Livingstone Daises

Hi all I have planted some LD seeds in a propagater and for the second year they have fallen flat onto the soil, the leaves are still on them and they continue to grow. This is the only seed I have this problem with. Can anyone advise?

 

Hi Izzy. I'm trying to visualise your seedlings. Livingston Daisies are sprawley plants and grow along the ground. They don't stand up erect so your seedlings might be perfectly normal. If they are growing well I would carry on with them.

 

Thanks Alice that makes perfect sense but I did think that they were supposed to be upright. I'll carry on with them:D

 

If they are in multipurpose compost in a green house they grow very lush at first, which tends to make them sprawl even more due to soft growth.
I dont think they need to be in a propagator, its too damp and maybe too warm.
As they harden up they should become more wirery, but they will still have a speading habit.

 

Thanks pete, they are in a greenhouse but still in seed compost. I actually discarded most of last years plants as I thought they went wrong. I kept one or two, planted them in the garden and tied them onto a support !!! :lollol: The flowers were lovely. Should I use multi purpose compost to grow them on or is there a better alternative ?

 

I only said multipurpose because thats what most people use.

When you bear in mind that LD is a small succulent that grows in very well drained soil that is probably a bit short on humus, its easy to see why they grow very lush in a greenhouse, in a spongy well fertillized compost.
They are actually growing out of character early on until they use up some of the nutrient.
I'd probably keep them in the seed compost until planting out time, you can always give them a quick feed if they appear to be suffering.
I like to prick them out into those cell trays, a small clump of three or four plants to a cell.