Can Nasturtiums be transplanted?

[rootball]

Hi everyone.

Just wanted to ask, can Nasturtiums be moved at this time of year?

I have some growing in pots which i think might be too small, they don't seem happy in them. Started well but seem to be struggling a bit now.

It might be the soil is to rich or the pots are to small. I have one in bigger pot with the same soil used as the others which is growing very well.
Never had a problem before growing them, that said i have always used large pots.

i keep them watered so its not them being to dry, they are in the sun too with some afternoon shade.

Thanks
R

[Penellype]

They would probably be ok transplanted, depending on how big they are. However I wouldn't be transplanting anything in a heatwave - it is going to get very hot during the next few days. You could try giving them a feed (again best not in a heatwave).

Nasturtiums grow very quickly from seed - you could sow some more as insurance and they will have time to flower this year.

[Nicos]

Yes, I regularly transplant them. They initially wilt , then comeback.

How big are they? Transplanting with an intact rootball should be fairly straightforward.

[rootball]

They would probably be ok transplanted, depending on how big they are. However I wouldn't be transplanting anything in a heatwave - it is going to get very hot during the next few days. You could try giving them a feed (again best not in a heatwave).

Nasturtiums grow very quickly from seed - you could sow some more as insurance and they will have time to flower this year.

Penellype, thanks for the reply.

The plants have lots of seeds on them, i eat them, very tasty. Would i be able to use the seeds collected fresh from the plants now for planting?

[rootball]

Yes, I regularly transplant them. They initially wilt , then comeback.

How big are they? Transplanting with an intact rootball should be fairly straightforward.

Nicos, thanks for replying.

Plants have been in the pots a while now so not small but too big. As the pots are shallow I think i would be able to dig them out without much root disturbance or maybe remove plant and soil into a bigger pot.

I was asking as I am not sure if Nasturtiums need a bigger pot to grow or they are just not happy with the heat we are having at the moment.

[Nicos]

Hard to say. Mine grow in soil.
The high temperatures ( ours have been in 39C and direct sun) and lack of water seem to have affected mine in that the flowers have really short stems.
They do like pretty dry soil.

I leave seeds in situ as they drop off….but many get eaten

[Andraste]

I'm inclined to think it's probably a combination of both if the pots are shallow. Most things in pots are having more trouble than usual due to the heat, especially if the pots themselves are exposed e.g. not surrounded by other pots to give some shade, or if the pot is sitting on a surface that gets hot (like slabs).

Nasties are fairly resilient in my experience so I'd be willing to plant out if I could be sure I could give them a good water while they settle - otherwise I'd re-pot into something deeper &/or try to move into a cooler/shadier spot at hottest part of the day until they perk up a bit.

I'd think the 'fresh' seed might not be quite ready for sowing yet - their natural instinct is to grow the pods until they dry then scatter themselves on the ground to self seed so if they're not doing that yet then nature's saying the seeds aren't mature enough just now. Better to use a packet of seed if you wanted to sow some more.

[Penellype]

Penellype, thanks for the reply.

The plants have lots of seeds on them, i eat them, very tasty. Would i be able to use the seeds collected fresh from the plants now for planting?

They do grow from self seed, but as Andraste says, the seeds need to be brown and dry. I don't think they will grow if they are still green.

[bramble]

Nasturtiums... in my garden they come back every year..,I planted them about 5 years ago and they continue to come back each year without any input from me.
I did collect the seeds and passed them on to my saughter. She has them growing in her own garden now.

[Marb67]

Well when I plant mine out in containers (not during this heatwave) they seem to end up getting smaller and smaller and paler and paler despite being in good compost and fed weekly

[Nicos]

Marb, they thrive in pretty poor well drained soil. You are killing them with kindness

[Jungle Jane]

I prefer sowing direct,they didn’t germinate last time I tried in little pots to transplant later,they do like poor soil & independence with just a liquid feed here. I grew some in a wall basket once but the plants stayed very small & got aphids,it looked horrible at eye level so they can stay low in the soil.

[Marb67]

Marb, they thrive in pretty poor well drained soil. You are killing them with kindness

And yet you see them thriving in pots with other plants that need feeding in multipurpose compost. I have tried in poor soil in containers also with the same results.

[rootball]

Hi everyone and thanks for all your replies and sorry for my slow response.

I moved them into morning sun and afternoon shade which they seem to like.
Although now the school summer holidays have started and the weather has gone back to our normal English summer I think it might be safe to move them back to where i had them before.