The Process:When potting up, choose a good quality potting mix and a pot that is only marginally bigger than the previous one your plant inhabited. If you are growing large plants (as we are here with Echinacea) you may need to pot up your seedlings several times before the weather is suitable for transplanting them outside. You might be tempted to skip all these little steps and transplant them into a much larger pot. Sure, you can do that. However, potting up in small increments has several benefits such as encouraging more rigorous growth, reducing the risk of overwatering, and saving space on your shelves. At this stage, we’ve also begun feeding them once a week with liquid seaweed. Wildflowers like Echinacea aren’t considered “heavy feeders” and don’t need much nutrients compared to vegetables. Depending on the nutritional content of the potting soil used, supplemental fertilizer might not be necessary. When in doubt, call up a green-thumbed friend or head into your local garden centre to chat with their staff about what your plants might need.
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