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Young lupins - never reaching the flower stage

wild flowerwild flower Posts: 78
edited June 2019 in Problem solving
I have never had much luck with buying young lupins, that have not yet developed to the flower stage.  They always seem to get their young leaves semi-eaten and this despite being in a tall pot (that is wrapped in a woolen garment - upcycling a child's cardigan, see photo - when I first made it; the lupins are now in the large, empty pot). I regularly inspect the pot closely e.g. the surrounding soil inside the pot + outside and under the pot which sits on top of a low brick wall!  On the rare occasion that they make it to the immature flower spike (not yet in colour), it invariably gets semi eaten. Help!
A 'weed' is just a plant in the wrong place - subjective! ;)

Posts

  • LynLyn Posts: 23,190
    edited June 2019
    Lupins are big plants, they are not really suitable for pots unless you can get a very large one, they need to be in open ground, air all round them, if you plant them out and put a slug trap near they will do fine for you. 
    Clear all the weed and stuff that’s around them. 
    Gardening on the wild, windy west side of Dartmoor. 

  • Nanny BeachNanny Beach Posts: 8,719
    yes, Lyn is absolutely correct, I find once they get to a decent size the slugs dont bother.
  • Mary370Mary370 Posts: 2,003
    Also........if you want lupins you really are going to have to use some slug deterrents while the plants are small......slugs love them
  • wild flowerwild flower Posts: 78
    I should have mentioned that it's a DWARF lupin.  I think I will have to give up on it if the woolen outer cloth is not a sufficient deterrent from slugs and the pot raised up away from ground level.
    A 'weed' is just a plant in the wrong place - subjective! ;)
  • JacquimcmahonJacquimcmahon Posts: 1,039
    I tried the woolen covering and still got slugs so I gave up with it. I grow on my small loopin plants in smallish pots until they are well established then move them to dig deep pots where they do fine. The slugs stay away from my high metal garden shelving unit so that is where my developing plants live until big enough for slug damage to be insignificant.
    Marne la vallée, basically just outside Paris 🇫🇷, but definitely Scottish at heart.
  • wild flowerwild flower Posts: 78

    Jacquimcmahon said:
    I tried the woolen covering and still got slugs so I gave up with it. I grow on my small loopin plants in smallish pots until they are well established then move them to dig deep pots where they do fine. The slugs stay away from my high metal garden shelving unit so that is where my developing plants live until big enough for slug damage to be insignificant.
    OK thanks for this info.
    A 'weed' is just a plant in the wrong place - subjective! ;)
  • PosyPosy Posts: 3,601

    They don't mind wool. Get a shallow container and fill it with an inch or two of water. Place a brick, or similar in the middle so the surface is clear of the water. Stand the pot on the bricks.

    If you plant out, you will have to take action to keep off the slugs but your young plants will be fine if you do as I suggest. No part of the plant should touch other plants NOT in the water or any walls or structures near-by.

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