Yellowing chervil leaves :(

[Vespertino]

I'm trying to grow chervil from seed. Getting them to germinate isn't a problem, getting them to thrive afterwards is where I'm running into trouble. Once they sprout their real leaves they turn yellow and die before they grow an inch tall. They're getting plenty of water and sun. I'm not sure what I'm doing wrong- maybe too much sun? There a second batch of seeds I've started under the shade of my Ducher rose. I hope it works this time around. I was hoping they would get a strong start before the Texas weather got hot but it doesn't seem to be happening.

Any tips would be much appreciated

[Redbaron]

Mine died too. So no help from me.

[Vespertino]

Sorry to hear the chervil didn't grow for you either. Its a tasty thing, I would have loved some fresh chervil with my eggs. Maybe my second attempt will work *crosses fingers*

[RayR]

Chervil is a shade loving, cool climate plant. It doesn't do well in full sun, it likes partial shade and moist soil. I've got a spreading patch of it growing next to a bush on the patio. When it gets hot, it goes to seed.

[Vespertino]

Hmmm I have a shady spot on my patio in case the rose doesn't block enough sun. I'll move it there tomorrow. Thanks!

[Vespertino]

Good news, my second attempt at growing chervil from seed seems to be working much better than the first.

The problem I had was damping off and yellowing after it sprouted it's first true leaves. The big mistakes I made were:

1) Keeping the seedlings in full sun too long after germination
2) Putting the seedlings into a SIP made out of a water bottle with the germination mix, it got too wet- the mix stunk like sulfur and was probably growing some yucky microbes that caused the damping off.
3) Overfeeding


It seems like the only thing I did right the first time was keep the soil REALLY wet during the initial germination period. For some reason the chervil wouldn't germinate until they were almost waterlogged.

What I did different:
1) Left the seeds to germinate in full sun, but quickly moved them to full shade once they began to sprout.
2) Germinated seeds (dense seed count) in a peat pot filled with square foot mix instead of germination mix (I use Lady Bug Brand).
3) Kept the peat pot in a plastic saucer and make sure there's a little standing water in the bottom so the pot never dries out: the peat pot can act like a wick, so I kept it wetter than I thought it needed to be but it worked.
4) Covered the peat pot with plastic wrap and a rubber band until the seedlings got too tall, then I covered then with plastic bottle cut in half until the true leaves began to come out.
5) Once the true set of leaves emerged I removed the plastic bottle, left the chervil in the shade, and kept watering from the bottom, making sure there was always a little standing water in the bottom. This seems to work to keep the soil moist enough without causing the chervil to dampen off.
6) I did not fertilize them at all or add any soil amendments

Here's a pic of the second round of seedlings. I'm going to let them grow a little taller before transplanting them into one of my herb flowerboxes.

[RayR]

My little patch of Chervil is in flower.
Got to collect as may seeds as possible when it's done, they make a lot of seed and self seed readily and spreads like crazy.

[Vespertino]

Originally Posted by RayR

My little patch of Chervil is in flower.
Got to collect as may seeds as possible when it's done, they make a lot of seed and self seed readily and spreads like crazy.

Looks like they're loving that NY weather! They look great, such a pretty herb.

[MrBig46]

Originally Posted by Vespertino

Sorry to hear the chervil didn't grow for you either. Its a tasty thing, I would have loved some fresh chervil with my eggs. Maybe my second attempt will work *crosses fingers*

Fresh chervil with the eggs? How do you make?
Vladimír

[RayR]

I added Chervil in my omelette yesterday. Yum!

[tqn626]

Looks like a tasty herb, I must grow it!

[Vespertino]

Originally Posted by MrBig46

Fresh chervil with the eggs? How do you make?
Vladimír

Chervil tastes very good with eggs- you can use it to season any egg dish you like to eat. Just sprinkle a little fresh chopped chervil on top of eggs prepared any way you like. I like it best on poached eggs, but I also like making goat cheese and egg omelets with chervil added to the cheese inside. It's delicious!

[MrBig46]

Originally Posted by Vespertino

Chervil tastes very good with eggs- you can use it to season any egg dish you like to eat. Just sprinkle a little fresh chopped chervil on top of eggs prepared any way you like. I like it best on poached eggs, but I also like making goat cheese and egg omelets with chervil added to the cheese inside. It's delicious!

Thank you.
Vladimír

[Vespertino]

Ah well, bad news: just as I thought I finally got my chervil to grow the heat killed it, along with my dill! At east I got to cut a few sprigs to go with my eggs before they fell over dead. I just have to accept that not everything will grow in the TX hot summer! I'm learning a lot by making plenty of mistakes