Why do you grow hostas in pot? Here's why I do
newhostalady Z6 ON, Canada
10 years ago
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Gesila
10 years agoUser
10 years agoRelated Discussions
Why, oh why, do I think I'll remember???
Comments (4)The third one looks like it could be Catmint...the second one doesn't look like anything I recognize and the first really looks like Lobelia siphilitica to me. I've never grown the Tithonia, could that be #2? Sorry I wasn't able to stick to your list better. Jeanne...See MoreDo you fertilize your seedlings/Why can't i grow seedlings?
Comments (23)Dave, "Zinnia grow so quickly and turn leggy almost overnight so most feel they are best direct seeded outside." I agree that it is generally better to plant zinnias directly outside when that works with your schedule. However, I think Dale was trying to get an early start with his zinnias, hence the attempt at starting them early inside under lights. I agree with everybody who identified Dale's problem as not enough light. I just want those who are considering starting zinnias indoors to know that they will not "turn leggy almost overnight" if you provide adequate light. With enough light they are quite docile and well behaved, and you can get an early start of a month or more if you have an adequate light setup. The shelf in this picture has four two-bulb T8 shoplights over it. The shelf measures 2 feet by 4 feet, and with a total of eight T8 fluorescent bulbs over it, the light on the seedlings is good. That picture was taken a couple of days ago and I will be setting most of those zinnias into the garden in the near future. There are a few "late arrivals" in the picture that will spend some more time inside. They would be just cutworm fodder if I set them outside now. All of those zinnias are hand-hybridized hybrids, so I give them better care than I would for seed-packet zinnias. ZM...See Morewhy do you pot up?
Comments (22)The article from the 20's does not compare directly sown seeds to potted up from my recollection. It does review the effect on root development on potted up vs. non potted up. The roots on the potted up plants looked more substantial and fibrous. The problem is that the results of the testing certainly did not seem to advocate potting up to me. In one experiment, seeds were started in pots. Some of the seedlings were then taken out of those pots and then placed back in the same pots. Later, some of the potted up seedlings were transplanted one more time in the same manner. So, before planting in the field, they had some plants that had not been potted up, others that had been potted up once, and others that had been potted up twice. The appearance of the roots seems to convince people that potting up is a good idea. However, the results of production of the plants convinces me that potting up is not a good idea. How many of you, when potting up, tranplant into different sized pots? Have you not noticed that the larger the pot, the faster the plant grows? When I pot most transplants into 3 inch pots, and others into 5 inch pots, within a few weeks the ones put into 5 inch pots are consistently 30% larger than the ones that were put into 3 inch pots. The are also in large enough pots that they do not require an additional potting up before set out. In the end, the ones that were potted up once are larger at set out, and took less work. The big caveat is larger pots need more space and are more of a pain for that reason alone. As for results in the garden, my experience is the larger the plant was when it went in the ground, the more production I get (but the main reason for this is in my opinion the fact that I have a short growing season). In terms of leaving the plant in a smaller pot to force root growth, that is certainly possible but nobody that has mentioned this has provided any empirical backup that I recall. Transplanting does appear to result in different root structures, but who cares unless someone can show that these root structures produce more fruit. Ham what you say about tap root might be correct, but what is the difference in fruit production (and were is the evidence to back it up)....See MoreDo you grow your figs in black pots, if not why?
Comments (6)I would say it has less to do with the pot color and more to do with the soil drying out / heating up too much. If you absolutely have to put pots in full noon sun, mulch heavily. You could try shading the pot base maybe with a "tree skirt" that wraps around made from burlap, shade cloth, or something like that....See MoreLudicious Acres
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