If you want to save money but don’t have the time or space to sow seeds, plug plants are an excellent way to fill your garden with plants, flowers, fruit and veg. Raised by a professional team of gardeners under carefully controlled conditions, our plug plants are a popular way to get your growing season off to a healthy start.
If you’re looking for an easy way to brighten up your beds and borders this season, browse our full range of bedding plants. Keen to grow your own food? Our collection of vegetable plants has something for every sized garden.
What is a plug plant?
Image: Sweet Pea ‘Scent Infusion‘ from Suttons
Plug plants are small, rooted seedlings that have been grown in trays of individual cells. They’re usually sold in packs ranging from 6 to 72 plants, and cost from as little as 10p each. Raised in a regulated environment where they’ve been provided with exactly the right amount of light, heat and nutrients, plug plants are an easy way to fill your garden.
Our smallest size ‘extra value’ plug plants need to be potted on and hardened off, while the biggest ‘garden ready’ plugs are delivered at the right time and the optimum size for planting out. Traditionally associated with bedding plants and flowers, these days it’s just as common to find fruit and vegetable plug plants in someone’s wishlist. See our handy guide to plug plant sizes to help you decide which is best for your needs.
What are the benefits of plug plants?
Image: Petunia Capella™ Hello Yellow from Suttons/Copyright: ©T&M
The main benefit of plug plants is convenience. These strong little plants have a high success rate and can be transplanted into their final growing positions with very little disturbance to the roots. Here are some more advantages of growing from plugs:
- Saves time and effort – Plug plants save a huge amount of time and effort as you don’t need to deal with germination or the delicate early stages of growth.
- Cost-effective – While the upfront cost of plug plants is slightly higher than seeds, they often prove more cost-effective in the long run. This is because they have a higher survival rate than seeds and they’re less susceptible to pests and diseases.
- Convenient – Plug plants are extremely convenient and versatile. They can be planted in pots, hanging baskets, window boxes and raised beds. They can also be used to fill in gaps in your beds and borders, if you need a quick burst of colour or texture.
- Quicker results – Because plug plants are already established, they tend to mature and produce fruit or flowers faster than plants grown from seeds. This means you can enjoy the fruits of your labour sooner, and for a longer period of time.
- Better for beginners – If you’re new to gardening, plug plants are an easy way to start. Simple to grow and requiring little maintenance, they can usually withstand common gardening mistakes like over or under-watering.
The larger the plugs, the smaller the effort! By buying plug plants, you can focus on the fun part – enjoying your outside space. Whether you’re growing flowers or veg, check out our expert advice articles for a wealth of specific growing and care tips.
Image: Begonia Nonstop Mocca Mix from Suttons.
Copyright: ©T&M
Last Updated on April 24, 2023 by Suttons Horticultural Team
I have received super plug tomato varieties and have potted them on . some of the roots are growing through the membrane surrounding root ball , so I have not tried to push the plant out of its mesh but no specific mention of this is giving in the growing instructions for the Super plug . Should I have done that?