[sclarke624]

My seeds have taken but they are so slow at getting any bigger.  Boosted by them working easily, I  got some more, and to this end I was just wondering, considering how long they are taking to grow, am I too late to do some more seeds will they be big enough in time for early summer.

Thanks

[tam]

I only sowed mine 10 days ago. They are a bit slow to start but they will speed up later, they are pretty tolerant of the cold too so your second batch should give you colour into the autumn. Are they in small modules? Might be they are getting a bit hungry and need potting up - depending how small they are still.

[Spana]

Lobelia are not massive anyway so they are never going to grow at the rate of say cosmos for example, and when you prick them out keep them in little clumps not singles.

I thinks it fine to sow another lot, you may plant them out a bit later but they will keep your display going longer

I sometimes sow a second lot of annuals in June after the first lot are in the ground.  I tend to sow pinks, white and blues for planting out in May and sow yellows, oranges and reds in June as they flower into the autumn when the first lot are over and the colours suit the season better if you see what i mean

[Kristen]

I sowed Lobelia in seed trays on 15-Mar, they germinated on 23-Mar but it was not until 18-Apr that they were big enough to prick out to 3" pots, and even then they were tiny but did have a nice clump of roots, so have hardly checked at all and are bulking up in the pots bit-by-bit.

I grow a number of plants that have tiny seedlings that are similarly "fiddly":

Lobelia
Petunia
Celeriac

everything else is quick to bulk up, and easy to handle at Pricking-out stage, by comparison.

[sclarke624]

They are in modules, which isn't that small a module, in clumps, I'm sure they don't need potting up yet, but thanks for the suggestion.  They are about an eigth of an inch high.  Hadn't noticed when I wrote the question but they had a bit of a growth spurt today. 

So I will keep them in the clumps, sow some more as Spana does in June, its useful to know you do that Spana.

Kristen I found  that Livingstone daisies are fiddly, as well as the ones you mention, at the putting in the garden stage.  I made the mistake of sowing them in a 12" shallow container which was not modular, what a tangled mess that was.  This year I have done these in modules so I can plants in clumps.

[Kristen]

As yours are in modules I reckon you are fine. When I pricked out my lobellia there were some still at seed leaf and I left them in the (rather mauled by then!) seed tray sort-of patted back down, they immediately got under way and I pricked them out a week later.

I shouldn't think your modules will need potting on will they?  Straight out into baskets / urns etc from the modules?

I grow mine in 3" pots to maximise the amount of growth they make before planting, but in reality its a squeeze to get all those 3" pot rootballs into the basket or tub

[sclarke624]

No I won't be potting on. 

Love lobelia and Busy Lizzies loads of colour all season.  Although Busy Lizzies  I found harder to get to germinate, I was really surprised at the Lobelia, slow start as I said but really coming on now.

[tam]

My greenhouse is full of bizzie lizzies, I got a tray free from t&m 72 odd teeny weeny plugs all needing potting on  No idea where I'll fit them all.

I'm trying petunias from seed the first time this year and they are 6 weeks old and barely have second leaves. I thought they'd be a bit quicker as they are such a common bedding plant.

[Kristen]

My Petunia were a month before I pricked them out, since then they have really speeded up.