It's Grow Time

It's grow time! I'm so glad you are here. If you've landed on this page because you found a card, this probably means 1 of 2 things:

• You saw a bouquet somewhere and liked it, I'm truly honored! If that's you, click here.
• You got a big ole box of happy mail and now it's time to figure out what to do with those plant babies. If that's you, keep reading. 

Your Plant Journey

We're sharing important information to help guide your plant journey. The first section includes general truths that apply to all plants, plugs, and cuttings shipped by Fuirk. After you've potted-up your babies, come back to checkout plant-specific tidbits that will ensure success.

Dahlia Tubers

Open and inspect immediately. Great things come in small packages! You’ll notice we have shifted from individually packaged tubers to individually labeled tubers mixed into a single, compostable, package (just remove the tape). If your packing had plastic bubble wrap or something of the sort, we were just repurposing materials on hand!

Identifying your tubers:  If you aren’t able to distinguish the tuber code, just send us a message (we love hearing from you anyway). 

Our guarantee requires any claims to be made within 5 days of receipt. Tuber size and beauty does not affect the quality of the plant! All dahlias should emerge from the soil within 3-5 weeks after planting. As there are many factors that may affect how your tuber grows, no responsibility by Fuirk Home, LLC. will be taken after 5 days has passed from receipt of your tuber unless we sent the wrong variety or the plant shows evidence of certain diseases. Please refer to our full policy for details. 

Do not soak your tubers. Tubers should never be soaked. Anyone who tells you to soak a tuber is not your friend. Just to be clear, do not soak your tubers. 

We recommend planting immediately in a controlled environment. Use a pot or a tray with moist potting soil- the moisture level from a new bag is perfect. You should not be able to squeeze water from the soil, nor should it be so dry that it pulls moisture from the tuber. 

Place your tuber horizontally with the eye facing up. Cover completely- even if you intend to take cuttings. An uncovered neck and crown will dry if not properly managed. You might regret keeping them uncovered. You won’t regret covering them. 

The soil should not dry completely before planting out, but it’s better to be too dry than too wet. 

When planting out, select an area that receives at least 6 hours of sun each day. Afternoon and evening shade can be great in the south and hot climates. Mother Nature provides all the water they need- do not water your new dahlias until they have grown at least 8-10” above the soil. This is a good time to begin watering and also pinch. 

PS- do not soak your tubers!!

Baby Plants, Plugs, & Rooted Cuttings

• Ammi or Didicus
• Dahlia (rooting cutting)
• Heirloom Chrysanthemum
• Lisanthus
• Scoop Scabiosa

Unpack Immediately Upon Arrival

When your cuttings arrive, pot them and water them immediately. To get started, you’ll want to grab some pots that are at least twice the size of your plug. We recommend a quart sized container to begin (you can put them in larger containers when they’re moved outside.) 

Fill each container with all purpose potting soil, and plant covering the entire root ball up to the neck of the first leaves. For initial planting, we recommend soil that does not contain any added fertilizers. Keep all green parts above the soil so they can continue to grow and flourish.

Lightly tamp the soil around the plant to secure it in place keeping in mind initial waterings may wash away the top layer of soil.

Before planting in the ground, these tender plants should be hardened off both for temperature and sunlight. For the first 1-2 days, place them in bright light but out of direct sunlight. If temperatures are to drop below 50 degrees or above 80 degrees, give them a few hours each day to acclimate to this environment before planting in the ground.

From arrival and for the first 2 weeks after planting, be sure to keep soil moist but not saturated. You should not be able to squeeze moisture from the soil, but it should not completely dry while plants are establishing roots in their new homes

Plant-Specific Care

Ammi and Daucus

• Plant outdoors preferably after last frost
• Mums need a sunny spot to spend the summer
• Pruning can help them grow bigger, but if you prune after June or early July, you'll get short flowers
• Remove stem tips early in the season to encourage branching - repeat every few weeks
• Bloom time varies by zone, cultivar, weather, and care, and may require protection to extend blooms past the first frost in the fall. They can be planted in 3-gallon containers instead of planting in the ground for easier protection from the frost. 
• Spacing: 18"

 Lisianthus

• Generally hardy below 30 in the ground and very heat tolerant
• Spacing: 4-6"
• Soil: Well-drained, moisture retentive  - but they are pretty drought tolerant once established!
• Pinching will produce more flowers, but smaller flowers. I don't pinch - others do. I like taller stems with bigger flowers.
• Harvest: Remove the first bloom and allow a couple more to open before cutting. Best cut with a couple of open flowers and large buds. 
• Vase life is amazing, even without a cooler. Very long lasting, and a holding solution will only help. 
• Fusarium root rot is the primary concern with lisi. Drench plugs with a fungicide of Fusarium is present in your soil. 
• Southern growers can get 2 and sometimes 3 flushes
• Likely needs support, up to 2 layers in windy areas

Scoop Scabiosa

• Not frost hardy - so don't plant out until risk of frost has passed
• Spacing: 6"
• Soil: Well-drained
• Not a huge fan of high temps, so a bit of afternoon shade in hot climates can help
• Pinch: Plugs shipped by Fuirk have already been pinched
• Harvest: Extremely productive when happy, producing 20-30 stems per plant. Harvest when 1/3 of florets are open and use a holdings solution to extend vase life.