It's Beginning to Look Like SPRING!!!

By Jos Van Hage

    It may look like winter outside, but inside the greenhouses it is beginning to look like spring. Over the past couple of weeks hundreds of hanging baskets, perennials, small fruits, roses and trees have been planted and are beginning to grow. The tomatoes are well on their way and many of the other seeds are being sown now so that by the end of May everything will be ready to be placed outdoors.

If you have an area in your home that receives a lot of light you can also begin to sow many of your seeds, such as most of the flowers and a lot of the vegetables. Another thing that can be started now is the summer bulbs such as dahlias, gladiolus, lilies, etc. and also the packaged perennials that are available in the garden center now. I always like to start them in peat pots so that when it comes time to plant them outside, you can plant the entire pot along with the plant which is less distressing on the roots.

It is important when starting seeds, bulbs, or perennials to use a high quality potting soil. When starting seeds you want to use a light soil such as a starter mix and for the bulbs and perennials the soil can be a little heavier so a basic all purpose potting soil would be ideal. Never let the soil dry out but do not keep it too wet either; the soil should remain moist. When you begin to see growth first fertilize with a plant starter fertilizer such as 10-52-10 which is good for forming strong roots and then fertilize with an all purpose 20-20-20 after that. Sufficient light is important for strong, uniform plants so you want to make sure that the plant is getting enough. Grow lights are very good as they supply even light when you remember to move them higher as the plants grow. If you are using a south facing window you need to rotate your plants every few days so that the plants do not grow towards the light causing uneven growth.

Towards the middle of May when the temperatures have warmed up and you are a 7-10 days away from placing your plants outdoors you should harden off the plants by placing them outside during the day and bringing them in at night. This gets the plants ready to go outside without having a shock.

-Jos

Jos Van Hage owns and operates two Art Knapp Garden centres in Prince George

• Highway 16 west at  Kimball Road
• Highway 97 North at  Northwood Pulpmill Road
      

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