I decided to start my squash and melons indoors this year in soil blocks and taking them outside in the daytime because we've had great sunshine recently. In previous years, my yield has been low, I believe due to root disturbance during transplant from a plastic pot. I foolishly overlooked how quickly they grow in such optimal conditions and the roots are already coming out of the blocks, I initially had them placed close together and some have even grown into other blocks. When I went to pull them apart and space them out, some of the roots broke. My garden guru Linda Gilkeson recommends doing transplants in the PNW climate, even though I've heard that direct sowing is the best option for such delicate root systems.
I really want a good yield this year (I've become a bit of a helicopter plant parent), considering some of these roots are already damaged, should I just start over, heat up my soil outside with some plastic sheeting and direct sow?
by sitkaspruce1998
1 Comment
I would plant them out. Even in the ground plants get *some* root disturbance, think about how much life is moving about down there, plus dry patches, wet patches, growing in one direction and dying off in other places – roots are always changing. They will recover, but its taken me a few years to realise what heavy feeders they are, try some more fert and see what the yield is like!