HOW TO PLANT FALL BEDDING PLANTS
Fall bedding plants do not require any different techniques than spring bedding plants for planting. However there are a few things to keep in mind. Because we tend to get long periods of cold rain and no sunlight in the winter, plant location can be very important. All of your sun loving plants such as pansies, snapdragons, calendula, alyssum, dianthus, petunias and ornamental cabbage and kale must get at least 6-8 hours of full sun. Remember as the sun goes farther in the southern horizon shading of your beds will change. Where once you had a bed that got 8-9 hours of sunlight during December and January it may only get 3-4 hours.
Make
sure all areas to be planted in are slightly raised and have proper
drainage. We have seen several unhappy customers have poor success with
their bedding plants only to find out they are trying to grow them in a
swamp.
Use
a good quality fertilizer such as Nelson's Color Star, or Nitro Phos
pansy food. Products such as Osmocote should be avoided in the fall
because they release nutrients only in warmer soil temperatures. Either
work the recommended amounts into the soil before planting or top-dress
after planting. We have already had one customer come in with burned up
plants due to applying fertilizer directly into the hole and burning the
roots.
Plants such as pansies, calendula, alyssum, petunias and dianthus make sure the plant is planted slightly higher than the depth they are in the pot. Planting these type of plants too deep can cause rotting at the soil line especially if they are kept too wet. Plants like ornamental cabbage and kale and snapdragons can be planted deeper without causing any problems.
For shady areas try cyclamen, lobelia, and primula. Most others will get too leggy. One p[precaution with cyclamen is to keep the corm (the little round bulb looking thing) above the soil surface. Planting cyclamen too deep will cause them to rot. Also letting your cyclamen get too dry can cause the corm to crack, allowing diseases to enter the corm causing certain death.
If you have a deer problem do not plant pansies or cyclamen. They will be gone by morning.