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Lacy Phacelia
kurtlqHmF0Hr
Posts: 2
Hi there,
I am still a bit of a novice at gardening, but I am loving it. I have tried to grow a good mix from seeds this year. My successes so far have been Dahlias, Rudbeckia, Crocosmia, Russian Sage, Geraniums, Cosmos, and petunias.
I decided to try my hand at Lacy Phacelia.
They are flopping all over the place! I am using 64 plug trays. I planted them per the instructions on the packet. They sprout, become super leggy, then die. I have a make shift indoor greenhouse in my office using full spectrum LEDs. I make sure to keep everything moist. I also have the seed tray only about 25cm from the lights. I cover them with a humidity dome until the start sprouting. Is there a trick to these guys that is different from the other ornamentals I have grown so far?
I am still a bit of a novice at gardening, but I am loving it. I have tried to grow a good mix from seeds this year. My successes so far have been Dahlias, Rudbeckia, Crocosmia, Russian Sage, Geraniums, Cosmos, and petunias.
I decided to try my hand at Lacy Phacelia.
They are flopping all over the place! I am using 64 plug trays. I planted them per the instructions on the packet. They sprout, become super leggy, then die. I have a make shift indoor greenhouse in my office using full spectrum LEDs. I make sure to keep everything moist. I also have the seed tray only about 25cm from the lights. I cover them with a humidity dome until the start sprouting. Is there a trick to these guys that is different from the other ornamentals I have grown so far?
0
Posts
Lacy Phacelia is a fast-growing hardy annual which prefers to be direct sown. I tried to start some off under cover last year and it went very leggy, as you have described - I planted them out anyway, and they were very pretty (flowers very popular with bees) though they carried on flopping all over the place. Now I have small but robust seedlings all over the flower bed, because I didn't dead-head the parent plants soon enough. I'll transplant a few into new locations and hope they don't mind being carefully moved.
They need full sun to do well - and you can sow them successionally, a few seeds every week or two, to get a succession of flowers. But direct sowing is the key for me - as it is with many hardy annuals like Candytuft and Calendula.
It's normally sown direct when conditions are more suitable, ie when the soil's friable and warm enough, as it's used as a green manure. It also has a deep root so it doesn't transplant well
I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...