Primrose and pansy plugs question.

In order to cut costs and not pay for larger plants , I have just taken delivery of primrose and pansy plugs. I was hoping to plant them into my flower beds for a spring flower display, but fear they are yet too small. I thought that they would be a bit bigger. How wrong i was!
Instructions on website state<Plants plugs directly into Flower Pouchesâ?¢ and baskets, or grow them on for transplanting into window boxes, containers and beds later on. Grow pansies on in a cool, bright position. When fully rooted into their pots, gradually acclimatise plants to outdoor conditions over 7 to 10 days prior to planting them in their final positions.>

What should i do.? Should I put them in small pots and wait or could i chance putting them into the flower bed??
Approx. how long would it take the plants to be fully rooted??as stated in instructions.

Thanks in advance for any advice.

 

'Plugs' are very small - the pansies I bought, came with growing medium that was 1cm square at the top and went down to a point by a depth of about 2 cm., but don't despair, they're a lot tougher than they look.

As JWK says, transplant them into those modular trays and put them in a greenhouse or cold frame, they'll soon take off. (You'll be able to buy the seed trays very cheaply in places like B & Q, Homebase, Wilkinson's - usually 5 for just over £1). As I recall, I transplanted mine a second time into 3" pots before finally putting them in the ground (but that was only because my modular trays had small compartments). Pinch the tops out as they grow and you'll get nice bushy plants.

Granted they can look really unpromising at this stage, but they will grow quite quickly and a bit of TLC as above and those I grew at the start of the year are still producing flowers, they're a bit 'leggy' now after several months in flower but if not exactly mighty oaks from an acorns, they'll certainly give you the colourful spring display you're after.

 

This is a thing that really annoys me about some of these mail order people. I bought some polyanthus and pansy plugs from a wholesaler but In late July! They come in trays of 360. I potted them on and they will flower next spring - I grow them in a specialist pansy and primula compost which is a bit more acid than normal potting compost. Incidentally the polyanthus cost me about 12p/plug and the pansy half that. At present they are in tray packs, the polyanthus in 4 packs, the pansies in 6 packs.
Personally I would prefer that the polyanthus were bigger so next year I will grow my own from seed. i do grow a lot of specialist polyanthus and primrose from seed and start in February or March. The bigger the plant by autumn then the bigger the crown and that means more flowers come spring. Most of my primroses and polyanthus are so specialist that I sell them in flower in 1 litre pots in spring. Those pots already have roots out the bottom. So i will sow my bedding polyanthus next year and get better and bigger, and more unusual plants than my competitors.
The mail order companies are sending out tiny plugs much later than the professionals would buy them. The same thing happens in spring.
I can buy 360 F1 hybrid Petunias for £20 next spring and then i pot them up and give them several weeks growth. The mail order companies will then sell same tiny plugs at the time I am selling plants that have flowers on them.
Primroses are quite easy from seed. You start in March with a peat based compost, and sow seed on the surface (it needs exposure to light). I then cover with muslin. The seed pan should be kept outside, it has to be kept cool and shaded and the seeds must never dry out. When the seedlings have 4 true leaves I carefully transplant into seed trays (12 to a full size tray) and grow them cool and shaded (outside). They can then go into final position in Autumn and they will be big plants by that time.
http://www.geoffhandley.com/Flower pages/barnhaven.htm
The above is a link to an old page of mine - i never have time to update, too much gardening. It shows the primroses and polyanthus i grow. I particularly like the Gold laced and Victorian polyanthus as well as the Cowichans. If i could I would grow all of them.