Why are the seedlings at the nursery so much BIGGER than mine!?

Question

I had a very depressing trip to the nursery yesterday. I grow most of my plants from seeds, and I just don't understand HOW the nursery gets its seedlings to grow so BIG so FAST in those tiny containers! What the heck do they DO to those plants?? Nuclear radiation? I bought a chilli plant in a tiny little pot, and the plant was already about 15cm high and FRUITING? I waited MONTHS for my chilli plant to produce last year!

Im THAT fed up that I don't CARE if its organic! I'd buy HORMONE additives if they would help! I give mine seaweed tonic and fertiliser, or compost and worm castings and everything!

Answer 1

not only do greenhouse growers have the advantage of the greenhouse's warmth and humidity, but they have 'pushers'... chemical concoctions that will speed growth, inhibit growth, slow flowering or induce flowering and therefore show a plant that's fruiting already, long before ours from seed are anywhere NEAR it..... when I worked at our nursery, I got to be privvy to the tricks....HOWEVER.... once that plant goes home and doesn't GET the goodies anymore, it can just 'sit there' for a few weeks and eventually it's going about the same as normally grown plants.... and, if you keep going with the chemicals, you 'burn out' the plants!.... so they're not something you'd want to use at home, anyhow!..... what you're doing , what you're feeding, is wonderful and your plants should do just dandy...... if you want to push a little, the previous answer of 'more light' might get you closer to the nursery stuff.... adding a few more hours of growing light makes a big difference.... if you wonder about that, look at the folks way up North.... they have a short growing season, BUT, they have sunlight for sixteen hours to 24 hours a day once the warm sets in!.... and their plants grow, bloom and fruit all in that three month or so period !... right?....
all that extra chemical push is just to get the plants ot market and sold faster, not to be of real benefit to us, the consumer.... actually, it's not good, in that we're tempted to buy that blooming annual long before it should be available.. we go plant a few and boom! .. a frost and they die, so we have to buy MORE, right?.... so what good did it do us?... just emptied our purses faster!.......
as for your chilis.... since they are a hot weather plant, yes, it's going to take a while for them to reach maturity....and they won't grow, flower or fruit until the daylight and temperatures are right to do so... for us normal folks, that is...

Answer 2

******* Hello, I am a Certified Master Gardener *******

The nursery may get their plants from a grower, and a grower has a big advantage that many people do not: growing under controlled climate conditions in a GREENHOUSE.

They may be growing a different variety, which does better.

Keep up the good work. You are doing fine, really.

Use a good general all-purpose plant fertilizer such as OSMOCOTE. Follow package directions.

You could buy a small greenhouse which holds about 15 small plants.

Just continue doing your best.

I sincerely hope this helps.

PAMELA JUDGE

Answer 3

If you are growing in pots with a sterilized potting soil then your soil has little to no beneficial microbes. Organic fertilizers need microbe activity to convert organic fertilizers to the proper ionic form that can be directly absorbed by plants. Microbe activity is directly related to soil temps, moisture levels, & available nitrogen. Yes, I said nitrogen. Microbes consume nitrogen in their feeding processes. This nitrogen is returned to the soil and made available to plants when the microbe dies. And organic fertilizers are almost always lower in nitrogen, the element most responsible for vegetative growth. More than likely your potted plants are not receiving the same nutrient levels as the nurseries'. They use inorganic fertilizers that are less dependant upon soil microbe activity. They also grow in a controlled environment. Use a good slow release fertilizer like Osmocote while in the pots or lower your expectations & stay organic.

Answer 4

If you are growing your plants indoors (or at least starting them indoors), then get a couple of cheap, floresent fixtures and some grow lights. Remember, light IS food to a plant. You can put whatever you want in the soil, but it's only half of the equation.

Answer 5

They have a 'greenhouse' so they can start theirs 1-2 months earlier than those that do not have a greenhouse to use and have to rely on mother nature only.

Answer 6

They feed and water theres.