What to know about plant catalogs

SALT LAKE CITY – Now is a great time to start thinking about what to plant for this coming season. Last week at the KSL Greenhouse show, Taun and Maria went over how to read plant catalogs.

Plant catalogs offer various plant options, such as vegetables and flowers. However, Taun warns that you should do some research before you order anything. He especially recommends this if you’re not familiar with the plant.

“Sometimes you need to be a little bit careful about what you’re doing because some of the more disreputable ones will actually change plant names so you don’t know exactly what it is,” Taun said.

Taun found a fact sheet that tells you how to dissect what’s in a plant catalog. Two of the terms they looked at in this fact sheet are direct sow and indoor sow, which tell you where the seeds need to be planted.

Another term that he brought up from the fact sheet is “hybrid.” There are two types: F1, which means first generation hybrid and F2, which means second generation hybrid.

“In the plant world, you can take strains from the same species and cross them, and you will get what’s called a hybrid,” Taun said. “F1 would be the seed produced from the initial cross. F2 is what’s coming from that seedling.”

When Maria asked which is better, he said it depends.

You can learn more about the fact sheet here.

Listen to the full segment on our podcast below!

The KSL Greenhouse is on every Saturday from 8-11 a.m. You can follow the show on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube.