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Delphinium plug problem

peter104roweZAeWFs63peter104roweZAeWFs63 Posts: 4
in Problem solving
I have recently purchased some Delphinium mini plug plants which I potted on straight away.  Over the week or two some of the plant stems have become so thin and weak at the base of the plug they are just drooping then breaking off.  What am I doing wrong please?
Pete

Posts

  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    You've probably over potted them. Mini plugs need grown on very carefully - suddenly moving them into too much compost/soil means they're vulnerable to roots sitting in moist soil long term, which is no use.
    These tiny plug are grown in very cossetted conditions too, which means even more care is needed with them. It's very early in the year which is an indication of how protected they've been.
    Have you got a photo?
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • GardenerSuzeGardenerSuze Posts: 5,692
    They need very careful handling, it is easy to do damage when potting, any damage might not be apparent for a few days.
    I have worked as a Gardener for 24 years. My latest garden is a new build garden on heavy clay.
  • LynLyn Posts: 23,190
    I don’t know your weather conditions but here, my delphiniums are not even showing new growth yet,  I hope you haven’t kept them in the warm,  in the house,  that will make weedy growth when they should still be resting.
    Gardening on the wild, windy west side of Dartmoor. 

  • Busy-LizzieBusy-Lizzie Posts: 24,043
    One of my delphiniums outside, 2 years old,  is showing new growth. I expect the nursery kept them in the warm. That means they would need hardening off but it's a bit cold for that at the moment. I think it's a bit early to buy them. I've never had plants suffer from overpotting.
    Dordogne and Norfolk. Clay in Dordogne, sandy in Norfolk.
  • bcpathomebcpathome Posts: 1,313
    Mine have been green all winter . I got them on line last year as plugs but they didn’t all flower . The ones that didn’t were put in a pot and there they’ve stayed till the weather gets better . When they were delivered they were very little and I just put them under glass in the barn ,no heat . They were fine . Maybe you could do similar ,put them in a tray potted up and keep them in a shed with a window or an unheated room in the house ( if you have such ) ,they should come on in a month or so .
  • LynLyn Posts: 23,190
    Continued here
    https://forum.gardenersworld.com/discussion/1071228/delphinium-problem#latest
    Gardening on the wild, windy west side of Dartmoor. 

  • bédébédé Posts: 3,095
    Light is more important than heat.
     location: Surrey Hills, England, ex-woodland acidic sand.
    "Have nothing in your garden that you don't know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful."
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