Several ways to raise bedding plants
Most bedding plants are easy to rise from seed, but some smaller seeds, such as begonias, can be difficult to grow. We do not need a greenhouse to germinate seeds. Placing a seed tray or pot with a polythene bag over it on a window-ledge is also effective. We can purchase seedlings with just two or three leaves. They are usually purchased by mail order and come in trays containing between 100 and 400 plants. They will require pricking out soon after they arrive into seed trays or pots.
Smaller plants called plugs and are more advanced in their growth than seedlings and are ready to plant out immediately. Plugs mean you can grow plants that would be difficult to germinate yourself. When buying trays of plugs, check they have good root growth and the leaves and shoots are not damaged, mouldy or turning yellow. Prick out the plants into individual pots and keep them in a greenhouse. Plants regularly need water then we could put them in a cold frame to harden them off two or three weeks before planting. The smaller plants will have been kept in warm conditions, so slowly acclimatise them, or harden them off, before planting outside. This can be done by placing the plants in a cold frame for a couple of weeks. (more…)