Growing nemesia from seeds in the best traditions of floriculture
Beautiful and sophisticated, bright and funny, showy and varied. The usual cultivation of nemesia from seeds will help bring a sip of freshness into your flower bed. A feature of some varieties of culture is an amazing combination of contrasting shades and shapes. The flowering period often begins in June and lasts until September. The plant is perfect for planting in a flower bed, in street pots, as well as in group compositions. But before you start such a beauty in your front garden, you need to find out some of the features of this perennial.
Botanical excursion
Florists especially appreciate the goiter variety, which is characterized by:
- height - 20-30 cm;
- the diameter of the flower cup is about 25 mm;
- one- or two-color version (white, yellow, orange, red or pink).
The "design" of unusual flowers is surprising. They resemble miniature gramophone in their shape. Moreover, the lower bilobate lip is much larger than the upper four-lobed. Inside the bells have a contrasting pattern (sometimes a “goiter”), which is painted in different shades. When you look at this beauty, you get the impression that thousands of little puppies are looking at you and shaking their funny heads.
It also brings its zest to the flower bed decor:
- the correct shape of the bush;
- lanceolate foliage with a jagged edge;
- buds collected in apical inflorescences.
The flower was named nemesia in honor of the ancient Greek goddess of retribution, who was called Nemesis. Apart from the consonant name, nothing else connects them.
Growing nemesia from seeds is quite an exciting and inexpensive activity. If necessary, the seed is bought in a specialized store or simply asked from friends. The fruits of the culture are represented by small crusts, in which there are countless elongated seeds. It is noteworthy, but with proper storage, they remain viable for 2 years.
Growing nemesia from seeds in simple words
The seedling method is considered the simplest and most suitable, since when dividing a bush, elongated roots can be damaged. Because of this, culture often dies. For this reason, many have two important questions: how to grow nemesia from seeds and when to plant a flower in open ground. To begin with, determine the sowing time. By choosing the right time, you get the best result in the end. Indeed, with a late planting, flowering will come much later, and with an early planting, the seedlings will quickly stretch out and will not tolerate transplanting well into open ground. Considering these features of the plant, sowing of nemesia is carried out in the 2-3 decade of March. Nevertheless, in warmer climates, the procedure is planned for the middle of the month, and in cooler climates - at the end.
Usually, nemesia begins to bloom 60-70 days after the first full-fledged shoots appear.
Selection of soil and capacity
As with most plants, the requirements for the soil substrate remain unchanged. The soil must be nutritious and loose so that moisture and air can pass freely.In this regard, many acquire a universal soil with neutral acidity.
Moreover, others prepare the soil mixture on their own, mix thoroughly:
- garden soil;
- river sand;
- humus.
The first component is the main one, therefore it is taken in large quantities (up to 3 parts), and all the others are taken one at a time. Planting nemesia with seeds will be successful if the soil substrate is disinfected several weeks before the event. To do this, the composition is placed in an oven for 30 minutes and the temperature is set to 90˚С. In other cases, the mixture is kept over steam for 1.5 hours or poured over with boiling water. Finally, the soil is treated with a special biofungicide, for example, Fitosporin. Such precautions will help eliminate all sorts of pathogens of various diseases, as well as pest larvae.
Wide containers / boxes are used as a planting container for growing nemesia seedlings. At the same time, they choose a container that is not very deep, but with drainage holes at the bottom.
Sowing agricultural technology
Before filling the container with soil mixture, be sure to make a drainage layer of expanded clay, perlite or broken brick. Then cover the container 2/3 with disinfected soil. Since the seeds of nemesia are very small, sand is used for sowing, which is mixed with the planting material.
The landing event is carried out in this way:
- grooves are formed on the surface of the earth with a step of 2-3 cm using a wet pencil;
- sowing a mixture of seeds and sand;
- sprinkle everything with a thin layer of earth (up to 2 mm);
- poured abundantly with warm water from a spray bottle;
- covered with foil, glass or a transparent lid.
The container is sent to a room where the temperature is maintained within 20-22 20С. In order for the cultivation of nemesia from seeds to bring the desired result, every day the crops are aired for 15-30 minutes and, if necessary, sprayed from a fine spray. With such painstaking care, the first shoots will appear after 10-15 days. At this time, the cover is removed and the container is transferred to a cooler (18˚C), but well-lit place. Then the seedlings will not begin to stretch en masse. When cloudy weather and sunlight is not enough, then phytolamps are used for additional lighting.
5-7 days after removing the film, the seedlings are fed with complex fertilizer, but in a rather weak concentration.
At the stage of 2-3 true leaves, the seedlings are dived into separate containers, for example, into plastic cups. The transplant is carried out as carefully as possible so as not to damage the roots, otherwise the plant will not take root in a new place. The seedlings are buried at the level of the cotyledonous leaves, compactly tamping the ground. Then the sprouts are thoroughly shed with settled water.
On the 10th day after the dive, complex mineral fertilizers are applied for seedlings.
Outdoor transplant
The next step in a laborious process called "how to grow nemesia" is to plant a crop in a garden bed. An open area is pre-selected. Otherwise, the perennial will bloom poorly and will lose its decorative appearance.
The soil requirements in the front garden remain the same:
- looseness;
- nutritional value;
- with good drainage;
- with moderate humidity.
The optimal time for planting in the front garden is considered to be the end of spring (the last week of May). In the southern regions, the event is planned much earlier, as soon as stable warm weather is established. However, 2 weeks before this, the seedlings begin to harden - they are taken out on the street every day, gradually increasing the time that the culture stays in such conditions.
Agrotechnics of planting. The hole is formed with a depth of 2 times the root system of the plant. The specimens are planted at a distance of 20-30 cm from each other and watered abundantly.
Plot mulchto protect the perennial from weeds and drying out of the soil, which the culture cannot tolerate.
It is in this order that the planting of nemesia and care in the open field takes place from the moment of sowing the seeds to the period of flowering.