Parsley problems

[hallwaygardener]

My parsley isn’t happy. 

It’s in a Sprout. It started there, then got moved to a Harvest because I hoped it might do better there. But I had to move the basil from the Sprout to the Harvest because they were growing like gangbusters and the roots had filled up the entire water tank, so the parsley went back into the Sprout. The parsley leaves are reddish brown, although some of the new growth comes in green. It’s not getting burned on the lights, because it never gets that tall. It’s never developed a good root system. 

Is there a way to encourage this plant, or should I ditch it and try again? What’s the secret to getting a nice bunch of parsley?

[scarfguy]

I also have not had any luck with the curly parsley varieties (including chervil).

I've had much better success with the flat-leaf varieties.

The Italian flat-leave parsley is preferred for culinary purposes. Flat-leaf for flavor, curly for garnish.

[Shawn]

Maybe using too much nutrients.  Try using less then recommended.  Also if the water is warm place some ice cubes in it.  Herbs like cool/cold water

[lynnee]

Curly parsley takes time and patience in an AG, and that's true in spades if you're trying to grow it in a Sprout. The Sprout doesn't give enough light to grow anything, in my opinion!

That said, both your parsley and the plant next to it have brown leaves, which suggests an environmental problem. Is the room temperature above 75-80 degrees F.? Is the Sprout in a draft?

Another possibility is calcium shortage, so you might try adding some CalMag along with your nutrients.

I wouldn't give up on the parsley plant, because you're doing well to get it to the point where it is now. Once you get one going, it should continue growing and producing new leaves. (See the new growth in the middle.)

If you move the plant to a more congenial location, it should produce useable sprigs. You might want to remove the oldest brown sprig(s), but you probably don't want to remove all of the brown sprigs at once.

[hallwaygardener]

Parsley update:
i used only half the amount of nutrients after the last R&R, and also moved the garden onto my new cart. The parsley is happy now! It’s got a lot of new growth and is a healthy green color. I also started some flat leaf parsley, which has a tiny sprout now, so I’m excited for it to grow.

The oregano has some new, healthy green shoots as well.

[lynnee]

hallwaygardener, it always delights me to hear about measures that salvage an AG seedling or plant that got off to a bad start! Sometimes it's best to terminate a garden and start over--everything grows fast in an AG, after all--but it's great when a few adjustments and a little more patience result in something like your beautiful parsley!