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Among the wide variety of garden flowers, some people prefer to plant perennials and not bother with growing seedlings every year. And for some, growing annual seedlings in early spring is the most important sign of the coming spring. And still others, in general, like universal flowers that can be grown both indoors and on balconies, or they can be planted in the garden and admire their bloom throughout the warm period of the year, so that they can then be brought into the house again.
Schizanthus is just such a versatile plant. When grown in the garden, it shows, of course, more abundant and vibrant flowering, since it loves sunlight and large volumes of fertile soil. But it can be seriously damaged by rain and winds. And in indoor or balcony conditions, the schisanthus may not bloom so colorfully and abundantly, but much longer and the appearance of its flowers will always be impeccable. Among other things, by its nature, it is a biennial, which means that its flowering can be admired for at least two seasons in a row. Schizanthus can be propagated exclusively by seeds. And there are a number of features in growing schisanthus from seeds at home, which will mainly be discussed later in the article.
Secrets and mysteries of a flower
The botanical name schisanthus directly refers to the shape of the flower as it consists of two Greek words that translate as “split flower”. By the way, the name of the flower is often translated into Russian as schizanthus. This is simply a different transcription of the same name.
After all, flowers so unusual in color, reminiscent in shape and color of exotic orchid beauties, can be grown from just a small bag of seeds, the cost of which is no different from the seeds of ordinary annuals.
Sometimes schisanthus is called a butterfly flower. Because from the entire world of insects, only butterflies can boast of such luxurious and fantastically varied wing colors.
In general, schisanthus is a truly unique plant, fraught with many mysteries and secrets that are still not fully solved. For example, it is known that when schisanthus seedlings are grown, some of them are severely delayed in development and look, to put it mildly, “suffocated.” This often happens with other plants, but in schisanthus it is from these, the weakest at the first stage of plant development, that the most amazing and unique specimens are obtained in terms of coloring and lush flowering.
Or another mystery. Why is it that if schisanthus seeds are planted as seedlings at the end of winter - beginning of spring, they will bloom no earlier than 90 days later, that is, by the beginning, or even by the middle of summer. And if the same seeds are sown directly into the ground in early May, then flowering can be expected within two months, that is, at the end of June - July.Of course, this may be due to the quantity and quality of sunlight, which can speed up plant development by more than double.
Description of plants
The genus Schizanthus, as noted above, has nothing to do with orchids, despite some external similarities. It belongs to the nightshade family, which also includes the familiar tomatoes, peppers and potatoes. There are about 11 species in the genus and all of them originate from the countries of South America, primarily from Chile. Much later, schisanthus spread to other continents and can now be found in the wild of South Africa and North America.
The rather delicate and fragile stems of schisanthus branch very strongly, thanks to which the flower can be used as an hanging flower. The light green leaves are so lacy and lacy that even without flowers the schisanthus looks very attractive. Both leaves and stems are covered with glandular hairs.
In the first month of flowering, literally several single flowers open on the schisanthus and it begins to seem that this is all it will be. But as soon as the flower takes root well and begins to grow, whole cascades of amazingly colored flowers will begin to bloom on it, behind which both the stems and leaves will completely drown. The stems change from thin and fragile to thick and powerful, and the height of the flower stalks can reach 100-110 cm.
In garden culture, the most common are 2 natural types of schisanthus and one hybrid.
- Schisanthus Grahama (S.grahamii Gill) is a relatively tall species (up to 60 cm) with hard, almost pubescent-free, highly branched stems.Natural color is pink-purple-yellow with speckles. Known in culture since 1834.
- Schizanthus pinnate (S.pinnatus Ruiz, et Pav) – a species with strong pubescence on less branched stems. It reaches a height of no more than 45 cm. Natural color is purple with white and yellow spots. Known since 1822.
- Schizanthus visetonian (S.x wisetoncnsis Low) is a hybrid obtained by crossing the two above-mentioned species. The hybrid was obtained around 1900. It is its seeds that can most often be found on sale today. They are usually sold in mixtures, so sizes and color variations are quite unpredictable.
And if you collect schisanthus seeds from your plants and try to sow them, you may end up with flowers of a very unusual color.
They have an oval-reniform shape and are dark gray or brown in color. Germination can last for 2-3 years.
Despite its exotic appearance, schisanthus reproduces quite easily by self-sowing. So in the spring, carefully monitor all the seedlings in the flower beds, where the schisanthus bloomed last year, so as not to miss its sprouting sprouts and not to weed it out, confusing it with some weed.
Growing from seeds
Since schisanthus is a biennial by nature, the timing of sowing its seeds is somewhat different from the usual schemes adopted when growing ordinary annuals. Seeds are usually sown in three periods, depending on when you want to observe the flowering of schisanthus.
Sowing seedlings
If you plan to observe the flowering of schisanthus already in April - May, then the seeds for seedlings must be sown at the end of August - September. In this case, you will have to preserve young plants at home, which is not always easy, but you will be rewarded with early and truly magnificent flowering of schisanthus throughout the summer.
The flower can also be grown as an ordinary annual - in this case, the seeds are planted for seedlings in February - early March. And then flowering can begin in June or July, depending on the care that you can provide to the schisanthus.
The soil for sowing is prepared that is light, water- and breathable. You can add 1/8 of vermiculite to ready-made mixtures for seedlings. Plastic containers about 5 cm deep with holes in the bottom are filled with earthen mixture. Schysanthus seeds are sown in small furrows or simply distributed evenly over the surface in order to then sprinkle them with a small layer of earth, 0.5 cm thick at most. The container is closed with a lid or plastic bag and placed in a place with a temperature preferably not higher than +18°+20°C. It is better to place the container immediately on a bright windowsill so as not to miss the first shoots of the flower. When using fresh seeds, they can appear literally 4-5 days after sowing. In the worst case, you can wait up to 25 days for germination.
To maintain soil moisture, it is best not to remove the lid or bag until the first two true leaves have unfurled.
After a pair of true leaves appear, the sprouts are carefully picked into separate pots or large containers, keeping a distance of 10-15 cm between plants. Schizanthus does not really approve of picking, but if all operations are done carefully, without touching the roots, then everything should end well .
If you decide to sow schisanthus in the fall for spring-summer flowering, then you should take into account the fact that for successful wintering it is desirable for the plants to create conditions of maximum lighting at the same time as fairly low temperatures. Ideal temperature conditions are +5°+10°C, but the main thing is that the average temperature should not be higher than +18°C. Otherwise, the plants will become very elongated and will have to create even more moisture.
If it is difficult for you to create such conditions in rooms with central heating, then it is better to sow schisanthus in February, like a regular annual.
In this case, almost immediately after the first picking, it is advisable to pinch the schisanthus bushes for better branching.
You should start feeding the plants a week after picking, when you see that they are well rooted. For feeding, it is advisable to use complex mineral fertilizer. From the moment the buds form on the schisanthus, fertilizing should be done once every 8-10 days.
In May, as soon as weather conditions allow (soil and air warm up to +10°C minimum), schisanthus seedlings can be planted in flowerbeds or flowerpots.
Sowing in open ground and care features
But schisanthus is such an amazing flower that it can be sown even in open ground at the end of spring and it will have time to delight you with its flowering starting in mid-summer. It is better to sow the seeds under small shelters in the form of arcs with film or simply cover the crops on top with non-woven material, such as spunbond. In the southern regions, sowing can be done as early as the end of April; in the middle zone, the best time will be the second half of May. The sown seeds are lightly covered with light soil, moistened from above with a sprayer and covered with spunbond. Shoots may appear within 10-20 days. All this time it is necessary to ensure that the soil at the planting site remains moist.
If the seedlings turn out to be thickened, then after the formation of a pair of true leaves, young schisanthus can be planted. In the future, it is necessary to regularly water the flowers and feed them.
Another important schisanthus care procedure is to remove fading flowers to prolong the flowering period. Some individual non-flowering shoots should be trimmed periodically to support the constant production of new buds.
At the end of the summer season, schisanthus can be moved indoors to prolong its flowering. You just need to remember that for good health, a flower needs cool conditions (+15°+18°C) and good lighting for at least 12 hours a day.
Reviews from flower growers
Anyone who has ever tried to grow schisanthus is not disappointed in their choice, since even the appearance of individual flowers can cause admiration among inexperienced gardeners.
Conclusion
Schizanthus is a beautiful and unique flower with which you can not only decorate your site, but also surprise your neighbors. It doesn't have many maintenance requirements, and if you're lucky, it can take up residence in your garden and regenerate itself every year by self-seeding.
