My corgettes are not happy!

[mojito99]

Hiya

I thought I had done well with the 5 corgette seeds that I sowed about 4 weeks ago and kept inside. However they have been in the greenhouse now for nearly 2 weeks and the first leaves are now starting to fade in colour. Also the new leaves are starting to crinkle up (if that makes sense!).

I think I may have put them in the GH too early but I have been using my parafin heater at night. Anyway I have decided to bring them indoors for the next few days to see what happens. I can see from underneath the pots that the root growth is good so I don't know what is going on. I sowed another plant at the weekend and may do a few more just to be on the safe side.

Any advise??

BTW for those who have read my previous posts, the raised bed is now filled with 50/50 of topsoil and compost and I even got the chicken manure pellets to fertilise it. However I think I am going to hold off for at least another week before I put my beetroot seedlings in as it is still a bit nippy up here in sunny Scotland!!!

[DavidT]

I`d put it down to fumes from the paraffin heater. Or scorching from the change in temperature.

[mojito99]

Hi David

I thought parafin heaters were ok for the GH? My beetroot and chilli seedlings are fine so far, plus I don't have the heater up high, its near enough at the lowest that it can go.

Did I do the right thing by bringing them in for a while?

[DavidT]

Members of the Cucurbit family are much more susceptible to paraffin fumes than other plants. You are very wise to take them back indoors.

[mojito99]

What other plants dont like the fumes? I will be doing tomatoes, cucumbers later on and will have other seedlings going in later, cabbage and french beans.

[airconednightmare]

Originally Posted by DavidT

Members of the Cucurbit family are much more susceptible to paraffin fumes than other plants. You are very wise to take them back indoors.

any idea why that would be the case david?

the fumes should be Co2 and H2o unless i've missed something - is it the vaporised (unburned) hydrocarbons which cause the issue?

[DavidT]

Originally Posted by airconednightmare

any idea why that would be the case david?

the fumes should be Co2 and H2o unless i've missed something - is it the vaporised (unburned) hydrocarbons which cause the issue?

I really don`t know what it is. What causes the smell from burning paraffin? Certainly not Co2 or H20.

[Shetty]

Originally Posted by DavidT

I really don`t know what it is. What causes the smell from burning paraffin? Certainly not Co2 or H20.

Well, if I remember right there are not just the vapors, which apart from smelling, are also highly flammable, but because parrafin is not 100% pure and the burning process not at a high enough temp, there can be all sorts of things in it, like carbon monoxide, nitrogen oxides and sulfur dioxide and some other not fully burnt parts of the paraffin. Don't ask me for the exact chemical formulars. I don't know, which of these the courgettes don't like,but they all sound pretty bad to me

[DavidT]

I agree Shetty, and it`s not just courgettes that are affected but also cucumbers, marrows, melons and goodness knows what other plants.

[airconednightmare]

Originally Posted by DavidT

I agree Shetty, and it`s not just courgettes that are affected but also cucumbers, marrows, melons and goodness knows what other plants.

aye, after a little more research i've concluded paraffin is basically liquid cold it isn't just hydrogen and carbon and even the to extent that it is, it isn't just one polymer. it contains anything from 5-12 bond chains. and therefore the combustion efficiency is going to be crap even without the added impurities

either a more refined fuel and/or combustion process would decrease the impact.

[DavidT]

And trap all that in a small, closed enviroment and you have problems. Not just for the plants, but for whoever is working in the greenhouse too.