Blog baby at 18 weeks

08 Blog baby 18 weeks, originally uploaded by pennyeast.

The dry sunny days that we have had have really helped the young plants to get going.

I have been feeding each week with a half strength solution of seagrow, and turning each plant 90 degrees each week. When the plants are so small I pinch as soon as I see anything ready - shaping and finally pinching all the tips at the same time will come much later. I also pinch out when the tip is only just available as I don't see any point in allowing the plant to use up energy to make stems and leaves that I am only going to remove!

The young plant at 18 weeks old has been pinched a couple of times and is filling out nicely. The root system is also growing well, and when I squeezed the pot a little and looked down the side I could see roots at the edge of the soil. This means that it is ready to plant up into a 15cm pot. I will do this during the week.

Catching up!

07 blog baby 10 weeks, originally uploaded by pennyeast.

I do apologise for having neglected this blog for 8 weeks!! Life ran away with me for a while! I will try to catch up and fill the gaps during this week, and then get back to the routine of posting progress once or twice a week. Many thanks to the many people who have sent messages of concern - your kindness and good wishes are appreciated.

This picture was taken on the 7th of June and never posted! It shows the young "blog baby" at 10 weeks old. I'm posting it now just to keep chronological order in the pictures, and will post a current entry tomorrow.

This little plant is now 10 weeks old and ready for its second pinching. Notice the new growth that has developed as a result of the first pinching. The number of side shoots and growth tips is multiplying and will result in a full round plant that can bear many flowers.

Turn about

The little Blog Baby is seven weeks old. The two lateral buds below where it was pinched out last week are showing signs of growth, and the plant is looking very green and healthy It has weathered the storms this weekend very well, but the soil is very wet indeed so I won't be able to feed it until it is ready for watering again. I did turn it today though - along with all the other newly rooted cuttings that I transplanted during the week. Regular turning is important in keeping the plant growing evenly and straight. Plants will always grow towards the light, and the side away from the light will not be as full or well grown as that facing the best light. Turning the pots once a week in the same direction will ensure that the plant gets good light all round.

Because this job is getting bigger by the day I try to work to a system for turning the plants. When I move them to the kindergarten I place them on the shelves with all the labels at the back, then after the first week, when they have all been turned 90 degrees clockwise for the first time, all the labels land up on the right hand side of the pots, after the next turn the labels are in the front of the pots and soon. This way I can be sure that I have turned them all, and am able to see how far I got if I am disturbed while doing it. Works for me!

The First Pinch

The First Pinch, originally uploaded by pennyeast.

Our "Blog Baby" is now 6 weeks old, well settled into its soil, and growing well - a little too well if the truth be told!

It is quite tall and threatening to become a bit lanky. If it is left to its own devices it will just continue doing this and land up as a most unattractive plant with a few flowers right in the tip.

So, it must be "pinched" or "stopped" so that it will stop its headlong upward rush and start to make side branches. The growth hormones in the tip are sending messages to the buds in the leaf nodes down the stem to stop them from developing. We are going to remove the tip which will release the lower buds from bondage and allow them to develop.

1. This young plant is well settled and growing strongly. It is quite tall and in danger of developing into a lanky teenager.

2.It needs to be pinched out to force the development of side shoots. I'm going to cut quite a lot off it as it has grown quite tall and I prefer to leave only 2 or 3 nodes after the first pinching. Remember that you are aiming to produce a "fat, round" plant with lots of branches. We don't need the height at this stage. This cultivar, 'La Campanella' is a trailing variety so we want lots of side branches to fill a basket.

3. The deed is done! It look quite drastic, I know, but It is better to be a little daring now in order to keep the plant compact and bushy.

4. The piece that was removed will make a perfect cutting for rooting. I admit that I don't usually leave a young plant to get this big before I pinch it, but I'm trying to keep things in order of performance for clarity here!!

5. This is to show the plant as it is now - 'La Campanella' is a cultivar that branches readily on her own, so a couple of the lower nodes have already started to develop without our pinching them. Not all cultivars will do this!

We are on our way to a good bushy plant that will make a beautiful basket!

Remember to turn the plant 90 degrees each week, and feed it with a weak (25%) solution of Seagrow each time it needs to be watered.

"Pinching is an act of kindness!!" :)

More info on each picture can be found HERE