Re: Friday Rookie Topic: Carrots

OhioGardener 3/17/2020, 5:28 pm

sanderson wrote:Yeah, CN is going to get some Sluggo Plus!

+1

Emily49 6/4/2020, 8:26 pm

I read of a way to start carrot seeds in a corn starch/water cooked solution. But now I'm getting a nice red shade of mold in with the seeds. Should I scoop it out? Let it be? Scrap the whole project? It's only been 4 days.

Dan in Ct 6/5/2020, 7:52 am

Hi Emily,

Are you talking about this You Tube Video ?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qZo4GpjswhU

In the video the seeds are kept separate until they sprout while just in water after about 4 days in the video. Then the corn starch solution is made, cooled and then the seeds added. I thought it was a nifty way to plant carrots but carrots are usually very slow to germinate and why some people sprinkle in radish seeds so as not to forget where they planted the carrots. I hope this helps.

OhioGardener 6/5/2020, 8:47 am

I've always found the easiest way to start carrot seeds has been to sow them in very shallow hole or trench (about 1/8" deep), cover them with fine or medium Vermiculite, spray the Vermiculite to ensure it is completely damp, and then cover with a board or piece of cardboard. After about a week, and every couple days after that, gently lift the board or cardboard to check on germination, and remove it as soon as the seeds start germinating. Carrot seeds do not need light to germinate, but they cannot stand drying out. Using the board cover method, mine always germinate within 10 to 14 days.

Emily49 6/5/2020, 4:01 pm

Dan in Ct wrote:Hi Emily,

Are you talking about this You Tube Video ?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qZo4GpjswhU

In the video the seeds are kept separate until they sprout while just in water after about 4 days in the video. Then the corn starch solution is made, cooled and then the seeds added. I thought it was a nifty way to plant carrots but carrots are usually very slow to germinate and why some people sprinkle in radish seeds so as not to forget where they planted the carrots. I hope this helps.

no, but now I wish I remembered what site I was at! It didn't say anything about water first. But maybe it wasn't supposed to be under light. thinking

Maybe I should research what type of mold since I have better luck growing that!

mollyhespra 6/6/2020, 10:59 pm

Lol, you're funny, Emily. Would you be willing to post a picture of your mold? I'm no mold expert, it's more curiosity. And is the mold eating your seeds or it it in the mix? Did the seeds germinate at all?

Emily49 6/9/2020, 2:30 pm

I could not find any information on my mold with a quick search. And I threw it out before I took a picture. My nature ID app did not recognize it. It was growing in the cornstarch/water mix only, not on the seeds. I only had 3 seeds germinate, before the mold got too gross, and I moved them to the garden yesterday, so we will see what happens.

OhioGardener 6/9/2020, 2:41 pm

If you have a box of cornstarch that gets damp, it will mold in a few days and has to be thrown out.

Yardslave 6/10/2020, 11:58 am

Never used it in the garden, but I'd be careful when getting out the cornstarch. I've mistaken the baking soda box for the cornstarch box and wrecked an entree or two. I'm sure it would be disasterous if you copied my mistake! Those darned boxes are the same size and color. The only way I've constantly germinated carrots was to plant them real shallow, and keep the soil moist and covered. They can take a few weeks, there's no rushing them. I also dust the bed with diatomacious earth after the bed is watered to discourage pill bugs, slugs, and earwigs from moving in under the shelter of the beds. The worst problem I've had so far is with cutworms boring into the mature carrots. Anyone have a solution for those bad boys?

OhioGardener 6/10/2020, 12:31 pm

Yardslave wrote:The worst problem I've had so far is with cutworms boring into the mature carrots. Anyone have a solution for those bad boys?

The most successful thing I have found to control grubs of all kinds are the Beneficial Nematodes. I apply them late summer to early fall when the grubs have fully developed from the eggs that were laid spring to early summer, and the nematodes can clear them out quickly. The unfortunate thing, though, is that they are still expensive. The ones I use are Heterorhabditis bacteriophora, or Hb Nematodes.

Check out this article on the use of Beneficial Nematodes from Maine.gov: Using Beneficial Nematodes to Control Grubs

I have also had some success using biological treatments, such a GrubHALT! or GrubGONE!, but they are usually sold in much larger quantities than I need or want.

mollyhespra 6/10/2020, 3:39 pm

+1 on the beneficial nematodes. Expensive but worth it. I've got a package in the fridge waiting for a rainy day to apply them.

mollyhespra 6/11/2020, 9:06 am

I was curious about the red mold so I did a search by red mold on corn and came up with "Gibberella" as a suspect. I think after reading about how nasty a mold it can be (potentially producing mycotoxins in corn kernels), I'd dig up those poor little carrot seedlings and the soil around them and dispose of them in the garbage or burn them if you have a woodstove. Check it out and let us know if the color is right?

Friday Rookie Topic: Carrots - Page 3 Screen10

Emily49 6/11/2020, 1:51 pm

mollyhespra wrote:I was curious about the red mold so I did a search by red mold on corn and came up with "Gibberella" as a suspect. I think after reading about how nasty a mold it can be (potentially producing mycotoxins in corn kernels), I'd dig up those poor little carrot seedlings and the soil around them and dispose of them in the garbage or burn them if you have a woodstove. Check it out and let us know if the color is right?

Eww that's gross. Since the spots were localized and not in the whole solution/ seeds, I scooped out the mold and threw it away. I didn't see any red around the 3 or so sprouts I moved into the garden.

Emily49 6/25/2020, 10:39 pm

Nothing continued to grow in the garden (I have 2 carrot plants very close together, so might get 1 carrot) so I started over following the above video. Seeds have been in water one day.

**Scorpio Rising** 6/29/2021, 7:22 pm

So, I planted 16 carrots next to my potatoes…only 5 came up. I have read the thread and it’s probably due to drying out….

Can I start some now? My last FFD is 10/15. I hope so! My Bok Choy is done and I have 2 squares.

Thanks

OhioGardener 6/29/2021, 7:38 pm

Scorpio Rising wrote:Can I start some now? My last FFD is 10/15. I hope so! My Bok Choy is done and I have 2 squares.

Yes, you can start more carrots up until 3rd week of August. I planted some 2 days ago, and as soon as they germinate, I will start another batch, and then a 3rd batch after those germinate. They aren't bothered by light frost. In fact, I start the first planting in spring about a month before the last frost date, and they do great with the cool weather. When you plant the seeds, water them in and then cover with a piece of cardboard. Periodically peek under the cardboard, and as soon as you see sprouts remove the cardboard. You'll get much better, and much faster germination of the seeds that way.

**sanderson** 7/14/2021, 11:51 am

OG, About the cardboard, do you put a few sprinkles of Sluggo Plus under the cardboard? Cardboard seems to be a great hiding place for sowbugs, earwigs and slugs in my beds.

OhioGardener 7/14/2021, 12:06 pm

sanderson wrote:OG, About the cardboard, do you put a few sprinkles of Sluggo Plus under the cardboard? Cardboard seems to be a great hiding place for sowbugs, earwigs and slugs in my beds.

I do if the bed has a lot of the sowbugs - I don't typically have a problem with slugs or earwigs, but the sowbugs love to eat all of the young seedlings. This year we had a very wet spring, and the sowbugs ran amuk, to say the least. So, I have been using the Sluggo Plus in all of the beds to control them.

Sponsored content


	Hello Guest! Welcome to the official Square Foot Gardening Forum. There's lots to learn here by reading as a guest. However, if you become a member (it's free, ad free and spam-free) you'll have access to our large vermiculite databases, our seed exchange spreadsheets, Mel's Mix calculator, and many more members' pictures in the Gallery. Enjoy.