Although we may still be in the middle of winter, it is never too early to start thinking about spring, especially if you start your own flowers. Flowers should be started early so that by the time they are ready to be placed outdoors they are ready to bloom. The Prince George area has a short growing season, and gardeners do not want to wait for weeks before the flowers start to bloom which is why many of the flowers are started in February/March.
Different varieties of flowers have different growing requirements. Many of the flower seeds need a longer growing time and should be started indoors over the next few weeks. Varieties such as geraniums, impatiens, alyssum, asters, fibrous begonias, gazania, lobelia, marigold, pansies, petunias, snapdragons, and many of the perennials can be started indoors now so that they are established plants by mid May. To find out which varieties of flowers require a longer growing season, read the back of the seed packet. It will tell you how long it takes before the plant produces blooms. Not all varieties of flower seeds require a long growing period. Some varieties can be started in late March or early April. If they are started too early the plants will become too large for their containers and will go into stress.
Geraniums and Fuchsias can also be started by cuttings. Some gardeners save their geranium and fuchsia plants from last season and these are now being coaxed to grow by first trimming the plant back by one-third and then increase the water, and place them in a warm, well lit area. When the plant begins to show signs of growth, re-plant it into a container just large enough to hold the root ball. Fertilize the plant with 12-36-12 and the geranium and fuchsia plants will start to produce new shoots. When the new shoots are 8-10 cm long they are snipped off the plant to become a cutting. After the cuttings have been removed the original plant can be tossed into the compost. When removing the shoots off the plant, use scissors or pruners and cut the shoot just above a leaf node cutting the shoot on an angle. Remove the bottom leaf from the shoot and dip the cut end of the shoot into a rooting hormone. Place the prepared cutting into a moistened starter mix and place in a warm, well-lit area. Continue to keep the starter mix moist and fertilize with 10-52-10 until the cutting has produced roots. After the roots have formed, switch the fertilizer to a well balanced 20-20-20.
Another popular outdoor flowering plant is Tuberous begonias. These are started in February by tubers that become available in the garden centres. The tubers can also be saved from one year to the next, and if you saved tuberous begonias tubers from last year, it is now time to take them out of storage and replant them. Plant the tubers in 4 inch peat pots, that are filled full, with a good quality potting soil. Place the tuber on top of the soil and cover the tuber with 1-2 cm of soil so that it is only slightly covered. Water the soil around the tuber, and try not to get water in the hollow part of the tuber which can cause it to rot. Place the planted tuber in a warm well-lit spot and continue to keep the soil moist. New growth shoots can appear in 2-6 weeks depending on the tuber.
