Leggy nasturtium start

[Ariel301]

I started some nasturtium seeds in trays indoors. Normally our winter is mild enough I could plant them outside this time of year and pull them through the winter with a plastic row cover. (Winter planting is normal here because our spring/summer is extremely hot, and it's easier to get plants established before that sets in) However, we had an unexpected change in the weather, and it has been freezing for two weeks, so they are going to have to stay indoors for at least several weeks. While we had a cold front coming through the last couple of weeks, it was really cloudy, and the plants were sitting in a windowsill, plus I was too busy to pay much attention to them, so they didn't get much sunlight...and now they are really leggy. I need to transfer them to bigger pots....can I bury them deeper in the soil than usual to get rid of some of the leggy stem below the leaves? Or will they rot and die if I do that? Anything else I can do to save them?

 

[damummis]

I don't see why you couldn't as long as the pot is free draining.

 

[Ariel301]

Well, I will give it a try I guess. I hate to give up on something when it's actually sprouted.

 

[wifezilla]

I have one growing inside, but I put a cfl above it. It is growing well but not flowering yet. Have a spare cfl bulb??

 

[Ariel301]

I do, that's what I am sprouting my seeds under. Normally we've got a nice sunny area in the living room, but we didn't see the sun for two weeks. If I hadn't been so busy I would have gotten them under a light bulb, but it was just one of those weeks...

 

[lesa]

The nasturtium are pretty sturdy plants- I don't think you will loose them... I had some leggy ones this spring, that I planted out and they were fine. I didn't bury them deeper...I was surprised how much frost they took, this fall.

 

[Ariel301]

Hmm...if they withstood your New York fall, they may just live through the winter here, once I get them outside. I've moved them into bigger pots and it went back up to 60 degrees today, so they are sitting outside getting some sun.

I've finally found a flower my husband will let me grow, with the nasturtiums lol. He's not big on any plant that we can't eat, if we had a house in town he'd be the kind of guy to just dump a ton of gravel in the yard and not have a lawn or anything. I think I need to get some more seeds, with these I can have pretty flowers and he can have an edible plant.

 

[lesa]

Now you have to start investigating! There are all kinds of edible flowers! If you don't have borage growing- I highly recommend it. They are lovely little purple flowers, which have a very tropical flavor. I believe they are what makes my bees honey, so delicious! But, there are tons more!

 

[Ariel301]

If bees like borage, then I should get some of that too. We just started out with honeybees. I guess having the bees gives me a reason to get some flowers, I'll just say they're for the bees!

 

[lesa]

You bet! I plant and leave all kinds of things, that the bees like. I don't pull my broccoli that has gone to flower. Those flowers last through just about anything-and the bees keep on working them! I still have mustard flowers in the garden, and we've had frost and snow! Gives you a whole new perspective on flowering weeds, too!