Sowing annual flowers in open ground

Recently, Ural flower growers are increasingly sowing summer seeds in open ground, in a permanent place.

Sowing of seeds is carried out both in specially prepared areas (curbs, flower beds, ridges), and in the aisles of early spring bulbous plants.

Long-term observations have shown that when summer plants are sown in the ground, the plants develop well and bloom profusely, however, flowering occurs 5-10 days later than those planted with seedlings. Cold resistance of such plants is much higher.

Summer plants recommended for sowing in the ground can be conditionally divided into two groups: the first is cold-resistant, these include alissum, brachycoma, godetia, delphinium, iberis, calendula, cosmea, clarkia, lavatera, flax, lupine, poppy, nigella. These flowers can be sown from mid-April as soon as the snow melts and the soil is sufficiently moist. The second group of summer plants includes more thermophilic plants: morning glory, nasturtium, ornamental beans, dolichos, ornamental pumpkins, tagetis. For these seeds, the earth must warm up enough, the sowing time can be defined as the end of May, beginning of June.

When spring processing soil, it is recommended to add rotted manure or compost from 4 to 8 kg per 1 sq. m. At the same time, mineral fertilizers are applied: 20-30 g of superphosphate, 15-20 g of potassium sulfate or potassium chloride. It is better to give nitrogen fertilizers in the form of fertilizing with ammonium nitrate or urea (carbamide) at the rate of 10-15 g per 1 sq. m. You can make a specialized complex fertilizer containing all the necessary elements.

The well-leveled soil is lightly compacted with a rammer before sowing. It is sown into shallow grooves and covered with humus or good garden soil on top with a layer equal to 2-3 times the thickness of the seed. Small seeds are not covered at all, but only pressed against the soil with a rammer. Water from a watering can with a very fine strainer or spray. It should be noted that excessive dampness is no less dangerous than drying out, it leads to rotting and loss of plants.

Dense seedlings must be thinned out. The first thinning is done when the cotyledons are fully developed and the first true leaf begins to appear. It is important to thin out on time, otherwise the young crops will stretch out, which will lead to rotting of the root collar and, in the future, to lodging of plants. During the first thinning, 2-3 plants are left in the nest, and after the second one or two.

In the future, caring for plants is reduced to weeding, loosening, watering and feeding. Do not forget to regularly remove faded inflorescences to prolong flowering and improve the decorative effect of your plants.

Let's say a few words about annuals, which are not as famous as calendula and kosmeya.

Brachycoma appeared relatively recently in our gardens. In its homeland, in Australia, it is a perennial, but here it is grown as an annual with charming purple, blue, less often pink flowers, similar to small daisies. The height of this beauty is only 15-25 cm, which allows you to grow it not only in the open field as a curb plant in the foreground, but also in pots, in balcony boxes.

The seeds of the brachicoma are very small (there are about 6,000 of them per 1 g), so we sow it on the surface of wet compost, without sprinkling it with earth, the shoots appear quite quickly, for 3-5 days. Care consists in the timely thinning of young plants, and when they reach a height of 5-7 cm, it is advisable to pinch (remove the top of the plant), which promotes branching and increases decorative effect.

Brachikoma prefers open sunny places, but tolerates partial shade, shows the greatest decorative effect on loose water and air permeable garden soils. It is practically not damaged by pests. The ease of care and beauty of this plant can make it a decoration for your garden, terrace, balcony.

Another interesting plant is Nigella Damascus, popularly called “the bride in the green”. This unpretentious plant can be planted in groups, used in prefabricated flower beds. Its blue, pink and white flowers will brighten any garden. In addition, nigella seeds are used in cooking. Interestingly, the Arabs and Indians also cultivated this plant, calling it black cumin. Young, heavily dissected leaves can be used in salads. Nigella develops better on loose nutrient soils, requires mandatory thinning, because thickened plantings look very elongated and sick.

Nigella blooms 45-55 days from germination, flowering lasts about a month, and seeds ripen in early September. Even faded plants are unusually decorative. Large seed pods can be used for winter bouquets.

Dolichos, hyacinth beans, is a climbing plant that will decorate a pergola or balcony trellis. During the season, the dolichos shoots rise three meters, and sometimes even higher. The shoots are covered with flowers of lilac color, similar to moths. The dolichos seed, as the name suggests, is a large bean with a white vein. Sowing must be done in well-warmed soil (15-20 degrees). At low temperatures and high humidity, seedlings may not appear: a young sprout may rot. The high growth rate also requires abundant feeding. Any complex fertilizer containing phosphates and microelements can be used. Specialized fertilizers are well suited for garden flowers, both in liquid and dry form.

E. A. Kadtsyna

In April, in areas with a cool climate, the last snow melts, buds swell on trees and bushes - nature comes to life and prepares for a new growing season, and our task is to help it with this. In April, shelters are removed from perennials and roses, bushes are treated against diseases and pests, from the beginning of the month the soil is prepared for sowing annual flowers in the ground and planting seedlings - they dig up and fertilize. And then the time comes for planting flowers in open ground - sowing seeds and transplanting flower seedlings. Vegetable seedlings of some species are planted in the city at the end of April.

Dates of planting flowers in April

Seeds of what flowers and exactly when are they sown in the ground in April? In those areas where at this time there is already a real spring, even if not very warm, flower growers spend the first half of the month to prepare the soil in the flower beds, and the planting of flower seeds is carried out from the beginning of the second half of April. Planting flowers in a flower bed, the seedlings of which have already grown and hardened at home or in a greenhouse, is carried out at the same time. Planting flowers in the soil is carried out in auspicious days... In April 2016 it is the 13th, 14th, 18th and 20th. Climbing plants it is better to sow on April 11 or 20.

What flowers are sown in open ground in April

In the second half of the month, seeds of such plants as calendula, Iberis, summer adonis, arctotis, Gaillardia, garden hibiscus, gypsophila, coreopsis, kosmeya, lavatera, sweet peas, whiskey, vaccaria, ornamental cabbage, clarkia, annual cornflowers are sown in open ground Chinese carnation, rudbeckia annual, phacelia, nikandra, mattiola, poppy, lobularia, godetia, dimorphoteka, snakehead, bristle grass, vole, mignonette, scabiosa, nigella, flax, malcolmia, canary grass, eschsholtia, echium and other perennials In areas with a cold and long spring, it will be possible to sow the seeds of these flowers into the ground only in May, but it is better to sow them in March or April for seedlings, and in May, plant the seedlings in the ground, where, under favorable weather conditions, they will bloom almost immediately. In this article, we will tell you how to sow some of the listed annuals, as well as the general rules of care for these flowers.

Morning glory.

This beautiful vine with gramophone flowers prefers sheltered places and loose soil. Before sowing, the seeds of morning glory are soaked for a day in a thermos with warm water for swelling. Those seeds that have not swollen are pricked with a needle and again dipped in warm water for a day. Instead of water, you can use an aqueous solution of Kornevin or Heteroauxin. Sowing large seeds of morning glory is easy: two seeds are dipped into each hole, then the holes are covered with soil and watered, after which the flower bed is mulched with peat. If frosts are predicted, the crops are covered with foil.

Eschsholzia.

This plant, which is also called the California poppy, is not capricious, it is easy to grow and easy to care for. Eshsholzia is light-requiring, grows on drained soils of almost any composition, but with a neutral or slightly alkaline reaction, blooms from June to September. Eshcholzia seeds are sown, stored for the winter in a vegetable box of the refrigerator, slightly pressing into the ground, after which the site is watered and mulched with peat. Some gardeners sow seeds in the melted snow, after which they cover the crops with mulch. Seedlings usually appear after 2 weeks, and need immediate thinning - the optimal distance between seedlings should eventually be 20 cm.

Sweet pea.

This plant is also called the fragrant rank. It is one of the most beautiful climbing annuals. Sweet peas grow well in calm, sunny or slightly shaded areas. Please note that sudden changes in temperature can cause the plant to reset its buds. The soil of peas requires a fertile, breathable, neutral reaction. It is unacceptable to grow a plant in places with a high bedding groundwater... When preparing a flower bed, never use fresh manure as fertilizer. Sweet peas and nitrogen are not needed - he himself extracts it from the air.

Seeds are sown 2-3 pieces in holes located at a distance of 20-25 cm from each other, covered with soil, compacted and mulched the site. Sweet peas sown in the ground will bloom by the middle of summer.

Calendula.

This flower gained popularity during the time of the ancient Greeks and has not lost it to this day. Calendula not only decorates a summer flower bed, but is also one of the most medicinal plants. It is grown both by seedlings and by sowing seeds directly into the soil, into which fertilizers are applied two weeks before sowing. The planting scheme for calendula flowers is as follows: sowing is carried out to a depth of 1-2 cm at a distance of 25-30 cm from each other. The spacing between rows is 60-70 cm if you grow calendula as ornamental plant, and 30-40, if as curative. In this case, the distance between the bushes can be reduced to 7-10 cm. Seedlings appear in a week, and 2-3 weeks after their appearance, the seedlings of decorative calendula are thinned out, leaving a gap of 25-30 cm between them. Extra seedlings removed from the flower bed flowers can be transplanted to another location. Calendula will bloom 10 weeks after sowing - by mid-summer.

Adonis.

He's an adonis. A mythical flower that became popular in the 17th century and has not yet lost its charm in the eyes of flower growers. The ideal place for a plant is a sunny area that sinks into the shade in the afternoon. The best soil is a light, well-drained soil rich in lime and organic matter with a pH of 7-7.5 units. The seeds of one-year-old adonis, collected from six-year-old bushes, are stored in the vegetable box of the refrigerator in winter, after which they are kept for a day. warm water for swelling, after which they are sown to a depth of 1-2 cm. They germinate at a temperature of 5 ºC in a month.

Clarkia.

It is a graceful, elegant, cold-resistant and long-flowering plant. It feels best under the sun in an open area, in loose, moist soil of a slightly acidic reaction. A couple of weeks before sowing, add peat and mineral fertilizers to the soil. Clarkia seeds are sown in nests of 4-5 pieces at a distance of 20-40 cm from each other, not burying them into the ground, but only slightly pressing them into it and sprinkling them on top with a thin layer of soil. The seedlings that have appeared after two weeks are slightly thinned out: undersized bushes should be at a distance of 20 cm from each other, and tall varieties - at a distance of 25 cm. Do not overdo it with thinning: dense plantings of clarke flowers look excellent.

Ornamental cabbage.

When planning to decorate your flower garden with something unusual, remember this plant, which, with its indisputable decorativeness, is completely unpretentious and easily tolerates short-term spring frosts. They even benefit him by giving the leaves a more juicy color. As a soil, cabbage prefers humus-rich loams and sandy loams. As for lighting, it grows equally well in bright sun and in light shade, although the leaves of a plant from a shaded flower bed do not differ in the rich green color that leaves of cabbage growing in the sun.

A week before sowing, wrap the cabbage seeds in gauze soaked in a solution of organic fertilizer and place in a dark, cool place. As soon as the seeds are baked, you can start sowing. The seeds are spread over the soil surface and sprinkled with a layer of soil 1 cm thick. When sowing, keep in mind that cabbage sometimes grows up to 60 cm in diameter, so spread the seeds at a distance of at least half a meter. When the seedlings develop 3-4 leaves, they are thinned out, and extra plants transplanted to another place.

Gypsophila.

It is graceful herbaceous plant with delicate small flowers of white, pink or greenish white. Gypsophila is planted in open areas with low-lying groundwater. The plant prefers a well-drained soil, containing lime, sandy loam or loamy. Two weeks before sowing, in the area where the gypsophila flower grows, it is necessary, in addition to humus, to add dolomite flour or ash for digging. Seeds are sown sparsely to a depth of 0.5 cm, they germinate in a little over a week. Fortified seedlings are thinned out, leaving a gap of 15-20 cm between the specimens. After sowing the gypsophila, it blooms in a month and a half or two.

Mattiola.

Mattiola, or levkoy, is a cold-resistant plant with fragrant white, pink, dusty yellow or purple flowers, the smell of which is familiar to everyone. Matthiola is grown in well-lit and drained areas in fertile sod-loamy or sod-sandy loam soil with a neutral or slightly alkaline reaction, which does not require fertilization before sowing, unless the soil is very depleted by its predecessors. The area where the representatives of the Cruciferous family used to grow is not suitable for growing matthiola. Mattiola seeds are sown in shallow holes, located at a distance of 20 cm from each other, 3-5 pieces each, sprinkling with sand on top, or you can mix the seeds with sand and simply sprinkle over the moistened surface of the site, and then lightly sprinkle with soil. Seedlings appear in a week or ten days. They can withstand temperatures as low as -5 ºC. When the seedlings develop 2-3 leaves, they are thinned out, trying to maintain a distance of 15-20 cm between the specimens. In order to prolong the flowering of mattiola, it can be sown several times with a break of two weeks.

Cornflowers.

There are about 500 species of these graceful, cold-resistant, unpretentious and disease-resistant plants. They differ in abundant and long flowering, and some of them also have healing properties. The color of cornflower flowers can be not only blue, but also white, pink, yellow, blue or purple.

Annual cornflowers are grown in well-lit areas located on the south side. The soil is suitable for cornflowers fertile, with a high content of humus and a neutral reaction. Cornflower seeds are sown into soil previously dug to the depth of a shovel bayonet with fertilizers - 2 kg of peat or humus, 100 g of wood ash and a tablespoon of nitrophoska per m². You need to prepare the garden two weeks before sowing. At the end of April, if the winter was snowless, and the spring is dry, the soil for planting flowers is well moistened, shallow grooves are made in it, into which seeds are sown, and they are covered with a layer of soil 1 cm thick from above, after which the crops are slightly tamped, and then cover with a water-permeable material. Water the crops as the soil dries up - after 2-3 days directly through the fabric, spending 2 liters of water per m², but after a week, as soon as sprouts appear, the coating is removed. The grown seedlings are thinned out, leaving a distance of 10-12 cm between the specimens.

Poppies.

A beautiful flower with graceful quivering petals, which gained fame in ancient times, has not lost its popularity to this day. Poppies grow in open areas with deep groundwater and are not at all afraid of the scorching rays of the sun. They love sandy loam or loamy soil, although they are not capricious in this matter. Two weeks before sowing the poppy, the plot is dug up to a depth of 40 cm, adding 5-7 kg of humus or compost for each m² of digging. You need to sow stratified seeds, for this they are stored in the vegetable box of the refrigerator since autumn. Poppy seeds are scattered over the moistened surface of the site into the soil fluffed with a rake, without covering, but lightly sprinkling with soil. Seeds sprout in two to four weeks, and as soon as the seedlings get stronger, they are thinned so that the distance between the bushes is at least 25 cm.

Flower crop care in April

Watering flowers.

If the winter was with snow, and the spring was with rains, then the young seedlings will not need watering. When the ground warms up and the sun begins to scorch like summer, it is better to water young plants from a watering can, pouring water under the base of the stem and not using a sprinkler so that drops do not fall on the stems and leaves of plants. For watering, it is best to use warm water heated by the sun during the day. You can water garden flowers with a hose, but in this case, be especially careful, watch out where the cold tap water is pouring: it must not get on the leaves and stems, the stream should only hit the ground around the flower. Do not seek to create a strong jet, so that it does not erode the soil and expose plant roots.

Top dressing of crops.

Plants need at least 16 nutrients for normal development, the main of which are carbon, hydrogen and oxygen they get from water and air, but how to organize the supply of plants the required amount the rest of the elements, you should take care. In this case, it is very important to comply with the norm, since an excess of a substance can do the same harm as its lack. In the spring, when plants start to grow, they need nitrogen most of all, but if they get an excessive amount of it, they will begin to build up the green mass, and will not bloom. Is this what we expect from garden flowers? Phosphorus shortens the growing season of plants, that is, accelerates their development and brings the moment of flowering closer, while potassium enhances the frost resistance of plants and helps them to form the root system. Calcium and phosphorus are added to the soil in the second half of summer and autumn. Magnesium takes part in the formation of chlorophyll, and boron, cobalt, molybdenum, iron, sulfur, manganese, zinc and copper, the need for which is not so great, increase the immunity of plants and help them resist pests and diseases. All these elements are contained in organic and mineral fertilizers, which are used to fill the soil before planting the plants, and then they are applied in carefully calibrated doses during their growth and development. You can feed the plants not only by applying fertilizers to the soil, but also by spraying them with nutrient solutions on the leaves. These dressings begin to act much faster than root ones. Taking care of annuals, the first time they are fed one and a half to two weeks after planting, the next top dressing is applied in the middle of summer. Perennial plants are fertilized three times a year: the first time in the spring, when the soil begins to dry out from melt water, the second time at the beginning of the bud formation period, and the third after flowering.

Flowers that are at rest do not need feeding, and those that have just been transplanted need to be fertilized only when they take root. It is strictly forbidden to feed plants infected with a disease.

Weeding and loosening.

Loosening the soil in a flower bed is very important because it allows air to enter the soil, which speeds up seed germination, and then supplies oxygen to the roots of the plant. Simultaneously with soil loosening, weed control and seedling thinning are carried out. The soil is loosened and weeded several times per season. It is most convenient to do this after watering or a good rain. Loosening should be done very carefully, taking care not to damage the root system of the plants with the tool.

Each plant needs an individual approach, but there is also general rules, upon adherence to which your labors will be crowned with success and the flowers will quickly take root and will delight with abundant flowering. Everything written here has been verified by practice, you can safely use it in life.


Choosing seedlings
Now many growers even prefer annual plants buy seedlings. There are several advantages here. When buying flower seeds, we can only rely on the good faith of the manufacturer, who dried them well (the ideal moisture content should be 4-8%), removed weeds and stored them correctly. Storage periods for seeds different types range from 1 to 6 years, so if they have expired, germination will be low, or even zero. Also, seeds can be infected with fungi and spores, which is impossible to visually determine, unlike seedlings.

From practice it follows that it is more expedient to buy seedlings with a closed root system (in peat or small plastic pots). There should only be one plant in each container. It is very important that the root system is not overgrown if the roots do not have enough space for natural growth and they are woven into a ball - there will be little sense from such a flower. That is why many growers are afraid to purchase seedlings in cassettes with a minimum volume of cells.

Do not hesitate to carefully examine each purchased specimen, touch the substrate moisture in the container with your finger (it should never be dry!) \u200b\u200bAnd carefully examine the plant for the presence of diseases and pests. Stems and leaves must be fresh, strong, natural color for this species and variety, free from spots, bloom and damage. Do not use specimens with unnaturally bright leaf color and unusually thick stems and short internodes. Obviously, a huge amount of fertilizers and stimulants were used in their cultivation. After planting on a flower bed, without receiving the usual diet, such a plant will quickly lose its spectacular appearance and, most likely, die.

Choose hardened seedlings, this will save yourself the need to harden them yourself. There is one amazingly simple but sure way. Remember what the spring leaves that have just blossomed on the trees look like. 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 coarser. It is the result of exposure to the sun, wind, and the change in day and night temperatures. So look for these signs in seedlings!

And one more prerequisite: take into account the biological needs and characteristics of plants. Soil type, its moisture content and drainage capacity, illumination, drought resistance, maximum air temperatures. If you are purchasing several types of plants, planning to plant them in a group, do not forget about the strength of the flowers. The species that rapidly and powerfully develop the aboveground part and root system will not leave their neighbors, more modest in this respect, neither food, nor moisture, nor light.
Protecting seedlings
The day before, 2-3 days before planting, thoroughly spray the seedlings with Epin-extra solution. Do not neglect this advice, the drug is really good. It increases the rooting efficiency of planted seedlings, serves as an excellent protection against diseases, pests and frosts, and strengthens weakened plants. It can be sprayed after planting, but not more often than once every two weeks. It is during this period that Epin decays in any part of the plant and it is often simply useless to use it. Keep in mind that Epin-extra should be stored in a place protected from light, in no case should you exceed the recommended dosage and dilute the drug in clean water, since it is destroyed in an alkaline environment. For safety net, you can slightly acidify the water - with vinegar, boric acid or citric acid... Or just buy distilled water. Use the prepared solution on the same day.
Soil preparation
A plot of land intended for planting flower seedlings must be prepared the day before. Dig to a depth of at least a shovel bayonet, loosen thoroughly, level with a rake.

After that, thoroughly water the dug-up area, so that the water does not immediately go into the ground, Until next day water will saturate the soil well, during the day it will not warm up much and it will be easier for plants to survive the adaptation period.

Cooking pits. Their width and depth should be 2-3 cm more than the volume of the container in which the plant is located.

The opinions of experts on the issue of adding fertilizers during planting are different: some are inclined to believe that during the rooting period (10-14 days), their introduction is unjustified, recommending starting feeding after rooting. Others advise adding a pinch of complex fertilizers to the bottom of the hole, sprinkling it with earth (to exclude contact with the roots). As practice shows, plants planted with the addition of fertilizers during planting move into growth and bloom 3-5 days earlier than those that were fertilized 2 weeks after planting.

Water the seedlings in pots abundantly 20-30 minutes before planting so that the earthen ball is well saturated with moisture and remains on the roots. Squeezing the side walls of the pot with your hands from the bottom up, gently squeeze out the plant.

Never take it by one sheet or top of the head, best of all - by an earthen lump. We lower it into the hole and carefully fill it with earth, slightly compact it with light pressure with the palms and pour it from the watering can under the root to exclude possible voids and ensure that the soil adheres to the roots.

As soon as the water has been absorbed, cover the hole with dry earth or sand to avoid crust formation. If it was not possible to remove the plant along with the lump, when planting, make sure that the roots are freely located in the hole, in no case bending upwards. Maintain the recommended planting density for this plant species to ensure full development of the crown and root system, abundant long-term flowering.

Disembarkation dates
You can take into account the frost resistance of each individual variety and plant seedlings when the possibility of return frosts in your area has passed. And you can land earlier in time, but cover it with any non-woven covering material - Agrospan, Lutrasil, Spunbond, or any other. These materials can be useful in the first days after planting seedlings in open ground, if there is hot sunny weather, the plants must be shaded, otherwise sunburn cannot be avoided.

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