On the nursery in May

In our busiest month, we try to juggle watering, potting and selling plants all at the same time.
The nursery is full and we need the plants to start selling to make room to space and pot more plants.
There is still a chance of frost so keep some fleece handy and use it to protect any early bedding.

New arrivals

We have just finished potting our summer plants, and soon we will start to pot our autumn plants, our first batch of cyclamen will arrive in late May they should flower in early august.
Cyclamen seeds are slow to germinate and grow, most are grown in specialist nurseries as they can provide the perfect conditions to grow the cyclamen plugs.

Tough love

In the old days, growers would use cold frames, and outdoor structures with removable covers to toughen the plants, this was to prepare their summer plants for planting or using outside. This was very labour intensive and unfortunately, it rarely happens now, most plants go straight from the nursery into the store, however, you can toughen them up at home by leaving them outside during the day, then cover them with fleece or bring them inside for the night if frosty.
In the nursery we use the computer to open the vents at sunrise to chill or cool the plants this prepares them for planting out.

Pest & disease

The higher temperatures allow pests to quickly grow and multiply, you will need to think about stopping or slowing them down. You can use chemicals but we use a lot of biological pest controls and only use some chemicals (there are some safe chemicals) if the pests take over.

Regular watering

May brings more sunshine and heat, if you turn your back the plants can suddenly dry out, you need to be vigilant, especially for small plants and seedlings. The plants are growing fast so we use a low level of fertiliser at every watering.

Ready to sell