Content of the article:
seeds Garden balsam is one of the favorite plants of growers, because it is not only extremely easy to care for and reproduction, but also attractive in appearance. Scope of the plant is quite wide: with its help, plant balconies, make out flowerbeds and even use them for cutting, because it maintains the brightness and beauty of the flower for a long time. If you decide to start growing garden balsam, you can be sure that you will not encounter any difficulties along the way, regardless of whether you have experience in this direction.
Balsam Growing Conditions
Balsam is a heat-loving culture that reacts extremely negatively to strong winds and sudden changes in ambient temperature. Therefore, choosing a place to land, should prefer open areas with lots of sun and natural shading. Light penumbra is also allowed.
The more often you loosen the ground, the more abundant and brighter the balsam bloom will be. The plant loves not only watering, but also regular spraying of the leaves, which is simply vital for it when the ambient temperature is high enough and there is such a factor as the dry wind. In general, garden balsam for planting and care is not too whimsical, as can be clearly seen in the photo. Under elementary conditions, the plant thanks the grower with a bright and attractive appearance.
Be careful about feeding balsam. The plant has one feature: with an excessive amount of certain substances in the soil, the leaves may turn yellow or even fall off, which, of course, will reduce the attractiveness. Also, a surplus of fertilizers can slow down flowering and prevent the normal development of the bush. To avoid this, carefully study the instructions for complex fertilizers and use a dose that is half the recommended dose.
How to grow balsam from seeds?
Plant one-year, and therefore you should worry in advance about how to provide yourself with planting material. In addition, there is a fairly large number of flower varieties, each of which deserves the attention of gardeners. The issue of growing balsam from seeds remains topical always, as it is much easier to exchange seeds of new varieties or purchase them than to find the stalk of a suitable plant.
The seeds of the plants are large, while they have one important advantage over the seeds of other color crops: they germinate for up to eight years. Collected seeds( or purchased) in February can already be sown on seedlings - in this case, the plants will be larger, and flowering will begin earlier.
If the early flowering of the garden balsam is not very important for you, growing from seed can be done without seedlings directly into the ground. This should be done only after a steady heat is established. As a rule, under favorable conditions, the first shoots appear after 7-10 days.
In order to increase the germination of balsam seeds, process the soil before planting a fungicide!
The ambient temperature for favorable growth should not be below 19-20 degrees. If the weather conditions deteriorated after planting seeds, cover the area with a film or each well separately - with a cut plastic bottle.
Propagation of balsam cuttings
If you want to breed a plant during its active growth and flowering, not wanting to wait for the collection of seeds and the next year for their planting, perform a few simple steps:
- choose the most beautiful and strong plant;
- cut the top off;
- plant the stalk under the film using sand or vermiculite;
- after a week transplant the stem with the formed roots in the ground or in a pot with peat.
If you want to get the maximum number of cuttings, select one plant and place it( for sure, together with a fragment of soil) in a darkened room for several days.
From a lack of light, the shoots will stretch out and you will have the opportunity to breed more balsam. To do this, you will need to cut off all the stretched shoots, clean them from the bottom leaves and place them in a transparent container with clean boiled water. After a few days, you will notice the appearance of roots, which is proof of the readiness to transplant such cuttings into the ground.
As you can see, balsam care at home is quite simple. In winter, you only plant seedlings, although you can do without it. In the spring, make sure that the plants are planted correctly, and then all summer you enjoy magnificent flowering, not forgetting to water the plants in a timely manner, to spray their leaves, to carry out the necessary additional feeding and to loosen the soil.
