[erainn]

Apologies for going over old ground for some, however need advice on leeks currently in pots around 6/8 inches high and about 16 inch thick. Now's a good time to transplant onto my allottment? Secondly, am I right in understanding cutting the roots and leaves prior to planting will stimulate growth? I ask as being a newbie I'm fearful of taking scissors to them in case of causing damage.

Any knowledge, advice most welcome

[Yorkie]

I think  the jury is out on the snipping side of things.

Yes you could plant them out any time from now on - do you really mean they are 16" thick?  :blink:

[erainn]

Hehe...the keyboard is playing up...they are about 1/6 of an inch thick at present

[cotteswold]

Yes.

If you don't trim, make sure the roots hit rock bottom - with me a 10" dib.
Water & leave.

Again, if not trimmed, check occasionally that the birds have not pulled them out.

Ours have been struggling for weeks but, come the rain, they have doubled overnight.

= Tim

[Paul Plots]

Erainn if I were you I'd wait a little while, if you can, until the worst of our windy West Sussex weather has blown over.

Although they will cope with hefty winds later it'd be good to get them when there's less chance they'll be battered about. 

[Salmo]

Hehe...the keyboard is playing up...they are about 1/6 of an inch thick at present

They need to grow a bit. They need to be about as thick as a pencil.

[Yorkie]

I have never, ever managed pencil-thickness leeks before planting them out 

[flitwickone]

sow the seed jan mine are pencil thick now 

[Yorkie]

Maybe that's where I've gone wrong 

[dugless]

Mine have been planted since early April have got to about 1/16th thick and are standing still

I think its because if the compost they are in so I will plant them out regardless tomorrow.

[Kristen]

Blimey! I've never had mine get to pencil thickness, but I'm definitely going to get my digital vernier callipers out tomorrow to see just how thick they actually are!

[beaker141]

When you put them in the hole and water, do you then leave them loose in the hole and eventually they grow in width to fill the hole, and/or soil gradually crumbles down into the hole?

[erainn]

Hi Thanks for all the helpful advice, as to the wind, so right, our plot has been under siege with it the past week or so.

[JayG]

Last year was the first time I grew leeks, and they were somewhere in between a plump biro refill and an anorexic pencil when I planted them out, but they did well! 

This year the seedlings developed much faster for some reason, and have been planted out for a few weeks now; it's safe to say I have absolutely no idea what they will turn out like this time round! 

(Look on the bright side: the smaller they are the less they are at risk from the wind if you drop them into a dibbed hole!) 

[Paul Plots]

When you put them in the hole and water, do you then leave them loose in the hole and eventually they grow in width to fill the hole, and/or soil gradually crumbles down into the hole?

Yep!