How to plant young plants
Growing young plants is an easy, convenient, and quick way to get a head start on your summer flowers. By starting now, you can enjoy the sight of bright, beautiful florals you’ve grown yourself in only a few months’ time!
Choose from a variety of your favourite plants, or experiment with growing something new, and feel fulfilled with this early spring project.
What are young plants?
Young plants, or plug plants, have already been grown from seeds or cuttings and nurtured to a stage where they can be replanted and grown onto flowering, so you can get the jump on growing, even when it’s still cold out.
Types of young plant
All plants start their lives as young plants, but we’ve curated a range of over 140 varieties for you to grow at home. We’ve even grouped different colour pairings and ornamental young plants to keep growing simple. Some of our favourites include Begonias, Geraniums, and Fuchsias.
How to grow young plants
Growing young plants consists of three main stages: planting indoors or in a heated greenhouse, hardening off the plants, and then finally planting out into your garden. It might sound overwhelming, but in a few easy steps, you’ll have a cacophony of colour in your outdoor space.
What do young plants need to grow?
Before you start your growing journey, there’s a few things you need to know/have prepared first.
Young plants need to be grown-on until they are large and established enough to start to grow and flower in your garden as soon as the risk of frost has passed.
Put your young plants in pots immediately after they’re purchased. Grow them in individual pots so each plant can product its own root system.
Grow seedlings indoor or in a heated greenhouse from January onwards. Keep them warm, but not too hot – 16°c to 18°c is ideal. Make sure they have good natural light too or use electric grow lights.
Don’t overwater young plants or they will rot. Feed them every two weeks with bedding plant feed.
What you will need
You’re ready to grow your own young plants – that’s great! To get started, you’ll need to have the following to hand:
Your choice of young plants, such as Petunias, Fuchsias, and Geraniums
Small pots or individual seed/cell trays
Indoor grow light (if growing indoors)
Key steps for planting young plants
Now it’s time for the fun part – the actual planting!
Fill your individual pots or cell trays with compost and level them out.
Make holes in the compost that are slightly bigger than your plant.
Gently remove the young plant from its sleeve/pot.
Place the root ball of the young plant in the hole and firm down the soil around it.
Water gently, making sure not to overdo it.
Label your plants so you don’t forget which pot contains which plant.
Place in a warm, bright, frost-free spot out of direct sunlight.
Turn your plants regularly to ensure even growth.
When you’ve planted your young plants in their pots, be sure to keep their spacing even, wherever you’re keeping them. Leaves need to have enough room for the air to move between them, and should any disease occur, if leaves are touching it makes it much easier to spread. Keeping plants spaced out encourages them to grow more evenly.
How to harden off young plants
When all risk of frost has passed, you can begin to harden off young plants outside in the garden. ‘Hardening off’ just means putting them outside during the day and bringing them indoors at night, so they can adjust to the change of environment. Do this for around a week-10 days, then your young plants will be ready to plant out into the garden and bloom into beautiful flowers.
Planting out young plants
Once your young plants are a bit more established and showing healthy growth, they will still need a bit of extra care to get them fully ready for planting out into beds and borders, and your pots and baskets.
Wait until all risk of frost has passed – this will vary depending on where you live in the UK.
Start by putting your young plants outside during the day when the temperatures are milder and bring them back indoors or to a heated greenhouse again at night.
Continue to do this for several weeks before planting them in their final position.
If planting your plants into pots or baskets, ensure you choose a container with good drainage holes.
Use a peat free potting compost for best results with a slow-release fertiliser.
How to know when young plants are ready to go outside
There are several indicators to know when your plants are ready to find their home in your outdoor space.
Check root growth: lift your pot and check the roots on your young plant. Roots that are touching the sides and bottoms of their containers and holding the compost together should be matured enough to plant out.
Leaf size: as leaves, shoots and stems grow wider and around twice as tall as the pot, it usually means it’s time to transfer your plants to a larger pot or outdoors. If soil is drying out quickly, it may be because moisture is being lost through larger leaves.
Soil: After around eight weeks, many of the nutrients in the soil will have been used up, and growth may slow down at this point.
If the above is occurring but it’s still not a great time to plant outside, i.e. there’s a risk of frost or the garden is waterlogged from rain, move your young plants to a bigger pot before planting outside.
Care tips for young plants
Once your young plants are establishing in your borders, beds, and hanging baskets, it’s time to ensure they’re cared for.
When you’re planting, mix water retaining granules into the compost to help with watering – and do ensure you water regularly, as on warmer days soil, compost, and plants can dry out.
On the other hand, if the weather starts to dip again and becomes cold, cloches provide instant protection, especially against high winds. If you use a cloche, make sure any ventilation holes are left slightly open during the day, and are closed again at night.
What to feed young plants
For best results with your young plants, we’d recommend feeding weekly. What you feed will of course depend on what you’re growing, and some plants have specialist feed just for them. However, if you’re unsure, you can pick up an all-purpose feed or calcified seaweed – or pop into your local Dobbies and speak to a member of our Green Team who would be happy to help.
How to keep young plants healthy
Sometimes, despite our best efforts, things can go wrong with our growing projects. Here are some common problems that can occur within young plants, and how to avoid or rectify them.
Watering – use your finger to check the hydration levels in your compost/soil. If you reach a depth of around an inch and it’s still dry, then you’re likely underwatering and your plant is thirsty! Quite often leaves will droop in this instance too.
Feeding – pale or yellow leaves are an indication that there’s a nutrient deficiency with your plants. There are different feeders out there depending on your plant type, but overall, something with a mix of nutrients and nitrogen is best.
Insects – pests like aphids and whiteflies can weaken young plants and hide under leaves or growing tips. When you check on your plants, be sure to lift leaves and watch out for these pesky critters. If you spot any, simply give your plant a shake and they should disperse.
Why grow young plants?
The process of choosing, nurturing, and caring for a young plant is incredibly rewarding. Young plants are suited for those who can dedicate a bit more time to maintain growth, but anyone from beginner growers to those with an established green thumb can reap the benefits of planting young plants.