reply #12 on: January 06, 2011, 12:44 »
I plant the parsnips as soon as I see the tail (root) showing.
Paul

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Aidy

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Re: Pre-germination - answer to carrot fly?
« Reply #13 on: January 06, 2011, 13:06 »
I always pregerminate parsnips but then i only grow a couple of dozen,

Interesting - How big do you let the root get before planting? I let some of mine get over 1cm and I suppose these might be the most malformed...
Last year, I started them and waited for them to poke through, then the weather went dodo again so by the time they went in, some were were an inch or so long, I wasnt expecting them to be straight or any good, but to my suprise they have all been really good snips.

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bayleaf

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Re: Pre-germination - answer to carrot fly?
« Reply #14 on: January 07, 2011, 22:11 »
To answer your question digalotty pre-germination involves getting the seeds to germinate on damp newspaper in a container like a margarine tub which is left in a gentlewarm place like an airing cupboard and then putting the germinated seed into a pot with compost etc and just covering it with a damp layer of soil. You are basically just helping germination take place. Apparently it was originally developed at the National Vegetable Research Station and is described in a book they produced called 'Know and Grow Vegetables'. I have never done it, but it interesting to hear from others on here who have and what levels of success they have had with it. Aidy's experience with parsnips is certainly food for thought.



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