Never started with a plug before. I am thinking I will pot them up and maybe put them under a light for the month it takes to grow into a small plant. Is regular potting soil best? What will you do and what do you use?
How will you handle your new plugs from the coop??
jam,
I'll be potting mine in 4" pots and leaving them in there until later in the summer. Want them to get a good root system. I'll use a seed starting mix, mixed with potting mix for mine.
Kelly
I put mine in bigger pots 8" that I get at WalMart for $.88, used StaGreen potting soil.
Here is a picture of mine out under the trees, I actually put two of the same kind of plug into one pot. This picture also includes the 'big' expensive ones I got from Eminance. One of them, Black Beauty, is smaller than some of the plugs I got. Hummmmm.....
Susan
=^..^=
Oh yeah, Eminance sent me a very nice Bright Lights Hosta free.
=^..^=
You got a free hosta???? How much did you order? I never got a free hosta ;o{{{{{
Thanks for the photo Susan____ Are these plugs easily over-potted? Guess I'd be more afraid that they will dry out in our heat in tiny pots.
I don't understand what you mean by 'over-potted'.
I just usually start everything out in these 8" pots. Otherwise I will be repotting again in a month and I think they do better not being moved around so soon.
JMO
Kelly, you had to order $100 I think which isn't difficult at their prices. LOL I was very pleased with Bright Lights. It was a nice big pretty one, I will get a pic of it as soon as I can. I am so behind with everything right now. You can see what time it is and I am still here trying to get through my threads when I should be in bed. LOL
Susan
=^..^=
Susan,
Ah, I see. I didn't order over $100,,,so no freebie here.
Over-potting refers to a very small plant in a large pot of soil. The result that the large soil mass will tend to remain wet and the plant finds itself with wet feet most of the time.
This arrangement makes the plant prone to rot.
With houseplants you gradually increase the size of the pot as the plant grows.
You mentioned putting 2 plugs in an 8" pot. That would be similiar to 1 in a 4"pot I would think. And the 8" pot will dry out slower than a 4" pot.
I threw 2 of the same kind in a 6" pot.
GG, now that sounds about right to me. I hesitate to use to small a pot simply for the reason they will dry out so fast.
Also what do you feed heucheras?
I have a product that's new to me called Messenger. It's a foliar mist. Have only sprayed once, but have aleady noticed a difference. I used to use Miracle Grow.
Have Messenger coming.
Did you spray messenger on the heuchera? I was wondering about that. I sprayed my brug's tonight and a little got on one of the heuchera's.
I have sprayed messenger on EVERYTHING!!! It makes a big difference, since I can't be 'mean' and choose one NOT to spray, all my plants get it so I don't have a test plant. LOL
I have things blooming that never did before, one big example are three jasmine plants that I have had for four years. Would bloom every now and then and then quit. Now they are covered with blooms.
I suppose I should be posting this on the messenger thread huh???
Susan
=^..^=
And YES the heuchera are better than they have ever been.
Um, Yeah,,,lol Good to know though. Have sprayed 2 times now and am really starting to notice a difference.
How often can you spray it? Are you using any other plant food also??
jam,
I spray Messenger every 3 weeks. I haven't fertilized with anything else this year yet. I may do an application of Mighty Plant.
Jamlover
Terra Nova Heucheras are meant to be put in gallons size by nurseries. A six in to 8 in would be OK, I wouldn't use a 4in pot.
Plant them with the crowns at soil height, no deeper.
Don't put them inside under lights. Outside in a shady area is best.
Water well when you plant them, press down to be sure to get air pockets out. After the initial watering don't over water them.
A potting soil with a good amount of bark and peat will do best.
Fertilize very sparingly.
Should these new plugs be sprayed with messenger after they are potted?
Lisa
Pollyk, thanks for your input. Sounds very good. I have some gallon size nursery pots. That would be a deeper container that probably wouldn't dry out as fast.
I had decided outside instead of under lights after reading everyone's input.
Where do I get bark to add to the potting mix? What types of bark do you mean?
A local hosta nursery lines out hosta plugs in sunshine when they first arrive, moving them to the shade later. I was wondering about the amount of light, but in pots we can move them to what we feel they need.
You should be able to find potting mix with bark in it at some of the bigger nurseries. My favorite is Metro Mix 510. If you can't find it, just add peat to some regular potting soil.
On the terra Nova site under FAQ it says:
" What kind of soil should I use?
Starting from ground-zero, let's talk soils. Most of the plants in our breeding program are woodlanders–plants that enjoy PERFECT drainage and an even, level moisture. A good soil mix is the key to all of this. We recommend the following mix: 40% Pumice (or large grain Perlite), 30% Bark and 30% Peat. 7/3 aggregate to Peat. To this mix we add a small starter-fertilizer charge w/micronutrients, lime to bring pH up to 5.8 (TEST your local water supply for Ca levels before adding ANY lime–we have lime in our water and do not add any), and a surfactant (for even watering). This mix will dry out faster than annual mixes, but will keep the plants stronger and better able to handle the "dog-days" of summer."
My question is: I have the peat and perlite, but what kind of bark are they talking about? I don't get the 7/3 aggregate to Peat part. Is it the Pumice or perlite and bark make up 70% and the peat 30%?? Or what could I use instead of the bark? Any ideas??
I get a bag of Pro Mix that is pretty much the same as what they have listed. I got it form one of our local nurseries.
I waited until I had new growth on the plugs before spraying with Messenger. I also just sprayed them with Mighty Plant since Messenger isn't a fertilizer. Once I place them in either bigger pots or the ground, they will continue getting Messenger and fertilizer.
Mine from this co-op are coming along Very nicely. Possibly next week I will be transfering to bigger pots,,,,yippeeee. This Monday is my next Messenger day. Will spray Messenger and possibly use Mighty Plant. Give those little lovelies a better boost.
I guess I'm the only oddball here because I put my plugs in the ground. They have been in the ground for almost a month now and all are doing great.
hemlady, what are you feeding them?
Wish I had been in the earlier coop. My plants won't be here until after the 4th. They will need to hurry to be ready for winter. I hope to have them in the ground in time to settle in before then.
I am using a foliar spray that I bought in the spring. It is called Spray-n-Grow, a micronutrient product.
My new babies arrived in the mail today. 2 Peach Flambe, 2 Sparkling Burgandy, 1 Ginger Ale and 1 Burnished Bronze. Such cute little fellows, none the worse for their trip in the mail. Got them potted up and waiting to watch them grow. Shower due this pm. just what the Dr. ordered!!!!!
I have a question about when I can move very tiny ( 4 tiny leaves, no more than 1/2 in. altogether) plants that look like a combination of Palace Purple and Ebony and Ivory that seeded themselves. It looks like there are about 10 little plants. They might be baby Ebonies since the leaves are rounded not pointed, color more Palace Purple. They are so tiny it's hard to tell what they really are. I'm afraid to leave them since they are in the pathway and can be stepped on . Also there is weed competition. Should I wait until they are bigger? If so how big?
Never had any seedlings to deal with. Maybe they are a cross and you've made your own new heuchera!! Fun to see what they turn out. Keep us posted.
sem,
I would move them now. Wouldn't want to get them stepped on. I'd put them in a nice seedling medium,,,no potting soil or anything,,,just nice soft wonderful seedling product..
Garden Geek,
Seedling medium, hmm I never thought of that. I was thinking of potting them in a very rich organic potting mix that contains composted salmon. Too rich? Do you think I'll have a problem with damping off? Right now they are growing in the bluestone pathway in soil that is acidic and mossy. I think the stones are protecting the roots. These are growing in a minimally cared for school garden I installed 3 years ago, I check it about once a week and pull weeds.
jamlover,
I've never had seedlings in my own garden either, maybe benign neglect is what they need to develop. I also don't own Ebony and Ivory, maybe that's the parent seeder. I'll keep everyone informed if they survive.
This message was edited Jul 6, 2006 8:04 AM
sem,
I would think the organic mix with composted salmon would be a bit rich for seedlings. I would use the seedling mixture until they are larger. I am keeping my seedlings in the shade and will move the ones that like sun gradually. But, don't take my word for it, I am by far so not even close to knowing which way would be best. Guess that goes to show us, if we weren't to keep the gardens too tidy, we might have more cool seedlings,,LOL
I visited the schoolgarden this morning to water the seedlings so I could remove them later today and I counted 32 seedlings! Do you think I need a seperate pot for each?
I would put a few in each pot until they are bigger and need their own pots.
The only seedlings I get from my neglected garden are weed seedlings. Not pretty ones either. :(
I too would put them in a pot with several to each pot but in different corners of that pot so they can develope independently of each other. A good seedling or potting mix would be fine for them I am sure but I think the salmon in the mix might be a little hot for them until they really get established.
My olugs from the first Heuch co-op that Pam did are doing wonderfully. They are almost ready to go into their own pots. I had 2 in each one. The others are still smaller but some are coming along nicely, some I lost all together. And this last co-op that Pam did, those are potted and doing nicely. Those are the ones we just got.
The smallest plants from the schoolgarden are still in pots with the seedling mix, should I pot on to bigger pots with good potting mix and sink them in the ground, pot and all, or directly plant them in the ground?
