Radlett Horticultural Society
Advice to Young Gardeners entering the Youth Jubilee Competition 2009
As long as you meet the requirements of the Rules of the Competition, you may grow your plants as you wish, taking advice from books or an adult. The advice given here is to help you produce the best results.
Geraniums
You will be provided with two small Geranium plants already growing
in small pots. Geraniums are fairly low growing plants which become covered in flowers for
several months. They are not fully hardy and will be damaged by frost, but can be
grown outdoors when you get them at the end of May or early June.
Planting.
The Geranium plants will not grow well in the small pots supplied and will better
be planted into larger pots of 15 to 20cm across, but.no bigger than that. Fill the pots
with potting compost; universal, peat free or John Innes No2 composts are fine. Make a
hole in the centre of the compost, carefully remove the Geraniums from their pots with as
much compost as possible and insert each of them into a pot so that the plant is at the
same level in the compost as it was in its original pot.Water the newly potted plants
well.
Thereafter water the pots well only when the surface becomes dry. If kept very wet
the plants may rot at the roots and die. The pots should be placed outside where they get
sun for some of the day. Remove weeds that grow in the pots. Enjoy any flowers that form,
but when they shrivel remove the dead flowers, as this helps more to grow.
Tips.
(1) A small sprinkling of general fertiliser (Phostrogen, Growmore or Organic)
watered in around the plants will improve the number and size of flowers. Always follow
the directions on the packet as to when and how much to use.
(2) Once the flowers of Geraniums are open they can be marked and spoilt by rain, so, to
keep them at there best for the show, it is recommended that for the last two weeks before
the show the pots are moved under cover or given some protection from the rain.
Competition Staging.
On the morning of the show choose the best of your two pots of Geraniums, the one
with the healthiest leaves and most flowers. Remove any weeds or dead flowers. Wiping the
outside of the pot clean makes it look better. Keep the flowers dry on the way to the
show. At the Show, just place the pot on the show bench the way round that looks best.
Dahlias
You will be provided with two small Dahlia plants already growing
in small pots. They grow into quite tall plants and will require staking. Once they start
flowering, usually in late July or August, they will continue to produce flowers for many
weeks. Dahlias are not fully hardy and will be damaged by frost, but can be grown outdoors
when you get them at the end of May or early June.
Planting
The Dahlia plants will not continue to grow in the pots supplied and will need to
be planted out into the garden or into large pots. Carefully remove the Dahlias from their
pots and plant them in the ground in a sunny place about 50cm between the plants. Digging
the soil to a depth of 20cm and adding some potting compost before planting will help them
grow well. They can also be grown individually in large pots (25cm across) of compost or
both planted into a growbag, but will require more watering. It will also be necessary to
put a stake (a thick cane or wooden stick about 1.5m long) into the ground or pot a few
centimetres away from the plant to support it as it grows taller. You will need to tie the
plants loosely to the stakes each 30cm or so to stop them flopping.
Growing.
The main requirement is to keep the soil or compost wet throughout the growing
period. Water when the surface soil dries out using at least a litre. Slugs and snails
like to eat Dahlias so keep the plants free of weeds and sprinkle grit or broken egg
shells around the stems. The plants should flower throughout the Summer and, to keep them
flowering, when each flower has died it should be carefully cut off where its stem joins
the plant.
Tips.
(1) Dahlias grow better and have a larger and better coloured flowers if they are
fed with a high potash liquid fertiliser (such as Phostrogen or Tomato Fertiliser). Always
follow the directions on the packet as to when and how much to use.
(2) If Blackfly, small black insects, appear on the leaves and stem wipe them off with a
soft wet cloth.
Competition Staging.
On the morning of the Show cut off up to 6 nice flowers with as long stems as
possible and place them in a vase of water. The vase can be a flower vase or any suitable
container such as a jam jar. When you get to the Show arrange the flowers so that they can
all be seen. Be very careful not to bend the stems while you are carrying them.
Important - when you are away on holiday arrange for one of your friends or a relation to water your plants.
We wish you the best of luck in growing your plants and success in the Competition.
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