Please help with my parsley

21 years ago

I bought a parsley plant last weekend and repotted it. From what I've read since then, this may have been my first mistake, as I've read that it will croak if I damaged the taproot. That said, I think I was pretty careful with it, and I didn't mess with the roots other than just moving from one pot to the other.

When I first got the plant, the bottom leaves were yellowing. I attributed this to the plant being rootbound and overwatered. It did start to green up and look better.

However, now many of the leaves, not just the bottom ones, are developing a yellowish tinge around the edges of the leaves. I'm wondering if maybe I watered too soon...this happened the day after I watered again, and the soil is still pretty damp (surprising, here in my dry climate).

Other than letting the plant air out and making sure not to overwater again, is there anything else I can do? Or is there anything else that might be causing this? I planted in Miracle Gro potting soil for vegetables and flowers; it had fertilizer mixed in and stated I wouldn't need to fertilize for 3 months. I might be able to dig up the bag if more details would help.

Here's a picture of the plant. I had to right click and hit "view image" to get it to show up:

{{gwi:898824}}

If that doesn't work, you can try looking at my album here:

http://www.imagestation.com/album/?id=2125576127

Thanks!

-Lisa

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (7)

breezyb
21 years ago
Give it some time to perk up. Transplants sometimes suffer from a little shock. I don't think you did anything wrong.

That said, if I were you I'd buy some parsley seed (nearly all seeds are on sale right) & start a few seed pots now. Some you can winter over outdoors; others you can bring inside for the winter.
whitejade
21 years ago
Good advice on the seed starting! It's not too late. Last year on a whim I started basil seeds during the July 4th weekend - I had never planted seed so late in our summer and just did it as an experiment (since I had mature basil plants already I wasn't too concerned ) - and they grew to wonderful yield in no time...I imagine parsley could be similar.
Related Professionals
San Antonio Landscape Architects & Landscape Designers · Tacoma Landscape Architects & Landscape Designers · Chatham Landscape Architects & Landscape Designers · Owensboro Landscape Contractors · College Station Landscape Contractors · Richmond Landscape Contractors · Beckley Landscape Contractors · Hartford Landscape Contractors · Augusta Landscape Contractors · London Landscape Contractors · Norfolk Architects & Building Designers · Wausau Architects & Building Designers · Liberal Architects & Building Designers · Hobbs Architects & Building Designers · Twin Falls Architects & Building Designers
PoledraDog
Original Author
21 years ago
I'll have to do that (as soon as I come up with pots to put it in...I've used up everything I have right now!). I'm betting I could grow it year round here most years, as it rarely freezes. I think I've seen it freeze maybe twice in the 10 years I've lived here.

I'm just starting my vegetable and herb garden. I don't really have enough of anything, but wanted to experiment with different things. I figured I'd rather have a sampling of different things than just enough of one. It's so hard...I have a fairly large backyard and I want to go fill it up with veggies and herbs! No time, though, and most of the yard is in direct sun all day, so being here in the desert things would cook! I can tell already I'm going to have to come up with some way to shade from the afternoon sun so I can expand my usable gardening area!
oldroser
21 years ago
Parsley likes cool weather for germinating and is very slow.
Better to get starter plants in cells - I was just out planting eight of them in the vegetable garden and now the sprinkler is running on them. The small plants transplant better than big ones and have not yet developed a tap root.
breezyb
21 years ago
I completely disagree that parsley is "slow to germinate", although a lot of folks seem to feel this is true. Every year I start Italian Flat Parsley (the only worthwhile type for cooking in my opinion) from seed indoors & it never takes more than 7 days to germinate fully with no special attention from me. When the seedlings are large enough, I also have no problems with transplanting into containers or the garden.

I still say try to find seed somewhere & start sowing some.
seedsavr
18 years ago
hi, i have recieved a pack of parsly seeds from a friend...i have peat pots mix, lights ect.

is parsley easy to seedstart, if so how should i do it\\

thanx
ksrogers
18 years ago
When I start seeds in pots, I much prefer regular plastic pots (2 inch squares by 4 inches deep) and a very high quality seed starting soiless mix. With these, I have a very good germination rate. Rosemary, for instance is very hard to get sprouting, but I have no problems growing it. I also start asparagus from seeds that take nearly a month to sprout. One item to note, is do you ever see commerical plant seedlings sold in peat pots? I don't, as many of these peat pots are not that well made as they don't actually break down totally. I think its because they use a lot of shreaded paper in these pots too. I have found many peat pots at the end of the season that are still in one piece with a few roots sticking through, and the plants seem to be cramped in there. Not only are lights needed, but many seeds need contant moisture and warmth. I have many big trays of plants I start from seeds, and these are placed over heat mats, as well as clear plastic domed covers over the trays to help retain moisture lost by the warming of trays and pots. Once the seedlings emerge and touch the clear plastic lids, I remove the covers and shut off the heat mats. The lights are left on about 18-20 hours per day (on a timer), so they get plenty of light from two 4 foot long double bulb fixtures on each 2'x4' shelf. Soon, I will be starting some herbs as well as flowers, and even some watermelon, and broccoli plants.