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Chrysanthemum Bridal Dress is a low, densely branched annual with large double flowers that attracts attention regardless of whether it grows in a flowerbed or in a container. The lush multi-petaled balls of its inflorescences, snow-white, with yellow cores, are indeed easily associated with a luxurious and delicate wedding dress. This beautiful chrysanthemum loves sunlight and fertile soil, tolerates drought and light frosts well, and is also very picky in care. You can admire it from mid-summer until frost sets in. Considering that the Bridal Dress chrysanthemum goes through its entire life cycle within one season, the gardener will not have to worry about winter shelter - it will be enough to collect the ripe seeds and germinate them the next year.
Features of growing chrysanthemum Bridal dress
The bride's dress is a cultivated variety of odorless chrysanthemum.It can be grown both in open ground and in pots. This is an annual plant - seed ripening, seedling growth and development, flowering and wilting occur during one growing season.
The annual double chrysanthemum Bridal Dress is famous for its lush white flowers with yellow centers
Chrysanthemum Bridal Dress grows quickly, branches well and blooms profusely. Its shoots form dense compact bushes, usually reaching 20 cm in height. The root system is branched and grows parallel to the soil surface. The leaves are emerald green. They are oblong, feathery and arranged in a regular order.
Terry inflorescences-baskets have the shape of a ball 5-6 cm in diameter. Along the edge of each of them there are elongated flowers resembling reeds. They are painted snowy white, while the thin tubular flowers in the middle are bright yellow.
Chrysanthemum blooms Bridal dress from mid-July to October. Its fruits are capsules, inside which seeds ripen.
Planting chrysanthemums Bridal dress
Like any annual chrysanthemum, the Bridal Dress variety is usually grown from seeds. This can be done in two ways:
- sowing them for seedlings in early spring;
- sowing directly into open ground in May.
Procedure for planting chrysanthemums The bride's dress in each of the indicated cases has its own characteristics.
Chrysanthemums grown by seedlings bloom earlier than those sown directly in open ground
Preparing the soil and planting container
Chrysanthemum seedlings begin to be grown in March or April.At first, the seeds should be kept indoors or in a heated greenhouse.
You can buy a ready-made substrate for flowering plants. However, it is not at all difficult to prepare soil for seedlings yourself.
To do this you will need to mix in equal parts:
- land from the site;
- humus;
- peat.
It is advisable to first sift the soil mixture through a sieve - this will help make it loose. It is also necessary to disinfect the substrate by steaming it with boiling water or calcining it in the oven at a temperature of 110-130 °C.
Containers for seedlings can be individual or shared. The main requirement for them is sufficient width with a small depth. You can use wooden or plastic boxes, disposable cups, plastic cassettes, peat tablets. It is important that water does not stagnate at the roots of the seedlings, so there should be holes in the bottom of the seedling containers for drainage.
It is advisable to first disinfect the containers by treating them with a pink solution of potassium permanganate.
The container for growing seedlings should be wide but shallow, with holes in the bottom for drainage
Those who are going to plant Chrysanthemum Bridal Dress seeds in open ground should wait until May. However, the area for flowers must be prepared in advance, in the fall. If the soil is sandy, it should be dug to a depth of 20 cm, adding humus. Clayey, heavy soil must be supplemented with sand.
The soil reaction should be neutral or slightly acidic (pH 6.5); if this value is higher, it must be limed.It is recommended to additionally add 50 g of superphosphate and 25 g of potassium phosphate per meter of soil.
Preparation of planting material
Before planting, chrysanthemum seeds Bridal Dress require simple pre-treatment. To do this you should:
- soak them for half an hour in a weak solution of potassium permanganate or chlorhexidine;
- rinse in clean water;
- air dry.
Landing rules
If the Bridal Dress chrysanthemum is going to be grown from seedlings, then planting the seeds is done as follows:
- a layer of drainage (pieces of polystyrene foam or expanded clay) is poured onto the bottom of the prepared container;
- fill the container with soil mixture to 2/3 of the volume;
- slightly moisten the soil with a spray bottle;
- make holes or grooves 0.5-1 cm deep in it;
- sow the seeds evenly, making sure that they are not located close to each other;
- if planting is done in individual containers, 2-3 seeds are placed in each hole;
- lightly sprinkle the crops with soil;
- spray them with warm water from a spray bottle;
- cover the containers on top with transparent film or glass and put them in a warm place, providing the necessary care.
It is convenient to use peat tablets for sowing seeds, having previously steamed them
A couple of weeks later, after the seedlings have 2-3 true leaves, they can be picked and planted in separate flowerpots. Seedlings that are weakened or too elongated are discarded.If the Bride's Dress chrysanthemum is sprouted in peat tablets or cups, then at this stage, out of 2-3 sprouts, the strongest one is selected, and the remaining ones are carefully cut off with scissors near the ground.
Seedlings are planted in a permanent place in the flower garden in mid-May. It is best to choose a cloudy day for this. Sequencing:
- a couple of hours before transplanting, water the seedlings abundantly;
- a trench 40-45 cm deep is dug in advance in the ground, a little sand is poured onto the bottom and moistened with settled water;
- each seedling is carefully removed from the container along with an earthen lump on the roots;
- chrysanthemums are planted in a trench, leaving a distance of 30-40 cm between the bushes;
- the soil is watered and mulched (sawdust, peat).
In the case when you decide to grow the Bridal Dress chrysanthemum directly in the open ground, proceed as follows:
- 2-3 seeds are placed in prepared holes dug at a distance of 20-25 cm;
- cover them with a small layer of peat (2-3 cm);
- well watered.
To better warm the soil and preserve moisture, it is recommended to cover the holes with pieces of garden film before the first shoots appear (then it should be removed).
After the young bushes of the chrysanthemum Bridal Dress reach 5-10 cm in height, the seedlings need to be thinned out, leaving one sprout in each hole, the strongest one.
Chrysanthemum seedlings should be replanted into open ground with a clod of earth
Caring for chrysanthemum Bridal dress
Rules for caring for a chrysanthemum The bride's dress cannot be called complicated.At the same time, it is important that the gardener takes into account the preferences of the plant, creating the most favorable conditions for development and growth.
Optimal growing conditions
Immediately after planting chrysanthemum seeds for seedlings, they should be kept indoors at a constant temperature of + 23-25 ° C, providing them with sufficient light and protection from drafts.
After emergence, after 10-12 days, the containers are transferred to the sunniest windowsill. In the morning and evening they are additionally illuminated with a phytolamp, extending the daylight hours to 12-14 hours. The temperature is reduced to + 16-18 °C. The shelter is gradually removed, increasing the ventilation time every day, and then they get rid of it completely.
After picking the chrysanthemum seedlings, the Bridal Dress continues to provide additional light and maintain the specified temperature. In this case, 2 weeks before transplanting into the flower garden, the plants need to be hardened:
- first, a window is opened in the room with them;
- then every day they are taken out into a greenhouse or onto a glassed-in loggia, leaving them at a temperature of at least + 15 °C, first for an hour or two, then for a longer period of time;
- in the second week, the plants are also gradually accustomed to being outside, exposing them first to the shade and then to the sun.
Place for planting seeds or seedlings of chrysanthemums. The bride's dress in open ground should be sunny, but with shading in the middle of the day. It is necessary that it be protected from drafts, but well ventilated, and also prevent stagnation of moisture at the roots.
You can sow the Bridal Dress chrysanthemum directly into open ground after the soil in the garden has warmed up well
Watering mode
The key to health and successful growth of the chrysanthemum The bride's dress is a properly organized watering regime.
After planting the seeds and before germination, moisten the soil very carefully by spraying it with a spray bottle. This should be done as the top layer of soil dries.
After the Bride's Dress chrysanthemum has sprung up, you can use a syringe or small syringe to water it. Seedlings after picking or seedlings that have grown in the garden bed are watered more generously, while avoiding excessive drying out or waterlogging of the soil.
Caring for an adult Chrysanthemum Bride growing in open ground involves regular watering at the root, avoiding water getting on the leaves and flowers. In the first half of summer, at the stage of bud formation, the plant requires a significant amount of moisture. After the flowers appear, the intensity of watering should be reduced slightly.
At the initial stage of seed germination, watering should be done from a spray bottle
Fertilizing
Chrysanthemum Bridal Dress, which is grown in seedlings, is usually fed as follows:
- Immediately after picking, it is recommended to spray the seedlings with a biostimulant solution (Epin-Extra or Zircon) for better growth and rooting.
- A week after this, the plant can be fertilized with potassium humate, Fertika Lux or Uniflor for flowers.In the future, fertilizing should be repeated every 2 weeks.
Having transplanted a chrysanthemum into a flower garden, it is recommended to water it with Kornevin solution.
If the seeds were sown directly into the ground, then a week after germination, you need to water them with water with the addition of a small amount of liquid fertilizer (Rainbow, Ideal).
An adult chrysanthemum is fed three times during the summer:
- 1.5 months after planting, nitrogen-containing compounds must be added to the soil to promote the growth and expansion of foliage;
- for the second and third time, the plant is fertilized at the stage of bud formation with preparations that include potassium and phosphorus.
Trimming and shaping
In order for the Bridal Dress chrysanthemum bushes to be compact, but at the same time thick, with a large number of shoots, they should be formed correctly.
During the period of active growth, but before the buds appear (or 7-10 days after planting the seedlings in the ground), you should pinch the upper part of the central shoot. The best option is to wait until the 8th leaf appears and remove the “top” above it.
After the length of the side shoots reaches 20 cm, they can also be pinched. As a result, the Bridal Dress chrysanthemum bushes will resemble dense balls and form many inflorescences.
Pinching shoots allows you to form dense, lushly flowering bushes
Diseases and pests
The diseases and pests that the Bridal Dress chrysanthemum often suffers from can be briefly described as follows:
Disease/pest | Manifestations | Treatment and prevention measures |
Gray rot | Light brown spots on leaves and petals. Inflorescences rotting from the base. Softening the stems. | Removal and destruction of affected parts. Thinning bushes.Treatment with Speed, Fundazol, Pure Flower. Avoiding waterlogging of the soil. |
Septoria | Yellow spots on the leaves (mostly the lower ones), which gradually increase in size and darken. | Collection and destruction of affected leaves. Treatment with fungicides (copper chloride, Bordeaux mixture). |
Powdery mildew | A whitish or ash-gray coating on the leaves that develops mainly in wet weather. | |
Leaf nematodes | Yellow-brown spots on leaves. The records quickly wither and dry out. | Removal and destruction of infected leaves. Using insecticidal soap sprays. Mulching the soil in spring. |
Spider mites and aphids | They suck the juice out of plants. The flowers quickly discolor and dry out, the leaves turn yellow and fall off. | Treating bushes with mineral oil or soap solution with the addition of copper sulfate. |
Reproduction
To get chrysanthemum seeds Bride's Dress, you should select the best specimens of adult plants, water them regularly, loosen the soil, fertilize and remove the shoots. In order for the germination of seeds to be higher, you should not leave more than 3-5 stems on the bush, each of which should have 1 bud.
The boxes should be collected before the inflorescences are completely dry, otherwise they will fall off. After this, the seed should be kept in a dark, dry room for 2 months.
You can collect annual chrysanthemum seeds yourself and plant them next year.
Conclusion
Chrysanthemum Bridal Dress is a spectacular, lushly blooming annual that is not difficult to grow in the garden. You can get a beautiful flower bed by sowing the seeds directly into the ground at the end of spring, when the soil warms up and the threat of return frosts has finally passed.However, if you prefer the seedling method of growing this chrysanthemum, then its flowering can be seen much earlier. If you plant the plants correctly, and then correctly organize simple care for them, then snow-white balloons, which really look like a bride’s dress, framed by emerald green feathery leaves, will look luxurious in the flowerbed all season.
