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Seasonal Tips for Feb & Mar - Seeds & Cuttings

 

If the weather is very wet or very cold it’s best to keep out of the garden for most of the time. The lawn can be easily damaged by footfall if it is waterlogged or frozen. Use this precious time to plan what new seeds and you want to grow this season and get to the garden centre and buy them while the stocks are plentiful. Ring the changes and choose some of the new varieties on offer this season but don’t forget to include a few of your personal favourites too. If you are new to sowing seed then check the seed packets for information. Unwins Seeds seed packets contain plenty of information on how and when to sow as well roughly how many plants you can expect to grow from one packet.

New Unwins flower varieties that can be sown now include Unwins Osteospermum ‘Pink Fizz’ but other great flower varieties that you can sow and grow from seed now include sweet peas, look out for the popular Sweet Pea ‘Old Fashioned Mixed’ and Sweet Pea ‘Galaxy Mixed’ which are great for cut flowers, and don’t miss Sweet Pea ‘Cupani’, the original sweet pea.

 

  • One of the biggest reasons seeds, cuttings and new plants fail is because gardeners don’t clean out last year’s soiled pots and containers. Any debris left can harbour a range of potential problems, the most common are fungal spores which when the temperature is conducive to seedling growth will attack your young plants with vengeance. Even the greenhouse, the glass and greenhouse staging needs cleaning. Use a dedicated greenhouse cleaner that is designed to destroy lingering spores and potential threats to your plants.
  • Another potential threat to delicate seedlings is old compost. If you’ve got half a bag left from last year, don’t risk growing your seeds in it. It could harbour all manner of threats to your precious young plants. Instead put it to good use around the garden. Use it as a soil conditioner to improve your garden soil, it’s ideal for around the vegetable garden, or empty it into a large planter and use it to grow seed potatoes. If you plan to use the same containers again this season for new displays then clean them out first with a recognised garden container cleaner.
  • If you are planning on growing from seed this season then buy some dedicated seed compost. Any old compost will not give you the best results, and when you are investing your time, effort and money into growing from seed, it’s important to give your seedlings the very best possible start. A seed compost is different to normal growing media because it has a much finer texture, increasing the contact with the seed and a perfect level of essential plant nutrients that are specially balanced to provide exactly the right amount of food without damaging the delicate young plant tissue, especially the roots.
  • Experienced growers start many seeds off early in the season. If you are new to sowing seeds then limit your activities to just a few types of seed and don’t sow the whole packet. Instead sow a small amount of the seed and then use the rest of the packet up gradually over the next few months. Your seed packet will indicate the best time to sow your seeds. Many seeds that are sown early indoors or in a greenhouse do need additional heat to get them started: a heated propagator can provide this. Don’t be too hasty to get started, you will probably find that if you wait another 2-3 weeks the temperature will be several degrees warmer and more conducive to seed growth.
  • Seeds that can be started early include: Antirrhinums (snap dragons), Lupin ‘Russel Mixed’ and Busy Lizzies such as Busy Lizzie ‘Bright Shades’. Sow them into a quality seed compost such as Westland John Innes Seed Sowing Compost with Sure Start. It’s designed for delicate seeds and perfect for those seeds that need warmth earlier in the season.
  • Many half hardy annuals and vegetable seeds can be sown in early spring. If you don’t have too much room to pot up and grow on lots of plants then delay sowing until mid march or even April.
  • Sow annual flower seeds such as Ageratum, bedding Salvias, Tagetes, Diascia, annual Stocks, Nemesia, Nicotiana, annual Phlox and bedding Rudbeckia in pots in gentle heat from March.
  • Sow Nasturtiums, Alyssum, Clarkia and Lupins in pots in a frost-free greenhouse or on the windowsill from March.
  • Take softwood cuttings of Fuchsias, Geraniums and other over-wintered plants. Alternatively purchase one or two well-grown plants now and take plenty of cuttings to grow on into flowering plants this season. Use a quality cuttings compost such as John Innes Seed Sowing Compost with Sure Start, or John Innes No 1 Young Plant Compost.

Other useful tips for this season:

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