By Janey
Lincolnshire, England
Hi everyone, I have a clump of Hellebore seedlings that I'd like to grow on. When would be the right time to pot them up please?
- 25 Aug, 2018
Answers
Thanks for that Sbg. Would you use the soil they are in or compost, or a mix of both?
25 Aug, 2018
The roots hate drying out, so I drop the dug up seedlings into a bucket of water.
If you are going to pot them up and grow on in pots then I would use a soil based multipurpose compost (John Innes 2 or 3.
If you are putting them back in the ground where they are to grow then all they need is watering in.
25 Aug, 2018
Thanks you Owdboggy, I'll get some John Innes tomorrow, and pot them up. The mother plant has a dark pink flower and the hellebore next to it has yellow. Do you think there's a chance these seedlings could be a mixture of Both?
25 Aug, 2018
You might get an apricot one!
26 Aug, 2018
On the other hand you might get a standard dull pink one. That is the beauty of hybrids, you never know what you might get.
My yellow one has produced a set of plants where the yellow flowers face upwards. I really must dig some up.
26 Aug, 2018
I may Karen!
Yes my yellow one has horizontal flowers with red spotting on the inside, it's a lovely one.
How long Owdboggy before they would be ready to flower? I would imagine these are slow growers?
26 Aug, 2018
I often mix compost with soil or just use the soil they are growing in.
In the past they have taken 3-4 yrs to flower. I have lots of variation between dirty pink and pretty pink as well as white ones. Some have spots on the inside and others have very obvious nectaries and some have both.
either way it is a lovely opportunity to see mother nature's genetics in action.
26 Aug, 2018
In good compost with lots of food in it they can flower (usually one small bloom) in two years.
Out of interest, it takes me 2 weeks of doing little else and two dozen wheelbarrow loads to cut off the old leaves in Spring (or later Autumn.).
26 Aug, 2018
Thank you both....I bought the John Innes Ob, so will be potting them up in the next few days.. I do want to take great care of them so will I overwinter them in the greenhouse? Or...would you bury the pots in the garden?
26 Aug, 2018
Basically, the only winter protection they need is from extreme freezing of the roots and waterlogging. Or conversely being frozen solid for a long while and dying of thirst as they cannot take up moisture when it is in the form of ice.
So, a heated greenhouse would not really suit them, but a cold one would be ok, just don't let them get too hot and make sure there is plenty of air flowing through them.
I have overwintered pots of them just stood on the path along side the greenhouse.
Lot of work burying the pots, but it is a viable option.
In other words, do as you think fit!
27 Aug, 2018
Very good advice..Ob, I have a cold greenhouse which will suit. Many thanks for the advice and replies....
27 Aug, 2018
you could lift them now and pot them on straight away. the roots are quite brittle so be careful and handle them as little as possible.
keep them well watered and in semi shade until they are established.
25 Aug, 2018