Garden flowers appear on most household plots. Knowing the main thing about planting and caring for nasturtium in the open ground, you can create beautiful compositions that will look very attractive in the design of the garden.
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When to plant nasturtium in open ground?
High-quality seed germination lasts up to 4 years. They should be stored in paper bags.
Seeds are planted in open ground in late May. If the spring is warm, then the landing is shifted to an earlier date and is carried out in mid-May. In the southern regions, culture is planted in the soil much earlier - in late March, early April.
Agrotechnical requirements for growing
Agricultural technology when growing nasturtium should be strictly observed, as this will allow you to get strong plants with abundant and rapid flowering.
If grown incorrectly, nasturtium will stretch and spend energy on small, nondescript leaves, instead of picking buds and blooming.
Growing nasturtium from seeds is not difficult, which even a beginner grower can easily cope with.
Seeding in open ground
In order for the seeds to germinate qualitatively, they need to be slightly soaked. To do this, on the eve of planting, the seeds are soaked for a day. Do this by wrapping them in a highly moistened cloth.
Wells for seeds should be located at a distance of 30 cm from each other, since when the culture begins to develop, it will require a lot of space. The seed placement depth is 2 cm. 3-4 seeds should be placed in each well. After seeding, the soil is watered with warm water.When there is a risk of return frosts, the bed is covered with polyethylene. Shoots appear in 10-14 days.
Growing seedlings
When growing nasturtium through seedlings, the flowering of the plant will be earlier. Sowing seeds is carried out in the same way as they are sown in the ground. For seedlings, it is better to use peat glasses, then a dive is not required. When it is planted in open ground, peat pots avoid root damage. In the place where the seedlings should be light.
Sowing seeds for seedlings should be a month earlier than in open ground. An earlier planting is not recommended due to the fact that if the plants outgrow and stretch, they will not be able to give high-quality flowering.
Proper Nasturtium Care
Proper care of the nasturtium flower will allow you to admire the rapid flowering before the onset of frost. Regardless of the selected variety, agricultural technology will be the same.
Soil and lighting requirements
Nasturtium is a photophilous culture, and for it it is necessary to choose the sunniest areas. It is better to do this in the fall, even before the leaves fall. This will accurately evaluate the selected site. If the plant is planted at partial shade, it will not disappear, but you will not have to expect abundant flowering from it.
It is interesting: planting and caring for nasturtium
Soil for nasturtium requires slightly acidic and well-drained so that water stagnation and waterlogging do not occur. The soil is necessarily light and fertile. An overabundance of organic substances should not be allowed, since in this case the bushes are very actively gaining green mass and will not bloom at all. If the soil is poor in nutrients, then the stems will stretch, give few leaves and look bare. Nasturtium will also not give flowers.
The plant blooms well in the sun, forms rich foliage in the shade.
Watering and fertilizer
Watering the plant requires regular. Nasturtium is afraid of waterlogging of the soil, but its overdrying for the flower is destructive. At the peak of flowering, the plant is watered only at the moment when the soil dries markedly. The rest of the time, watering is carried out 1 time in 3 days, unless, of course, there is rain. When the soil is too wet, watering is stopped and the soil is given time to dry. This avoids root decay.
It is necessary to feed nasturtium 2 times per season - before flowering and closer to its completion - to stimulate a set of new buds. Apply for this the optimal preparation of nitrofoski. If the flowers are grown on a site with fertile soil and feel good, then fertilizers are not needed.
Care after flowering
Usually, nasturtium blooms well before frost. If the plant stopped picking new buds too soon, then it is worth pushing it to this.
For these purposes, it is best to use such methods:
- cutting off faded and fading flowers;
- watering with special preparations of flowering stimulants;
- watering with a solution of hydrogen peroxide.
When all measures fail, it is worth digging one of the bushes and look at the roots. If they began to decay due to dampness, then it is no longer possible to help nasturtiums and you should not try to get new buds from a flower.
How to collect seeds?
To obtain seeds, leave 2-3 bushes and do not pick blooming flowers from them. It is possible to collect nasturtium seeds only if the plant is a varietal, and not a hybrid. Seeds ripen at the very end of the season. Only the variety retains its properties during seed propagation. In order to prevent self-sowing due to the fall of ripened seeds, it is important to constantly monitor their condition at the time of ripening. If the touch causes the seeds to fall, they must be collected. This is done piece by piece. Usually mature boxes, seeds from which can be put in storage, become dark brown in color.
Store seeds in a paper bag in a cool, dry place.
If self-seeding has occurred, this does not mean that the seeds are gone. They winter well in the soil and in the spring, if they are not eaten by rodents, give high-quality seedlings.
Propagation of nasturtium
If you wish, you can plant nasturtium not only with seeds, but also with cuttings. To do this, cut middle-aged shoots from the plant and root them in moist sand under a plastic bag. As a result of such reproduction, a new plant is obtained that fully preserves the parental properties. Unfortunately, rooting occurs only in 60% of cases. Most often in this way rare varieties of nasturtium are propagated, the seeds of which are quite difficult to find on a wide sale.
Pest control
Unpretentious nasturtium is often enough attacked by pests. Cruciferous fleas are great lovers to feast on the fresh leaves of the plant. In order to prevent it from being consumed by snails and slugs, which are the main enemies of the flower, it is necessary to treat nasturtium with special drugs. They are sold in a wide range of gardening stores. During the season, such processing is carried out up to 3 times.
Nasturtium in landscape design
Nasturtium flowers are single, large, double, of various shades: from light yellow to orange-red, have a pleasant aroma and are widely used in landscape design. The flower has a variety of forms, can grow in hanging flower pots or planted in curbs, flower beds, discounts, for bordering stones. The unpretentiousness and variety of nasturtium allows using it to realize the most unusual ideas.
Nasturtium has been and remains a popular plant for vertical landscaping of gardens, balconies and terraces. Easy to grow and having a variety of shapes and colors, it will always be respected by beginners and experienced gardeners.
