Calceolaria - growing from seeds from sowing to picking

I would like to know in detail about such a flower as calceolaria, growing from the seeds of this culture. Recently I saw how it blooms, and just got sick, the inflorescences look so unusual and beautiful. I don't have a very good "relationship" with seedlings, so I was looking for cuttings or cuttings. But we cannot find such a thing, so you still have to sow seeds. I have already ordered them on the Internet, and now tell us about the nuances of planting and leaving.

This gorgeous flower is most often grown here as an indoor culture, and an annual one. Therefore, vegetative reproduction is not particularly practiced due to the fact that not everyone succeeds in preserving the bush in winter. Calceolaria, growing from the seeds of which is used as the main breeding method, is the dream of many flower growers. While it will take some effort and patience to get seedlings, it will be worth it. Its unusual large flowers, similar to multi-colored shoes, have no analogues among indoor crops. They bloom in spring, and some varieties can last for almost six months.

Of 300 plant species, only one is grown in indoor conditions - crenate calceolaria. But she has a very large varietal variety and a wide palette of color hybrids. It is dominated by various shades of yellow and red, but many species have an intricate pattern.

When to sow

In general, calceolaria can be grown year round. It all depends on when you want to bloom:

• the February crops will bloom in the summer, and you can even take the bushes out into the garden;
• Calceolaria sown in summer will bloom in early spring;
• April seedlings will bud in autumn.

When deciding when to sow, focus on a 6 month period. Approximately so much time is needed for seedlings from the moment of germination to enter the flowering phase.

Calceolaria - growing from seeds

There are two problems you will face when planting a flower with seed. Firstly, the seeds are very small, and secondly, the seedlings are very "tight" and develop unevenly. From one sowing, the bushes can have different heights and bloom at different times. In some varieties, flowering occurs only 7-8 months after germination.

But nothing can stop real flower girls, so we buy seeds and sow them for seedlings. Given the microscopic nature of the planting material, we take the soil necessarily light. Otherwise, fragile shoots will simply not be able to break through heavy soil. We pour substrate into the tray and crush on top with a small amount of sand. And already on the sand we sow calceolaria. Only on the soil surface! It is impossible to fill the seeds from above with soil, they will not sprout. Cover with foil and place in a warm and bright place for germination. However, warmth to crops is not as important as lighting.

Seedling care

The "shoe" flower is very picky about high air humidity. Therefore, keeping the seedlings under the film as long as possible is an ideal option for maintaining moisture. After all, it is impossible to raise it by spraying, because the fluffy leaves do not like this and disappear. Once a week, we water our seedlings from a syringe and ventilate the shelter. We maintain the temperature no higher than 18 ° C heat so that the seedlings do not stretch out.

Winter crops must be illuminated.

When the seedlings have a pair of real leaves, we dive them into a separate, but still small, dish.A large container will be needed only in a month, for the second pick. We begin to do fertilizing only after the buds are tied, while using half the dose.

Sowing calceolaria for seedlings