Busy Lizzies problem

Gardening-girl_5

Hi..Some of my Busy Lizzies seedlings that have been potted on are turning transparent in the middle of the stems and then shrivaling so the top bit of the plant keels over, also some of the better ones now have their leaves going very thin and they too are going transparent/whitey colour. It's not powdery or mould, does anyone know what's happening here please and if there is anything i can do to stop it? I have them in a plastic walk in greenhouse and protect them with fleece at night, although when the weather has been cold this last week i have kept the fleece on them all day too. I did the same last year and had no problems at all! Any help would be appreciated!

olly300

Damping off disease? http://www.thompson-morgan.com/factsheet/damping-off-disease/

Gardening-girl_5

olly300 wrote: »

Damping off disease? http://www.thompson-morgan.com/factsheet/damping-off-disease/

Thanks olly300...that sounds like that's the problem, first time i've had damping off disease ..well not me personally that is.. !!

quickstepqueen

Hi Gardening-girl...firstly congrats in growing busy lizzies.

I was just about to ask on here how the hell to grow them as I've tried now for the last 3 years and have just not been successful or only got 3 or 4 seedlings out of 60! (Yet my geraniums flourish (which a friend said would be impossible!))

I am determined not to give up. I wondered if it was because I wasn't able to keep a constant temperature. I have a greenhouse and after sowing the seeds in sowing compost I'd put a seed tray lid over and put the paraffin heater on over night. But I'm wondering whether by leaving the lid on all day aswell that whilst it's retaining the heat there's no ventilation.

Please Gardening-girl, whats your secret?? lol

qsq x

Fern_Merkin

I use Cheshunt Compound for damping off. (Geoff Hamilton told me to do it)
http://www.gardencentre.co.uk/product.asp?id=537

Seems to work. If you've never experienced it before now you need not again!

i got a small tin many years ago and it's still good to go.

Well done with the buzy lizzies, I only have a small garden so I just keep my faves going indoors over winter then take cuttings about now. Knew there was something else..... I keep the african 1's. Best £5 I spent! (4 years ago!)

Have fun
FX

olly300

quickstepqueen wrote: »

Hi Gardening-girl...firstly congrats in growing busy lizzies.

I was just about to ask on here how the hell to grow them as I've tried now for the last 3 years and have just not been successful or only got 3 or 4 seedlings out of 60! (Yet my geraniums flourish (which a friend said would be impossible!))

I am determined not to give up. I wondered if it was because I wasn't able to keep a constant temperature. I have a greenhouse and after sowing the seeds in sowing compost I'd put a seed tray lid over and put the paraffin heater on over night. But I'm wondering whether by leaving the lid on all day aswell that whilst it's retaining the heat there's no ventilation.

Please Gardening-girl, whats your secret?? lol

qsq x

Haven't tried to grow them myself but I've found this fact sheet-
http://www.thompson-morgan.com/factsheet/impatiens-busy-lizzie/
which states growing temperature is important.

The soil temperature is critical for good germination. It has to be a steady 21C - 25C (70F - 75F). The temperature must not fluctuate as this can cause poor or failed germination. The seedlings should start to appear in about 10 to 21 days. Remember that Impatiens seeds are very temperature and light sensitive.

Gardening-girl_5

quickstepqueen wrote: »

Hi Gardening-girl...firstly congrats in growing busy lizzies.

I was just about to ask on here how the hell to grow them as I've tried now for the last 3 years and have just not been successful or only got 3 or 4 seedlings out of 60! (Yet my geraniums flourish (which a friend said would be impossible!))

I am determined not to give up. I wondered if it was because I wasn't able to keep a constant temperature. I have a greenhouse and after sowing the seeds in sowing compost I'd put a seed tray lid over and put the paraffin heater on over night. But I'm wondering whether by leaving the lid on all day aswell that whilst it's retaining the heat there's no ventilation.

Please Gardening-girl, whats your secret?? lol

qsq x

[FONT=&quot]There's no secret, I bought plug plants lol.. all seventy of them!! I bought trailing Lobelia too and now even they don't look as healthy as they should! They were all lovely and healthy too when they arrived, i potted them on as advised and it all went downhill from there really! Like you, for the last three years i tried growing Busy Lizzies (and Petunia's as well) and didn't have much success either although i did manage to get around a dozen or so but I'm still going to have another go at growing seeds i think, why let them beat us lol..probably a bit late but i'll give them a go anyway![FONT=&quot] I'll let you know how i get on this time![/FONT]
[FONT=&quot] It's best to start them off by seed indoors where the temperature is more stable as they are very sensitive to temperature changes which happen a lot in greenhouses sometimes. I wonder if the warm heat at night and the coolness during the day is the cause of your problem?


Fern, i have tried using Cheshunt Compound for the first time this year and so far so good on the seedlings i am growing from seed! It's expensive stuff but for so little you use at a time, it is worth it!!

I think i will try and see if i have much success with Busy Lizzy cuttings as well this year, they sound a lot less hassle for a lot less effort!

[/FONT][/FONT]

quickstepqueen

Olly 300 ...thanks for the link...sounds like my problem exactly!!!

Gardening-girl...thanks for the reply. I think that the inconsistent temperatures are the problem. I don't seem to have too much of a problem though with petunias, and everything else has flourished really well, even my lobelia this year which I've previously sometimes struggled with (but bought new seeds this year which helped.)

I'd also recommend chesthunt compound though I only ever use it when I'm transplanting seedlings. Do you use it when you first sow the seeds?

Gardening-girl_5

quickstepqueen wrote: »

Olly 300 ...thanks for the link...sounds like my problem exactly!!!

Gardening-girl...thanks for the reply. I think that the inconsistent temperatures are the problem. I don't seem to have too much of a problem though with petunias, and everything else has flourished really well, even my lobelia this year which I've previously sometimes struggled with (but bought new seeds this year which helped.)

I'd also recommend chesthunt compound though I only ever use it when I'm transplanting seedlings. Do you use it when you first sow the seeds?

I have never tried it when sowing seeds, though they say it helps to do so, I think i will in future though especially after the experience of damping off disease with the Busy Lizzies! I grow lobelia's and other plants ok too, it's just the ones i bought at the same time as the Busy lizzies, so i obviously did something wrong for them all to get affected as like i said before they were so healthy looking when they arrived...once they arrived i watered the tray they were in from the bottom as i always tend to that, left them indoors for until the next day and then went out and potted them up in 3in pots and watered them from above, they may have got too wet that way, and left them in the greenhouse,which thinking about it now wasn't a good idea..it could be that from a warm house to a cold greenhouse and being watered from the top with a small watering can is probably what caused the problem!
Are you growing anything else apart from Busy Lizzies, geraniums and Lobelia's? I have on the go Black eyed Susan "Superstar" which is a climber to about 6ft I grew these last year in a large pot with a cane wigwam, but they were all different colours, this year i have gone for the all orange one! and some more Black Eyed Susans but in different colours and they only grow to about 12in! Also some tumbler tomatoes for hanging baskets, i give my son and neighbour some of these too when they are ready, also Sunrise they yellow cherry tomato..thought i would give them a go this year and Verbena "sparkles" these don't seem to be doing so well for some reason, i have them indoors next to the others and either they are very slow growing or i really hope they aren't going the same way as the Busy Lizzies!..perhaps i should have used the cheshunt compound lol, I sowed them in a seed tray where all the others are in cell ones, and i always find that when i sow seeds in trays they never seem to do well as the ones in cells! The only plants i had a lot of success in a seed tray was hardy geraniums, the bush type ones. I'm going to sow more seeds this weekend, but fast running out of room to put them!!

A._Badger

If it is damping off disease (and that seems likely) then Cheshunt Compound will certainly help, but really only as a preventative.

Also important is making sure everything is as clean as possible, to avoid contamination with the spores, so that means using fresh tap water and clean trays or pots. Rainbut water is fine for established plants but hopeless for delicate seedlings.

Regarding germination, I've found that the best way to sow many small seeded varieties is to press the seed gently into the surface of the compost and then cover it with a layer of seed-grade vermiculite.

People often don't realise that many seeds require a degree of light to germinate and vermiculite serves two functions - it lets some light through and while it holds moisture close to the seed, but avoiding the over-damp conditions which the spores of damping-odd fungus absolutely love.

Using that technique, I'd actually say busy lizzies are one of the easier plants to get going,


Hope that hels!

Fern_Merkin

[quote

[FONT=&quot]I think i will try and see if i have much success with Busy Lizzy cuttings as well this year, they sound a lot less hassle for a lot less effort!

[/FONT][/quote]

They root really easily. It's a breeze

Try the African ones, my fave has dark green leaves with red veins and edges and the most lovely large salmon pink flowers. I just have it in my living room near a south facing window all winter and get flowers til near xmas. It gets a bit leggy in the new year and therefore perfect for cuttings about now. Plant out in a sunny spot for best results.

have fun!
Fx