HELLEBORE POTTING GUIDE
The information contained herein is the result of many years of experimentation and research. It is by no means cast in stone and I would appreciate any feedback.
DO NOT squeeze the plant at the meristem, or growing point which is right at the soil level.
Coming out of the 2" bandpots, we recommend going into a 4" - 6" pot with good drainage. 4” plants can go into 6” pots or gallons.
We use Scotts Perennial mix which is a peat, bark mix with coarse perlite. The mixture should be well drained and coarse. The roots should be spread out across the soil.
If plants are housed in a poly tunnel that is heated to 32 F, they will continue to grow all winter. Full sun is OK for over wintering, but as soon as late Spring and early Summer arrives, a 50% shade will be appreciated.
If the plants are going directly into the garden, find a full to part shade location and “double dig“ the hole. Use an anti-shock transplant formulation and keep the planting moist until established. Feed with a timed release fertilizer at the highest rate, or a liquid fertilizer every 4-6 weeks. Hellebores are greedy feeders.
We used to recommend using Sierra blend timed release fertilizer at the rate of 8 oz. per cubic foot of soil mix. The 17-6-10, 8-9 month formula with minors seemed to work best. However we noticed some root burning if the weather was too hot or too dry. We are now using a 20-10-20 liquid at a weak strength but on a more frequent basis. If we aren’t getting the root development that we desire, we use a 9-45-15, also at a low rate, but on a regular frequency.
Keep the plants moderately moist, but NOT wet, in fact, we place our lattice flats on inverted lattice flats to “idiot proof” the watering. You may want to add a little extra perlite, bark or grit to improve drainage.
If you are concerned about pathogens in the soil, use Subdue as a preventative at the low rate.
I'm always available for any further information and I look forward to hearing about your experiences.