My Garden

Bare rooted plants..

Last post 08-07-2008 6:19 PM by bogweevil. 5 replies.

• 04/07/2008 02:51 PM
  smileysue Location: Sheffield Joined on: 22 May 2008 Posts: 57	Reply | Contact Someone posted a link on here the other day to an e-bay seller who sells brassicas.  I ordered some, and they have arrived and are bare rooted.  Do I just plant them straight away?  I am sure I read somewhere that you have to soak them in water or something first but I can't remember!

• 04/07/2008 02:57 PM	In reply to
  sue1002 Location: Suffolk Joined on: 06 Sep 2005 Posts: 2,725	Reply | Contact I haven't had bare rooted plants before but I would be inclined to plant them out straight away to get some soil back around the roots, with brassicas they need to be firmed in really well.  sue1002

• 04/07/2008 06:35 PM

  In reply to

  bogweevil Location: Joined on: 02 Mar 2004 Posts: 1,130

  Reply | Contact Whatever you do DO NOT let their roots dry out  - whop in those plants pronto, although if you must,you can put them in a pot of damp potting medium for few days.  I plant them thusly: Keep plants with their roots in a bucket of water at all times   Make hole with trowel to hold plant up to depth of lowest leaves Place plant in hole Add water from watering can and go on adding water until the hole fills with wet soil Let it drain a little and press some soil round the plant and firm if as hard as you can - commercial planting machines apply the weight of the tractor through the hydraulics... Watering it some more Place cabbage root fly mat around the base Water it a bit more Go away and leave it until it starts sending out new leaves Add high nitrogen fertiliser at the base of the plant and water it if it does not rain That's all, except that I would be really interested to know if the plants were any good and how you get on with them. Boggy Beware the bat-eared bogweevil

• 04/07/2008 07:10 PM

  In reply to

  smileysue Location: Sheffield Joined on: 22 May 2008 Posts: 57

  Reply | Contact Well.....what I did was stand them in water whilst trying to do further research to decide on what to do.  Then I went out and dug holes and watered the holes.  Then took the plants out of the water and put them in the holes and watered again.  Then firmed soil around them and watered again. Then left them. But then started to worry after a couple of hours or so, so went back out to have a look.  They look ok.  But whilst watering everything else I gave the cabbage and kale a bit more water!! I will update you on any deaths / new growth!

• 08/07/2008 05:43 PM	In reply to
  smileysue Location: Sheffield Joined on: 22 May 2008 Posts: 57	Reply | Contact No deaths so far....no growth either - although they are standing up more.  I think they will be ok!

• 08/07/2008 06:19 PM	In reply to
  bogweevil Location: Joined on: 02 Mar 2004 Posts: 1,130	Reply | Contact All this lovely welcome rain should help a lot. Although I have seen well planted bareroot brassicas survive a six week heat wave with no extra water.      Boggy Beware the bat-eared bogweevil