Hello everyone, I am new to this site. I found it online while looking for tips to keep my turnip plants from dying. I am a student of biology at Middle Tennessee State University, hopefully graduating this semester...this depends greatly on my senior ecology project. I have been forced to grow turnips in the winter for a study on population growth. I am not going to lie, I do not have a good record when it comes to keeping plants alive. So basically...this is a nightmare! I planted the turnip seeds two weeks ago, they sprouted and looked okay until this past weekend. It has been too cold to put the plants outside in the sun, so I went out and spent all of my money on flourescent lightbulbs to try and revive them. It's not going very well. I had been putting them outside during the warm parts of the day and then bringing them in the house and placing them by the window. The turnips keep wilting and turning into depressing little white strings. Failure! What can I do to help them? I cannot find any good information on how much to water them, I've just been keeping the soil moist. They are planted in Miracle Gro, and are now sitting under flourescent bulbs in my kitchen. If they die, I can't graduate! I am panic stricken and my professor refuses to give me any advice! Could someone throw some info my way please? I would be very greatful! Emily at MTSU
I'm no expert but they look like they are or were searching for extra light because they are stretched out and thin. This is what plants do if they are trying to get more light, they grow fast which makes them thin and they grow in the direction the light is coming from so they have a better chance of reaching extra light. Something else that might help is to keep them from experiencing wild temperature swings, such as going from 75 degrees to 50 degrees in a second when you bring them in and out. It might help to keep them at a fairly even temperature because they are probably pretty sensitive right now of the elements and have not adjusted to the chilly temperatures of the outdoors being use to the 70s and different light levels. All plants slowly adjust as they can to protect themselves from the elements. Detailed information is available on this site Some other sites: http://www.urbanext.uiuc.edu/veggies/turnip1.html http://www.gardenersnet.com/vegetable/turnip.htm http://members.optusnet.com.au/gavin_paula/patch/turnip.htm http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/hort/hil/hil-26.html http://www.rain.org/greennet/growing/turnips.html http://www.beginner-gardening.com/turnips.html
Do you thing the flourescent bulbs I purchased will help at all or do I need to buy another kind of light?
Fluorescent tubes provide one of the best artificial light sources available for plants in the home. Other light sources such as sodium-vapor and metal halide lamps may be used but are not as readily available or adaptable for home use. Seedlings must receive bright light promptly after germination. Place them in a bright south window if possible. If a large, bright window is not available, place the flats under fluorescent lights. A fixture containing two 40-watt fluorescent tubes is adequate. Place the seedlings about 6 inches from the tubes and keep lights on for 14 to 16 hours each day. As seedlings grow, the lights may need to be raised to prevent leaf burn as seedlings touch the tubes. Plants need some red and infrared radiation. Since this is not supplied by common fluorescent tubes, additional light from incandescent lamps or windows is necessary. If this cannot be given, use a fluorescent tube specially designed for plant growing. These are available under a variety of trade names. So Keep the tubes 3 to 6 inches above the plant for the best lighting, and adjust them as they grow so they don't touch the light. The closer the more light they get. And a south facing indoor room or windows provides the most sunlight. Placing a regular light bulb lamp 3 to 5 feet away can help the plants recive the red rays they need which fluorescent bulbs only make the blue rays and cannot provide red, like I said above put the lamp much farther away because regular incandescent bulbs produce lots of heat which can hurt the plant. They should be kept moist at all times but never soggy. Allow drying between waterings, but don't allow seedlings to wilt at any time because of it becoming too dry. If Kept soggy all the time can cause fungus like damping off: When seedlings fall over at the ground line, they are being attacked by a fungus disease known as "damping off." If only a few seedlings are attacked, dig out and discard the infected plants and soil. Drench the entire soil mass with a fungicide if the disease is scattered throughout the flat or pot. This may not provide complete control. High temperature, poor light or excess moisture stimulate spread of the disease by weakening plants to make them more susceptible to it. Best control is cleanliness and prompt action when the disease appears. Go here for a lot more info on plant lighting: http://muextension.missouri.edu/explore/agguides/hort/g06515.htm Good info about growing seedlings: http://muextension.missouri.edu/xplor/agguides/hort/g06570.htm
Get a fan, put it on oscillate....that will help produce stronger stems and reduce the incidence of "damping-off". How big are your turnips supposed to get before the middle of December? Profs don't generally ask for the impossible unless you a)waited until the last minute, or b)missed the point of the exercise. Simon
its a good job the population isnt relying on your farming skills to keep them alive.......ok if all else fails find a farmer who grows turnips, bribe him for any information on crop yeilds tons per acre etc...if you need good looking turnips in a pot to present as a project, go and carefully dig up some fresh turnips and plant them in another pot (do several and leave some inside and some outside in different locations) don't tell anyone i told you this ;) i will deny i ever met you
