How to grow balsam from seeds?

For my birthday they gave me a wonderful balm. My sister is persistently begging for seeds, and I would like to multiply it. Tell me how to grow balsam from seeds?

Balsam or wet Vanka is a beautiful lush bush with dark green foliage. He fell in love with flower growers due to its bright flowering. During this period, the plant is covered with many flowers of various colors, moreover, with proper care, flowering can last all year. Despite the fact that balsam is a houseplant, it can also be planted in a flower bed in summer.

At home, balsam is easy to grow from seeds. The main thing is to choose them correctly (or collect) and provide all conditions for the growth of seedlings.

Selection and preparation of seeds

Purchased seeds are used to grow balsams. If you already have an adult flowering plant at home, you can harvest the seeds yourself.

When buying seeds from a store, you should pay attention to the following:

1. The seeds must be of high quality, so you need to purchase them only from trusted suppliers.
2. To get a houseplant, seeds of perennial varieties are chosen, and annuals are used for planting in open ground.
3. To preserve varietal traits, you should not choose a mixture of seeds, it is better to take each species separately.
4. Despite the fact that the seeds can be stored for more than 6 years, the highest germination rate is in the freshly harvested ones.

Collect seeds from home balsam you can after it fades. In place of the fallen inflorescences, small fruits are formed, and when they ripen, seed pods.

When collecting seeds, you should do this very carefully. At the slightest wrong movement, the capsule bursts and the seeds scatter. Because of this, balsam is also called Impatient.

Before sowing, treat the seeds for 10 minutes in a warm, weak solution of potassium permanganate. Then soak in clean water for a day.

Soil preparation

For the successful germination of balsam seeds, loose nutrient soil is selected. The substrate is purchased in a store or prepared independently by mixing:

• one part of sand, garden soil and vermiculite:
• two pieces of peat.

To prevent the disease "black leg" the soil is recommended to be watered with Fitosporin.

Sowing seeds

In a wide, but not deep container (no more than 10 cm), lay out a drainage layer of expanded clay and sprinkle it with soil. Hook the seed with a damp toothpick and lower it into the container, without deepening, but only slightly pressing it to the ground.

Small balsam seeds are also convenient to grow directly in peat tablets.

Spray the sown seeds with a spray bottle and cover the container with foil. Put it on a lighted windowsill, avoiding direct rays, in a room with a temperature of at least 25 degrees.

Balsam seedling care

After the sprouts appear (after three weeks), remove the film. If necessary, the seedlings are supplemented with light, and also sprinkled with earth as the seedlings are pulled out. It is better to water the seedlings in a tray to avoid root rot.

As soon as the seedlings reach 2 cm in height and form 2 true leaves, they begin to pick into separate cups. To stimulate the formation of side shoots, pinch the tops after a week.

Young balsams will be ready for transplantation to a permanent place when they form bushes, and the roots completely encircle the earth in a glass.

Balsam: growing and care - video