Advice on Nasturtiums?

I absolutely adore nasturtiums. But they just WILL NOT grow for me. I get tiny plants and a few blossoms. I want the masses of blooms I see in all of your pictures!

I've tried them in big pots in sunny spots, partially sunny, and also in the ground in both spots. From seed all times. Alaska mix and Empress of India.

Do you have helpful tips?

Do any of them climb?

I'd really like to get it right this year!

Thanks,

Anne

Anne, how are other things growing? Flowers/veggies? I can't figure it's anything else but a soil problem. I've heard they don't like it too rich, but mine's very rich and they're not complaining.

Yes, many climb. See PlantFiles. I believe Johnny's has a climbing variety.

they need a little bit of organic material in soil to get big. Ill post you a pic of mine tommrow. They are kinda climbing.

I have really good luck from seeds from renees garden.

This message was edited Mar 2, 2006 9:31 PM

okie heres a pic of them on a tomato trellis

and heres one with them mounding around my windmill.

Nastertiums love rain water and dont like city water as much. they die back when my weather hits about 80. BUt they come back every year. So you have to really love them as I to adore them because once they get going, they are there forever.

Anne,
I think they grow best when ignored. You might try established plant's from HD or Lowe's. I put one shot of Spray n Grow on mine and they only got rain which was regular. I think they like to dry out between waterings. Good Luck on getting the Knack of nasties, your not the only one it took years to get them to grow.
Sidney

Hi All - Thanks for the advice! I wonder if it is just my northern climate. Maybe the ground is too cold. I have a lot of compost in the garden.. but the base is clay. I think I will try pots again this summer.

But please, keep the advice coming! I would love to get this right this summer!

Things that grow well in the garden... zinnias (LOL..I think they do well anywhere!), marigolds (ditto), petunias, geraniums... the usual annuals!

I had a birdbath over the nasturtiums and they took forever to grow. I wonder...maybe too wet?

So maybe pots...

I would look at the PH that they need and test the PH of the soil that you are using. Nasturtiums are considered a cooler weather annual, so I don't think its your temp. thats the problem. Sometimes smaller plants indicate stunting from lack of water. Sometimes its the lack of nutrients . What did the leaves look like in terms of color when you grew them? Were they yellowish? Just the bottoms leaves if so, or could you see yellow leaves all over the plant, or just the new leaves?

Some varieties are trailing and some aren't, and looking around at seeds, I have noticed that the trailing ones are way less popular. For the past two years I've grown one of the smaller types, Black Velvet (Tropaeolum minor). It's a compact plant with no trailing. I'm in NY and have clay too. Mine have done good in pots.

lagasan--

Here is a little write up about how to grow nasturtiums. I think it's interesting that they say 'hold the compost' which surprises me but I suppose you get too many leaves and fewer flowers if you have rich soil and so much fertilizer.

http://www.gardenersnet.com/flower/nasturt.htm

I did read on one of my seed packets that some varieties of nasties are bred so that the flowers grow above the leaves (rather than hidden) which I think is a nice characteristic.

I forgot, too, that they are so nice for salads (if you don't use pesticides and other chemicals, of course.)

I had trouble for years with nasturtiums, because i believed the old wives tale about poor soil, mine is vile, planted some cardoon and put nasturtiums around it and when i fed the cardoon the nasturtiums got some over flow, went fron 6" across and a few blooms to 3' across and covered in roughly a month, I fert heavy and buy seed with up right flowers and have good luck Spring and fall, summer is still a trial but others things look good then so i live with it for the October spectacular.