Celosia comb (comb): growing seedlings from seeds at home

The unusual and spectacular Celosia comb is a “fashionista” whose exotic beauty can decorate any flowerbed. The upper edge of its lush, velvety inflorescences is sinuous and shaped like a cockscomb, which gave the second, popular name to this amazing plant. The color of the numerous small flowers of Celosia comb varies widely from bright yellow to dark red, causing a strong association with flames. In its homeland in the warm weather conditions of southern Asia, it is a perennial crop, while in temperate countries it is more often grown as an annual ornamental plant.

Celosia comb looks great in the garden, grows well in pots and containers, and is also great for cutting and drying. Its flowering period lasts all summer and ends only with the onset of frost. Currently, a number of varieties of comb celosia are known, bred specifically for the needs of ornamental gardening.

Description of comb celosia

Celosia silvery comb (popularly known as “cockscomb”) is the most famous and cultivated species of the genus Celosia of the Amaranthaceae family.

Depending on the variety, this flower can grow from 35 to 70 cm in length. Its stems are large, succulent, erect, branched, often fused together in several pieces. They can be green or reddish in color.

The leaves of Celosia combata are alternate, entire, and pointed at the ends. The plates are usually oval or elongated. They come in green, burgundy, purple, variegated or gold.

Small flowers of celosia comb are collected in massive complex inflorescences, shaped like a thick spike, about 8 cm wide. The raised convolutions along the upper edge give them the appearance of a cockscomb. You can see what celosia comb flowers look like in the photo:

The unusual shape of celosia comb inflorescences resembles a cockscomb

The palette of their colors is very rich: there are yellow, red, orange, scarlet, pink and even lilac varieties.

Comb celosia blooms for a long time: from the second half of June until the beginning of November.

The fruit of the plant is a capsule containing many small seeds.

Important! Comb celosia does not tolerate frost, so this perennial is most often cultivated as an annual (however, if you choose the option of growing indoors, the life of the plant can be extended).

The best varieties

The diversity of this exotic flower will help you get acquainted with its most popular varieties. Among them there are dwarf, medium and tall. They differ from each other in the size and shape of the inflorescences, the color of the flowers and leaves.

Coral Garden

The varietal series of celosia comb Coral Garden is represented by low plants, the length of the shoots usually does not exceed 30-40 cm. The bright colors of the “combs” are from 10 to 20 cm wide, ranging from light yellow to a deep shade of fuchsia. The leaves are colored in rich green tones. Most often, the seeds of this comb celosia are sold in the form of a mixture. The coral garden looks great cut and dried.

The Coral Garden variety series impresses with its variety of colors

Empress

Luxurious Empress, or Empress, also belongs to the dwarf varieties of comb celosia: the height of its shoots is usually 30 cm. Its distinctive features are dark green leaves and large burgundy-red “crowns”. It is often grown as a balcony crop.

The burgundy-red “crown” of the Empress looks luxurious and majestic

Atropurpurea

The celosia comb variety Atropurpurea does not grow tall - only about 25-30 cm. It is characterized by an unusual color of the stems, combining green and soft pink tones. At the tops of the shoots there are very large inflorescences of a rich purple-red color.The leaves are oval, light green, with pink veins.

The beautiful Atropurpurea has unusual light green leaves with pink veins

Application in landscape design

The unusual and elegant “cockscomb” looks wonderful in any corner of the garden, which allows landscape designers to consider this flower a real find. The photos below of comb celosia in flower beds confirm this.

A bright, eye-catching plant fits perfectly into borders and mixborders, looks great both in single and mixed plantings

Low-growing varieties of comb celosia will help create a picturesque border along a garden or park path

Tall varieties will become a picturesque element of a voluminous flower garden, combining well with perennial shrubs, ornamental grasses or any other plants that have a less bright color

Comb celosia looks very beautiful growing in a box or container.

By planting several varieties of different colors nearby, you can easily get an elegant colorful flower bed that remains decorative for a long time

In addition, comb celosia is excellent for cutting and floral compositions of both fresh and dried flowers, since its inflorescences are able to retain their shape and brightness of color for a long time

Features of reproduction

Celosia comb can be propagated in this way:

By growing from seeds. The most common and easiest way. It involves preliminary sowing of seedlings, since the plant is extremely sensitive to the slightest frost, and therefore planting seeds directly into open ground is not practiced in temperate climates.
By rooting cuttings.This method is less popular, since celosia grown in this way often loses its decorative effect, not always retaining the characteristics inherent to the variety. However, if desired, the cuttings should be cut in the spring and placed in a container with a root growth stimulator for several hours. Then they need to be planted in a substrate diluted with sand, covered with a transparent cap and provided with regular watering. After a couple of weeks, the cuttings will grow roots. After this, they can be transplanted to a permanent place or, after waiting for consistently warm weather, rooted in a flowerbed in open ground.

Growing comb celosia from seeds

Since the seedling method of growing comb celosia from seeds at home is recognized as the most convenient and popular, it is worth dwelling on it in more detail. It will not be difficult to obtain strong, healthy seedlings if you follow some simple rules.

Recommended timing

It is recommended to sow comb celosia for seedlings between February and early April. In this case, by the time the air temperature outside has stably established at + 15-18 ° C, the young plants will already be sufficiently developed so that they can be planted in the open sky in a permanent place.

Preparing containers and soil

It is convenient to use wide, shallow containers or boxes as containers for germinating celosia comb seeds. You can also use individual pots or peat tablets, which will allow you to avoid picking seedlings in the future.

The soil mixture should be loose, light and well permeable to water. This is easy to prepare by mixing garden soil with humus, sand and vermiculite.

Small celosia comb seeds in a dense shell should be treated with a biostimulant before planting

Seed preparation

Pre-sowing preparation of celosia comb seeds involves keeping them for 3-4 hours in a biostimulant solution (Epin, Zircon). Add 1 drop of the drug to a glass of water. This will help soften the dense seed shells and improve their metabolism.

How to plant comb celosia seeds for seedlings

Sowing comb celosia for seedlings is carried out as follows:

A small layer of drainage is placed at the bottom of the prepared containers, then they are filled with soil mixture.
Moisten the substrate evenly using a spray bottle.
The seeds are carefully laid out on the surface of the soil, without covering them, but slightly pressing them into the ground.
Spray the soil again with water from a spray bottle.
Cover the containers with glass or transparent film and place them on the windowsill, where the seedlings will grow.

Warning! When sowing, it is advisable not to scatter the seeds from a pinch, but to carefully distribute them over the surface of the soil, leaving approximately 3 cm of free space between them.

Caring for comb celosia seedlings

Caring for celosia comb crops at the initial stage involves creating the following conditions:

maintaining the temperature in the room with seedlings at + 22-25 ° C;
ensuring a sufficient amount of diffused light - it is undesirable for the window sill with comb celosia crops to be exposed to direct sunlight;
performing regular but moderate watering from a spray bottle or pipette, preventing the soil from drying out or being overly moistened;
daily ventilation of crops and elimination of condensed moisture from the inside of the transparent shelter.

Important! If all measures are carried out correctly, the first shoots of comb celosia can be seen within 5-8 days.

Celosia combus should not be sown for seedlings in a crowded manner; it is necessary to leave some space for the seedlings to grow

Planting and caring for comb celosia in open ground

After the seedlings have grown a little, having formed 3 true leaves, they should be transplanted into individual pots with a diameter of about 8 cm. Some gardeners advise picking celosia comb, grown in boxes, twice, gradually increasing the size of the containers. Each seedling is transplanted carefully, always leaving a lump of earth on the roots.

At the next stage, the celosia flower, or “cockscomb”, is moved into open ground and the plant is provided with the necessary care in a permanent place.

Transplant timing

The plant is transplanted to a garden plot in May or early June. An important condition is the absence of even the slightest return frosts and the finally established warm weather.

Site selection and soil preparation

A site that is suitable in all respects for comb celosia should:

well lit by the sun;
be reliably protected from strong winds and drafts;
have loose, nutritious, not very heavy soil with a low acidity level.

Before transferring celosia comb seedlings into open ground, it is necessary to prepare the bed:

A week before the expected date of planting the seedlings, the soil on the site should be dug up, adding humus and, if necessary, a little sand.
A couple of days before the due date, it is recommended to spill the soil with a light pink solution of potassium permanganate in order to protect against pests.
If the soil is too acidic, it will need to be limed around this time.

Warning! When preparing to plant comb celosia, under no circumstances should you add fresh organic matter to the soil. The plant categorically does not tolerate it.

With the onset of consistently warm weather, the grown celosia comb can be transplanted to the site

Landing algorithm

Having prepared the area, you can proceed directly to planting comb celosia:

First, you should dig holes in the ground for the plants. The distance between individual specimens of tall varieties of celosia comb should be at least 30 cm, dwarf varieties - at least 10-15 cm.
Carefully remove each seedling from the container along with a lump of earth.
Place in the hole, carefully distributing the roots.
Carefully fill the hole with soil, lightly compacting the soil around the stem with your hands.
Gently water the plant at the root.

Watering and fertilizing schedule

Further care of comb celosia on the site is extremely simple. It is very drought-resistant, but, on the contrary, does not tolerate waterlogging. Based on this, it is recommended to water young plants at the initial stage of the growing season regularly, but not excessively. Further, moisture is added to the soil only when necessary, that is, during the dry period, if it becomes noticeable that the leaves begin to turn yellow, and the lush “combs” gradually lose their decorative effect.

Comb celosia responds well to fertilizing. However, you can’t overdo it with them either. For example, if there is an excess of organic matter and nitrogen in the soil, the shoots of the plant will become very elongated, and flowering will be poor.It is advisable to use liquid complex mineral compositions (for example, for plants of the Amaranth family) dissolved in water to feed celosia comb. The schedule for their application is 2 times a month.

Advice! It is advisable to make the concentration of the drug solution for fertilizing celosia combinatum 2 times weaker than recommended in the instructions.

Pests and diseases

Among the diseases and harmful insects that can affect celosia comb, first of all, the following should be noted:

Fungal diseases. One of the most common and dangerous for celosia comb is “black leg”. Its causative agent is a fungus of the genus Botrytis. The cause of the disease is too thick plantings, excess moisture in the soil or in the air. Initially, the fungus occupies the base of the stem and develops there, preventing sap flow. The affected celosia comb begins to turn yellow, dry out and quickly die. Plants with signs of blackleg infection must be dug up and burned, and the soil in the place where they were planted must be treated with wood ash. The remaining specimens of comb celosia need to be temporarily stopped watering. As a preventive measure, seeds and soil are disinfected with a solution of potassium permanganate before planting.
“Blackleg” is a fungal disease that occurs in celosia comb due to waterlogging
Aphid. Colonies of this pest, which feeds on plant sap, often infect Celosia comb. At the initial stage of infection, treating the above-ground parts of plants with a soap solution will help, as well as searching for and destroying anthills located near the beds, since ants contribute to the spread of aphids.If the number of insects is large, chemical insecticides are used to combat them.
At the initial stage, you can fight aphids using traditional methods
Medvedka. These insects, living underground, often damage the roots of comb celosia, as a result of which the plant withers and dies. In order to combat them, it is recommended to spill the soil in the area with water with dissolved insecticides, or mix them with sweet corn sticks crushed into powder and embed the resulting slurry into the soil. Marigolds planted along the edges of the flower bed are considered a good preventive measure against mole crickets.
The mole cricket can gnaw the roots of celosia, due to which the plant can quickly die

Cutting and collecting seeds

In order to collect seeds from Celosia comb flowers that can be planted next year, you should do this:

towards the end of the season, cut off several inflorescences that are already beginning to fade;
place them in a container (without water) and leave them in a cool, dark room;
Shake the dried inflorescences thoroughly over a table on which sheets of clean white paper are laid out;
separate the seeds from the litter and place them in a thick paper bag or box for storage.

Conclusion

Comb celosia is a very decorative, bright and beautiful seasonal flower. Its strengths are its spectacular, “exotic” appearance, a rich palette of colors of bright inflorescences and leaves, low maintenance requirements, and a long flowering period. In temperate latitudes, this tropical guest is grown as an annual, but it is not difficult to collect the seeds yourself at the end of the season in order to decorate the area with intricate “cockscombs” next year.