Dried up asparagus roots

[Stubbornhillfarm]

Is this how they come?

I just went to the local Blue Seal to get some cow grain and noticed that they had these bunches of things that looked like very thin roots, with a shriveled up little bulb looking thing on the end. All brown and dry. Said it was asparagus. Is this really what they are supposed to look like before you plant them?

 

[majorcatfish]

no... the crown should look nice and the feeder roots/shoots should look full, not dry
when i purchased mine from millers they came packaged in moist moss with planting directions.

have one female in the bed, found 11 seedlings today, so this weekend going to transplant them into pots and see if i can grow them.
if it works will be doubling the bed size.

heck if the price is right buy a couple and give it try....

 

[Chickie'sMomaInNH]

did you come to Rochester or one on your side of the NH/ME border? the ones i've seen at the Rochester Blue Seal don't look too bad. but they are the Jersey types and i had read those don't do good for us in the northeast, so i skipped getting them. i figured i already have plenty of Mary Washington and Argentuilli i started from seed that are growing strong.

 

[thistlebloom]

Any plant roots that dry out are damaged. I wouldn't waste my money or time.

 

[dickiebird]

Every asp root I have ever bought has been the dry bare root type. Dig a hole plant them with the crown buried, wait, wait, wait and wait some more. They will finally break ground and soon you have a fern.

The bare root ones I started this year were planted in a container 3/18/13 and I transplanted them into my asp. bed today with all having 2' ferns and a 10" root system attached.

I have started them from seed also and had good luck with that.

THANX RICH

 

[thistlebloom]

Well whodathunk? I guess I stand corrected

 

[MontyJ]

My asparagus bed came from a sad looking bag of dried up whimpy looking roots that I found on a shelf at Walmart. They were marked down to $1. I felt sorry for them and brought them home. I started them out in 1 gallon planters and kept them in intensive care. After a couple of monthe, I dug them up to see if anything was happening below the soil. Sure enough, there were new roots growing. There were 12 roots in the bag, and 10 actually survived. It doesn't make sense that they would grow, but asparagus must be one tough plant.

 

[Stubbornhillfarm]

did you come to Rochester or one on your side of the NH/ME border? the ones i've seen at the Rochester Blue Seal don't look too bad. but they are the Jersey types and i had read those don't do good for us in the northeast, so i skipped getting them. i figured i already have plenty of Mary Washington and Argentuilli i started from seed that are growing strong.

It was the one in Rochester. I love them there and figured they wouldn't be selling junk. But I had never really seen anything like that before so I wasn't sure.

Thank you all for your feedback. Seems like they can come in a variety of ways and that they are pretty hardy. I can't remember what the price was. Like $4.00 per clump which I don't think I could have closed my fingers around the bunch. (I know very helpful...Like that tells you how many are in the bunch! )

I may have to take a run back up and see what variety they are. I will head Chickie's advice if they are not the right kind.

 

[Chickie'sMomaInNH]

if you ever need me to check i can! i live about 5 minutes from them and can always take a run over to see what goodies they have! they just got their fruit trees in and some veggies too.

 

[lesa]

Yup, mine looked like dead things, as well. You do have be patient waiting for them to come up- but they do! I always say, don't wait to start an asparagus garden. Once they get going- they really are no mess, no fuss- super early and delicious garden food.