Help!! My annuals never grow!

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KPJr2181 Redford, MI Aug 24, 2016

I've tried all different kinds and pick them out based on sun/shade and they never take off! They hardly even grow. I can plant the same ones from the same flat in my pots and they take off like weeds! Can it be my soil in my flower beds?

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hcmcdole Powder Springs, GA(Zone 7b) Aug 24, 2016

Definitely could be your soil. The best I ever had was when I mixed a few bags of composted cow manure with sand, spread it on a tilled bed (of red clay and whatever little top soil was there) and just sprinkled a variety of seeds on top. Watered it in and kept it moistened for the first few weeks until the plants were big enough to do without misting every day. Had to pull some of them up because of how weedy they were becoming (Shasta daisy for one).

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lindaliulo Los Angeles, CA Aug 24, 2016

I agree with the soil idea, don;t you apply any vitamins or something?

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KPJr2181 Redford, MI Aug 25, 2016

Thanks! I will have to give that a try :) I didn't know I had to apply any vitamins or anything. Live and learn!! Would you recommend waiting till next spring now or wait till I prep for winter?

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hcmcdole Powder Springs, GA(Zone 7b) Aug 25, 2016

Fertilizer is always good to get things growing. Being in MI I think I would wait until next spring but if you have some perennials/biennials that prefer a cool season to germinate in then by all means...

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Pistil Lake Stevens, WA(Zone 8a) Aug 28, 2016

Fertilizing your wimpy annuals now is a great idea, you might get some good growth and blooms before frost. I would just buy some Miracle Grow or something similar, and use it as the package directs. This will also answer one of the questions-is this a Macro-nutrient deficiency (nitrogen, potassium or phosphorus), as opposed to some other cause like too little water, poor drainage or something else.

However, if you have planted your annual flowers amongst perennials or shrubs, you may want to keep this little experiment in a tiny area. Fertilizing perennial flowers and shrubs in late summer/autumn can promote a flush of new "soft" growth that is not prepared for winter, then some things may not come back next year.

If your wimpy annuals respond to your fertilizer experiment, next year you can use chemical fertilizers, or start spreading some composted manure every year, this adds all kinds of beneficial things to the soil, and actually improves the soil in many ways.
Good luck and let us know what happens!

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