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Planting out Cosmos

harmonyharmony Posts: 403
in Plants
When do you think these will be ok to plant out, i have pinched them ( but was worried i had done them too soon ) they have been outside all week after being in my blowaway. They are putting on more growth but are they big enough to go in the ground, ive never grown cosmos before so not sure..

Posts

  • Blue OnionBlue Onion Posts: 2,995
    Do do you have a lot of slugs and snails in your garden?  If so, probably best to wait a bit until they are a bit larger.  If not, they are probably hardened off fine by now.  
    Utah, USA.
  • BiljeBilje Posts: 811
    Have they got a good root system? If so I’d suggest they can be planted out. It appears that some of your seedlings are in fibre pots, if that’s the case I wouldn’t plant the cosmos out in them. They need to be kept very moist so the roots grow throw them. If you decided to keep those plants on the go awhile longer keep them very moist and when planted ensure all the fibre pot is well below the soil surface. Good luck.

  • FireFire Posts: 19,096
    As Blue says,  it depends on your situ. I usually wait until mine are well over a foot tall so that they can withstand some shock and attack.
  • PlantmindedPlantminded Posts: 3,580
    Hi there, they'll need a little more TLC before planting out - at this tender stage unfortunately they become magnets for slugs and snails.  Although you may have pinched them out too soon they are quick to recover and bush up. (I normally wait until two sets of leaves have developed fully above the smaller seed leaves before pinching out.)  Give them at least another couple of weeks before planting out and keep a close eye on them.  As the season is now moving on, after a couple of weeks you could perhaps put 3 together in a medium sized pot to elevate them above their potential predators and get a fuller effect from their combined flowering.  Then they'll be happily bombarded by bees! 
    Wirral. Sandy, free draining soil.


  • fidgetbonesfidgetbones Posts: 17,618
    I would let them grow a bit bigger, until the roots fill the pots.
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