Hello! I have successfully germinated some Brug seeds! Yay, me! My babies are about 6 inches tall now and I have transplanted them into a bit bigger pots (but not huge). I have no idea what strain/color/whathaveyou (and I don't really care because I'm just thrilled to have some finally!) So, my strange question is...how fast do they grow and what size pots should I be using? I consulted some other threads and they mention 9.5 gallon and bigger. Now planting my little guys in such a huge vat seemed a bit off, so I opted for a teeny little 6"-er for now. So is it just sort of one of those "wait-n-see/play-it-by-ear" things? Just transplant as needed? Or go for the big guns (pots) right aways? I guess they grow fairly fast from what I've gathered...like lots of food and water...can get top-heavy...I've learned those things so far. Can I expect flowers this year (they were germinated in Feb)? (boy would that ive me a thrill!) Also, I live in zone 6 PA so when could I set them out? Morning sun with hot afternoon shade, would that be good (due east)? Can I set them out yet...the nights have lows of about 42 to 52 (roughly) now. Will it shock them to put them out all at once (but in my closed-in non-heated but non-windy porch) now? Thanks in advance for any/all advisement! :)
J
Strange Question From Newbie Brugmeister...
Hi J and good for you. I'm learning myself and I'm sure one of the more experienced growers will come along soon. This is just what I do:
I start my seeds in a community pot, then when they get their second leaves I pot them individually in a 4" pot. I let them develop there until the pot is full of roots and then move up to a 1 gal pot.
When they first go outside, they need to be eased gently by having shade and shelter from the wind until they adjust. Gradually give them more sun but they like afternoon shade.
Once they are outside and the weather is hot, the smaller pots dry out fast, so I either put them in the ground or in a larger pot. The more leaves they have, the more water they require - and some (not me) are able to get blooms the first year.
Hi Greenthumber, You did good by not putting them into a huge pot as the root system isn't that big yet and cannot absorb the water that is in a large pot. They can rot easily until they establish a good root system.
I would wait till the roots fill your 6" pot and then put into a larger one. It's better to go up a size gradually.
Yes it is possible to get blooms this year with fertilization.
I would wait to put them put until the nights stay about 50 degrees. It's better to harden them off gradually as they are not used to the suns rays and the cooler temps.
I put my germinated seeds into those 16 oz red plastic cups. Then I go to 1 gallon, then to 5 gallon then to 15 gallon. If I have bigger pots available for my more special ones, I go from 5 gallon to 25 gallon. It all happens very fast. They will grow like weeds. Try to get pots that are deep. They put out a long tap root. 6 inch pots are very shallow. Keep fertilizing. I bet you will get blooms if you move them up as soon as you can and if you keep fertilizing.
Congrats on your seedlings and WELCOME to our forum! Post pics, we love pics.
PS: In the spring and summer you can get away with a lot more pot. I am just careful not to drown them. Also come August, I no longer pot up, for I want my brugs to be rootbound over the wet winter here. They will not rot as easily. Thne in spring I cut back all the roots and the crown, and repot in the the same pot with new soil.
This message was edited Apr 27, 2005 11:46 AM
sounds like you are doing it right :) good luck.
Doris
Greenthumber, your climate zone is almost the same as mine. For that reason, I would recommend smaller pots like snowhermit did. You can control the moisture in the soil much better in a smaller pot in the winter than in a too large pot.
Oh and I forgot to add that in spring and early summer I use the heaviest soil I can find. I hate watering everyday. But come later in the season, I go to the lightest so it won't hold water during our wet winters. If it is real hot where you live, you will not be able to keep them watered and that will guide you to pot up and/or to use heavier soil.
Brugs are so easy to grow. Do not worry! They are so forgiving and very hard to kill!!!