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Bacopa (suteru) began to be cultivated in Russia in the early nineties. This is an exotic plant about which it is difficult to find information. Growing bacopa from seeds can be done at home. The process is no different from cultivating ordinary vegetable seedlings. But there are small nuances that are worth taking into account.
When to sow bacopa seeds for seedlings in 2020
It is not recommended to sow bacopa directly into open ground, since the growing season for this crop is quite long. It is easier to grow a flowerbed flower through seedlings. Seeds begin to be sown in early March.
If it is possible to provide additional light to the plant, you can plant the seeds in the ground at the end of February. Without bright light, seedlings of light-loving crops become very elongated, thin and weak.
After planting in open ground, stunted plants are in no hurry to spread out in a lush carpet and bloom
In order for the seedlings to be strong and bushy, in addition to the rules for caring for them, they will learn the right time for growing. The gardener's lunar calendar will help with this.
Planting bacopa for seedlings
You can also grow bacopa from seeds at home. It is first necessary to prepare the soil, containers, and seed.
Seed preparation
Bacopa seed for growing is usually sold in bags of granules or tablets.
It is convenient for flower growers to use dragees, they are disinfected and treated, the granules are easy to evenly distribute over the soil surface
If the seeds are in their pure form, they are mixed with sand to make them convenient to work with.
The soil
Bacopa seedlings need to be planted in specially prepared soil. It consists of sand, humus (they are taken in 2 parts), peat and leaf soil (they are taken in 1 part). This composition can be used in flower pots, flower pots and open flower beds.
Bacopa also needs good drainage. Expanded clay or river sand is used as it. It is important to remember that when transplanting seedlings into open ground, expanded clay is difficult to separate from the overgrown rhizome.
Charcoal can also be used as a drainage layer. When planting, it will disinfect the root of the plant and enrich the soil with potassium.
Just peat or peat tablets are also suitable for growing seedlings from seeds
To disinfect, the soil mixture is roasted in the oven. The oven is heated to 100 ᵒC, a heat-resistant container filled with nutrient soil is placed in it for an hour. You can simply pour boiling water over the soil mixture.
Once the soil mixture has cooled, it is filled with special peat cups or plastic growing containers.
Sowing
The process of sowing bacopa seeds for seedlings is quite simple; they are evenly distributed on the soil surface. If the source material is purchased, then working with it is easy, since industrially produced seeds are produced in the form of colored balls, which do not need to be processed before sowing.
You can collect bacopa seeds yourself from flowering plants. It is important to indicate the date of collection, since the seed will remain viable for 3 years. Before planting, the seeds are mixed with sand to facilitate their distribution on the soil surface. It is recommended to sow such material abundantly, since suterus seeds collected with one’s own hands have poor germination.
There is no need to crush the seed with soil from above
The containers with seedlings are covered with a transparent film and placed in a warm place in the light. The air temperature in the room should not fall below + 20 ᵒC. If there is not enough daylight, you need to provide the seedlings with additional lighting.
Periodically spray the seeds with water from a spray bottle to prevent them from drying out.
If there is enough light and moisture, the first shoots will appear after 2 weeks.
Transplanting
As soon as 2 true leaves appear on the sprouts, the plants dive into spacious pots. Subsequently, cultivation occurs at a higher temperature - from + 22 to + 26 ᵒС.
2 weeks before planting in open ground, the grown plants are hardened off. Containers with flowers are taken out into the open air, first for half an hour, then for an hour, gradually increasing the time of air procedures to 12 hours.
Before planting, seedlings are watered abundantly, this makes it easier to remove the bushes from the pots
Pots or flower beds, depending on the planting location, are filled with the soil mixture that was prepared for the seeds.
On the site, plants are planted according to a 30x30 cm pattern. First, shallow holes are dug, the bushes are deepened into them until the first pair of leaves, and the roots are sprinkled with earth. After planting, the bushes must be watered abundantly.
Growing in regions
Growing bacopa from seeds in the southern and northern regions is slightly different. This is due to different timing of warming in the spring. In the south, seeds can be immediately sown in open ground at the end of March, and in the central part of Russia and the north, seedlings are grown at home, starting in February.
When to sow bacopa for seedlings in Siberia
Planting bacopa seeds for seedlings begins in February. In 2020, it is recommended to choose days at the beginning of the month - from the 8th to the 10th. The conditions for growing seeds indoors are no different from the recommendations given above.
At the end of April, the grown seedlings are taken out into the open air for hardening. Planting in open ground is carried out in the middle or at the end of May, when the likelihood of return frosts has passed.
Growing conditions
In order for the seeds to turn into lush flowering bushes, it is important to create the necessary microclimate for the grown plant. Good lighting, regular watering and pest control are the basic conditions for growing a flowering crop from seeds.
Light
Light is important for seedlings and adult plants. Exposure to direct sunlight should not be allowed. The culture does not bloom in the shade. To maintain decorative qualities, additional phyto lamps are placed indoors; sunny areas are chosen for planting outdoors.
On hot days at noon it is good if the bush is in light partial shade
Watering
Bacopa needs abundant and regular watering. The flower is especially often moistened in hot summer.During the growing process, the crop does not tolerate drying out of the soil. The frequency of watering is determined as the soil dries. For one plant you need to take approximately 2 liters of water.
After watering, the soil around the bushes is loosened. This is done carefully, since bacopa has a superficial root system. Simultaneously with loosening, weeding is also carried out.
Feeding
During the growing process, fertilizers are applied once every 2 weeks. For these purposes, mineral fertilizers are chosen for flowering crops. The drug is diluted not according to the instructions, but less often. Take 2 times more water than indicated in the instructions for the drug.
The diluted product is poured strictly at the root, without wetting the foliage, to avoid burns. Bacopa responds well to fertilizing: it blooms luxuriantly and turns lushly green.
Spraying
On hot days, bacopa is sprayed with a spray bottle. The procedure is carried out early in the morning or in the evening. When the sun is at its zenith, this cannot be done, even if the flower is on the balcony. Burns may form on the leaves and shoots of the plant.
After watering and spraying, the plant is provided with air access and the room is ventilated. The moisture will quickly evaporate, and there will be no conditions for the growth of moldy fungi.
Pest prevention
Bacopa can be attacked by whiteflies, aphids, and spider mites.
Sucking insects deprive the plant of nutritional juices, which leads to its withering
Acaricides are used to control pests. Processing is carried out in 3 stages.
Features of seedlings of different varieties
Some varieties can be planted at the end of winter. This is due to the long process of seed pecking and growing season. Thus, bacopa variety Snowtopia, when grown from seeds, is sown in containers in the last days of January. By the beginning of March, the first shoots will appear.
Bacopa variety Blutopia, when grown from seeds, is sown in early February. The containers are covered with film and placed in a warm, well-lit place.
In March, strong sprouts with rounded leaves will appear in containers
To plant bacopa seeds for seedlings, it is better to use purchased granulated planting material. Granules are easier to properly distribute over the soil surface. Lay them out at a distance of 2.5 cm from each other, no closer.
One purchased euro granule contains 3-5 bacopa seeds
Tricks for sowing bacopa seeds for seedlings
Sowing bacopa seeds, as shown in the video, is not difficult:
During the growing process, it is important to take into account the nuances that will help you get a beautiful plant.
Adviсe:
- To plant bacopa seeds, it is better to choose a container with transparent walls.
Light easily penetrates bacopa seeds, stimulating their pecking
- The soil mixture is disinfected in the oven at a temperature of + 100 ᵒC for several hours.
- The seed material is laid out on the surface of disinfected and well-moistened soil.
- The granules are not sprinkled with soil on top, but lightly pressed into the soil.
- Up to 5 plants can germinate from one granule, that’s how many seeds it contains.
- Purchased seeds in balls are placed in the ground at a distance of at least 2 cm from each other: this will prevent the planting from becoming denser.
- Seeds obtained from home bacopa are treated with rooting agents and growth enhancers before planting. Kornevin, Heteroauxin, Epin are suitable for these purposes.
The first bacopa seedlings hatch after 10 days, but fully amicable shoots will appear after 4 weeks.
Conclusion
Growing bacopa from seeds is a simple task for those gardeners who germinate petunias at home.Beginners will also not find the process difficult. It is no different from growing ordinary vegetable seedlings in the spring. Bacopa flower needs good lighting, warmth and moisture. After 2 weeks you can see the first seedlings.
