Content
- 1 What do calibrachoa seeds look like?
- 2 How to collect calibrachoa seeds
- 3 When to sow calibrachoa for seedlings
- 4 How to plant calibrachoa from seeds
- 5 How many days does it take for calibrachoa seeds to germinate?
- 6 Why do calibrachoa seeds not germinate?
- 7 How to Grow Calibrachoa from Seeds
- 8 Pinching Calibrachoa
- 9 Transplanting calibrachoa seedlings to a permanent place
- 10 Conclusion
- 11 Reviews of calibrachoa from seeds
Growing calibrachoa from seeds is a fun activity. This plant was considered a type of petunia. But since 1990, due to DNA differences, they were allocated to a special group. Today, gardeners can purchase varietal plants with different petal colors.
What do calibrachoa seeds look like?
Growing a flower has its own characteristics. Calibrachoa seeds are very small, round in shape, slightly larger than those of petunia. In addition, they have low germination rates. This fact should be taken into account when sowing; add seeds to the soil very thickly.
It’s even better to purchase granular seeding material for growing high-quality seedlings, as this will make the work easier.
How to collect calibrachoa seeds
If there is at least one calibrachoa bush on the site, then you can collect the seeds yourself. They ripen in small boxes. Please note that the boxes will crack. Therefore, you need to collect them without waiting for them to open. It is better to put the collected seed for further growing flowers in a tall jar and place it in the sun so that the seeds do not scatter throughout the apartment.
When to sow calibrachoa for seedlings
To grow lush bushes of an amazingly beautiful flower, you need to decide on the time of planting calibrachoa seeds for seedlings. The best time is the end of February or the beginning of March. Before planting in the ground, the seedlings will have time to grow. And this is the key to successfully growing calibrachoa in a flowerbed.
How to plant calibrachoa from seeds
As already noted, the germination of Calibrachoa seeds is low. Growing a plant in seedlings involves preparing the soil and containers for sowing seeds.
Preparation of planting containers and soil
You can sow seeds in a common seedling box if picking is planned, or in separate pots or peat tablets. But due to low germination, you will have to plant several seeds in one container, then leave one plant.
As for the soil for growing calibrachoa, you can buy a ready-made composition in the store. You need to choose soil intended for growing seedlings and flowers. But many gardeners prefer to prepare the soil themselves.It should be borne in mind that plants respond well to loose, breathable soil. Therefore, peat, perlite or vermiculite are added to garden soil.
Composition of soil for growing seedlings:
- garden soil;
- peat;
- compost;
- sand.
Proportion – 2:1:1:0.5.
To improve fertility, you can add superphosphate or phosphorus-potassium fertilizers.
If the seeds are sown in boxes for growing on the balcony, that is, immediately in a permanent place, then picking is not expected. A drainage layer of at least 4 cm is laid on the bottom of the box. These can be small stones, pieces of red brick (not silicate). And a layer of fertile soil is poured onto the drainage.
Before sowing, any soil (store-bought or prepared independently) must be disinfected with hot water and several crystals of potassium permanganate. For the same procedure, you can use boric acid or hydrogen peroxide.
Seed preparation
When growing calibrachoa from seeds (the size of which is visible in the photo), it is not always possible to obtain a sufficient number of seedlings due to the fact that only a third of the seed germinates. To increase germination, protect against diseases and pests, experienced gardeners recommend soaking in a pink solution of potassium permanganate, in “Zircon” or “Epin”.
After 24 hours, the seeds intended for growing seedlings are washed with clean water and dried on a napkin. All that remains is to plant them in the prepared soil.
Rules for sowing calibrachoa seedlings
Calibrachoa seeds are sown very densely in well-moistened soil, since germination is low. On a square of 10x10 cm you need to sow at least 80 grains. It is better to scatter the seeds over the surface and then sprinkle them with a small layer of soil, but not higher than 0.5 cm.
After this, containers with seeds are placed for growing seedlings on a well-lit window in a room where the temperature is at least 18-20 degrees. To retain moisture and speed up seed germination, the containers are covered with glass or a transparent plastic bag.
A greenhouse effect is created under the shelter, which means that drops of water, settling, moisten the soil. When growing seedlings, to prevent the surface from becoming moldy, the film or glass must be lifted several times. And wipe off the formed dew.
If the soil has dried out before germination, then it is sprayed with a spray bottle. It is not recommended to use chlorinated tap water for irrigation. If there is no other liquid, then water is poured into a container in advance and allowed to stand for at least 12 hours.
The glass and film cover is removed when green specks appear on the surface of the container.
How many days does it take for calibrachoa seeds to germinate?
Although the seeds are small, the shoots do not appear soon. As a rule, small green blotches can be observed after 14-16 days. Unfortunately, not all grains sprout.
Why do calibrachoa seeds not germinate?
Calibrachoa seeds are expensive, and not all of them hatch. This is, of course, offensive. You need to understand what the reason is:
- Sowing too deep. Small seeds simply stall, the sprout cannot break through the thickness of the earth.
- Soil drying out after sowing.
- The soil is too damp, which causes the seed to rot before it has time to hatch.
How to Grow Calibrachoa from Seeds
When growing calibrachoa flowers at home from seeds, you must follow the rules for sowing and caring for seedlings. To do this, you need to know the features of agricultural technology and caring for seedlings indoors and outdoors.
Optimal conditions for growing calibrachoa seedlings from seeds
Calibrachoa is a plant that requires light. Immediately after germination, the seedlings need to be illuminated for about 16 hours. Natural conditions will not allow this parameter to be observed, so when growing high-quality seedlings you will have to take care of installing additional lamps.
When the plant has 4-6 true leaves, the duration of lighting can be reduced to 12 hours. The air temperature throughout the entire stage of growing seedlings from the moment of germination is 18-20 degrees.
Watering and fertilizing
Calibrachoa seedlings grown from seeds require watering, but it is not recommended to flood the soil in a nursery or open ground. Stagnation of water can cause a disease of the root system such as blackleg, which can cause calibrachoa to die. Water only when the top layer of soil dries out.
In hot weather, the bushes need to be sprayed. Growing seedlings involves irrigating them with a spray bottle. To spray flowering calibrachoa, sprinkling is used, but the nozzle must be very small. The thing is that bells are delicate, fragile, and easily damaged.
Calibrachoa is watered only at the roots, and fertilizers are applied at the same time. Only in this case can you get bushy plants with lush flower caps.
Until buds form, calibrachoa is fed 3-4 times a month.Fertilizers must contain nitrogen to increase green mass. When the buds are set, fertilizers containing potassium and phosphorus are selected for feeding.
The following are suitable for feeding indoor or balcony calibrachoas:
- "Floron";
- “Universal Nutrivant”;
- "Polygro";
- complex fertilizers for flowers.
Calibrachoa is a hanging plant. But lush bushes with an abundance of green mass are valuable. To improve tillering, seedlings are fed with Atlet. Just 3 procedures every 14 days will prevent excessive stretching of the stems. The internodes will become shorter, which means the buds will be denser.
When using any chemicals to feed calibrachoa, you must strictly follow the instructions, since a high concentration of substances can be harmful. If plants grown from seeds do not die, their development will slow down and flowering will be postponed indefinitely.
Picking
Growing seedlings in a common container involves picking. This work is planned when 2-3 true leaves are formed on the plant, that is, a month after germination.
The composition of the soil should be identical to that used when growing seedlings. The soil is also prepared: poured with boiling water, possibly with potassium permanganate.
As for containers, when transplanting calibrachoa seedlings for the first time, a glass of 200 ml will be enough. During subsequent transshipment, take a pot with a diameter of at least 15 cm. The bottom of the pot is drilled to prevent stagnation of water. For the same purpose, drainage is used, which should be at least 4 cm.
A depression is made in the center of the container in which only one seedling is placed. The root is covered with soil, the soil is squeezed with your fingers, then watered abundantly to squeeze out the voids.
Caring for calibrachoa seedlings after picking
Further care of calibrachoa grown from seeds after picking comes down to traditional measures:
- watering and fertilizing;
- loosening and weeding;
- pinching.
In addition, to make the bushes decorative, it is necessary to promptly remove faded inflorescences. This procedure will not only increase the flowering of calibrachoa, but will also allow you to collect seeds. This is necessary when growing lush bushes.
Pinching Calibrachoa
Powerful cascading bushes of an ampel plant can only be formed if the stems are pinched.
Should I pinch out Calibrachoa?
After the procedure, side shoots begin to form in the internodes. The result is a voluminous and lush bush.
Cut shoots do not need to be thrown away. The cuttings take root well. This will allow you to get a large number of new bushes to decorate your garden, veranda or terrace.
When to pinch calibrachoa
You need to pinch calibrachoa while the seedlings grown from seeds are still small. It is at this time that the first buds appear, which will slow down the growth of the plant, and, therefore, a lush bush will not form.
How to properly pinch calibrachoa
As soon as the length of the stems reaches 6-8 cm, they are pinched to 2/3 of the length. A repeat operation is performed when the height reaches 15 cm. Further actions depend on the preferences of the grower.If you need bushes with hanging shoots, then some of them are not pinched again.
Transplanting calibrachoa seedlings to a permanent place
Planting calibrachoa seedlings in open ground (pots or flower beds) is carried out after a stable average daily temperature above zero has been established.
It is advisable to grow ornamental bushes in a light-filled place. Even slight shading contributes to uneven growth of stems, which reduces the aesthetics of the plant. In addition, there is a risk of lack of flowering. The south side of the site is perfect.
It is necessary to protect calibrachoa from drafts and sharp gusts of wind. After all, the stems of the plant are very delicate and fragile. And the opened buds do not like showers, they lose their decorative effect, the edges of the petals break off.
That is why experienced gardeners recommend growing bushes in closed or semi-indoor areas. These can be balconies, loggias, verandas or terraces.
When grown indoors, especially if they face north, lighting is necessary even in summer.
Before planting, you need to carefully prepare the area. The soil must be fertile and nutritious. To prevent disease of the root system from blackleg, the planting site must be spilled with boiling water with several crystals of potassium permanganate.
If plants are grown in containers, flowerpots and pots, then you can use ready-made soil, which is sold in specialized stores.
Calibrachoa in open ground or pots should be watered sparingly as the soil dries. Water only at the roots, not at the leaves, 1-2 times a week. During dry periods, spraying will be required.
Conclusion
Growing calibrachoa from seeds is only gaining popularity among Russian gardeners. Therefore, they have a lot of questions. Flower growers are interested in the timing of sowing seeds for seedlings, the rules of agricultural technology and the peculiarities of care for obtaining an ornamental bush.
