BTW....have not fed them once...only water

! I'm going with at least five times as many next year

==>>> in each pot ...???

there is always.. an issue of a monoculture ... so dont go all one plant ..

i recall your deck hangers.. etc ... glad you hit the mother lode ...

you would probably be best served.. to dump the media with the plants... especially since you arent ferting ... it might just get worn out.. and you could have problems next year ...

and keep in mind.. media is a water management system ... and when it fails.. its not a fert issue.. its a lack of ability to water them ...

congrats.. glad you are happy how it all worked out

ken

Not in each pot silly goose! Two seedlings per container is all you need. I used promix bx straight out of the bale. Under each container i drilled holes every three inches or so. Watered every 3 days on average. Just stuck my showerhead into the mass of flowers and just ran the water until I saw it dripping through the dozen or more holes and then moved to the next plant. Monoculture, my foot. When something works for me I stick with it. I have the same polo shirt in 12 colors because of the fit and feel.

Ken makes some great points. The trouble with planting lots of any one plant is that you might have a bad year for that plant next year. Different weather, pest infestation, disease, things you can't predict or control. Such as impatiens with downy mildew. And then all of your plants will look awful, instead of just a few. I had gorgeous tuberous begonias last year. I'm glad I resisted the temptation to add many more this year, because the ones I overwintered are struggling with the heat we've had this summer.

I appreciate that perspective Ken and Edie. I too had a great experience with my first year of calibrochoa seeds this summer! I am already thinking of what I want to do with them next year - and which new colors to order! Your example of the tuberous begonias not doing so well this year gives me hope that maybe mine have an excuse (bad year for them?) and maybe they'll do better next year! It does help that they weren't the only thing I planted this year!

I agree...this was my first year with these annuals in a hanger and they truly look PERFECT all the time....I took a cutting and rooted them in small pot with rooting hormone, and they are all blooming now! I am going to try and take cuttings and root them and see if I can overwinter them as a fun experiment. I read somewhere that this is what people recommended (because until recently seeds weren't available)

Val, can you upload a photo of your cutting if you have one? How exactly (soup to nuts) did you do this and how will you continue to care for it indoors? I've never tried rooting anything before but I like the idea.

I have done cuttings under lights for several years now. I tried two years to get the calibrachoa to root, but without success. Last year I was successful with many cuttings (coleus, ng impatiens, geraniums, tuberous begonias etc, but didn't try cali) but maybe I'll give them one more try this year!!! The stems are so thin and I don't have a greenhouse- just shelves in my basement with flourescent lights. I did get some cali cuttings to root outside this summer though.

Gee, I almost missed this for some reason. I poured a little rooting compound on a piece of paper because you dont want to dip the plants into the whole bottle of powder and contaminate. Also, get your pot(s) ready with good potting/seed starting soil. I added perlite.

Take a cutting (longest piece you can get from your calibrochia (process is the same with whatever else..I also did basil) Cut in good size stems, I'd say 4-6"?? and you want to include a piece where the leaves come off the stem. You remove the leaves and that is the place that will form the roots...so cut a little bit below that. Then dip tthat area in rooting compound and I poked a hole in the soil with the end of a pencil, inserted the rooting-compound-dipped stem in the hole and pushed the soil around it. I put 4-6 stems in a small 4-5" pot on 6/28. By end of July, they were blooming. Note: these were done outside and placed in a shady (but bright) spot on my deck and watered routinely. I will start to take new cuttings in Sept to root them outside as well, and then move them inside near frost time.

I have yet to overwinter any, so this will be an experiment for me. I did read that alot of people do this in order to carry over their calibrochia from one year to the next. I don tknow if you need lights or just a good window or any special "humidity" added.

I have tried rooting things in water (basil, rosemary, calibrochia) and I just dont have much luck, so the rooting compound (paid less than $6 at the local nursery) worked well for me. I am relatively new to rooting as well.

I am at work so dont have a photo of my newly created plant; will try and post in the next few days!

Yes, these are not really annuals, they are tender perennials. Here in No Cal mine overwinter outside - mostly in large pots. I love them!

Jackie