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Growing ampelous diascia from seeds is possible at home. The mountainous regions of the southern part of the African continent are considered to be the birthplace of the plant. Ampelous diascia belongs to the Norichnikov family; in European countries it is grown as an annual. Professional landscape designers and florists have long noted the excellent decorative properties of unpretentious diassia. The culture has a wide range of colors: from stylish salmon, orange, pink flowers to contrasting white, and various shades of purple.
Multi-colored flowers of the ampelous diascia, reminiscent of seashells in shape, look great in hanging flowerpots, individual decorative containers and containers
The nuances of growing diascia from seeds
Experienced gardeners note some features of growing ampelous diascia from seeds. Of all the known methods of propagation of South African crops, the most productive is seed. You can plant prepared seeds in two ways:
- in open ground;
- for seedlings.
When sowing seeds in open ground, Diascia blooms quite late - by August. In addition, unstable climatic conditions during the day and night in spring can cause seed death.
Plants grown from seedlings delight with their lush and numerous blooms much earlier (late June). In this case, the gardener independently controls and adjusts the conditions for growth and development, which guarantees the survival of the crop.
The sowing technology itself has some nuances. Since the seeds of the plant are very small, many gardeners mix the seeds and sand before sowing the seedlings, and then evenly distribute the mixture over the surface of the container with the prepared soil mixture.
When sowing seeds for seedlings in disposable containers, you can use wet toothpicks to alternately move 1-2 seeds into the ground.
Young plants obtained from Diascia seedlings bloom profusely by June
How to sow diascia for seedlings
If you are growing diascia from seeds, you should plant the material at the end of winter. Knowing some simple rules for sowing African crops will help you avoid common mistakes.
When to plant Diascia seedlings
Experienced gardeners recommend planting seeds for seedlings in late February or early March. This makes it possible to complete the work of transferring seedlings to open ground or hanging flower pots already at the end of May, and a month later to have spectacularly flowering plants in your garden plot.
At the end of June, you can enjoy the budding of exotic flowers if you sow seedlings in February
Selection of container and soil preparation
Photos and reviews of growing ampelous diascia from seeds make it possible to verify that for seedling germination you can choose any container that is small in height (cassette container, wide bowl, plastic or wooden box). For individual (piece-by-piece) sowing, any disposable containers are suitable.
Before sowing, the container is disinfected, filled with a mixture of slightly acidic soil and sand, and moistened well.
For African culture, slightly acidic, moderately fertilized soil with the addition of river sand and soil is suitable
Sowing rules
Since the seeds of the plant are small, gardeners use various convenient sowing methods. The following methods are most often used in practice:
- seeds mixed with fine sand are evenly distributed over the surface of the soil in a container and slightly pressed into the soil;
- The seeds are transferred to a separate container with the soil mixture using a wet wooden toothpick and lightly pressed into the soil.
The sowing algorithm comes down to the following steps:
- preliminary moistening of the soil mixture in the container for seedlings;
- transferring plant seeds to the soil with light pressing of the seeds into the soil;
- irrigating crops with warm water using a sprayer;
- creating a greenhouse effect (covering containers with crops with plastic film, glass, transparent plastic cups or bottles).
Small seeds can be “grabbed” with tweezers or a moistened wooden toothpick or skewer
Growing Diascia from seeds at home
To grow healthy, viable seedlings, the tender shoots of African ornamental crops need proper care. It is important to create a microclimate that is comfortable for the shoots and to ensure timely watering and fertilization.
Do not forget about the mandatory picking and pinching of seedlings
Microclimate
It will take about 3 weeks for the seeds to form sprouts. The planting container with seedlings of African ornamental crops must be placed in a warm and bright place. The most comfortable environment for germination of seed material is an ambient temperature of up to 20 ⁰C.
When the first shoots appear, the shelter is removed, the container with seedlings is placed in a bright place with a lower temperature (up to 15 ⁰C).
For seed germination, the heat-loving African plant requires a fairly high temperature (up to 20 ⁰C)
Watering and fertilizing schedule
Proper watering is one of the main components of success for growing healthy seedlings at home. The soil with crops must be constantly moistened, avoiding drying out of the soil. It is impossible to water future seedlings in the usual way, since the seeds can be washed away by the flow of water. It is necessary to moisten the crops only with a spray bottle.
Complex liquid fertilizers in a reduced dosage will stimulate the growth of seedlings and ensure future lush flowering. You should know that African ornamental crops do not need organic fertilizers.
Excessive fertilization may cause future growth of abundant green vegetation and reduced flowering rates.
Picking
2 weeks after sowing, Diascia seedlings are planted in separate containers. By this time, the seedlings have 2-3 main leaves. In order not to injure the plants when picking, experienced gardeners immediately sow the seeds in separate containers. Picking should be done carefully, trying not to damage the delicate parts of the plants.
Before picking, seedlings can be thinned out, leaving healthy and strong shoots
Topping
Simultaneously with picking, it is necessary to pinch the tops of the plants for the first time. Using this technique, you can begin the formation of a spectacular decorative bush. To stimulate beautiful branching, the bush is picked several more times (as the seedlings grow).
Before transplanting into open ground, diascia seedlings are hardened by exposing them to open air for 0.5-1 hour.
Transplantation into open ground
Gradual hardening of seedlings will allow the plant to adapt to changes in night and day temperatures, get used to sunlight, wind, and precipitation. The time for “street walks” should be constantly increased: starting with 1-2 hours of exposure to the open air, continuing up to 1 day.
At the end of May, seedlings of ampelous diascia are planted in open ground (prefabricated flower beds, mixborders, individual flowerpots, hanging flowerpots). For permanent “place of residence”, rocky, loose, slightly acidic or neutral soils mixed with fine gravel and coarse sand are chosen.
African culture “loves” sunny and sheltered areas. In places where water can accumulate (low areas), effective drainage should be provided to prevent stagnation of moisture. In the shade of trees and buildings, the plant will lose its decorative appeal and will be weak.
In flower beds, plants are planted in small holes, pressed down a little, sprinkled with soil and mulched with mowed grass. In the beds, maintain a distance between individual seedlings of up to 15 cm.
If the crop is transplanted into hanging pots or flowerpots, drainage holes should be provided to prevent water stagnation. Up to 4 sprouts are placed in hanging decorative containers.
Plants love abundant watering, but cannot tolerate stagnant water.
Conclusion
Growing ampelous diascia from seeds at home is an easy way to get healthy and viable seedlings of an amazing, profusely flowering South African plant. Lush foam of multi-colored diascia flowers, similar to small sea shells, will become a spectacular decoration of any area of the local area. Unexpected color variations of fashionable shades will favorably emphasize individual elements of landscape design.
