Dissapointed with trailing plants eg Surfina's, million bells, petunias etc

Hey

I brought around 40 pounds worth of the above trailers early in april from garden center. They have been really struggling indoors and none have produced any flowers. Anyway, i put them outside, now that frosts have gone in yorkshire, and they have all gone pale and wilted abit with heat! It looks like they are all 'blind'.
I remember buying these trailers in mid may when they were all already in bloom from the same garden center and they did great. I was in a few different Garden centers, including my local, yesterday and all the trailers looked robust and in good bloom.

Is this because i purchased them too early i.e mid April? They just don't seem to have developed blooms. I was thinking maybe it's because i kept them indoors and not a greenhouse?(i don't have one)

Anyway, i am gutted. Any tips would be great.

Cheers
Shane

 

How much light have they had? It's not possible for plants to be 'blind', only bulbs or some shrubs/herbaceous if planted at the incorrect depth.
The wilting will more likely be the shock of night time temps and cold winds, not heat.
Keep them well watered in a sunny spot and give a weak feed of tomato food and they should recover.

 

hey-Thanks for the reply.

I've kept them in fairly good light in my room.

The surfinas have totally wilted and died in today's heat.

Yes, i thought it was only bulbs that suffered 'blindness'!

I've left them out in the sun and kept them well watered. They look very weak,a pale green and i can't see any signs of buds. I will give them some tomato feed.

I'll let you know how it goes.

Thanks.

 

In their condition I would just water for a week or so and then give them a nitrogen feed if they show signs of improvement to increase leaf growth and strength.
They really needed more light than a room window can give as well as some humidity.

 

I got a sneaky suspicion the roots have rotted, you dont say if they were established in the planters/pots before placing outside?

 

They were established , yes. Looked healthy at the G centre and there's have all bloomed. I've obviously messed up by placing them in my room. I think the were meant to be kept in a greenhouse! I haven't over watered them, so roots wont have rotted i don't think?

 

What I was getting at is, was your plants well established in the containers before you placed them outside, or did you plant them in the containers outside?
Also did you slowly harden them off, or just put them out and left them to get on with it?

Not referring to the ones at the garden centre.

As to flowering, I much prefer non flowering plants at planting out time, the garden centres force them along so they are in flower, and sell better.

A good strong plant, yet to flower, establishes much better, and we have three months of flowers to come, we hope.

 

00000000000000000000000000015810Hi Shane,

Sorry but I agree with Pete. Garden centres tend to force plants to flower at un-natural times. They're kept at specific light levels and temperatures etc.

I live in a much milder part of the country than you and because I can't harden stuff off I don't even contemplate planting anything out for about another fortnight.

Being inside your house makes no difference as long as they're kept in the light.

At the minute I've got about 200 Fuchsia cuttings and loads of other plants and seedlings on my windowsills and on greenhouse shelving units just inside the windows.