Does anyone else notice...?

Is it just me or does anyone else notice that if you have seedlings and cuttings and you have them in pots instead of in the ground, they grow so much slower in pots than the ones in the ground?

I wasted most of the summer on my little pot grown plants! I really don't understand what's doing this. The pots aren't all filled up with roots, I water them every or every other day, feed some times, they're in the correct lighting and I traded my black plastic pots for large styrofoam cups to keep the roots from cooking.

Nurseries have big plants in pots, why don't I?

I don't know but am guessing it's just bad karma! LOL kidding.I want to know why nurseries have all those healthy blooming roses in pots and mine in pots act like I am imposing cruel and unusual!

this is what I have noticed and I am sure others will agree, disagree or make more appropriate comments.

You do actually have to pot up those seedlings. Lots of the seed I started was in a "seed starting" mix and while this seemed to encourage the seeds, once the seedlings got to a certain size or age it didn't add much. It sustained them but did not promote growth. With many- not all but for certain w/ Bauhinia, Datura, Angel Trumpet from seed and Iochroma, Clerodendrum Ug. and other cuttings- they really thrived once I potted them up and gave them a good "potting" soil. I am sure the rest of the world figured this out but it took me a while; as important as watering and fertilizing is, drainage is at least as important. Had lots of seedlings and cuttings in pots, in "carrying" flats from local nurserys ( these flats do not have a solid bottom) sitting on my cement patio in the back- lots of times after rain or watering my pots were really too soggy. I raised the flats by putting a couple of bricks at both ends of the flats so that they were off the ground and that really seemed to help.

Now many of my seedlings are big plants in pots. Regular fertilizer I believe to be key, though many will likely disagree.
Hope this helps. April

I have tons of plants in pots and the thing I have found most important is the regular feeding. You water containers way more often and the nutrients leech out the bottom quite rapidly. The drainage is equally as important. You want moist not soggy. If they are soggy repot in fresh soil. I feed all mine twice a week at half strength with miracle gro equivelant. Hope this helps. Tanarae

Tanarae- couldn't agree more about the fertilizing and nutrients being leeched out!

That's one reason I do cuttings and seedlings in flats instead of pots.

They do kind of look like they're starving. I'll have to start a regiment of feeding. But why do some seedlings just up and shrivel and die for seemingly no reason at all? The pots aren't getting too dry.

I believe that is the $64,000. question. Probably lots of different things that you might never be able to pin point. I root african violet leaves- sometimes 2 leaves from the same plant in a little cup w/ soil from the same container, watered/fertilized at the same time(s) and one does beautifuly and the 2nd dies.

Funny I noticed the same thing , today , I have planted some,and the temp went to 3 digits,and I left the rest in the pot, and keept them in the shade.The same plant,in the ground,is twice as large as the one in the pot.My surmise is, that the pot sits on top of the ground,and yes,the nutrience is being leeched out,and the pot catches the temp,and if you notice, the pots in nursaries have mulch around the pot to lesson the transfer of fert.& H2O,just a thaught. Mike

CaptMicha, I would suggest watering a bit less-let the soil dry out some inbetween waterings, and the plant will develop stronger roots and then will be able to grow faster. Roots grow faster and stronger in dryer soil. Also try to water in the morning as roots grow at night and need the soil dryer to get the oxygen. I know with plants that I have that are small, do not need watering as much as ones that have more roots. It all starts with the roots.

Thats why a good soiless mix in so important for drainage.
With the annuals that I grow for a living, I use a weekly foliar fert whose strength is geared toward how big the plant is, and I can adjust it every week. But with plants that I have in containers for me, or I grow to put in the ground, I use a slow release fert because then I don't have to think about it every week. I just water as needed.

Humidity. Seedlings require high humidity and moderate temperature but not full sun. I mix in slow release fertilizer with the soil and it provides fertilizer to the developing seedlings. The tent trick with a plastic tent kept in indirect light works the best. The peat mix recommended for seedlings is too fine and very acidic so I mix regular soil with it and try and get the regular grade peat mix helps. With seedlings that get damping off I use a drench or if they get boytritis I spray with a baking soda and water mix.

I put my finger in some of the pots today and the soil was hot! The black pots were hotter than the ones in the white styrofoam cups and both are on a wooded deck.

I can't think of anything else to keep them cool besides putting my full sun plants in the shade. I mulched the top of some potted plants and put rocks ontop of others. I need to mulch the others and see if there's an improvement. I did it last year and if I remember correctly, my plants perked up.

I never have much luck sowing seeds in the ground, but after they have taken hold they always do better in the beds, think all living things like to be free!!!

Years ago, when I was either dumb or naive, I was trying to grow some plants in my apt in pots. These were things that had no business in the house- or at least in my apt- my grandfather came over for dinner one night- he was a wholesale cymbidium grower and my source for knowledge and inspiration. I asked him why these plants were doing so poorly and he made several comments but the biggest point he made was, "April...plants aren't meant to grow in houses and pots..." True enough.

In Houston our sun is so intense that lots of what the rest of the country consider full sun, only need or can tolerated 4 to 6 hours of full sun. Most of the seeds we direct sow are in the much cooler months of the year so they have a chance to develop some roots. Lately I have been trying some of the soils w/ those moisture retaining crystals. Not sure if it's a thumbs up or down yet.

Oh yeah, I have those too. I'd really like to hear how that turns out.

I'm just wondering how the nurseries do it. I want perfect plants too!

CaptMicha no idea how the nurseries do it because I can't. I was at a small nursery couple of months ago and they were saying they water several times a day! That doesn't make sense to me -wouldn't the plant object to that sort of overwatering?

So far the MG soil w/ moisture crystal has been somewhat disappointing. To tell the truth I notice nothing any different from before and they have been in this soil for over a month, maybe 2 months. I have a bottle of the crytals and am going to try adding that to some soil to see if that helps. Maybe MG doesn't have it down yet or maybe you need to add more/less. Will let you know.

I've found that little seedlings and divisions do much better for me if I baby them along for a while in pots on my deck. I use regular Miracle Gro mix or Pro Mix, and I add both moisture crystals and Osmocote (time release) fertilizer. Since the deck gets full, southern-exposure sun, the plants are mostly in the partial shade of a large deck umbrella, which shields them until 4 or 5 in the afternoon. I don't get lots of new top growth on most plants, so maybe I need to feed them more, but they do get nice rootballs after a month or two, and then I plant them out in one of the beds with soaker hoses so they can still enjoy regular watering. I lose some occasionally for no apparant reason, but this "system" is working out pretty well, except for DH's complaints about not being able to get to his grill, LOL!

Jill sounds like a winner- I have to say that I am often disappointed by lack of significant root ball, but the longer I leave them in small pots, clearly the better root system they develop and I think top growth only suffers a bit.

I think it depends a lot on the variety and even on the individual plant... perennials often just seem to sulk for a while, whether in pots or planted out in the garden, and sometimes I don't even think they grow more roots for a while as they're adjusting to their new environment. On the other hand, one perennial that I wintersowed, grew on for just 4 weeks in a deep cell pack, and then planted out is now over 4 ft. tall and blooming its head off (chocolate daisy, or, what's the name, Berlandia? something like that).

It's also amazing to me that plants that seem to barely stay green, let alone grow, all during their first summer can pop up the following spring and just explode with new growth! So don't be too discouraged by whatever your new perennials are or aren't doing their first year.