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My plants have started to sprout! They are still short with 2 green leaves. When can I expect a colour change to red leaves?

user264985
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2 Answers2

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You can't judge what a plant will be like from the cotyledons, or first set of leaves, they're almost always green - the true leaves will be much more representative, and should show some colour and a different shape. How fast the second set of leaves, and subsequent leaves, will appear is down to how good the growing conditions are (light, temperature, water, etc).

Bamboo
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I had no luck with the radicchio I tried for the first time this year, and probably will not try again in the future. All looked well for a while, but by the time the plant finally started forming a ball, it was rotten. Good luck with yours. Some things look cool, but just aren't worth the effort relative to other things. Artichokes are another. Mine kept forming little flowers, but never formed an artichoke head.I tried 40 different vegetables this year in my new planting beds, kept a spreadsheet of what I did, including mixing fertilizer specific to each plant, and what worked and what didn't, and where it worked best. I did well this year, but next year ...

sborsher
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    Radichio is really hard unless you are in a mild (not hot or cold) climate. It has nothing to do with fertilizers. It's all about when it grows and forms heads. This it does when day length is short and temps are cool. But not too cold. You can get some to grow well if you do row covers, hoop houses, or cold frames. Then you can harvest in late fall or spring. You can also bring in plants with large roots and force them (in a basement or other cool dark place). There are lots of cultivars and other plants in the same species that may work better for you. Don't give up. – Eric Deloak Nov 23 '15 at 21:37
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    With artichokes the first year they do form small chokes, I like these even better than large ones! You can eat all of them. But traditionally it's the second year and beyond when you get higher production. Oh, and artichokes are flowers. – Eric Deloak Nov 23 '15 at 21:38
  • any idea as to when the radicchio leaves will start to appear? I'm seeing only the initial green leaves; it's been about a week – user264985 Nov 23 '15 at 22:14