Its usual to wait til they die down and mulch with well rotted farm yard manure, be carefull not to cover the plants, just bring it close but not touching the plants.
I think I'm doing well if I can just remember where and what my perennials are and find them again when they start to grow! Even without manure or compost, new plants should be fine over the winter. They''ll die back and be dormant until spring, so they don't need feeding now. If they are still in pots and it gets very cold, you can wrap the pots in bubble-wrap to insulate them and stop the whole pot contents from freezing solid.
Just in case you are using the method I described above with Ammi Majus, if you have sown them in a pot as I did you will probably need to thin out the seedlings - the seeds are so fine I sowed far more than I needed to and they all seem to have germinated. I've taken out roughly every other one. It seems cruel but if they are crowded, they won't thrive and will be difficult to separate when it comes to pricking them out (ie putting individual seedlings in pots/ modules to grow on). Mine are about an inch high. No true leaves yet, but I have taken off the plastic bag that helped them germinate. Still on kitchen windowsill for now
DISASTER!!! The wind last night has caused a large tree branch to break and knock my little pvc greenhouse over!!! All my little seedings have been thrown all over the place and got chucked out of their trays! Gutted!
Sorry to hear that Amy - it's a b**g**r after all your work.
FIrst - go & look through the debris - if you're quick & there are little clumps of seedlings you should be able to repot them. You might have trouble ID ing what they are but just try to keep ones that all look the same together. Take this opportunity to essentially thin them out. Don't bother picking up individual seedlings unless they have developed roots & have compost clinging to them.
Second - It's not too late for another round of sowing & I would do this anyway as an insurance policy.
Good luck - hope the GH is ok!
Heaven is ... sitting in the garden with a G&T and a cat while watching the sun go down
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Thanks Bekkie
I think I'm doing well if I can just remember where and what my perennials are and find them again when they start to grow! Even without manure or compost, new plants should be fine over the winter. They''ll die back and be dormant until spring, so they don't need feeding now. If they are still in pots and it gets very cold, you can wrap the pots in bubble-wrap to insulate them and stop the whole pot contents from freezing solid.
Good tip Green Magpie - I've got loads of bubble-wrap!
Hi Amy
Just in case you are using the method I described above with Ammi Majus, if you have sown them in a pot as I did you will probably need to thin out the seedlings - the seeds are so fine I sowed far more than I needed to and they all seem to have germinated. I've taken out roughly every other one. It seems cruel but if they are crowded, they won't thrive and will be difficult to separate when it comes to pricking them out (ie putting individual seedlings in pots/ modules to grow on). Mine are about an inch high. No true leaves yet, but I have taken off the plastic bag that helped them germinate. Still on kitchen windowsill for now
Thanks Ginglygangly!
Umm - please can you tell me how I tell when they have their 'true leaves'?
Not recieved my Ammi Majus seeds in the post yet but my Cornflower and Gyp is germinating nicely in my little pvc greenhouse!
DISASTER!!! The wind last night has caused a large tree branch to break and knock my little pvc greenhouse over!!! All my little seedings have been thrown all over the place and got chucked out of their trays!
Gutted!
Is it too late now to re sow?
FIrst - go & look through the debris - if you're quick & there are little clumps of seedlings you should be able to repot them. You might have trouble ID ing what they are but just try to keep ones that all look the same together. Take this opportunity to essentially thin them out. Don't bother picking up individual seedlings unless they have developed roots & have compost clinging to them.
Second - It's not too late for another round of sowing & I would do this anyway as an insurance policy.
Good luck - hope the GH is ok!
Thanks Topbird! I'll go out and try and save a few seedlings once I've stop cursing the weather!