Pot plants growing much faster than soil
pearlshaun
Posts: 3
Greetings!
I have grown a number of plants from seed, some in pots and some in soil. The pot plants appear to be vastly superior and I'm trying to understand why this is.
The best example are the Cosmos bipinnatus I have grown. Last year I sowed them direct into soil in May and by mid August I had some lovely bushy plants in flower. This year the soil sown plants are at a similar state of development as last year, so I expect they will end up alright.
However I also sowed seeds into pots with a proprietary container compost at the same time and their rate of growth has vastly outstripped those in the ground. While my soil based sowings are still just plantlets, the potted Cosmos are already bushy plants producing flowers. Both sets get the same amount of sunlight.
I have clay soil which I amended with some multi purpose compost, and added in some fish, blood and bone. Is the differing rates of growth something to be concerned about? And if so, how can I establish what is causing the soil based plants to grow so slowly? My best guess is that it is more difficult for roots to break through the clay soil?
Posts
In addition to this a couple of the soil grown plants have set flowers while they were only 6 inches tall. I nipped the buds off to divert resources to green growth.
This has also happened with the Phacelia campanularia I have sown but even quicker, after they produced their first pair of true leaves.
Could the slow growth and early flowering be connected?
Yes. The main aim of a flowering plant is to set seed before it dies. It sounds as if the plants in soil are either hungry or thirsty.
Last edited: 21 July 2017 12:11:28
Thanks. They probably aren't thirsty as we've had lots of rain so I'll try a liquid feed and see if they take off.
Also if the plants in pots were planted in mpc it probably contains some plant feed. Also there would be less competition for water and nutrients in the soil.....the plants in the ground may have competition for feed from other plants in the border.....