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Does this baby Penstemon need potting on?

CraighBCraighB Posts: 758
in Plants
Hi guys,

I took some Penstemon cuttings which I eventually put into 9cm pots. These have grown nice roots however do they need potting on now? There isn't much top growth because I have been pinching the growing tip to make them more bushy however there seems to be a decent amount of root.

Thanks :)
Craigh

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Posts

  • LynLyn Posts: 23,190
    You could go up one pot size, I wouldn’t bother as they will be going to sleep soon anyways, don’t bother about pinching out, they’ll need to be cut down to the ground in Spring. They’ll probably get mould in the winter, don’t worry about that either as it will all be cut off next year. 
    Gardening on the wild, windy west side of Dartmoor. 

  • Papi JoPapi Jo Posts: 4,254
    Why not plant them in the ground right now?
  • LynLyn Posts: 23,190
    I wouldn’t get away with that here, frost would have the young plants. 
    Gardening on the wild, windy west side of Dartmoor. 

  • CraighBCraighB Posts: 758
    Thanks Lyn. Rather than make work for myself I will leave them in the same pot over winter.

    And Papi Jo I think I may be putting them Into a container next year as fingers crossed I might be buying a house and want to take them with me. So no point planting them just to dig them up again :)
  • Papi JoPapi Jo Posts: 4,254
    Ah, OK, point taken!
  • CraighBCraighB Posts: 758
    It's quite frustrating being at this point as I obviously don't know when it will be happening and I just hope it's not right in the middle of summer when everything is flowering. 

    If it is I will have no choice but to dig it all up, put them Into containers and chop off the top growth and hope they survive the move! Im not leaving anything behind as it has taken me a while to collect all the plants I have. Some have really lovely memories attached to them :)
  • LynLyn Posts: 23,190
    Make sure you tell prospective buyers that you’ll be stripping the garden! 
    Gardening on the wild, windy west side of Dartmoor. 

  • CraighBCraighB Posts: 758
    The house I live in now is currently rented :) 
  • Janie BJanie B Posts: 963
    Hi there,  @CraighB... those are mighty fine penstemon plants you have there... could you please tell me when you planted them up? I put some in at the weekend, and am now off for two weeks (... bad timing...). They are all in plastic bags, so hopefully won't dry out...
    Lincolnshire
  • CraighBCraighB Posts: 758
    Hi @Janie B, It is Penstemeon 'Garnet' and I must have took cuttings in early/mid July and after they had rooted I potted them up at the end of July. They would be a lot bigger however I pinched out the growing tips but as Lyn pointed out there was no need for me to do that as I would only be cutting them to the ground in spring anyway.

    If yours are in plastic bags I would think they should be ok. Especially if they are in plastic pots. The compost in terracotta pots does dry out a lot faster than it does in plastic ones.
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