I'e grown 3 trays of perennial wildflowers ( 288 mini-plugs ) for a small
wildlife area. They're currently growing slowly in the greenhouse.

Should I harden them off and plant them out soon or should I just leave them
in the trays until early next year? I'm a bit worried they'll get
overcrowded and turn weak and spindly if left where they are although they
are growing quite slowly now so I may get away with it.

Martin

In article , Martin & Anna Sykes
writes
I'e grown 3 trays of perennial wildflowers ( 288 mini-plugs ) for a small
wildlife area. They're currently growing slowly in the greenhouse.

Should I harden them off and plant them out soon or should I just leave them
in the trays until early next year? I'm a bit worried they'll get
overcrowded and turn weak and spindly if left where they are although they
are growing quite slowly now so I may get away with it.

I would overwinter in cool greenhouse. They won't grow much over the
winter, and it's a bit late to disturb them by planting them out now.
Don't overwater, pick of any dead leaves to discourage mould. You'll
lose a few, but not as many as if you put them outside.
--
Kay Easton

Edward's earthworm page:
http://www.scarboro.demon.co.uk/garden/

On Wed, 4 Dec 2002 13:05:52 -0000, "Martin & Anna Sykes"
wrote:

I'e grown 3 trays of perennial wildflowers ( 288 mini-plugs ) for a small
wildlife area. They're currently growing slowly in the greenhouse.

Should I harden them off and plant them out soon or should I just leave them
in the trays until early next year? I'm a bit worried they'll get
overcrowded and turn weak and spindly if left where they are although they
are growing quite slowly now so I may get away with it.

Your young plants probably would do best being potted on a couple
of times, at the very least, before being planted in their
permanent positions. Those mini-plugs would probably not survive
in great numbers if planted out as-is, whether now or in the
spring.


It's tough on plants out there in nature. I have a long driveway
(abt. 33'x300') that is semi-wild; it's wonderful, like a stretch
of country lane in the middle of urban sprawl. I've put many a
plant out there, but very few have survived the scramble for
survival.

So consider potting on your babies into, say, two-inch pots, and
steadily potting them on as the root systems proliferate. When
you have good, big, robust plants with well developed root
systems, *then* plant them out. You may get to this stage in a
few months with some species, but others may take a year or two.

In the long term, you will have better end results this way.

--
Rodger Whitlock
Victoria, British Columbia, Canada