Kitchen Garden Forum

I'm hoping someone may be able to offer me advice on my verbascum plants. I posted this on another site but got no replies

They all seem to be growing healthily but the problem is that the little stem - hopefully you can see this on the photo, is looking a bit spindly and the whole sort of leaves section is wobbling about on top of it. I think they're about due for re-potting soon so when I repot should I bring the level of the soil up so that the leaves section is sat comfortably on a nice firm bed of soil or would the little stem just rot away if I did that? I'm worried that as the leaves get bigger the weight is eventually going to snap the stem if they wobble over too far.


This is my first time growing biennials so any advice would be appreciated.

Do not know, but I reckon you are right.
Had one in the garden a year or two ago and once the leaves spread the stem is well hidden and damp.
Would suggest you plant them flush, both with the compost and the top of the pot and do not overwater.

Hi Streps,
Looking at the plant (great to have a picture)
1. The plant is over fed for it's size and suspect too much nitrogen giving a fleshy appearance
2. The plant is slightly out of the compost which means it has failed to produce stabalizing roots.
3. Suggest that maybe the compost is not firm enough in the pot. Not compacted but decidedly firm is as you want it.
4. It could be that originally the seed was not sown deep enough.
5. Try repotting and placing just that bit deeper in the firmed compost.
6. If the worst comes to the worst remove most of the large leaves by reducing size down to about on third of what they are now. At present the plant is top heavy and by reducing leaves you may be able to redress the problem.
I feel what has happened is that the leaves have grown but because it is not deep enough the roots have not kept pace.
If you can apply a fertilizer with a high 'P' content
with less nitrogen by ratio which will give the bias on growth to the roots.
Sorry for the lecture.

Yay some answers. Thanks so much for replying. I think you're probably right about the roots - funnily enough the smaller ones have more roots about to poke through the bottom than the big ones. I will look out for some appropriate fertiliser and keep both your tips in mind when potting on. Cheers.