plants not growing

12 years ago

Hi,

I have two 4x4 boxes with a variety of plants, but nothing really seems to be growing. I am in zone 8 and it has been pretty hot here with a good amount of rain too. My soil is made up of compost, topsoil, peat moss, and vermiculite. I have had gardens before and don't remember the plants to be this slow in growing. I have seen flower buds on them, but the plants just seem really small. Most are under 12 inches. Peppers, tomatoes (vine), cucumbers. I also have some herbs, which I don't expect to be as big, but still don't seem to have grown. I bought all plants instead of starting from seed (mainly b/c I didn't start early enough in the season). They've been in the ground for a few weeks or even a month, and I just have noticed only a slight amount of growth. My friends who have gardens seem to have their plants growing much faster, and one of them has the exact same soil mix I have. Any ideas?

I searched the forums on this topic but just couldn't find anything.

Featured Answer

georgiahomegarden

12 years ago

13-13-13 or pronounced triple thirteen is just a generic term for any brand of fertilizer that has 13 percent of each element. It is a balanced fertilizer that is good for general use.

Someone at a garden center had me remember this saying,

Up, Down, and All Around

The 1st number makes your plants grow up and green up.

The 2nd number makes your plants grow down and build strong roots.

The 3rd number makes your plants all around healthy and resistant to disease.

See this link it explains it well.
http://www.ncagr.gov/cyber/kidswrld/plant/label.htm

Hope that helps.

Here is a link that might be useful: My Garden Blog

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Comments (9)

ralleia
12 years ago
It sounds rather odd--I would think that transplant shock shouldn't last more than a week or two.

Did you put a little bit of organic fertilizer as well? Does the soil seem sufficiently moist? Peat moss in particular can be hydrophobic and shed water rather than absorb it.

I would have expected that tomatoes in particular would be growing quite well now in zone 8.
ralleia
12 years ago
The more I think about it the more I wonder if those plants are root-bound. It sounds as if they're acting as if still growing in small flats instead of stretching out into the soil mix.
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georgiahomegarden
12 years ago
Try sprinkling a little 13-13-13 fertilizer around half of the plants and then monitor for a week. If you see improvement, it could be your mix is off. I would assume these are in full sun. Good luck to you.

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hollieberries
Original Author
12 years ago
What exactly is a 13-13-13 fertilizer?
hollieberries
Original Author
12 years ago
I am actually wondering if I have been watering them too much now. The soil never seems overly saturated to me but it is still moist. How do I decide how much/often to water them?
georgiahomegarden
12 years ago
I guess each person has their own method, but I can just tell by how hot it is. We have been in 90+ weather with no rain for 2 months now so I am watering every 2nd to 3rd day. Sometimes I may only water once a week, it all just depends. If you dig down 3 to 4 inches and the soil is still moist, then you should not have to water. You are using a mix with vermiculite and that is used mainly for water retention and to keep the soil moist. How often are you watering?

Here is a link that might be useful: My Blog
hollieberries
Original Author
12 years ago
I *was* watering once a day, and we've also had some rain. But now I am just waiting until the soil seems dry when I dig down about 4 inches or so. Hopefully it won't rain soon. I guess I'll just have to wait and see. I am also going to ask my friend what she is doing for fertilizer again. She mentioned it but I never used fertilizer when I had a garden before, and I never seemed to need it--everything grew just fine. But I know she is making some organic fertilizer so I may as well see how that goes.
georgiahomegarden
12 years ago
Good luck to you, yeah it sounds like you may have been watering a bit too much.

Here is a link that might be useful: My Garden Blog