Is It Really Better For A Gardener To Purchase Plug Plants On The Net Or To Purchase Seeds?

Purchasing plants online has never been simpler now that plug plants are so readily accessible. Yet just what should you be looking at whilst purchasing plants on the Internet and will the plants once received demand any extra care and attention.

Plants by mail is not new. There have been plants offered in magazines for numerous years. Mail order plants were posted at the beginning of the season as immature plants with their roots packed in moist newsprint and well protected in cardboard boxes. Soaked in a bucketful of water for a few hours and planted out into a garden bed they soon established.

What has altered is the technology for secure packaging material and a PC or Laptop in most homes. Purchasing plants on line includes a great selection of perennial plants as well as the younger and more low-priced versions maybe best described as plug plants. Even trees and bushes can be ordered on the web for home delivery. Not so long ago roses were purchased bare rooted which usually meant planting right at the end of winter or early spring. Today you can still order bare rooted roses which are more affordable to purchase however most doing shopping at a garden centre or possibly nursery will buy a rose already established in a container.

However what do you do if you do not want to purchase established plants and do not have the suitable facilities to grow your own annuals and perennials from seed? If growing hardy annuals you could of course delay until the ground has warmed and direct sow. That is all right should you have the soil free but those with small gardens do not always have that luxury.

This is one instance when plug plants can come to the rescue. Modern-day technology as well as newer packing materials enable growers to offer plants that can be posted safely and at an inexpensive price.

When you have obtained your plug plants online what should you do when the plants are delivered?

Take out the trays of plug plants from the cardboard packaging. If you have acquired established plug plants they could be in plastic root trainers and not trays. The process is the same; make sure that the compost has not dried out. Having the young plants in dry compost for too long will at the least cause them to find it difficult to make good healthy plants but there is a chance they will not survive. They are your babes and are completely reliant on you and the treatment you give them. Stand the tray in a shallow tray of water or gently spray them. When the compost is soaked leave it be to drain and keep the plug plants in a well lit and draft free location.

As soon as possible pot on the plugs, equally spacing them in seed trays filled with good quality compost as you would whenever sowing from seed and pricking out, or perhaps into individual pots of suitable potting compost. Water in, drain and do not water once more until the compost is nearly dry. Young plants such as plugs detest having their feet soaking in water, the roots will almost certainly rot and die. A word of caution, do not pot on the plug plants if their compost is very dry. For the best probability of success water the plugs one to two hours ahead of potting up.

Place the potted on plants someplace where they will not be in a cold draft. A glasshouse is ideal, a cold frame very good and a windowsill fine however should you have a sizable sill where it is possible to close the curtains do not leave the plants between the closed curtain and the glass. They will be in a situation through the night, that should it go chilly, they will be severely cooled by cold trapped air.

After three to four weeks your plants should be big enough to plant outdoors however do not do so till all threat of frost has gone. And prior to planting out harden off the plants. Do this by leaving the glasshouse door open during the day, cold frame lid open through the day, or perhaps placing them outside in the day and bringing them back in at night. You will soon see a difference in the plants that will have a stouter look instead of looking very soft stemmed.

Therefore is it more beneficial to purchase seeds and sow them yourself or to buy plug plants? Both techniques are fine and both need the gardener to furnish sufficient care and attention to bring about good quality plants for the garden. In point of fact, irrespective of whether a gardener possesses the facilities to germinate seed and a glasshouse to grow the plants on, it can be advantageous for the gardener to grow certain plant varieties from seed and purchase plug plants delivered ready to grow on for a brilliant summertime bedding show.

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