How to plant annual flowers: instructions

Planting seedlings

Annuals are preferably grown from seedlings, which gives the advantage of early flowering and allows them to be planted with the onset of warmth. Sowing flowers with seeds is also beneficial because you are more likely to get strong sprouts that are easy to plant. In the first two weeks, when the growing season occurs, the flowers are most vulnerable, so vigilant care is needed for the seeds. Let's look at the process of preparing phlox seedlings.

Phlox are unpretentious annual and perennial flowers. They are distinguished by a wealth of flowers and petals. Phlox is one of those thermophilic plants that need bright light and temperatures above 10 ° C, and which are distinguished by long flowering.

For seedlings, phloxes can be planted in March, after soaking them for seed germination. Next, sprinkle the surface of the earth with seeds, but in no case do they drop it in or sprinkle it with earth. Cover the box with seeds with foil, put in a well-lit place. You need to ventilate every day for a week. When condensation appears on the film, it must be removed.

After two leaves appear, you can pick, but now the sun's rays are dangerous for seedlings, so remove the box with sprouted seeds in the shade. Now, once a month, you can feed phlox with mineral fertilizer. The earth must be loosened, moistened in a timely manner, that is, normal care must be carried out. As soon as strong stems and leaves have appeared, phlox can be planted in a flower bed.

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Seedling care

In the first 6 hours, the seeds swell, when they reach their maximum thickness, they fall into dormancy for about 2-3 days. Caring for plants during this period consists in not overmoistening, but also not overdrying future flowers, to give an influx of air and sunlight. Let's see what conditions are needed for annuals to sprout as soon as possible. The room temperature is very important, try not to lower it and maintain it at a level of 20-21 ° C.

The first days, when growth is most rapid, you need to cover the box with foil or glass to create a greenhouse effect. Planting and grooming involves regulating moisture levels. A few days after the dive, you can expose the box to the sun, but now you need to turn it often so that the ground evenly warms up. When the sprouts are completely strong, lower the temperature down to 15 ° C to harden and prevent them from stretching. Using phlox as an example, such care will lead to early flowering and extend it for several weeks. Careful plant care can be carried out directly in the country.

Planting directly into the ground

Seeds are propagated mainly by annual phloxes. It is best to prepare the beds in the spring, and then sow seeds in the ground.

It is worth planting flowers at a distance of 3-5 cm from each other, so that it is more convenient to look after later. After sowing, cover the ground with a film, but you do not need to sprinkle it with earth - from time to time the film will have to be lifted, shaking off condensation from it and letting the plants breathe. Once the sprouts appear, the film is no longer needed.

If you decide to plant flowers in your country house, it is worth remembering that the composition of the soil and its quality will affect the growth. Annuals grow best in soil with low acidity and high nutrient levels. A couple of days before planting phlox, you can moisten the soil to keep it moist. The main thing is not to water the soil the day you plan to plant them.

When planting flowers in a box, it is worth remembering that its size should be quite large. The root system of these plants is quite developed, therefore it will take a lot of space for the roots to grow properly. And in this case, it is also better to check the composition of the soil, even if the land is purchased.

Whichever way you decide to plant flowers, there are a number of tips to consider in order to get the desired result. It is better to loosen the land for planting well and add a little lime. It is better to sow seeds in well-lit areas and do not forget to weed the weeds. Water your plantings abundantly, but infrequently, preferably in the afternoon. It is also important to monitor the air temperature. If it's too cold outside, your flowers may not produce seeds.

Why won't the seeds sprout?

It so happens that everything was done according to the instructions, all the recommendations were followed, but the flowers still did not come up. It should be figured out what reasons lead to the fact that planting seeds does not lead to germination. One of the possible reasons is poor quality seeds purchased from unverified producers. You can surround the flowers with care, as for a small child, improve care, sow in the most fertile soil, but bad seeds still will not sprout.

Among other reasons that affect poor germination, insufficiently moist soil can be noted. Sometimes the seeds do not germinate due to lack of heat or, conversely, too hot conditions, but in this case, they will simply germinate later. Planting in too acidic soil weakens the growth of the plant, stems and flowers appear much later, when their comrades, for example, phlox, can already be planted in the country.

One of the reasons is improper planting, that is, instead of sowing them to the surface of the earth, you dug them in. There are flowers that must first be kept in the cold. Before planting, it was worth holding them in the refrigerator. Perhaps you took the advice about care and watering too literally, that is, you simply flooded the flowers with water. This should not be allowed in any way, since the seed will suffocate without air.

Many plants need feeding for good germination and development. They get their main nutrients from water and air, but others should be taken care of. For example, maintain a sufficient amount of nitrogen in the soil, saturation with phosphorus, which accelerates the growing season, potassium for the formation of strong roots and stems. If you lost sight of the regular feeding of the seeds, then it is not surprising that they did not sprout - they simply did not have the strength to do it. Add some mineral fertilizers to the ground and then you will succeed.

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