When can seeds be sown. Planting seedlings of flowers in February. Sowing small seeds in the snow

We sowed or planted most of the plants in the spring and it seems that in the middle of summer we can already relax. But experienced gardeners know that July is the time of planting vegetables for a late harvest and the possibility of longer storage. This also applies to potatoes. Early summer harvest potato is better to use quickly, it is not suitable for long-term storage. But the second crop of potatoes is exactly what is needed for winter and spring consumption.

Astrakhan tomatoes ripen remarkably lying on the ground, but you should not repeat this experience in the Moscow region. Our tomatoes need support, support, a garter. My neighbors use all sorts of pegs, garters, loops, ready-made plant supports, and mesh fences. Each method of fixing the plant in an upright position has its own advantages and " side effects". I'll tell you how I place tomato bushes on trellises, and what comes of it.

Bulgur with pumpkin is a dish for every day, which is easy to prepare in half an hour. Bulgur is boiled separately, the cooking time depends on the size of the grains - whole and coarse grinding for about 20 minutes, fine grinding for just a few minutes, sometimes the cereal is simply poured with boiling water, like couscous. While the cereal is cooking, prepare the pumpkin in sour cream sauce, and then combine the ingredients. If you replace ghee with vegetable oil, and sour cream with soy cream, then it can be included in the lenten menu.

Flies are a sign of unsanitary conditions and carriers of infectious diseases that are dangerous for both humans and animals. People are constantly looking for ways to get rid of nasty insects. In this article, we will talk about the Zlobny TED brand, which specializes in fly protection products and knows a lot about them. The manufacturer has developed a specialized line of drugs to get rid of flying insects anywhere quickly, safely and without extra costs.

The summer months are the time for hydrangeas to bloom. This beautiful deciduous shrub is luxuriously fragrant with flowers from June to September. Florists willingly use large inflorescences for wedding decors and bouquets. To admire the beauty of a flowering hydrangea bush in your garden, you should take care of the proper conditions for it. Unfortunately, some hydrangeas do not bloom year after year, despite the care and efforts of gardeners. Why this happens, we will tell in the article.

Every summer resident knows that plants need nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium for full development. These are the three main macronutrients, the deficiency of which significantly affects the appearance and yield of plants, and in advanced cases can lead to their death. But at the same time, not everyone understands the importance of other macro- and microelements for plant health. And they are important not only in themselves, but also for the effective absorption of the same nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium.

Garden strawberries, or strawberries, as we used to call them, are one of the early fragrant berries that summer generously endows us with. How we rejoice in this harvest! In order for the "berry boom" to repeat every year, we need to take care of the care of the berry bushes in the summer (after the end of fruiting). The laying of flower buds, from which ovaries will form in spring, and berries in summer, begins approximately 30 days after the end of fruiting.

Spicy pickled watermelon is a savory snack for fatty meat. Watermelons and watermelon rinds have been pickled since time immemorial, but the process is laborious and time consuming. According to my recipe, it’s easy to cook pickled watermelon in 10 minutes, and by the evening a spicy snack will be ready. The watermelon marinated with spices and chili is stored in the refrigerator for several days. Be sure to keep the jar in the refrigerator, not only for the sake of preservation - chilled, this snack is just licking your fingers!

Among the variety of species and hybrids of philodendrons, there are many plants, both gigantic and compact. But not a single species competes in unpretentiousness with the main modest - blushing philodendron. True, his modesty does not concern the appearance of the plant. Reddening stems and cuttings, huge leaves, long shoots, forming, although very large, but also strikingly elegant silhouette, look very elegant. Philodendron blushing requires only one thing - at least minimal care.

Thick Chickpea Soup with Vegetables and Egg is an easy recipe for a hearty first course inspired by Oriental cuisine. Similar thick soups are prepared in India, Morocco, and the countries of Southeast Asia. The tone is set by spices and seasonings - garlic, chili, ginger and a bouquet of spicy spices, which can be assembled to your liking. It is better to fry vegetables and spices in melted butter (ghee) or mix olive oil and butter in a saucepan, this, of course, is not the same, but it tastes similar.

Plum - well, who does not know her ?! She is loved by many gardeners. And all because it has an impressive list of varieties, surprises with excellent harvests, pleases with its variety in terms of ripening and a huge choice of color, shape and taste of fruits. Yes, somewhere she feels better, somewhere worse, but almost no summer resident refuses to grow her on her plot. Today it can be found not only in the south, in the middle lane, but also in the Urals, in Siberia.

Many ornamental and fruit crops, except for drought-resistant ones, suffer from the scorching sun, and conifers in the winter-spring period suffer from sunlight, enhanced by reflection from snow. In this article we will talk about a unique preparation for protecting plants from sunburn and drought - Sunshet Agrosuccess. The problem is relevant for most regions of Russia. In February and early March, the sun's rays become more active, and the plants are not yet ready for new conditions.

“Each vegetable has its own time”, and each plant has its own optimal time for planting. Anyone who has experienced planting is well aware that the hot season for planting is spring and autumn. This is due to several factors: in spring, the plants have not yet started to grow rapidly, there is no sweltering heat, and precipitation often falls. However, no matter how hard we try, circumstances often develop in such a way that landings have to be carried out at the very height of summer.

Chile con carne translated from Spanish- chili with meat. This is a Texas and Mexican dish whose main ingredients are chili peppers and minced beef. In addition to the main products, there are onions, carrots, tomatoes, and beans. This red lentil chili recipe is delicious! The dish is fiery, burning, very satisfying and amazingly tasty! You can cook a large pot, arrange in containers and freeze - a whole week will be a delicious dinner.

Cucumber is one of the most beloved garden crops of our summer residents. However, not all and not always gardeners manage to get really good harvest. And although growing cucumbers requires regular attention and care, there is a little secret that will significantly increase their yield. It's about pinching cucumbers. Why, how and when to pinch cucumbers, we will tell in the article. An important point in the cultivation of cucumbers is their formation, or type of growth.

So that the flowers get stronger as quickly as possible and begin to delight their owners beautiful view and fragrance, you should start growing them before the onset of spring. How to properly organize the cultivation of seedlings of flowers, which ones can be grown in this way and in what order to carry out manipulations?

Are all flowers suitable for growing seedlings?

Before we learn how to properly organize the cultivation of flower seedlings, let's figure out which crops are suitable for sowing. From one-year-olds, seedlings are often planted for those whose development is characterized by a long growing season, or if the gardener wants the flowers to start blooming as early as possible.

By by and large it is possible to grow any flowers from seeds, with the exception of those that die during transplantation. Among the most common flowering plants, experts include:

• carnation Shabo;
• mignonette;
• geranium;
• lobelia;
• petunia;
• phloxes;
• godetia;
• verbena;
• gerbera;
• viola;
• cineraria;
• aster;
• calendula;
• Snapdragon;
• marigolds, etc.

VIDEO: A new tricky way to grow marigolds

Landing time

Sowing of small seeds, as well as bulbs of flowering vegetation, is carried out from the second decade of January until the end of April:

1. Planting seeds for seedlings in January. First of all, plants are planted, the flowering of which occurs after 5-6 months. These include carnation Shabo, begonia, swimsuit, irises, lavender, clematis, arizema, primrose, rutovnik and many others. Therefore, be sure to read the information on the packaging with seedlings and be guided by the planting data regulated by the manufacturer.

1. Sowing seeds in February. In the second winter month, it's time to sow such crops:

• fuchsia;
• balsam;
• petunia;
• pelargonium;
• lobelia;
• lavender angustifolia;
• heliotrope.

When preparing seedlings and choosing plants, be sure to consider the length of daylight hours.

Some vegetation needs long-term lighting - more than 8 hours a day, so take care of additional lighting fixtures if you want your seedlings to start growing and developing as quickly as possible.

1. Sowing in March. In this spring month, experts recommend starting sowing seedlings of echinacea, alyssum, verbena, phlox, annual aster, kobei, cleoma, and snapdragon. In general, we are talking about vegetation that begins to bloom 3-4 months after planting.
2. Sowing in April. At this time, daisies, godetia, annual dahlias, perennial delphiniums, and marigolds are planted.

VIDEO: What flowers to sow in February?

Growing seedlings

Growing flowers from seeds is determined by a number of requirements, following which you can get full-fledged and well-flowering plants.

Stage number 1 - selection of pots

It is best to grow planting material in pots - put it in a separate cup, and the need for picking seedlings disappears by itself. But at the same time, if you plant not 3-4 dozen seedlings, but much more, and at the same time the cultivation takes place on the balcony, then it is best to give preference to special plastic cassettes.

In addition, do not use cardboard boxes for juice or dairy products as a container for growing seedlings. The inside of such containers is processed special solution, which, when evaporated, does not have the best effect on a newly hatched flower.

The most suitable container for these purposes is peat cups, which can later be planted directly into the ground together with the grown seedlings, avoiding any damage to the root system of the seedling.

Step #2 - Which soil is best?

To ensure the full development and growth of future flowers, it is necessary to select soil with the following characteristics:

• looseness;
• ease;
• consistency porosity.

The following components are best suited as soil for planting seedlings of flowering crops:

• riding peat;
• low-lying peat that has undergone freezing or weathering;
• heat-treated soddy soil;
• broken bark of coniferous trees;
• dried needles of coniferous trees;
• dust from grain crops;
• crushed peanut shells;
• sand - quartz or river;
• perite;
• crushed pumice and expanded clay.

One of the recipes for preparing high-quality soil: 70% - sawdust and 30% - quartz sand.

You can buy ready-made soil mixture. For example:

• soil "Flower";
• "Flora";
• "Garden Land";
• "Violet";
• "Universal".

Flower seeds are best planted in peat cups or peat tablets. The latter are much more interesting, although more expensive (from 30 rubles per tablet). All the nutrients, minerals, peat and humus necessary for the culture are concentrated here. The tablet is also convenient because 1 seed is placed in it and 1 bush grows. Then it is enough to transplant the tablet into open ground so as not to damage or disturb the still weak roots.

Stage number 3 - lighting question

As mentioned earlier, in the last winter and first spring months, daylight hours are not enough to ensure the full care of future vegetation. Therefore, it is extremely important to organize artificial lighting for them.

For these purposes, the best option would be energy-saving lamps and phytolamps. Such lighting devices will provide high-quality care for plants and help them get stronger as quickly as possible.

Organization of flower garden care

In order to implement high-quality care for flower crops during their cultivation, it is necessary to follow a number of tips:

Watering

The first moistening is organized before planting material is planted in the soil. During the period until shoots appear, there is no need to water the ground. It is enough that it was wet during disembarkation, and after sowing, the container was covered with a film. As soon as the first shoots appear, regular watering should be organized so that the soil is always moist, but not wet.

Humidification is carried out in the morning. And as a liquid for irrigation, it is best to use warm (not lower than 21 ° C), settled water for two to three days. Nasturtium, dahlias and other moisture-loving plants need frequent moisture. Whereas petunia, phlox, purslane, marigolds, zinnia and aster are watered only when the outer layer of soil is dry.

In no case do not allow waterlogging of the soil. This will lead to rotting of the root system of the seedling.

Organization of temperature conditions for growing seedlings

Acquired flower soil sterilized and laid out in containers. Next, you need to withstand the seedlings in zircon or epin (we are not talking about purchased seeds that are completely ready for planting), spread them on the surface of the soil and press them a little into the ground. After that, we cover the seedlings with a layer of earth, the thickness of which is equal to three seedling sizes. The next step is to cover the containers with seeds with a film or glass. If we are talking about hard-to-sprout seeds, then they need to be heated from below by 2-3 ° C higher than the room temperature.

Regardless of the type of crop, it is highly undesirable to grow seedlings on a cold windowsill. After the emergence of shoots, the film is removed. A couple of weeks before transplanting seedlings into open ground, you need to accustom the flowers to the cold, for which open the balcony once a day and organize good ventilation.

The most suitable conditions for growing flower seedlings: 25-30°C for thermophilic species and 18-15°C - for cold-resistant.

Transplanting seedlings

The picking of planting material should be carried out in a timely manner, when the first 2 full-fledged leaves (not cotyledons) appear on the seedlings. This process is necessary in order to increase the nutritional area for future flowers. After all, the root system is constantly growing. It is best to transplant seedlings into pots made of peat. If transplanting seedlings into a box, then you need to observe a distance of 50-60 mm between them. Moreover, if the initial landing was carried out immediately in separate containers, then there is no need for picking.

For reference. Why peat pots are recommended for plants. The composition of a quality pot includes 70% peat, 10% compressed cellulose and 20% humus with mineral additives. Such pots allow air and moisture to pass through, do not interfere with the development of the root system, and decompose in the ground within 20-24 days.

Poor-quality samples, where the amount of cellulose exceeds 50% (they are more rigid and crunchy to the touch), will destroy the plant, as they do not dissolve in the soil and do not allow the flower to develop.

Feeding

A couple of weeks after the transplant, you need to make the first feeding, which is a 1:10 solution of mullein at the rate of 200 ml of fertilizer for 8-10 seedlings. The second feeding is carried out after 45 days after the first, but only in this case a solution of mullein is used with the addition of 3 g. superphosphate and 1.5 gr. ammonium nitrate. Consumption - 200 ml for 4-5 sprouts. In the absence of mullein, bird droppings will do. Be sure to water the soil before fertilizing.

Transplanting in open soil

Seedlings are transplanted when all spring frosts have already passed and the flowers are not subject to death. Therefore, the best time for transplantation will be May or the first decade of June. It is best to wait for cloudy, but not rainy weather when the sun does not burn the ground and the roots have time to "grab".

Even if it starts to rain during transplanting, be sure to water each hole. In this case, it is much better to overfill than underfill.

Before transplanting, the soil is dug up, fertilized (with manure and compost in the fall, and with humus and mineral fertilizers in the spring), loosened and leveled. It remains only to make holes and place the sprouts, sprinkling a little earth.

For convenience, make a small hill around the hole so that the water does not spill out during irrigation, but flows directly to the root system. This practice is also used for tomatoes, cucumbers and other moisture-loving vegetable crops.

We hope these tips will help you grow beautifully flowering plants on your land.

VIDEO: How to grow seedlings of annual flowers

In order to summer period homestead was fragrant different colors it is necessary to take care of the planting material in advance. Many types of plants, 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

At the first stage, you need to find out what flowers are grown. Most often, these are small and weak seeds that can die in open ground under the influence of various weeds.

These include:

• Ageratum;
• Asters and more

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 packaging of the selected plant, which reports the time of planting seedlings, picking it to a permanent place and some important aspects growing a plant. Some types of flowers require an earlier planting, for example, carnation Shabo, Lobelia. Planting flower seedlings in January is due to a long period of germination and seed development.

At the next stage, it is necessary to prepare the seeds, soil and containers for growing flower seedlings.

Preparing seeds for sowing

For speedy germination, the seeds can be soaked (according to the instructions) in a solution of zircon or epin.

Many flower growers with seeds do the stratisfaction procedure. To do this, flower seeds are soaked in plain water for about 12 hours. Next, the dishes with seeds are cleaned in 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 stage of embryos, acquire immunity to possible temperature changes.

Preparing the soil for planting flowers

should also be unusual. Beginning gardeners can purchase a prepared mixture in the store, for example, "Live Earth".

But it is better to prepare the ground yourself. To do this, mix:

• 1 part sand;
• 2 parts of compost;
• 2 parts of soddy soil;
• 3 parts peat.

Before sowing flower seeds for seedlings, the prepared mixture, as well as seeds, must be disinfected. To do this, the entire soil is shed 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 20ºС -22ºС) soil.

Preparation of containers for growing flower seedlings

Currently, specialized stores have big choice various containers for growing flower seedlings. As a rule, they are all quite large and deep. To fill these containers, a large number of soil. Some enterprising flower growers prefer to use for sowing seedlings:

• disposable cups or mugs;
• food containers;
• containers from - for yogurt and curds;
• packages of milk and kefir cut to the desired height.

If food utensils are used, then it must be rinsed from possible food residues. It is important to remember that holes must be made at the bottom of any container to drain excess liquid.

Before filling the earth in containers, it is necessary to do drainage system. To do this, a layer of sand or fine expanded clay with a height of not more than 1 cm is laid out at the bottom of the box for flower seedlings.

It is necessary to fill the soil in the container not 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, adding soil. The earth in the container for seedlings should be tightly tamped so that when watering it does not crumble and does not lag behind the edges of the dishes.

Technology of planting flower seedlings

Immediately before sowing flowers for seedlings, the ground in prepared containers should be well watered. If you do not follow this rule, then, even before germination, additional liquid will be required, and when watering, fragile plants or seeds that have not had time to sprout can be damaged.

In moist soil, small grooves or dimples should be made if the planting material is large enough. 2-3 seeds are dropped into these holes 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 the drying of the soil. The fogging of the film should be monitored daily. If large drops of liquid accumulate on it, then the seedlings must be ventilated. You can do this in two ways:

• Just turn the bag inside out and wrap the flower seedlings over again.
• Open the bag and let the earth 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 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 desirable that there are no batteries near the containers and that they are not exposed to direct rays of sunlight. It is best 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 higher than 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. Optimum temperature and illumination is indicated on the package with seeds.

If there are not enough seedlings, then 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. Optimally suited lamps on LEDs with a predominantly red spectrum.

Many gardeners prefer to grow flower seedlings in a greenhouse available on personal plot. To do this, plant seeds are planted along the greenhouse ridges around the beginning of April and they are looked after according to all the above rules.
The only difference between the greenhouse method of growing seedlings and the home method is the absence of the need to transplant grown plants into separate pots. The disadvantage of this method is that caring for seedlings requires constant attention and being on the plot.

Picking plants

When the seeds have sprung up and several true 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 earth;
• cook necessary tools. If there are none, then you can use the usual manicure set.
• Prepare, preferably warm and settled water.

Planting seedlings of flowers 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 recess made in a separate cup, sprinkled with dry earth and the plant is watered 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 flower 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 groups. This will not allow the stems to break and will eliminate a strong load on the rhizome.

Landing Care

Flower seedlings like everyone else ordinary plants, requires timely moderate watering, getting the necessary light and, of course, constant feeding. In botanical shops, you can purchase complex fertilizers for flower seedlings, for example, Uniflor micro, Agricola.

The first feeding of plants must be performed 2-3 weeks after sowing and then at the same frequency.

You should constantly monitor the appearance of signs of disease seedlings. The most dangerous for her is the "black leg".

As a rule, this disease appears when the soil is very waterlogged and the ambient temperature is too high.

Signs of the disease of seedlings "black leg" are:

• Changes in the color of the basal sprout to brown;
• thinning of the stem of the plant;
• A sharp decrease in the bright color of the leaves.

If the first signs of the disease are detected:

• Remove infective plants from the container immediately;
• Add dry sand and lime to the container with seedlings;
• Treat the soil and plants with a solution of foundationol.

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 plaque on the leaves;
• Falling leaves.

To get rid of the disease, a solution of foundationazole 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 takes 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 to blame for not buying what you wanted.

Video: all about growing flowers

In order for the planting of flower seeds for seedlings to be successful, you must first decide on the day of planting. The time when planting seedlings of flowers is most favorable is the easiest way to determine according to the lunar calendar. In flowers, the main thing is that the aerial part is well developed - leaves, stems, flowers. The above-ground part of plants develops best, with the growing moon. At this time, the movement of juices from the root to the top and leaves begins. Therefore, we sow flower seeds on the growing moon. At the same time, the closer to the full moon the flowers are planted, the less their stem stretches.

Sowing flower seeds for seedlings

The most proven way to grow seedlings of flowers from seeds is as follows:

• use only purchased universal soil for seedlings,
• put soil in a container for seedlings, crush the soil with your palm so that the earth is compacted,
• pour until wet
• small flower seeds just put on top, without sprinkling with earth,
• sprinkle medium and large flower seeds with earth, literally 2 - 3 mm,
• cover with glass or a bag to create greenhouse conditions.

It is more efficient to grow flower seedlings in mini-greenhouses that are installed on window sills and they look noble.

When to plant asters for seedlings

Asters - autumn flowers and bloom at the end of summer and delight us with their bright colors in September, October. The advantage of growing through seedlings is that:

• flowers bloom earlier
• Seeds germinate better when planted at home in pots.

It happens that you plant asters in the garden immediately with seeds and forget, but they will not sprout. If you plant asters for seedlings, then there is a certain guarantee that the flowers will grow. The time when to plant asters for seedlings depends on your conditions:

• if there is a backlight on the windowsill where you grow seedlings, then you can plant asters from the end of February,
• if the illumination is low, then it is better to plant flowers for seedlings in mid-April.

When to plant marigolds

Marigolds are good for their long flowering, so that they bloom already in June, then they need to be planted for seedlings in the second half of March. It happens that marigold seedlings grow thin and long. Then it is better to transplant them and bury them in the ground "up to the very ears", that is, up to the cotyledon leaves. It is good to illuminate marigolds to lengthen their daylight hours and feed them with liquid mineral fertilizer to speed up flowering.

Marigolds, it is very good to plant on a bed with strawberries to scare away the weevil. In this case, medium-sized marigolds are suitable. Undersized marigolds look good along the garden paths. There is such a moment when planting marigolds in open ground, keep in mind that marigolds are afraid of frost. Therefore, transplant them when the weather is consistently warm.

In order for flower seedlings to grow strong and healthy, be sure to pay attention to the temperature regime. Most flowers from seeds germinate at a temperature of 20-25°C. With the appearance of leaves, the temperature is reduced to 18 ° C, then sowing flower seeds for seedlings will be more effective.

When to plant seedlings?

The moment when it is time to start planting seedlings depends on many factors: the climatic characteristics of the region, the length of the growing season of different plants, the method of planting (immediately in open ground or first in the greenhouse), the desired harvest or flowering time for flower crops, and so on.

Formula for calculating when to plant seedlings

In short, the formula for the date of sowing the seeds is as follows: the day of the planned planting of the plant in the ground (greenhouse) minus the number of days from seed germination to planting seedlings minus the number of days from sowing seeds to spitting.

At the same time, you need to make allowances for the surprises of nature, tracking long-term warming forecasts. For example, if April promises to be cool, and it will not be possible to plant seedlings, then it is better to sow later so that it does not outgrow, waiting for heat to establish.

Number of days for the emergence of seedlings of vegetables:

• tomatoes hatch in 6-10 days;
• cucumbers - in 3-7 days;
• pepper - 7-15 days after sowing;
• patissons, pumpkins, zucchini - in 3-10 days;
• salad - 4-10 days;
• white cabbage - 3-10 days;
• eggplant - 5-10 days.

Planting seedlings:

• peppers and tomatoes - 60 days after germination;
• zucchini and cucumbers - after 30-40 days;
• onions - after 60-70 days;
• cabbage - after 50 days;
• eggplant - after 65-70 days.

When should pepper seedlings be planted?

It is difficult to say the exact date, rather, you can calculate the approximate period. What can be stated quite definitely - pepper is a more thermophilic plant compared to tomatoes, so it is planted later.

For the middle band, the recommended dates for sowing pepper for seedlings (according to the above formula): February 19 - March 11 for planting in a greenhouse; March 11 - April 1 for planting seedlings immediately in open ground. The landing itself will take place during the periods of April 29 - May 20 in a greenhouse and May 20 - June 10 in open ground.

Additionally, you need to take into account the advice of the lunar calendar, which is slightly different every year. After making the necessary adjustments, you can calculate the optimal dates.

When can I plant tomato seedlings?

Since almost all gardeners without exception grow tomatoes, this issue is very relevant. For the middle lane, this period always falls around the end of March, since the time when it is already possible to plant seedlings in a greenhouse or open ground falls at the end of May - the beginning of June.

Counting the time of germination and development of tomato seedlings according to the formula, we get the following dates for sowing seeds: for the greenhouse and for open ground, this is approximately March 20-29. In more southern regions the dates are shifted to the middle or end of February (for a more accurate determination of the date, refer to the forecast and the lunar calendar).

When to plant flowers for seedlings?

If you want to decorate your garden with flowers, you need to take care of this back in February. And some flowers, such as pansies or Shabo carnations, can be sown as early as January.

In February, you can plant such flowers: begonia, petunia, pelargonium, balsam, salvia, cineraria, etc. In general, the timing of planting flower seeds is largely determined by how soon you want to see flowering.

If you have the possibility of additional lighting and a place to keep seedlings in winter, you can safely start sowing work in early February. Then lush flowering can be observed already in May-June.

Of course, when calculating the timing, it is necessary to take into account the characteristics of the hybrids, the timing of flowering, the interval between seed germination and the beginning of flowering. Regarding the last factor, we can say that for some flowers this interval is a month, for others - 2 or more.

When to plant flowers for seedlings in 2016

Selection and purchase of seeds

But before planting flowers, you need to buy their seeds. Here, too, there are subtleties that I would like to mention right away. Before buying a bag of seeds you like, be sure to look at the end date of its implementation.

It is desirable that it be the end of this or next year. Otherwise, the flowers may simply not sprout. In addition to the expiration date, pay attention to the conditions that the flower you have chosen needs. And think about whether there is a suitable place for it on your site. For flowerbeds that are located in the shade, I advise choosing flowers such as balsam, levkoy or lobelia. If you cannot provide daily watering for your flower garden, then look at plants that are resistant to drought. For example, pay attention to phlox, marigolds, nasturtium or salvia. Do not forget about the queen of any flower bed - petunia, which will delight you with its flowering for a long time. And when to plant petunias for seedlings, every self-respecting gardener should know. Usually, to find out when to plant flowers, they use their own personal experience and lunar calendar.2

How to plant flowers according to the lunar calendar

Many letniki delight us with their flowering until the frost, and when sowing seedlings, you can shift the beginning of flowering almost a month in advance. Therefore, I advise you to start planting seeds in the following order:

• End of February - pansies, petunia, diacea and sage.
• During March: verbena, delphinium (perennial), levkoy, asters, carnations and phlox.
• Late March - early April: marigolds, zinnias and aramanth.
• End of April - beginning of May. During this period, flowers can be sown directly on the flower bed. I advise you to start with perennials, which are resistant to cold. For example, sow iberis, calendula and purslane.

For many gardeners, asters are one of the most beloved flowers. But they can be sown both throughout March and in early April. When to plant asters is most often determined based on climatic conditions your region.

According to the lunar calendar for this year bulbous flowers best planted on seedlings during the growing moon.

And sow flowers from seeds the lunar calendar advises closer to the full moon, during the 2nd phase.

General rules for sowing flowers

Each flower has its own characteristics of sowing, but I want to recall the nuances of cultivation common to all flower crops. They will come in handy for beginner gardeners, and experienced summer residents may find something interesting for themselves. So, you have chosen the right plants for your site and know when to sow them, now you need to prepare the inventory:

For the cultivation of flower seedlings of petunia, the use of seeds is supposed High Quality, whose manufacturers are well-known floricultural companies. Petunia flower seedlings must meet all necessary requirements(resistance of this variety to conditions external environment, plant sizes, colors, etc.) for seasonal landscaping of gardens, parks, squares.

For sowing seeds for seedlings, a fine fraction substrate is used, made on the basis of high-quality high-moor peat, with the appropriate content of micro-macro elements and acidity pH, as well as with a minimum level of salinity. The substrate for sowing seeds must be disinfected from diseases and pests and pass water well. For sowing seeds, you can use special plastic containers with a height of at least 10 cm. The container is filled with 8 cm of substrate, the remaining 2 cm are left free in order to protect young seedlings from temperature changes and cold air movement during ventilation.

Petunia seeds are of two types - pure and coated. The latter have a number of advantages. The shell protects the seeds from diseases and various mechanical damage, and also facilitates sowing. The advantage of unshelled seeds is only that they are less expensive and good germination can be achieved if properly sown. It is advisable to mark the crops of petunias in order to know which variety you are sowing.

Secrets of the abundant flowering of petunias. The practice of growing petunias has deduced the following formula: large capacity, regular top dressing, sufficient watering, removal of faded flowers. If you want the petunia to bush and not stretch one stem up, you need to pinch it over the third leaf.

When to sow petunia seeds for seedlings

The main question that interests many beginner gardeners is how to properly plant petunias for seedlings and when to start sowing ... Sowing dates depend on when you want to get flowering seedlings. In the middle lane, sowing seeds for seedlings, as a rule, is planted in late February - early March. Then at the end of May - mid-June, depending on the variety group, the plants will bloom. You can do this in January, because it is possible to illuminate the seedlings.

For sowing, a soil mixture has been prepared since autumn: garden soil, humus, sand in a ratio of 1: 1: 2. Crockery, wooden vegetable crates or plastic bottles cut lengthwise. The boxes are covered with newspapers, fall asleep and left in the cold so that it freezes well in winter. And in early January we bring it into the house. When the contents thaw, you can start sowing. If it is not possible to prepare the soil in the fall, then you can fill the containers with disinfected soil before sowing.

Growing seedlings of petunias...

Seeds should be sown evenly. on damp soil, then lightly press down. Since petunia seeds are very small, they are mixed with dry sand (1: 5) before sowing. After sowing, they are not sprinkled with a substrate, but they should be immediately poured through a fine strainer with a 0.1% solution of previcur. This procedure is necessary to protect seedlings from fungal diseases. Then the containers are placed on prepared racks and tightly covered with a half-carbonate or glass lid. Subsequently, water only when necessary. In order not to move the seeds from their place and not wash them off, they are carefully sprayed from a spray bottle.

On the 5th-8th day (depending on the temperature) after sowing, the first shoots appear. If too many seeds are planted and very close to each other, then during germination it is easier to pluck out extra seedlings than dive. The optimum temperature for growing petunia seedlings is 20-22 degrees Celsius. When shoots appear, the lid is opened, and the temperature in the room is gradually lowered to 18 degrees Celsius. Then water more often, also being careful.

When creating optimal conditions, 2.5-3 weeks after sowing, the seedlings that have appeared can dive (see below). 3 weeks after the first pick, the seedlings are planted in flower containers (8-10 cm in diameter), using a substrate containing the largest number of micro and macro elements. After transplanting petunia seedlings into flower containers for good rooting for 7-10 days, the temperature is maintained: at night +18 degrees, in the daytime +20 degrees of heat, then it is lowered at night to +14, in the daytime to +16 degrees of heat.

Planting petunias for seedlings from seeds in granules

And if the petunia seeds are in granules ... We draw shallow parallel grooves on the surface, spill it well, then cover it with strips cut from colored paper napkins. We lightly press the strips to the ground and carefully (using a wet wooden ice cream stick) spread the seeds in granules on them. The granules easily adhere to the strips and are no longer lost in the ground. We do not sprinkle earth on top. We spray crops from a spray bottle. Along the grooves we put plates indicating the variety, date of sowing and the number of seeds sown. Then we cover the containers with crops with a dense transparent film and put them in a bright, warm place (about +22 degrees).

Seeds germinate under a fluorescent lamp in 10-20 days at a temperature of +20-22 degrees. Light is necessary for emerging sprouts and the more it is, the stronger they turn out. If there is not enough light, the sprouts stretch out and often fall. After the appearance of the first true leaf, we ventilate the crops, remove the film and reduce the temperature (at night) to + 14-16 degrees. In the phase of the 3rd leaf of planting, you can thin out a little, plant extra seedlings. In the future, the main thing is not to overmoisten them. Water every 3 days: if the soil is allowed to dry slightly, the roots will begin to seek moisture and work better. It is advisable to pinch the plants, and for early planting, you can take apical cuttings.

Petunia seedling picking

When the plants grow up and get stronger, dive them into separate containers. For this, it is best to use plastic cassettes with 100, 260, 380 holes (the best option is cassettes with 260 holes). After picking, the 1st watering is carried out with a 0.1% solution of previcur, subsequent - clean water. At the same time, it is desirable to maintain the temperature for rooting seedlings within 18-20 degrees Celsius. Under such conditions, the plant quickly takes root, and on the 10th day after picking, the seedlings can be fertilized with mineral fertilizer. Top dressing is repeated 2-3 times.

You can also use plastic cups (0.5 l). We make holes in them for the flow of water. To the previous composition of the soil mixture, add 1 part of the husk from buckwheat or millet. The earth becomes loose, breathable. We put the glasses in a common dish and pour through the pan. Petunia grows strong and blooms in these cups. And when the threat of the last frosts has passed, we transfer the seedlings into containers for permanent place, having previously poured expanded clay to the bottom. Sprinkle a little earth on top. Petunia grown in this way practically does not get sick and blooms until the very cold.

At an early age, petunias develop very slowly, building up the root system. If, after the appearance of the first true leaf, they are picked, the plants will gain mass faster. Petunia seedlings move to a greenhouse or a glazed balcony when the night temperature does not fall below 6 degrees Celsius. Mature plants also prefer well-lit, open areas...

How to grow petunia seeds?

As soon as flowering begins, immediately mark a few lower buds, where the seeds are likely to appear before the rest of the buds. Save these buds for seed collection. Having chosen the buds - be patient. Petunia seeds ripen long enough. The period from the very beginning of the flowering of the bud to the full ripening of the seeds, when they can already be harvested, is from two to three months.

Most hybrid plants are very unstable in offspring, or the flowers may be of a different color or size. That is, the result of your efforts to collect seeds and grow petunias will surprise you. That is why, choosing hybrid varieties for cultivation, it is better to purchase seeds in specialized stores.

For planting grown seedlings in open ground, propagation by cuttings, see a separate page....

8 flower crops that are sown for seedlings in February

At flower growers in February, the sowing season begins. Flower crops with a long growing season are sown on seedlings in order to have time to enjoy their flowering. While there is still time until the end of the month, let's remember what is worth sowing right now.

Petunia

A favorite of many gardeners, long-blooming and abundantly blooming petunia (Petunia) is distinguished by its unpretentiousness and endurance. And a huge number of varieties of various colors allows you to choose plants for any garden or balcony composition. For example, such as described here.

Most petunia varieties have long shoots, reaching 150-180 cm. They look great in hanging baskets and balcony boxes (the main thing is to choose a place where the plants will be reliably protected from the wind, which easily breaks fragile branches). Flowers, depending on the variety, are simple or double, but the colors are for every taste, including many hybrids and varieties with two-color petals (with contrasting longitudinal stripes or a border around the edges).

Petunias are sown in late February - early March. The seeds are very small, and sowing is carried out exclusively on the surface of the soil, in no case burying the seeds. Seedlings usually appear together, after 10-14 days (if the seeds are of high quality). The grown seedlings dive into separate pots. In general, petunia seedlings develop better if they are transplanted 2-3 times during the growth period, gradually increasing the volume. landing capacity. In mid-May, seedlings can be planted in flower beds or containers. By this time, her buds are usually already formed, and some varieties even have time to bloom.

Lobelia

A charming plant, appropriate in almost any garden composition. When Lobelia (Lobelia erinus) blooms, its foliage is not visible among the many small flowers surprisingly clean, bright colors.

Among the varieties of lobelia, ampelous ones are distinguished (they are more common in our gardens) and compact cushion-shaped. The flowers can be bright blue, dark purple, light blue, pink or white. Flowering is usually very long - from June to frost. In the summer heat, lobelia may stop blooming - then it needs to be severely cut off and regular watering provided, and it will again delight the eye with a riot of colors.

Lobelia is an excellent ground cover or ampelous plant. It is suitable for both borders and carpet plantings; perfectly fills empty spaces at the foot of tall crops, gracefully decorates the edges of balcony boxes and other containers.

Lobelia is sown in late February - early March in seedling boxes on the soil surface. The crops are slightly rolled, without covering the seeds with soil, and moistened abundantly with a spray bottle. Seedlings appear in about 2 weeks. Seedlings dive and place in a bright, well-ventilated place, and from mid-May they are planted in the ground or in containers.

Without seedlings in the conditions of the Middle Stripe, it will not be possible to admire the flowering of the Shabo carnation (Dianthus caryophyllus var. schabaud): it occurs 5-6 months after sowing. Therefore, February is the optimal time to start growing seedlings.

Until relatively recently, red and white carnations were an indispensable attribute of any celebrations and official events. You could also buy more "informal" pink flowers. And now the variety of varieties can cause confusion - there are many of them, and they are all beautiful.

Growing carnation Shabo, in principle, is not difficult - the main task is not to miss the sowing time. The rest of the plant is quite undemanding, although it grows better on fertile soils. A flowering carnation is very expressive, so you should choose a place for it in the garden where it will be clearly visible. This plant loves light, is quite cold-resistant (seedlings can be planted in the ground already in the second half of May) and drought-resistant.

After sowing, boxes with plants are kept at a temperature of +23 ... +25 degrees until the seeds sprout (shoots appear after 7-10 days). Seedlings need good lighting, so they should be planted in separate pots so that they do not obscure each other. So that the plants do not stretch, they need a lot of light and coolness (+14 ... +15 degrees); watering is moderate. You can read more about this and other types of cloves in this article.

Begonia evergreen

An amazing unpretentious plant that blooms from June to the very autumn cold. There are many options for placing it in the garden: begonia (Begonia semperflorens) can be grown as an ampelous plant or a flowering border, planted in containers for balconies and terraces and used in carpet plantings.

lavender angustifolia

It's fragrant graceful plant grows well and winters well in the conditions of the Middle Strip, so you can safely grow it in the garden or in a container on a balcony, loggia, terrace. In flower beds, narrow-leaved lavender (Lavandula angustifolia) is excellently adjacent to roses; you can plant it in a separate bed or flower bed with herbs, creating a "corner of the Mediterranean" in his garden.

The seeds of narrow-leaved lavender require stratification - this explains such an early date for sowing it for seedlings (as an option, it can be sown before winter). Sow to a depth of no more than 0.5 cm in well-moistened soil. The container with crops is covered with a film or glass and cleaned in the refrigerator. Seed producers recommend stratification for 3 months, but in practice we managed with half the time.

In the phase of 2-3 pairs of true leaves, seedlings should be dived, and planted in the ground when return frosts have passed (in the Middle lane it is more reliable - in early June). Unlike mature plants, young ones are not too cold-resistant. If you are interested in this plant and want to learn more about growing and caring for lavender, check out this article.

Salvia (sparkling sage)

Heat-loving salvia (Salvia splendens) in the climate of our latitudes is grown as an annual. It comes from South America, where it is cultivated as a perennial plant. In our gardens, salvia, also known as sparkling or brilliant sage, is quite popular.

Most often you can find the red-flowered form of this plant, but there are also varieties with purple or purple flowers. Typically, salvia is used in group landings, it looks best on large areas, attracting with its brightness, richness of color. But you can use it for container landings.

Salvia is sown in late February - early March, sprinkling thin layer soil. They dive in phase 4-5 of this leaf, and in late May - early June (depending on climate and weather) they are planted in the ground, preferably in a sunny place. Well, you can read more about this and other types of salvia (sage), their features and cultivation in this article.

Viola (Wittrock violet)

If you want Viola (Viola x wittrockiana) to bloom in the year of sowing, and bloom from the end of May until the snow, sow it for seedlings in February.

This popular plant probably needs no introduction. Let me just remind you that this biennial culture, very widely used by flower growers, is valued for its long flowering, an abundance of varieties of various colors and amazing unpretentiousness. Viola calmly tolerates a transplant even when flowering, grows well and can grow both in flower beds and in all kinds of containers.

When growing seedlings, grown seedlings dive into separate cups. In order for the violas to develop well and not stretch out, it is advisable to place the seedlings in a cool (+14 ... +15 degrees) well-lit place. You can read more about growing viola, caring for it and placing it in the garden here.

The forgotten (and completely unfairly!) heliotrope (Heliotropium arborescens) is gaining popularity again. But once a rare garden did without this flower, which has a marvelous vanilla aroma. Interesting Facts you will find about it here.

It should be sown superficially, as heliotrope seeds germinate only in the light. Press them into the soil by pressing them lightly, but don't sprinkle them on top. A month later, when the seedlings grow up, dive them into separate pots. Seedlings can be moved to the garden from mid-May.

Elena, Lviv

Marina, prepared: violet, petunia, a little lobelia, heliotrope. Begonia and carnation cuttings. I will give the tuber, there is not enough space in the sowing boxes. The "feature" of these species this year is black violet and petunia, a mix of Rococo violets.

Marina, Nekrasovskoe

Oh, and tell me the varieties of black violet and petunia, please! I want too :) There is still time to search and sow.

Elena, Lviv

Marina, I tearfully promise to take pictures of all my new items. It is necessary - we will send (glued with adhesive tape) if this option suits. Ours are cheap. True, black petunia is not sold in stores, only on the Internet. We have Rococo in several firms, it is still rarely sold.

Daisy, Kapchagay

MARINA, good afternoon

in that year I planted such a petunia, out of 10 seeds sprouted 6. and bloomed all summer, in combination with white or yellow petunia, they looked just great. I collected the seeds, already planted them for seedlings, sprouts appeared 5 days ago.

Natalia, Vladivostok

My petunias are already up. I sowed three species, two species sprouted together, almost all. And the third, the most beautiful, went up alone. Petunias are all hybrid, 10 seeds in total in a package. I sowed 6 varieties of large-fruited tomatoes, sweet and bitter peppers, 2 types of eggplant, celery and leek. This year I bought fluorescent phytolamps, I really hope that the illumination with lamps will help my sprouts.

Marina, Nekrasovskoe

Yes, it often happens with petunias. I have a friend who specializes in this plant, we shared “spheres of influence” with her :) We sow, who grows better, and then we exchange impressions and seedlings)) So, every year she has such a story: some petunias sprout quickly and amicably , and for others, out of 7-10 seeds, not a single sprout may come out at all. By the way, she says that the maximum waiting time is 2 weeks. If during this time they have not ascended, you can not wait any longer: if shoots appear, there will be no sense from them - weak, non-viable plants are obtained.

And I have very good impressions from the lamps. I just made sure that I need to adjust the height: if they are hung too high from the seedlings, the light is scattered, and there is little use.

Elena, Lviv

Petunias, as far as I noticed, first need warmth, and then air humidity and bright light.

Tatiana

I haven’t had time to sow flowers yet, but I’m going to sow forks and Shabo carnations, I hope everything will be ok. :))

Natalia, Vladivostok

I read fluorescent lamps should be hung at a height of 20-30cm. They do not give much heat, but ordinary lamps heat, and there is little effect from them. After germination, t must be lowered to 15 degrees, so there is nothing to heat. Fluorescent Lamp you need a special one, for plants, blue-pink in color, this is light close to the sun, for photosynthesis. I found it with difficulty in my city. Now I'm watching the results.

Elena, Lviv

Please, can you name the brand?

Natalia, Vladivostok

Elena, Lviv

Thanks for the info, I read a lot of good things about these lamps! I wanted to order it online, but the purchase never took place. I've read a lot of information about their uselessness. Now I have no doubts about the purchase.

Natalia, Vladivostok

And on the contrary, I read a lot of useful things about lamps, and summer residents praise them on the forums, so I decided to buy them. LED ones are much more expensive, and fluorescent ones are cheaper, and they write that they are more useful.

Elena, Lviv

I'm sure you should always try!

Efimiya Zavyalova, Kursk

I bought at the Epicenter, OSRAM, Flora, if I'm not mistaken ...

Ludmila Lazarenko

Well, here are my petunias, get ready in February in a pot ... I love petunias

Zhuravleva Tatiana

Marina, thank you very much for reminding me which flower seeds to plant in February.

Valentina Bugay, Ukraine

THANK YOU FOR THE RECOMMENDATIONS AND ADVICE.

Tatiana, Russia

Marinochka! Thank you very much for interesting material. I just bought a garden, I have no experience, so I am very grateful to you!

Irina, Kursk

Pelargonium from seeds

Tatiana, Russia

Please share how pelargonium was sown. I read that its seeds need to be scarified, i.e. break the shell. At first I sowed just as usual, without scarification, 3 out of 5 pieces, did not wait for seedlings (more than 3 weeks have passed), then I sowed and the remaining 2 were pre-scraped and also 10 days have passed, but no seedlings can be seen. Sowed in tablets, ordered professional seeds, i.e. must be of good quality.

Elena Petrovna, Velikiye Luki

Tatyana, I sowed pelargonium, just planting the seeds 0.5 cm - and in heat under the film. It sprouts very quickly (up to 6-7 days). And if you have seeds in a dragee, then lay them on the surface, sprinkle abundantly from a spray bottle - the shell will dissolve. If too dense, help with a toothpick. And then sprinkle with earth.

nina pashkova, Karabanovo

Thanks for the answer. It seems that she did everything, she watched videos about sowing pelargonium before planting, so there, in general, she just germinates on cotton pads and, in my opinion, on baby diapers (which they just don’t come up with). Well, I'll try again - I want to grow it myself

Natasha, Russia

Thank you! Everything is very clever and simply stated. Looking forward to more tips!

Svetlana, Russia

girls, tell me, when you sow seeds for seedlings of flowers, do you need to open the package to ventilate, or do you need to open it when the seedlings have risen?

Be sure to open and ventilate

Soboleva Svetlana, Russia

It is necessary to open it even before germination, otherwise the earth may become moldy and the seedlings, without having time to sprout in a normal way, may rot

Julia Kovalevskaya, Belarus

Thank you all very much!

Galina, Gomel

I can add a little to the list: pelargoniums and ivy and zonals, coleus, daisies, primroses, delphiniums, abutilon, levisia, penstemon, calibrachoa, strawberries, buddleia, armeria, catharanthus, bluebells, platycodon, geyhera, New Guinean balsam, rhodochiton, azarina. Of course, this is offhand (I went through my bags). And so, you can continue indefinitely.

Irina Taibi, Almaty (Alma-Ata)

WHAT GOOD YOU ARE! THANK YOU SO MUCH!

Nikolai Shumilkin, Novopolotsk

Tatiana Vikulina, Novokuibyshevsk

I buy peat tablets or you can put them in small yogurt cups, and carefully spread them over the surface with a toothpick, without sprinkling them with earth. Then you need to put in a plastic bag until shoots appear. If the ground dries up, sprinkle them with water from a spray bottle. I just planted yesterday. I do this all the time. The seedlings are growing well. I never dive, I just plant them in pots in small bunches. Good luck!

Valentina K., Russia

If the seeds are small, I usually mix them with dry sand, in a ratio of 2: 1 (2 parts of sand, preferably large). And I sow the seeds in plastic boxes from cakes, pastries, etc. They are transparent and with lids - very convenient , it turns out a kind of mini-pairs.

If you have snow - then no problem at all: pour earth into a bowl, a small layer of snow on top. You tamp and sow everything. On the snow you can clearly see the number of seeds and, accordingly, the frequency of sowing. You don't need to water the first time.

Thanks!

Marina, thank you very much for the article, it was especially interesting to learn about the heliotrope, I have a long-standing dream of planting my garden with old plants, making a kind of “Russian estate” out of the garden, I would like to learn more about the plants that inhabited our gardens in the 17-19th centuries.

Garden annuals are best known for their relentless, surprisingly long flowering period. None of the perennial crops can compete with them in the ability to bloom all summer and even autumn with the same intensity. In order for the colorful parade of your favorite flowers to start early and they effectively decorate balconies, terraces, flower beds and window sills, you need to take care of planting seedlings in advance.

Zinnia flowers. liz west

Annual garden and balcony flowers are preferred to be grown by seedlings, mainly because of the earlier flowering. Thanks to planting in early spring for seedlings, you can get a flowering plant even when in regions with harsh winters only the threat of return frosts will disappear and favorable conditions will be created for sowing heat-loving crops in the soil. But this method also has other advantages. After all, in essence, crucial the first two weeks of plant life play in the development and flowering of summer plants, when all the most important processes of vegetation are laid. And only with the seedling method it is possible to control everything necessary for future flowering stars optimal parameters cultivation.

The seedling method is preferred for annuals:

• from among heat-loving crops that cannot tolerate temperatures below 5 ° and need bright lighting;
• with the longest flowering period, lasting from May to October;
• with a long growing season, which must reach 70-80 days of age before flowering;
• who want to speed up flowering by a month or more.

Flowerbed of Viola and Cineraria. jugnoofarms

Sowing seedlings of annuals should begin in January. The first seedlings are sown on seedlings of carnation Shabo. In February, lobelia and annual sage are sown. In March, the seeds of most annuals are planted, including petunias, ageratum, lobularia, etc. But such “fast” summers as marigolds, sweet peas, nasturtium and zinnia can wait until April and even May, so they are often sown immediately in the open priming.

What annual flowers should be grown from seedlings?

Easily propagated, long blooming and surprisingly easy to care for, Ageratum is a truly versatile annual that looks good in flower beds and cut flowers. Fluffy baskets, most often of blue and lilac flowers, seem like small terry spheres, collected in dense inflorescences and crowned with compact densely branched bushes of bright greenery. Today, Mexican ageratum is the most popular.

For seedlings, ageratum seeds are sown at the end of March or in the first decade of April. Ageratum should grow in a loose substrate from a standard mixture of peat, humus and sand.

Before sowing seeds, the soil is gently moistened with a spray bottle, then small seeds are distributed over the surface as rarely as possible and lightly sent with sifted soil. Immediately after sowing, it is better to cover the container with glass or film. Seeds can germinate only in bright light at a temperature of 18 to 22 °C. Before germination, containers must be regularly ventilated and moistened with seeds. As soon as the first shoots appear, the "cap" should be removed.

Ageratums. plantmenow

Dive seedlings of ageratum after releasing the second pair of true leaves. Young plants need to be grown in the brightest light and sufficiently high temperatures - daytime not lower than 20 ° and night not lower than 15 °. Ageratum seedlings require a "dry" care regimen. This plant tolerates light drying of the substrate and dry air better, watering should be done infrequently, allowing the top layer of soil to dry completely, and then completely wetting the substrate during the next procedure. 2 weeks before planting, it is necessary to start accustoming plants to the open air.

Ageratum in open ground can be transferred only from the third decade of May. The recommended planting distance is about 15-20 cm. Immediately after planting in open soil, plants need to pinch the tops of the shoots.

Without alyssum, it is impossible to imagine any alpine slide. This is a simple and surprisingly modest plant that will impress any gardener. Borachok, as we lovingly call alyssum, rarely reaches a maximum height of half a meter, conquers with the density of the rug and foam-like lacy bloom with a honey aroma. In alyssum today, the color of the varieties is not limited to the traditional white and pink.

Sowing seeds for alyssum should be done in April. Growing seedlings of this plant requires mandatory early picking and it is better to choose sufficiently large boxes or containers for sowing. For lobularia, it is necessary to choose soil mixtures with a minimal risk of spreading the “black leg” - consisting of soddy soil, sand and peat in a ratio of 3:1:1.

Alyssum seeds germinate under standard conditions, in good light at a temperature of 18 to 20°C. They are rarely sown, under glass or film to a depth of no more than 0.5 cm. Young alyssums dive after the appearance of the second true leaf. This culture must be planted in individual containers. Plant care is standard, waterlogging of the soil should not be allowed.

Alyssum in a flower bed with cineraria and verbena. msucares

Alyssum can be transferred to a permanent place of cultivation in the soil only after the threat of return frosts has disappeared, approximately from the last days of May to the end of June. The recommended distance when planting seedlings is 15 cm between bushes and about 20 cm to other crops. After transferring to the ground, it is necessary to carry out abundant watering.

3. Balsam

Known as impatiens, garden balsams, for the entire duration of their flowering, are undemanding to care for and are considered one of the easiest annuals to grow. Juicy greenery, on the edges of the leaves of which dew accumulates on bad days and simple pretty flowers do not in the least remove the beauty of plants that can bloom for six months. Distinctive feature balsamine is a good seed germination. They can be planted in sufficient late dates due to the short vegetative period before the start of flowering.

Balsam seeds for seedlings are sown from early April to mid-May. For this plant, any sufficiently high-quality and fertile substrate is suitable. For good germination of balsam seeds, it is enough to provide a light location and a temperature of about 20 ° C. It is necessary to cover the seedlings with glass or film.

Balsams dive only in the field of the appearance of the second pair of leaves; with rare sowing, you can not plant seedlings at all. At the stage of growing seedlings, it is necessary to water very carefully. For balsam, they should be moderate, allow the soil to dry out in top layer between procedures.

Balsam garden. uconnladybug

Balsams begin to be brought into open soil at the end of May, after the last spring frosts have disappeared. You should not rush to plant balsams in the ground, because these plants cannot stand temperatures below 5 ° heat. Between plants it is necessary to leave 20-25 cm of free soil.

The decorative advantages of verbena include not only a very long flowering, but also a large variability of colors. different varieties. These are beautifully flowering crops with bright colors of small flowers with white "eyes", collected in small umbrellas of inflorescences over bright and lush greenery. Bush and ampel verbena are most often grown as annuals, and in regions with harsh winters, you can enjoy their flowering and fragrance only when grown through seedlings. Regardless of the characteristics of a particular variety or intended maximum height plants (and it can range from 15 to 70 cm), verbena seedlings are always grown in the same way.

Verbena. plantify

Verbena seeds for seedlings must be sown in March or April. A key feature of this plant is that it is better to sow seeds not in substrates, but in clean sand. Verbena seeds are rarely and evenly distributed over the surface of leveled and moistened sand, in no case are they deepened and not even sprinkled on top. After sowing, the seed container must be covered with a film or glass and placed in a very warm, and most importantly bright place.

In order to succeed in growing seedlings of vervain, it is necessary to provide young shoots with a stable temperature in the range from 20 to 22°C. Picking for verbena is carried out very late, only after the seedlings grow up to 10 cm. They must be planted in individual containers. Immediately after transfer to a fresh nutrient substrate, top dressing should be carried out (standard dosage of complex mineral fertilizers). As the ampel varieties of verbena grow, it is necessary to pinch over the fifth leaf on the main and side shoots. Verbena seedlings must be acclimatized before being moved to a permanent place of cultivation, at least for several hours a day, taking them out into the fresh air.

Vervain can be transferred to the soil after the disappearance of spring frosts, not earlier than at the end of May. Before planting, it is necessary to prepare the holes in advance and soak them with plenty of water.

5. Chinese carnation and Shabo

Lush bushes, decorated with a huge number of double flowers reaching 7 cm in diameter, are the main pride of the Shabo carnation, one of the earliest in terms of sowing for seedlings of annuals. This plant is grown both for decorating flower beds or potted gardens, and for cutting. Chinese carnation is a plant with a completely different character. Simple, occasionally terry and rather small flowers are collected in corymbs of inflorescences, and rather conquer the number, not the size.

Despite the status of a biennial carnation, the Chinese carnation blooms no less profusely when grown through seedlings as an ordinary annual. Despite different cultivation techniques, two types of carnations are united by a large number of diversely colored varieties, abundant and very attractive flowering. For growing through seedlings, both very compact varieties about 10 cm high and the largest varieties up to half a meter in height are suitable.

Carnation garden, or Dutch carnation, Shabo. pichost

In order to get seedlings of Shabo cloves, sowing seeds must be carried out at the end of January or at the very beginning of February. Since this plant will not begin flowering until six months after sowing, sowing as early as possible allows for much more productive and spectacular flowering. But the seeds of Chinese cloves are sown in March.

For Chinese cloves, it is preferable to use nutrient mixtures of humus, leafy soil and sand. But Shabo prefers an earth mixture consisting of peat, soddy soil, sand and humus, loose and moist. Sowing for both species is carried out according to the usual technology, slightly covering the rarely located seeds with a layer of sifted soil and be sure to cover future shoots with glass or film. The optimal germination temperature for Chinese cloves is about 20°C, for Shabo cloves - from 16 to 18°C.

Shabo carnation seedlings need to be ventilated daily, due to early sowing, they require additional illumination after germination. As they grow, stronger seedlings with several true leaves must be planted in individual pots or containers. In carnation Shabo, it is better to pinch the grown seedlings over 2-3 nodes of leaves, stimulating a denser tillering. All carnations are watered moderately enough, allowing the substrate to dry out and preventing waterlogging of the soil. Carnation Shabo, due to its long growing period at the seedling stage, needs three top dressings with complex fertilizers or special mixtures for flowering crops.

Carnation garden, or Dutch carnation, Shabo. 99roots

In open soil, young plants of Chinese carnation and Shabo can be transferred from the end of May. Prior to this, they must be hardened for at least two weeks. The recommended landing distance is about 20 cm.

6. Lobelia

Charming lobelia in the soil forms openwork creeping carpets, completely strewn with delicate small flowers, although most often this culture is used today as an ampelous one. Blooming lobelias seem to be blue, lilac, pink clouds, because greenery is completely hidden under an amazing number of flowers. Lobelia has more than three hundred varieties, all varieties are distinguished by long and abundant flowering. The leaves of the plant are not inferior in beauty to flowers, even if they can only be appreciated at a young age. Despite the fact that lobelia is considered a poisonous crop, it is so easy to care for that it is rightfully considered one of the main flyers.

Lobelia erinus, Lobelia long-leaved, garden lobelia. Manu

For seedlings, lobelia seeds must be sown in the third decade of March or in the first decade of April. For this plant, it is necessary to carefully choose substrates, because healthy young seedlings can be grown only in light and loose soil that does not contain compost. The substrate before sowing the seeds must be disinfected with any of the special preparations or treated with a weak solution of potassium permanganate.

Lobelia seeds are very small and must be mixed with sand before sowing, and only then evenly scattered over the substrate. Immediately after sowing, the seeds must be sprayed with a fine spray. Lobelia germinates under cover with a film or cap, which must be regularly removed for ventilation. The optimum temperature for this flyer is from 18 to 22°C.

As soon as the second pair of true leaves appears on the growing plants, they must be planted in separate containers, but not one plant at a time, but 2-3 seedlings each. Care for growing seedlings comes down to very careful and discreet watering, which should be carried out only by controlling the degree of drying of the substrate and not allowing the soil to become waterlogged.

Lobelia seedlings are transferred to open soil in early June, in best case at the end of May, planting it in ampeli. The longer the hardening period, the better. There should be a distance of about 15 cm between plants when planting.

7. Snapdragon

Despite the fact that snapdragon is absolutely not frost-resistant and is grown only as an annual in regions with harsh winters, it never goes out of style. original form charming flowers crowning compact bushes in pyramids of inflorescences is enhanced by a variety of strokes, spots, multi-colored combinations. The color palette of this plant includes all shades of the soft scale from white to pink and red, orange, yellow and purple. Absolutely all varieties of plants, both dwarf, and medium-sized, and tall, reaching more than 1 m in height, reproduce perfectly through seedlings.

This plant is rightfully considered one of the simplest in terms of its cultivation technique. Snapdragon grows well in any soil mixture without humus content based on soddy soil with the addition of sand and peat. It is enough to sow snapdragon seeds in any container and box in March, and in about 10-14 days they will already give friendly shoots. Snapdragon seedlings can be obtained without creating greenhouse conditions, although flower growers usually cover crops with film or glass with daily airing. For this plant, it is extremely important to provide bright lighting, because the seedlings are quickly drawn out.

After the emergence of seedlings, the plants are grown for 5-10 days, after which they dive, preferably planting seedlings in individual containers one at a time. Snapdragons require standard care with fairly heavy watering to keep the soil lightly moist but not waterlogged. Seedlings should not be watered in the afternoon, and during the growth period it is necessary to carry out one or two top dressings with a half dose of fertilizers and constantly maintain soil looseness.

In open ground, snapdragon seedlings can be transferred without waiting for the disappearance of the last spring frosts, when the ground warms up, approximately from the second half of May. A few days before planting in the soil, it is imperative to pinch the tops of all shoots, which only stimulates the number of flowers.

8. Petunia

Petunia, the queen of annuals, remains today a leader plant, which is actively used both in urban landscaping and in decorating gardens: it blooms tirelessly all summer in ampels, containers, on balconies, in borders, flower beds of all sizes and types. An elegant annual with numerous very flexible shoots, the greenery of which is practically hidden under a huge number of simple or double gramophone flowers, today it is considered the most profusely colored and more versatile summer. In petunias, almost all varieties and species are propagated through seedlings, with the exception of terry plants, which have their own characteristics kept only when cuttings. Petunias bloom on average 2.5-3 months after sowing seeds.

Petunia in a pot. tried and true

For petunias, a key condition for seed germination and the quality development of seedlings is to provide as bright lighting as possible. To obtain healthy seedlings, the seeds of this plant are best sown in March or in the first days of April, if possible, additionally illuminate the seedlings even in February. The soil is selected very carefully, from among light, loose, nutritious substrates that do not contain humus or compost and consist exclusively of soddy soil with the addition of 1/3 of peat and sand. The substrate must be sifted before sowing the seeds.

Petunia seeds must be mixed with dry sand before the procedure. The soil is carefully leveled, abundantly moistened with a spray bottle, then seeds are distributed over it, spraying is repeated and the seedlings are immediately covered with film or glass. In order for tiny seedlings to appear in about 7-10 days, petunias need to provide an air temperature of 20 to 23 degrees Celsius.

After the appearance tiny plants daily seedlings are sprayed, maintaining a stable soil moisture, and up to 3-4 times a day, the shoots are turned towards the light, preventing curvature. Shelter from seedlings is not removed until the first leaf appears, but the glass or film is lifted daily for optimal air circulation. Dive is carried out when the second true leaf has blossomed.

At the stage of growing seedlings for petunias key factor is high humidity, which is not easy to maintain, because the plant does not tolerate waterlogging (as a result of excess water in the substrate, young seedlings can die from a black leg, but the consequences of even a slight drying of the substrate are no better). If petunia seedlings begin to hurt, watering should be reduced, sprinkle tiny plants with dry sand and try to dive as soon as possible.

Flowerbed with Petunias. E.J. Jaxtimer

Petunias can be transferred to a permanent place only after the threat of return frosts has completely disappeared. Usually this letnik is transferred to open soil or containers that are outdoors only in June. Since the stems of young plants are very fragile, they must be handled very carefully, trying to minimize contact with the shoots and roots.

Petunia seedlings are planted only in the evenings or on cloudy days, the distance for small-flowered varieties should be no less than 15-20 cm, and for large-flowered varieties - 25 cm. Immediately after planting, petunias are watered abundantly, and the soil must be mulched with humus or peat to protect poorly adapted plants from night cooling and optimal moisture retention in the soil.

9. Salvia, or annual sage

Unlike perennial representatives of the huge sage family, annual salvias conquer not with a cold blue-violet palette of inflorescences, but with bright red, fairly large flowers that bloom tirelessly throughout the summer and early autumn. This annual is characterized by tetrahedral shoots and tubular flowers that bloom in large numbers on the tops of the branches. Depending on the variety, the height of annual salvias ranges from 25 to 80 cm, many salvias today have original colors. Flowering in this plant occurs 70-80 days after sowing.

It is quite easy to get salvia seedlings; sowing is carried out at the end of February and during March. For this plant, it is necessary to prepare containers for sowing and two picks. Unlike most annuals, sage requires a fairly thick pit of expanded clay or any other drainage material at the bottom of the planting container. The boxes are filled with a light and fertile substrate in such a way that approximately 2 cm of free space remains to the top of the container.

After filling the container, the soil in them is plentifully watered, covered with a film or glass and left overnight. Sowing seeds of annual sage is carried out only the next day. Small salvia seeds are usually mixed with dry sand in equal parts in order to be able to control the density of their distribution on the surface of the substrate. They are carefully scattered on the ground, moistened with a spray gun and covered with a very thin layer of soil no more than 2 mm high.

After that, moisturizing is repeated and the seedlings are covered with a film or glass. Sage seeds germinate at a temperature of 20 to 25°C. Light for the germination of salvia seeds is not critical, but as soon as the first shoots appear, it is necessary to rearrange the seedlings to the sunniest place or compensate for the lack of lighting with additional lighting.

Young sage will be able to develop and get stronger only if the daylight hours are not shorter than 12 hours. For growing seedlings, it is extremely important to ensure a stable light moisture of the substrate, without allowing even a slight drying of the earth, but also without excessive moisture. With excessive watering in young sage, the base of the stem instantly rots.

At the first sign of a “black leg”, it is necessary to sharply reduce watering, sprinkle the plants with sand or ash, remove the shelter and carry out an urgent picking. With the normal development of young seedlings, glass is removed from them only as the plants grow to its height. Sage diving for the first time must be carried out in common containers or boxes after releasing 2 of this leaf. The second dive is carried out after the appearance of the third pair of leaves in individual containers.

When diving, it is necessary to protect the seedlings with paper caps or screens from the sun and it is imperative to carry out a very plentiful post-treatment watering. During the growing of seedlings, it is necessary to provide 3 top dressings with complex fertilizers. After blooming the third pair of leaves and transplanting the top of the stem, you need to start pinching.

Salvia is transferred to open ground only after the threat of return frosts has completely disappeared. The recommended distance between plants during planting is from 20 to 30 cm. In the initial period of growth in a permanent place, sage seedlings are vulnerable to weeds that easily suppress its growth and require fairly intensive feeding.

10. Celosia

Luxurious inflorescences of celosia are not like any other annual or perennial plant. They either look like bizarre "cockscombs", or they are amazing "fur" brushes and shields, provide this plant with the title of one of the most original garden plants. Long-blooming, extravagant, decorative and hardy, celosia is a sun-loving summer plant that always and everywhere plays the role of an original accent and attracts the eye. unusual textures and bright colors.

Celosia Pinnate. Mike Sutton

Celosia seeds must be sown to obtain healthy and profusely flowering seedlings during the first half of April. Celosia is sown in boxes or containers with pre-treatment to prevent the spread of blackleg. To do this, before planting, the seeds are soaked for at least several hours in a weak solution of potassium permanganate. It also disinfects the soil for sowing seeds, before spilling the soil with boiling water. For propagation of celosia, any fertile, loose and wood ash-containing soil mixture is perfect. Crops are germinated under a film with constant ventilation.

After the appearance of young shoots, they are allowed to get stronger a little and, without waiting for the growth of a pair of leaves, dive into separate pots. Seedling care is normal, maintaining a stable light soil moisture.

Celosia is transferred to open soil in early June or late May. The planting distance depends on the size of the plants, from a minimum of 15 cm to a maximum of 35 cm for tall varieties. You can plant seedlings of celosia only in well-heated soil, be sure to mulch it with a thin layer wood ash. In the first month after transplantation of celosia, enhanced care is needed.

At flower growers in February, the sowing season begins. Flower crops with a long growing season are sown on in order to have time to enjoy their flowering. While there is still time until the end of the month, let's remember what is worth sowing right now.

Having sowed petunia for seedlings in February, in May you will already admire its flowers. A photo

Petunia

A favorite of many gardeners, blooming for a long time and profusely ( Petunia) is distinguished by unpretentiousness and endurance. And a huge number of varieties of various colors allows you to choose plants for any garden or balcony composition. For example, as described.

Flowering petunia, photo

Hybrid petunias differ in the size and unusual color of flowers, as well as increased resistance to adverse conditions. Many varieties of petunias, unfortunately, quickly lose their attractiveness when exposed to rain or strong winds. Resistant hybrids endure such tests much better.

Most varieties of petunia have long shoots, reaching 150-180 cm. They look great in hanging and balcony boxes (the main thing is to choose a place where the plants will be reliably protected from the wind, which easily breaks fragile branches). Flowers, depending on the variety, are simple or double, but the colors are for every taste, including many hybrids and varieties with two-color petals (with contrasting longitudinal stripes or a border around the edges).

You can get acquainted with a variety of petunias by reading our publications:

Petunias are very beautiful flowers. A photo

Petunias are sown in late February - early March. The seeds are very small, and sowing is carried out exclusively on the surface of the soil, in no case burying the seeds. Seedlings usually appear together, after 10-14 days (if the seeds are of high quality). The grown seedlings dive into separate pots. In general, petunia seedlings develop better if they are transplanted 2-3 times during the growth period, gradually increasing the volume of the planting capacity. In mid-May, seedlings can be planted in flower beds or in. By this time, her buds are usually already formed, and some varieties even have time to bloom.

For information on how to grow petunias, read the articles:

Lobelia

A charming plant, appropriate in almost any garden composition. When it blooms Lobelia erinus), its foliage is not visible among the many small flowers of surprisingly pure, bright colors.

Lobelia in bloom. A photo

Among the varieties of lobelia are distinguished ampelous(they are more common in our gardens) and compact pillow-shaped. The flowers can be bright blue, dark purple, light blue, pink or white. Flowering is usually very long - from June to frost. In the summer heat, lobelia may stop blooming - then it needs to be severely cut and provided with a regular one, and it will again delight the eye with a riot of colors.

Lobelia is sown in late February - early March in seedling boxes on the soil surface. The crops are slightly rolled, without covering the seeds with soil, and moistened abundantly with a spray bottle. Seedlings appear in about 2 weeks. Seedlings are placed in a bright, well-ventilated place, and from mid-May they are planted in the ground or in containers.

Without seedlings in the conditions of the Middle lane, the flowering of carnation Shabo ( Dianthus caryophyllus var. schabaud) you won’t be able to admire: it occurs 5-6 months after sowing. Therefore, February is the optimal time to start growing seedlings.

Carnation, Domino variety. A photo

Until relatively recently, red and white carnations were an indispensable attribute of any celebrations and official events. You could also buy more "informal" pink flowers. And now the variety of varieties can cause confusion - there are many of them, and they are all beautiful.

Growing carnation Shabo, in principle, is not difficult; main task: do not miss the sowing time. The rest of the plant is quite undemanding, although it grows better on fertile soils. A flowering carnation is very expressive, so you should choose a place for it in the garden where it will be clearly visible. This plant loves light, is quite cold-resistant (seedlings can be planted in the ground already in the second half of May) and drought-resistant.

Carnation Shabo, photo

After sowing, boxes with plants are kept at a temperature of +23 ... +25 degrees until the seeds sprout (shoots appear after 7-10 days). Seedlings need good lighting, so they should be planted in separate pots so that they do not obscure each other. So that the plants do not stretch, they need a lot of light and coolness (+14 ... +15 degrees); watering is moderate. You can read more about this and other types of cloves.

Begonia evergreen

An amazing unpretentious plant that blooms from June to the very autumn cold. There are many options for its placement in the garden: ( Begonia semperflorens) can be grown as an ampelous plant or flowering border, it is planted in containers for balconies and terraces and used in carpet plantings.

Begonia evergreen

Depending on the variety, evergreen begonias can have green, bronze, burgundy-brown leaves and white, pink, or red flowers. Breeders also bred two-color varieties. Low-growing varieties are very compact: they reach a height of no more than 20 cm; the height of the tallest is 30-40 cm.

Seeds of ever flowering begonia germinate for a very long time, so they are sown in February. You need to sow on the surface of the soil, then lightly press to increase the area of ​​\u200b\u200bcontact of the seed with the soil, and thoroughly moisten the soil. The optimum temperature for seed germination is +20 degrees. After 1.5 months, young plants dive into separate pots, and in early June they are planted in the ground.

lavender angustifolia

This fragrant elegant plant grows well and winters well in the conditions of the Middle Strip, so you can safely grow it in the garden or in a container on a balcony, loggia, terrace. In flower beds narrow-leaved ( Lavandula angustifolia) adjoins admirably with; you can plant it in a separate garden bed or flower bed, creating a "corner of the Mediterranean" in your garden.

Seeds of narrow-leaved lavender require - this explains such early term sowing it for seedlings (as an option - you can sow before winter). Sow to a depth of no more than 0.5 cm in well-moistened soil. The container with crops is covered with a film or glass and cleaned in the refrigerator. Seed producers recommend stratification for 3 months, but in practice we managed with half the time.

Salvia (sparkling sage)

thermophilic ( Salvia splendens) in the climate of our latitudes it is grown as an annual. It comes from South America, where it is cultivated as a perennial plant. In our gardens, salvia, also known as, or brilliant, is quite popular.

Most often you can find the red-flowered form of this plant, but there are also varieties with purple or purple flowers. As a rule, salvia is used in group plantings, it looks best on large areas, attracting with its brightness, richness of color. But you can use it for container landings.

Salvia is sown in late February - early March, sprinkling with a thin layer of soil. They dive in phase 4-5 of this leaf, and in late May - early June (depending on climate and weather) they are planted in the ground, preferably in a sunny place. Well, you can read more about this and other types of salvia (sage), their features and cultivation in the article.

Viola (Wittrock violet)

If you want ( Viola x wittrockiana) bloomed in the year of sowing, and bloomed from the end of May until the very snow, sow it for seedlings in February.

Violas, photo

This popular plant probably needs no introduction. Let me just remind you that this biennial culture, very widely used by flower growers, is valued for long flowering, an abundance of varieties of various colors and amazing unpretentiousness. Viola calmly tolerates a transplant even when flowering, grows well and can grow both in flower beds and in all kinds of containers.

Viola, photo

When growing seedlings, grown seedlings dive into separate cups. In order for the violas to develop well and not stretch out, it is advisable to place the seedlings in a cool (+14 ... +15 degrees) well-lit place. You can read more about growing viola, caring for it and placing it in the garden in the article.

Heliotrope - an unfairly forgotten flower

Heliotrope is a lover of the sun and warmth. It is quite picky about soil fertility and will please only the gardener who will regularly care for him, water and feed him with flowering. But if you are ready to take care of it, the result will not disappoint you. Heliotrope is good in the flower garden (especially in combination with bright orange marigolds or calendula), and in container plantings.

It should be sown superficially, as heliotrope seeds germinate only in the world. Press them into the soil by pressing them lightly, but don't sprinkle them on top. A month later, when the seedlings grow up, dive them into separate pots. Seedlings can be moved to the garden from mid-May.

Have you planted any flowers yet?

Many summer residents grow flower seedlings in apartments and houses, preferring not to buy it in the market and in a flower shop. It is convenient, pleasant and profitable. Seedlings grow many flower crops - it is expensive to buy them with seedlings, at least 10-20 plants of each variety, but growing from seeds is easy. In addition, a small seed lowered into the soil gives life big plant, which, growing up, makes the world more beautiful - is this not a joy for a florist.

What quality should be the soil for the production of flower seedlings? Nothing special is required for sowing seeds. The seeds have enough energy for germination, so, especially if you pre-treat the seeds with growth stimulants, ordinary store soil is enough for sowing. Neutral slightly acidic peat must be mixed in equal proportions with clean river sand (also bought at the store). At the bottom of the seedling containers, you will definitely need drainage.

Advice!

It is best to use agloporite artificial pebbles, designed specifically to create a drainage layer.

It is possible to make sowing soil from three components - peat, leafy soil, sand (1: 1: 1).

Pots or boxes

The second item on the list of things without which it is impossible to grow seedlings is the container. The range of containers, boxes, pots, plastic cassettes, peat pots and seedling tablets is huge. In any container, you can name advantages and find disadvantages, depending on the material of manufacture, size, stage of use.

Another thing is important - different stages of "growing up" of plants and the need for their picking or transplanting require their own, different containers. For growing flower seedlings at the first stage - sowing seeds - it is best to use seedling boxes, but not the largest - medium or small sizes. After picking, it is better to move the seedlings into personal pots, cups, containers - it depends on the size of the future plant.

Seed selection

In addition to choosing from a list ornamental crops, which are preferably propagated by seedlings, you need to know how to choose seeds. Here, the main parameter that you should pay attention to is germination.

Flower seeds, and any other seeds, do not have an expiration date. These are not food, and in the conventional sense, the seeds cannot go bad. But there is such a thing as the germination period. And if it is overdue, then there really is no point in planting seeds - they will sprout poorly and weakly.

Video - what flowers to sow in February

What flower crops are sown for seedlings in February

The last month of winter is the time of sowing almost all flowers that reproduce through seedlings. It is not necessary to propagate flowers by seedlings in the middle lane, which can be sown directly into the ground (this is done only for earlier flowering). It is advisable to obtain seedlings from the following crops: ageratum, aster, azarina, marigolds, brachicoma, verbena, gazania, carnation, heliotrope, vendium, annual dahlia, delphinium, fragrant tobacco, iberis, cleoma, coleus, left hand, lobelia, snapdragon, nasturtium, petunia , salvia, annual phlox, celosia, cineraria, osteospermum, zinnia.

When to start sowing

Seedlings grow flowers that have a long germination period. When sown with seeds in the ground, they do not have enough time to properly develop and please lush bloom. Such flower seeds are sown in February for seedlings, so that 2-3 months pass before planting in open ground - from the end of April to the end of May.

Today, when at the disposal of the florist the latest technology and methods, seedlings can be grown much faster, and quality can be improved. Soil preparation, seed preparation, temperature, water, light conditions (read the article about), timely feeding - provide your seedlings with all the conditions, and start sowing seeds starting from February 15.

How to sow seeds

1. Before sowing, it is a good idea to disinfect flower seeds. Soaking in traditional potassium permanganate, which is usually done with vegetable seeds, is not always the method, because some flowers (petunia, lobelia) have very small seeds. It is easier and more efficient to carry out a disinfecting dusting with a fungicide. How to do it? Pour a pinch of powder into a bag with dry seeds placed in it, close and shake.

2. In the sowing containers, the soil is already prepared, moderately moist, with grooves or pits. For petunia and lobelia, grooves and recesses are not needed - only a flat surface of the soil, on which the seeds are scattered, without covering anything. You can mix small seeds with sand or snow. Medium and large seeds are sown to a depth of 1 to 5 cm and sprinkled with peat. The planting depth of seeds is usually 3-5 times greater than the size of the seed in height.

Cover seedlings with plastic wrap

4. After detection of seedlings, protection, the containers are immediately moved to the light, provide a room temperature of + 22 ° С ... 25 ° С. Water (very carefully) and spray regularly. In low light - illuminate with lamps.

After the sprouts have looked out, we expose them to sunlight or artificial light.

5. For the first time, it's time to feed the seedlings of flowers in two weeks. When the seedlings are a month old, the next top dressing is done. Further, you need to fertilize weekly, alternating humic preparations and mineral complexes. In the phase of two sheets, a pick is carried out in personal pots for planting.

February sowing of popular flowers

The most common ornamental flowering crops are petunia, lobelia, and marigolds.

Features of sowing Petunias

If you already want to see multi-colored fragrant gramophones on your balcony or flowerbed in June, you can start sowing petunias starting on February 15th. - less than a poppy seed, but it rises for a long time. Petunia can only be sown superficially. Crops must be covered with protective glass or a thick film, creating a greenhouse effect.

Before planting in the garden or permanent flower pots, you need to make at least one transplant into a large container, ideally two - every month. Do not worry if the plant blooms right on the windowsill. Petunia seedlings tolerate transplanting in a flowering state. The main thing is that the seedlings do not stretch out and become thin. For this, when growing, it is necessary to use artificial lighting.

Flower - ampelous petunia

Features of sowing Lobelia

The second favorite of flower growers. The exact opposite of petunia in appearance - graceful, with small blue and pink or white buds. Her seeds are also small. Therefore, sowing is carried out in the same way as petunias.
The difference is that lobelia does not like transplanting very much, so it is better to sow several (no more than four) seeds in one small pot. Then the lobelia bushes will turn out to be stronger and lush.

Flower - lobelia

Marigold

Tagetes are also grown by sowing directly into the ground, but getting seedlings allows you to have flowers a month earlier, so most flower growers prefer to propagate these cheerful and cheerful yellow-orange-red flowers with seedlings.

Sowing is best done in boxes. Grooves are made in them and seeds are sown in increments of three centimeters. The depth of the grooves is 1-1.5 cm. The crops are covered with a mixture of peat and sand.

Marigolds are very beautiful flowers

Marigolds sprout quickly - sprouts will appear as early as 5-6 days. Sprouts immediately after their emergence need supplementary lighting for at least 12 hours. You can also dive marigolds into boxes, but bigger size and in increments of 7 cm. This is done when two true leaves appear on the plant. A month later, you can re-pick. They dive well, even with blooming flowers. In the flower bed, these unpretentious and not capricious flowers take root also perfectly. Therefore, they gained fame and love of flower growers.

Video - what can be sown in February and early March

Growing flower seedlings is a low-cost way to get a wide variety of flower crops, from which you can make amazingly beautiful compositions in your summer cottage. Try to grow seedlings of your favorite flowers on your own, following the recommendations for choosing soil, containers, seeds, varieties, seed preparation, sowing rules, and seedling care. You will definitely like the result.

Taking up the cultivation of seedlings of flowers from mid-January, seedlings should be provided with good illumination, as this gives a good impetus to the development of sprouts and the healthy state of the plant as a whole. Flower seedlings grown from seeds using the following methods.

Annuals with a long growing season are grown through seedlings, as they simply do not have time to bloom if they are sown immediately in open ground.

Heat-loving plants are also more reliable to grow with seedlings, then, when the threat of return frosts has passed, plant them in the garden. These include: marigolds, hybrid gazania, cultural dahlia, Waller's balsam, balsam balsam, garden petunia, silver celosia, elegant zinnia, all types of nasturtium.

Some of the listed horticultural crops(marigold, nasturtium, zinnia) can be sown in the ground, but then you need to cover the seedlings with non-woven material.

Planting time for seedlings...

In the last days of January - including February, you can begin to sow the seeds of the earliest crops for seedlings: Shabo carnations and ever-flowering begonias. Tuberous is recommended to be sown even earlier - last days December - mid-January. In this case, the plant will bloom in the same year and have time to form tubers.

If it is not possible to provide constant illumination, then you can move the planting to the end of February - the beginning of March, even if these are the seeds of the most "long-playing" flowers. Otherwise, you will get elongated weak plants, which are unlikely for the most part to survive until the happy moment of transplanting into the ground.

In February, a rather large group of flowers is sown for seedlings - New Guinea and Waller's balsam, fuchsia, zonal pelargonium, ampelous pelargonium, cineraria, statice, viola, sponge, salvia, lobelia, tigridia, passionflower, etc.

Pelargonium is usually sown in February to be planted in early June. Last season sowed 20-23.01, bloomed after 24.05. It is better to plant grown seedlings in small pots - flowering will be more abundant in them.

From sowing to flowering, petunias take about 3-3.5 months, this culture blooms until frost. You can start sowing from the end of February or in March. Shoots appear in 7-12 days.

Mass sowing of one-year-olds most often begins only in March, which is associated with a short growing season.

In March, most annuals are sown for seedlings: asters, primroses, petunias, purslane, drummond phloxes, Chinese carnations, hybrid verbena, annual dahlias, milkweed fringed, snapdragons, anemones, levkoy, kupena, tsmin (immortelle), delphinium, daisies , sage, calceolaria, castor bean and from those that were not planted earlier.

In the last decade of March, you can sow ageratum, alissum, arctotis, gazania, coleus, helichrysum, sweet peas, cochia, lobelia, levkoy, perilla, salvia, scented tobacco and some other annuals, as well as most perennials.

In April, heat-loving and fast-growing flowers are sown for seedlings, which quickly sprout and develop - zinnia, iberis, amaranth, marigolds, nasturtium, balsam balsam, annual chrysanthemum.

It often happens that when sown at home, some seeds do not germinate well or at all, but when sown in a greenhouse, they will sprout amazingly! In the greenhouse, you can grow wonderful seedlings of zinnia, ageratum, marigolds, balsams, iberis, phlox, godetia and some other types of flyers.

Sowing of many annuals, which we plant directly in open ground, in flower beds, flower boxes, falls on April-May (phlox, asters, nasturtium, marigolds, amaranth, decorative sunflowers, annual chrysanthemums).

Which annuals have small seeds?

The seedling method of growing is well suited for flowers with very small seeds - ageratum, begonia, fragrant tobacco, bluebell, lobelia, snapdragon, mimulus, petunia, purslane ...

The seedlings of these flowers are very thin and weak, easily die in the open field, so seedlings are a guaranteed way to grow beautiful flowers.

When buying seeds, be sure to pay attention to the expiration date, study the information on planting on the bag ...

If small seeds need good lighting for germination, then large seeds with a hard shell develop slowly and do not need light until germination. But, after the sprouts appear, you should move them to a bright place.

How to sow flower seeds?

After filling the seedling boxes with a nutrient mixture, pour a hot pink solution of potassium permanganate. It is undesirable to apply any fertilizers, as flower seedling often suffer from excess salt.

Do not forget about the drainage holes so that excess liquid leaves the container. When the soil is slightly dry, start sowing seeds.

Sow seeds in rows at a short distance from each other, slightly pressed into the ground, falling asleep with a thin layer of soil. The exception is plants whose small seeds germinate in the light. In any case, do not embed them too deep into the ground. After sowing, the soil is carefully moistened using a spray gun and covered with glass or a transparent film.

So, the seedlings have sprouted, and in the amount that you planted! As soon as these seedlings grow up that you can take them with your fingers, the picking stage begins.

Carnations Shabo - cultivation of flower seedlings.

A large selection of seed mixtures will allow you to get flowers of the most interesting colors. You can plant until mid-February. 150 days after planting, flowering will begin, which will continue until frost. And shoots appear after 5-6 days.

Seeds of cloves are sown in rows, sprinkled with sifted earth on top and carefully sprayed from a spray bottle. Cover the box with polyethylene. Shake off the condensation as it fogs up. Shoots will appear in 7-10 days at a temperature of 23-25 ​​degrees.

Remove the film and place the box closer to the light. As the seedlings grow, add earth to the stems of the plants, as young carnation seedlings are weak and fragile.

After the first pick, I keep the boxes with seedlings at a temperature of 12 degrees. During the second, I pinch the seedlings in order to get more lush bushes. I plant seedlings in open ground only in the second half of May at a distance of 20 cm from each other.

Growing begonia seedlings...

On sale you can often find granular seeds, which, of course, is much more convenient when planting. The optimum temperature for germination is 20-22°C. At this temperature, seedlings appear in 10-14 days. Watering should be done carefully from the sprayer, avoiding waterlogging.

Seeds of ever-flowering begonias are among the first to be sown, you can start sowing as early as possible until mid-January. Very small seeds are not sprinkled with soil, it is enough to evenly distribute them over the surface. Planting containers are covered with glass.

Tuberous ampelous begonia can also be grown from seeds. To obtain blooming begonias summer, you need to sow them in January. Before sowing, dusty begonia seeds are best mixed with fine washed and dried sand. Sow scattered. Then, without closing, moisten the ground with crops from a spray bottle. Close the container with glass. Wipe the surface as it fogs up.

We grow primrose - seedlings of flowers.

Primrose seeds are sent to the refrigerator for freezing for a month, and in March we plant them in containers.

Primula, like petunia, is sown on the surface of the earth, without sprinkling, in plastic containers with lids, thanks to which a humid environment and enough light are maintained for the crops, make sure that the sun's rays do not fall on the crops.

Grow seedlings using the same technology as petunias. Seedlings must be handled very carefully - very weak roots!

Growing seedlings of petunia seeds.

A few days before sowing, water the soil with Fitosporin-M for prevention from the black leg. If the petunia seeds are coated, spread evenly at a distance of 1-1.5 cm and press them to the soil for better contact.

Sowing ordinary petunia seeds takes place not by planting them in the soil, but by distributing them over the surface. You can mix the seeds with a small amount of river sand, do not sprinkle with earth. Close the container with a lid creating a greenhouse effect. The temperature regime in containers is 20-22°C.

Open the lid of the container from petunia crops in order to remove condensate from it. As for ventilation, in no case should you change the temperature and humidity so drastically. Watch the soil so that it is not dry, however, do not allow waterlogging. When the petunia seedlings grow up, you can gradually accustom it to the open air.

After the growth of a real leaflet, the seedlings dive at a distance of 3 cm from each other. The plant tolerates picking and transplanting easily. I plant in a flower garden after the threat of night cold has passed.

When growing aster seedlings, the temperature contrast helps the seeds germinate faster.

In March - early April, I begin to sow the seeds of annual asters. From sowing to the beginning of flowering, 90-140 days pass. Early-flowering varieties are sown later.

I practically do not sprinkle seeds slightly pressed into the surface of moist soil. Having covered the crops from drying out, I put a box with them in a bright place for germination. This technique greatly increases their germination (after 5-6 days). When the first two true leaves appear, the seedlings can dive. As a rule, this happens on the 10th day after sowing the seeds.

Sometimes I use a different method of sowing asters: I sprinkle the seeds spread over the surface of the earth with snow (1 cm layer). That's it - the snow melts and pulls the aster seeds into the ground. With this sowing, an imitation of asters sowing occurs in the fall before winter.

Temperature contrast allows seeds to germinate faster. I sow the aster on the surface of the earth. I put the crops overnight in the refrigerator, during the day I put them in a warm place - and so on several times until the seeds hatch. Then I lay them out in pots, sprinkle with earth and water them.

At first glance, with this method, there seem to be a lot of “troubles”, but then you don’t need to plant the seedlings (although the aster is not afraid of transplanting), and the percentage of survival from such a planting is higher.

Every plant needs individual approach, but there is also general rules, under which your work will be crowned with success. Everything written here has been tested by practice, you can safely use it in life.

Now many flower growers prefer even annual plants to buy seedlings. There are several benefits here:

• when purchasing flower seeds, we can only rely on the conscientiousness of the manufacturer, who dried them well (ideal humidity should be 4-8%);
• storage periods are no less important - in different species they range from 1 to 6 years. If the seeds are older, germination will be low or none at all;
• also the seeds may be infected, which is impossible to visually determine;
• and in the treasured bag you can get an unpleasant bonus -.

Choosing seedlings

There is nothing complicated in this matter, but I still advise you to pay attention to a few nuances:

root system

From practice it follows that it is more expedient to buy seedlings with a closed root system (in peat or small plastic pots). It is desirable that there is one plant in each container (unless you are planning in flower beds). Highly important so that the roots are not overgrown, oppressed: if they did not have enough space for natural growth and they intertwined into a ball, there will be little sense from such a plant. That is why many flower growers are afraid to purchase seedlings in cassettes with a minimum cell volume.

Diseases and pests

Do not hesitate to carefully examine each plant you buy for diseases and pests, feel the humidity of the substrate in the container with your finger (it should by no means be dry!). Stems and leaves must be fresh, strong, natural color for this species and variety, without spots, plaque and damage. Do not take specimens with an unnaturally bright color of the leaves and an unusually thick stem, short internodes. Obviously, a huge amount of and was used in their cultivation. After landing on a flower bed, without receiving the usual diet, such a plant will quickly lose its spectacular appearance and will probably die.

Seedlings must be hardened

No options. If plants pampered at room conditions get straight into a sunny flower bed, they are unlikely to survive such stress. There is one amazingly simple and sure way to tell if the seedlings have taken part in the events or arrived on the counter straight from the greenhouse.

Remember what freshly blossomed leaves on trees look like in spring. They are pale green in color, almost transparent, with a shiny smooth leaf surface. And if we look at them in two weeks, we will see that the color of the leaf has darkened, the surface has lost its lacquer shine and has become rougher. These are signs of outdoor life - the result of exposure to the sun, wind and changing day and night temperatures. So look for these signs in seedlings!

Consider the characteristics of plants

And one more prerequisite: take into account the biological needs and plants (light, resistance to drought, maximum air temperatures). If you acquire several species, planning to plant them in a group, do not forget about the strength of plant growth: the species that quickly and powerfully develop the aerial part and root system will not leave their neighbors, more modest in this regard, no food, no moisture, no light.

Disembarkation period

You can wait with the landing until the time when the possibility of return frosts in your area has passed. And you can plant earlier in time, but cover the plants with any non-woven at night. By the way, if the weather is sunny in the first days after landing, the new settlers must be shaded, otherwise it cannot be avoided.

Planting seedlings in open ground

Some work needs to be done ahead of time. For example, stock up on stimulants and complex fertilizers.

You can find a wide range of various stimulants and fertilizers in our catalog, which combines the offers of large garden online stores. .

After that, thoroughly water the dug-up area, so that the water does not immediately go into the ground. Before next day the soil is well saturated with moisture and it will be easier for plants to survive the adaptation period.

Make holes. Their width and depth should be 2-3 cm more than the volume of the container in which the plant is located. Even if the soil is wet, pour the holes again anyway.

Wait until the water is absorbed.

Fertilize or not - you decide

The opinions of experts on the issue of adding fertilizers during planting are different: some tend to believe that during the rooting period (10-14 days), their application is unjustified, recommending starting feeding later. Others advise adding a pinch to the bottom of the hole, sprinkle it with earth (to avoid contact with the roots). As practice shows, plants planted in the second way move to growth and bloom 3-5 days earlier. But it's up to you.

Seedlings - out!

Seedlings in pots are watered abundantly for 20-30 minutes. before planting, so that the earthen ball is well saturated with moisture and remains on the roots. Squeezing the walls of the pot from the bottom up, gently squeeze the seedling.

The earthen ball almost did not crumble from the roots

Never take a plant by one leaf or top, best of all - by an earthen clod:

• put the seedling in a hole and carefully cover it with earth, slightly compact the soil around the stem, pour it under the root to eliminate possible voids;
• as soon as the water has been absorbed, the hole is filled with dry earth or sand to avoid the formation of a crust.

If it was not possible to take out the plant along with the lump, when planting, carefully make sure that the roots are freely located in the hole, in no case bending up. Maintain the planting density recommended for this type of plant to ensure the full development of the crown and root system, abundant long-term flowering.

I hope my simple tips will help you safely plant seedlings in open ground.