We grow flower seedlings ourselves
In order for the personal plot to smell fragrant with various flowers in summer, it is necessary to take care of the planting material in advance. Many plant species, both annuals and perennials, cannot be grown directly from seed. They are already planted in small bushes - seedlings.
Preparation for sowing flower seeds for seedlings
The first step is to find out what flowers are grown seedlings... Most often these are small and weak seeds that can die in the open field under the influence of various weeds.
These include:
- Lobelia;
- Petunia;
- Delphinium;
- Ageratum;
- Asters and many others
Next, you need to figure out when to plant flowers for seedlings.
As a rule, this time coincides with the end of winter or the beginning of spring. More detailed information can be found on the package of the selected plant, which informs about the time of planting the seedlings, picking it to a permanent place and some important aspects of growing the plant. Some types of flowers require earlier planting, for example, Shabo carnations, Lobelia. Planting flower seedlings in January is due to a long period of germination and seed development.
The next step is to prepare seeds, soil and containers for growing flower seedlings.
Seed preparation for sowing
Experienced growers recommend preparing seeds for planting. For various diseases, it is advisable to soak the selected material in a weak solution of potassium permanganate for 10 - 12 hours.
For early germination, the seeds can be soaked (according to the instructions) in a solution of zircon or epin.
Many seed growers undergo the stratification procedure. For this, flower seeds are soaked in ordinary water for about 12 hours. Next, the dishes with seeds are removed to a cold place for the same time. Then the container is again brought into the room, then into the refrigerator, and so on until the seeds germinate. Experts say that in this way, plants, even at the embryonic stage, acquire immunity to possible temperature extremes.
Preparing the soil for sowing flowers
Soil for flower seedlings should also be unusual. Novice gardeners can buy a prepared mixture in the store, for example, "Zhivaya Zemlya".
But it's better to prepare the ground yourself. For this you need to mix:
- 1 part sand;
- 2 parts compost;
- 2 parts of turf soil;
- 3 parts of peat.
Before sowing flower seeds for seedlings, the prepared mixture, as well as the seeds, must be disinfected. For this, all the soil is spilled with a weak solution of potassium permanganate and the earth is completely dried.
In order for the seeds to hatch faster, it is recommended to plant them in a slightly cooled (up to 20 ° C -22 ° C) soil.
Preparing containers for growing flower seedlings
Currently, specialized stores have a large selection of different containers for growing flower seedlings. As a rule, they are all large and deep enough. To fill such containers requires a large amount of soil. Some enterprising flower growers prefer to use for sowing seedlings:
- disposable cups or mugs;
- food containers;
- containers for yoghurts and curds;
- milk and kefir bags cut to the required height.
If food utensils are used, they must be rinsed to remove possible food debris.It is important to remember that holes must be made at the bottom of any container to drain excess liquid.
Before backfilling the earth in containers, it is necessary to make a drainage system. To do this, a layer of sand or fine expanded clay with a height of no more than 1 cm is laid at the bottom of the box for flower seedlings.
It is not necessary to fill up the soil in the container to the very edge. It is advisable to leave 1 cm or 2 cm. This place will be required for regular watering and, if necessary, add soil. The soil in the container for seedlings should be tamped tightly so that when watering it does not crumble and does not lag behind the edges of the dishes.
Planting technology of seedlings of flowers
Immediately before sowing flowers for seedlings, the ground in prepared containers must be well watered. If you do not follow this rule, then, even before the emergence of shoots, additional liquid will be required, and watering can damage immature plants or seeds that did not have time to sprout.
In wet soil, small grooves or dimples must be made if the planting material is large enough. Seeds are dropped into these holes in 2 - 3 pieces and sprinkled with soil. If the seed material is very small, such as in Lobelia, then it is pre-mixed with sand and simply poured evenly onto the surface of the earth.
Next, the dishes with seedlings should be covered with polyethylene or completely placed in a plastic bag, if the size of the container allows.
With this approach, a special microclimate is created inside the planting container, which does not allow a decrease in the temperature necessary for plant growth and drying out of the soil. The film fogging should be monitored daily. If large drops of liquid accumulate on it, then the seedlings must be ventilated. This can be done in two ways:
- Just turn the bag to the other side and wrap the planting flower seedlings again.
- Open the bag and let the soil and planting material breathe a little (20 - 30 minutes).
If the seeds have not yet sprouted, and the soil is very dry, it is recommended to moisten it using a sprayer. It is impossible to water the seedlings of flowers from a watering can, as this will invariably lead to damage and death of plants.
Place containers with seedlings in the designated place. It is advisable that there are no batteries near the containers and they are not exposed to direct sunlight. It is most advisable to grow seedlings of annual flowers on an insulated balcony. If this is not the case, then you can make special shelves on the window slightly above the battery level (if the windows do not face the sunny side). Otherwise, you can organize a nursery in a well-lit corner of the room. The optimum temperature and light is indicated on the seed package.
If the seedlings are not enough lighting, it is recommended to turn on the lamps installed above it for several hours a day. Naturally, this issue must be taken care of in advance. Lamps on LEDs with a predominantly red spectrum are optimal.
Many gardeners prefer to grow flower seedlings in a greenhouse on their backyard. To do this, plant seeds are planted along greenhouse ridges around the beginning of April and are looked after according to all the specified rules.
The only difference between the greenhouse method of growing seedlings and the home method is that there is no need to transplant grown plants into separate pots. The downside of this method is that caring for seedlings requires constant attention and being in the garden.
Plant picking
When the seeds have sprung up, and several real leaves have grown, you should proceed to the next stage of growing flower seedlings - picking.
For this you need:
- According to all the above rules, prepare separate containers with ground;
- Prepare the necessary tools. If there are none, then you can use the usual manicure set.
- Prepare, preferably warm and settled water.
Planting flower seedlings in pots is a delicate and jewelry work. A sprout with a small amount of earth is carefully pulled out, the end of the root is pinched a little, lowered into a depression made in a separate glass, sprinkled with dry earth and watered the plant from all sides. With this approach, the root of the flower will, as it were, be absorbed into the soil almost completely, excluding any damage to it.
Some growers prefer to transplant seedlings of perennial flowers not into dry soil with further watering, but immediately into well-moistened soil. This method is suitable for a highly developed root system and does not require additional pinching.
If the plants are too weak, then you can plant not one shoot at a time, but in small piles. This will prevent the stems from breaking and will exclude a heavy load on the rhizome.
Planting care
Seedlings of flowers, like all ordinary plants, require timely moderate watering, getting the necessary light and, of course, constant feeding. In botanical shops, you can buy complex fertilizers for flower seedlings, for example, Uniflor micro, Agricola.
The first feeding of plants must be done 2 - 3 weeks after sowing and then with the same frequency.
You should constantly monitor for signs of seedling morbidity. The most dangerous for her is the "black leg".
As a rule, this disease appears with severe waterlogging of the soil and too high ambient temperature.
Signs of the disease of seedlings "black leg" are:
- Changes in the color of the root shoot to brown;
- Thinning of the plant stem;
- A sharp decrease in the bright color of the leaves.
In case of detection of the first signs of the disease:
- Remove infectious plants from container immediately;
- Add dry sand and lime to a container with seedlings;
- Treat the land and plants with a foundation solution.
Another important enemy of flower seedlings is powdery mildew.
Plants affected by the disease:
- They differ in the curvature of the stem;
- The appearance of white bloom on the leaves;
- Falling leaves.
To get rid of the disease, a solution of foundationol or a solution of soda enriched with calcium is used.
To avoid diseases of flower seedlings, it is necessary to periodically spray the plants and the ground around them with a weak solution of potassium permanganate.
It will take a lot of time and effort to grow high-quality flower seedlings on your own. You can buy ready-made planting material in botanical stores, but in this case, no one will be guilty of not buying what you wanted.