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How to grow on plug plants
- BBC Gardeners' World Magazine
Published: Friday, 29 May 2020 at 12:26 pm
Alan Titchmarsh takes you through the simple process of growing on plug plants in this quick guide.
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Plug plants are much cheaper to buy than fully grown plants, and easier to grow than plants from seed. Learn how to grow on plug plants and you'll reap the rewards.
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Commonly annual, bedding or vegetable plants, plugs are bought online from specialist nurseries. On arrival, unpack them straight away and stand them in water until the compost is moist. Before potting on, leave them to settle in a warm, well-lit room for up to 24 hours.
How much care plugs require before being planted out varies by their size:
- Mini plugs are the first to arrive, from early March, and these need the most care and time to grow on in trays or pots.
- Standard plugs come next and require potting and growing on for a month or so if you want to use them as filler plants for beds and containers.
- Garden-ready plugs can be planted out straight away, if it’s warm enough, but can also be grown on for a few weeks in a large pot, for sturdier roots.
You Will Need
- Pencil
- Dibber
- Multi-purpose, peat-free compost
- Small pots
- Perlite
Total time: 15 minutes
Step 1
Removing the plugs from their cells
Mix together equal parts of multi-purpose compost and perlite for an open, free-draining compost. Then, gently remove each plug from its module, by pushing up from the bottom with a pencil.
Buy multi-purpose compost from Thompson and Morgan
Step 2
Making a hole in the compost
Choose the right size pot, somewhere between 7 and 9cm depending on plug size and fill it with the compost mix, tapping the pot so that it settles and leaves a gap at the top to make watering easier. Using a dibber or your finger, make a hole in the centre of the compost, slightly bigger than the plug.
Step 3
Planting the plugs into individual pots
Holding each plug by its leaves or the rootball, carefully place it in the hole. Tap the pot to firm the compost gently around the plug and ensure the roots spread as the young plant grows.
Step 4
Watering the potted plug plants
When all the plugs have been planted, water with a fine rose so that the compost is not disturbed. Keep on a bright windowsill or in the greenhouse for four to five weeks, potting on once for trailing plants, or twice for specimen plants.
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A couple of weeks after potting on, both mini- and standard plugs will benefit from feeding. Compost contains some fertiliser, but you’ll get better growth by giving plants a balanced liquid feed, every 10 to 14 days. Buy general liquid feed
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