Question
QUESTION: Last year I grew lisianthus (about 12" tall) in individual pots in a windowbox & needed to stake them. The bottom of the plant had little foliage, looked sparse. Flowers were good. Do you think I could plant directly in windowbox & use a shorter, bushier flower to support it & if so what?

ANSWER: Hi Lois, many people make he mistake of overcrowding a container, not realizing that under the surface is a finite amount of soil base for the roots to spread out into; what happens is a crowded area with competing roots and this will reflect on the quality of the crown. Lisianthus are prone to being somewhat leggy if not pinched back occasionally during their formative months; pinch the leading growth to encourage lower and side shoots, and use small woody sticks to prop them if they tend to lean, the woody sticks won't be as obvious as traditional stakes. Nick

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QUESTION: Thanks - pinching back a great idea. One more question about the lisianthus -- does it make any difference whether I grow them in individual smaller pots or grow a bunch of them in a tub? Also, by "quality of the crown" do you mean the flower above the soil?

Answer
Hi again Lois, you can grow them in any type of container you want providing you give them ample root space; I would also afford them about 2 inches or so, of gravel along the bottom of the pot to prevent any root damage due to excess water. The crown is the part of the plant that sits above the main stem (leaves, flowers and lateral stems). What I meant was that the crown would suffer from a stressed root system because of the fact that the roots are responsible for ensuring that enough nutrients get to the crown for healthy growth. Nick