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Could I sow cosmos now?

*Astrantia**Astrantia* Posts: 291
in Plants
All the cosmos I grew from seed this year has been eaten by slugs 😡 I have seed left what’s the chances of me growing some now? I’m thinking with climate change I may have a chance! Oh and some slug prevention!

Posts

  • B3B3 Posts: 26,988
    Try a few and keep the rest for next year.
    In London. Keen but lazy.
  • pinkskyinthecitypinkskyinthecity Posts: 109
    http://mytutorlist.blogspot.com/2009/06/how-to-propagate-cosmos.html here's a video saying that you can take cuttings. Although, I haven't tried this myself. If you buy a plant from a nursery/GC it'll be a quicker way to get them to flower rather than sowing seed at this time of year. 
  • GardenerSuzeGardenerSuze Posts: 5,274
    They have to be really strong well developed plants before you plant them out. That might be helpful for next year.
    Looking forward to my new garden with clay soil here in South Notts.

    Gardening is so exciting I wet my plants. 
  • *Astrantia**Astrantia* Posts: 291
    They were lovely big plants when I planted them out, I’d practiced the year before, and they survived and looked great. But this year I did the pinching out, really looked after them , got them nice & healthy then bam all nibbled just a few green stalks left like little flag poles! 😢
  • WAMSWAMS Posts: 1,933
    edited July 2022
    Ah that's a shame. Cosmos are just about the only annual other than antirrinhums and lavatera that don't get slugged here.

    I wouldn't bother now tbh... if you can get them on the propagator in Jan/Feb, you will get to enjoy them all summer. Got my Sankey propagators reduced to £10 at Wilko at the end of the season, Novemberish. Life-changer! (Well... the change is that I get cosmos blooming before autumn.)
  • Valley GardenerValley Gardener Posts: 2,827
    I wouldnt plant seed now,you might get lovely plants but they wouldnt be flowering for very long. See if you can still get some plants for the rest of the summer,then try again next year.....with slug protection. I know how you feel though,when I put marigolds in my very first garden,I woke to find a lot of little sticks,not a leaf in sight. Lesson learnt!
    The whole truth is an instrument that can only be played by an expert.
  • *Astrantia**Astrantia* Posts: 291
    I bought 2 packs of marigolds put them out on the steps in the garden to pot up the next day & by morning the same as you Valley Gardener, just little chewed sticks by morning 😩😩
  • Valley GardenerValley Gardener Posts: 2,827
    @*Astrantia*
    Never underestimate slugs😁😁!
    The whole truth is an instrument that can only be played by an expert.
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