Are perennial plugs best planted in spring or fall? I'm interested in trying one of the new coneflower varieties, but have never used plugs before. Thanks!
Perennial Plugs in the Fall
For smaller plants, like plugs, I prefer to plant them in spring. My thinking is they have a full growing season to develop a strong root system and have time to get well established before winter sets in. While that is my preference, I still find myself planting lots of wintersown seedlings and sale plants in fall, and have had good luck with them. Smaller plants benefit from mulching in fall -freezing and thawing of the soil can heave the plants out of the ground.
Since you're investing in new varieties, I'd advise waiting till spring- better safe than sorry.
If the plant is zone 7a or 6b, I would wait until spring. However more cold hardy varieties are best planted in the fall. A vernalized plant is far more vigorous in the spring than a plant that is coming from a heated green house.
I know what plugs are in regards to sod, but have never heard the terminology for flowers. Is that from some of these kits from seed catalogs, where you might have to grow them under grow lights?
Plugs are really small starts of plants--they're bigger than seedlings but definitely smaller than what you'd typically buy at a garden center so they need a bit more TLC.
Are these done in like a mini greenhouse product?
Plugs cover a variety of sizes. The definition of a plug is a small, but well rooted seedling, raised in a cellular tray for growing on.
Some of the plugs I receive at my nursery are very tiny. Others are large enough to fill your hand.
The plugs come in cells, and the trays that hold the cells are usually about 11" X 21.5". In those trays are from 18 to 288 plugs. Obviously if you get 288 plugs in a tray that size they will be tiny. I think there are even 512 plug trays, but I've never had one.
I would certainly agree, (as usual) with Neal. Plant the tiny plugs in spring, and take really good care of them.
Plug trays are really for seedlings which will spend minimal time in them.
I use them for fast growing annuals.
However, I notice that many companies are now offering plugs of assorted plants.
I think this trend is to reduce the cost of shipping larger plants.
Caroline zone 3 Calgary
Does it say what size the plugs are aebloom? If you are getting them from say, Terra Nova, they are going to be tiny. In that case you may want to pot them up. But as I said, some of the plugs now are 18s and are very large, hand size.
I don't think I've ever seen plugs at any of the nurserys around here. Are they mostly mail order nurseries? Do you plant the plugs in a 3 or 4 inch nursery pot first and let it grow some and then transplant it into your flowerbed or container? Not familiar with plugs at all.
Plugs are mainly sold by wholesalers to retailers, and the retailers pot them into larger pots and grow them on.
Lately, though, some companies are selling plugs directly to consumers. So, yes, you would see them from some mail order places, or if you join co-ops you might get some.
They can be a very good deal, but can take a lot of work. They are meant for professionals to deal with, and that's not to say the normal gardener can't take care of them, but there is care involved. Of course if you get a plug of say, nepeta, it's easy to grow, but a plant like coneflowers can be challenging.
I start and plant plugs on a semi-regular basis throughout the year. Not a large scale operation, they're mostly from germ tests on older seeds, but hate to throw out the germinated seedlings. So I plant the healthiest in 72 cell trays (approx 1" cells) until established and then plant them in the ground and hope for the best. The perennials I plant in spring do 10x better then the ones I plant in summer, and about 5x better then the ones I plant in September. Hardly any plugs overwinter if I plant any later then that in my zone. Also, as pollyk noted, the plant's variety is also a factor. Keep in mind, my numbers are based on fairly random germ testing on older seeds and are not necessarily part of any gardening plan.