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Please help with snapdragons

PeroxissPeroxiss Posts: 12
in Problem solving
Hey guys! Once again im turning to you lot for some help and advice, I recently brought some snapdragons from my local nursery but when they arrived they were not in the way I thought, this is my first year really going at making the garden good so im constantly worried about everything, when I received them in the mail they were in those tiny 2cm black plugs and I thought they would be the bigger white plugs -,you know the kind you buy pansies in from the garden centre, so I had a mad panic on this evening because I didn't know what to do with them, as I know they can't go outside yet so I managed to find some plywood and some architrave and have made a big 4 ft by 4 ft tray, the soil I have put in there is about 2 inches deep. Is this going to be enough for them for now until they can go out in the garden at the end of may? I've put drainage holes in the bottem so when I water them they don't get all bogged up etc and much to my girlfriends delight they are now living in the conservatory because I only have a shed and no green house, I don't think they would like the shed very much due to the lack of light? Basically I just want to know that they will be ok and if you have any tips for when I mess up and do this again next year to make my life easier image Thanks in advance guys I'll check this regularly so if you need any more details please ask!

Posts

  • BobTheGardenerBobTheGardener Posts: 11,391

    The usual way to deal with small plug plants is to plant each one in a small pot (eg 9cm) and grow them on somewhere which is frost-free but has plenty of light until they can be planted out in the garden.  Suitable small plastic pots pots can be bought very cheaply from places like Wilko and the usual garden centres.  The reason for using small individual pots is to minimise root disturbance.  What you have done will work, but you will find the roots have all grown together when you come to transplant them, so try to cause as little damage as possible when you do that.

    Snapdragons are hardy so you could actually put the tray you have made outside somewhere sheltered (eg against south or west facing house wall) but it would be best to harden them off a bit by leaving them out during the day and bringing in at night for a week or two.

    A trowel in the hand is worth a thousand lost under a bush.
  • TootlesTootles Posts: 1,469

    I agree with Bobs good advice. 

    ask your local garden centre if they have any unwanted plastic pots. One of our local garden centres actually have a big box of them for customers to help themselves. 

  • Busy-LizzieBusy-Lizzie Posts: 23,110

    As I read your question I was planning my answer, but Bob got there first!

    Dordogne and Norfolk. Clay in Dordogne, sandy in Norfolk.
  • PeroxissPeroxiss Posts: 12

    Hey Guys,

     

    Thanks alot for the advice, i will have to go down to the garden centre this weekend but im glad that my crap slung together tray will work for now! And thanks for the tips about the roots Bob, i will make sure to be careful when i move them!

     

    Peroxiss.

  • Arthur1Arthur1 Posts: 538

    Garden centres will also sell you linear plant trays, up to a metre long and about 15 cms wide, perfect for windowsills. You can put your little pots in these trays and water without flooding your house. All my South facing windowsills are now full!!!

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