Why do my flowers take so long to grow?

Mander · July 2021

Earlier in the spring I sowed all kinds of flower seeds in various pots, trays, and other containers. These were all from Lidl and the usual kinds of "easy to grow" plants like cosmos, forget-me-nots, nasturtiums, and so on. Plenty of them sprouted and started to grow, but after weeks they all seem stalled and nothing is even close to flowering. What gives? I used fresh compost, kept everything appropriately watered, they are all in a fairly sheltered South facing patio and were started off in a plastic greenhouse through the cold snap.

Is it too late to try another round?

Liriodendron · July 2021

Are they still in pots, or have you planted them in containers or in the garden? And have you fed them? Cosmos in containers do far better if regularly fed with tomato fertiliser, for instance. However, nasturtiums will grow in much poorer soil, and if fed too much will produce leaves at the expense of flowers - but they need sun. Forget-me-nots are biennial, and won't flower until next spring. So some of the problem might be the weather, some the sort of plant you're growing, and some might be the plants running out of food.

Blue Onion · July 2021

What size pots are they in? Are the roots sticking out the bottom? How densely do you have them packed in together?

Fairygirl · July 2021

As @Liriodendron says - they're all slightly different in terms of requirements and growth, but this year, many plants are slower anyway.
Nasturtiums are best sown direct too, as they stall a bit when you move them, unless you just sow a few in a small pot and plant out the whole pot. Mine are nowhere near flowering yet because it was too cold for them to get going for quite a while after sowing in May.

The plastic greenhouses offer virtually no protection from cold - fine for keeping rain and wind off, but not cold. You've possibly sown some seeds too early and they just haven't had enough warmth. It was a colder spring in many areas and it caught people out, so you're not alone.

TheGreenMan · July 2021

I can’t speak for your specific plants but I’m in the same area as you and a lot of my perennials are about four weeks behind where they were this time last year.

We had a weird old spring and I think the plants responded by staying in winter mode for a lot longer.

Mander · July 2021

Most of them were directly sown in one of those plastic troughs. I had expected to thin them out and then transplant them into the front garden but they never got big enough to do it. I think I started them about a week before the last cold day, so late March? It's been quite sunny and warm here since then so I thought they would have caught up by now.

Lyn · July 2021

They would all need to be sown indoors, it’s been too cold to sow in one of those plastic houses. Sown in small containers, small seed trays, rice pots etc. Get them to a good size before pricking out into slightly bigger containers and keep potting on until they are good size plants, then you can plant them out at about the start of June.

FlyDragon · July 2021

I've grown dahlias from seed for the first time this year, planted in March, grown on a sunny windowsill and they're still too weedy to go outside! It seems like it'll be years before they flower!

Fairygirl · July 2021

As @Lyn says - most seeds need sown in shallow seed trays, or in small containers. It's far too much compost around small seeds/seedlings otherwise, and far too easy for them to have problems if the compost is too wet. That's also more likely if they're sown in conditions which are too cold , as the compost stays wet.
I rarely sow anything before mid to end of March, and those that I do sow are in the house. Anything new that I'm trying, I leave till later rather than doing too early. I'm mainly doing tomatoes and sweet peas at that time, although the latter can go in a greenhouse as they don't need as much warmth. The biggest problem there is that they can get eaten. Light levels are also very important for many plants.
Anything sown outside, whether direct or in small pots, gets done in mid May at the earliest.
We're used to doing things later here though - our season is several weeks later in starting in any year.

delski · July 2021

Same here for me Mander - I sowed 6 cosmos seeds and only 1 germinated. That plant is still in a 9cm pot, and I pinched out the top but it's not getting bushy and there is only one flower bud in the top. I am going to plant it in the ground soon but for all this effort I think I will give up with annuals.

I also have a similar issue with an overwintered osteo. Flowering fabulously indoors most of the winter but as as soon as I put it outdoors, no more flowers. I only have liquid feed and it's been raining so it doesn't need more water.

Kili · July 2021

FlyDragon said:

I've grown dahlias from seed for the first time this year, planted in March, grown on a sunny windowsill and they're still too weedy to go outside! It seems like it'll be years before they flower!

Something wrong there FlyDragon . I grew Dahlias from seed for the first time this year and also sown in March and mine are as per the image below.
It seems odd that yours are in the state they are. Any clues as to why, where are you Scotland or up north? Even there they should be further ahead than what you describe.

I'm further south than most here, but have a climate akin to Dorset.

Why do my flowers take so long to grow?

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