All gardeners dream that the flowerbed in their garden plot looks bright and festive. And the flowers on it were fragrant from the first days of spring until late autumn. You can realize your plans with the help of a beautiful flower - gatsaniya. Its graceful petals, which are located around a bright yellow core, will sparkle in the flowerbed with yellow, pink, lemon, red and crimson shades. But in order for the flower to open in all its glory, you need to plant the gatsaniya correctly.
Sowing gatsania is practically no different from sowing other flowers, but experienced gardeners still advise paying attention to some nuances.
Seeds
The beauty and durability of an amazing flower directly depend on the quality of planting material. Therefore, it is important to carefully inspect the plant seeds before planting. You can select empty or damaged specimens using a saline solution.
Ingredients:
- warm water - 1 liter;
- salt 30 g.
The salt must be dissolved in warm water and the seeds should be added. Poor quality seed material will float to the surface in 10 minutes. The seeds that remain at the bottom are suitable for planting seedlings. They need to be washed in running water and dried.
In addition to sorting and preparing seeds for seedlings, you need to take into account the diameter and height and growth of the flower. After all, the beauty of the flower bed depends on this. Therefore, when purchasing seeds, you need to carefully study the characteristics indicated on the package.
For example:
- “Gatsania harsh” has a height of 30–35 cm, the diameter of the basket is 4–6 cm. The color of the petals is (yellow, orange, purple-black). The leaf shape is entire, but may be pinnately divided.
- “Gatsania garden star” - height up to 20 cm, has large baskets with a diameter of 8–9 cm. Colored with contrasting stripes.
- "Gatsania Frosty Kiss" - silver color, the basket reaches a diameter of 15 cm.
Landscape designers recommend that if flowers are placed in a certain order, the flowerbed will look like a luxurious carpet with intricate patterns.
Growing conditions
7–10 days after sowing, young shoots appear on the surface. And it is very important that they are well lit. Since lack of light negatively affects young shoots of gazania. They stretch out, their leaves turn light green. Therefore, if it was not possible to place containers with seedlings on the windowsill, you need to install additional phytolamps.
Experienced gardeners also recommend:
- The room temperature must be at least +18 °C.
- Gatsania seedlings are afraid of drafts, so they need to be covered with a lid or polyethylene when a door or window is opened.
- The optimal indoor air humidity is 70-80%.
Important. If these requirements are not met, the flower may grow underdeveloped, and when transplanted into open ground it will not take root.
Boarding time
The time for sowing gatsania seeds does not depend on the date indicated on the package, but on climatic conditions. After all, spring arrives differently in each region. But if the gardener knows the characteristics of the crop well, then it is possible to calculate the sowing date accurate to the day.
And also many gardeners adhere to the recommendations from the lunar calendar. For example, legumes are planted on the days of the fire signs of the Zodiac, which are responsible for the development of fruits. Flowers are planted on a day that is under the sign of water and is responsible for the development of the above-ground mass of the plant. Accordingly, gatsaniya should be planted on a lunar day under the sign of water.
Growing dishes
You can sow gazania seeds either in a plastic cassette or in peat pots or tablets. Some gardeners use cups and kefir boxes the old fashioned way.
Any containers are suitable for gatsaniya, but please note that they must have drainage holes. Please note that the holes should be of medium size and located close to each other. Otherwise, the roots may rot.
Recommendations for planting:
- The distance between seeds should be 2–3 cm.
- Sowing in a continuous carpet is unacceptable.
- If space allows, you can sow the seeds in a staggered pattern.
Important. Before sowing, you need to thoroughly wash the containers in which the seedlings will be grown. Otherwise, the bacteria will harm the roots of the plants.
Priming
How strong the flower will be depends on the quality of the soil. Therefore, before sowing, many gardeners think about whether to buy soil in a store or make it themselves.
What is the difference:
- The finished soil has the required level of moisture capacity, acidity, and concentration of elements. It is also sterile and does not require disinfection. But there is also a minus: it is very wet, so during the growing process it can dry out and “shrink”.And because of this, it will lag behind the walls of the container, and the moisture will not completely fall on the ground, but will be partially retained in the cracks. The seedlings will not receive the necessary moisture.
- It is not easy to purchase soil that is moisture-absorbing, breathable, slightly acidic or neutral. Therefore, making it yourself will be more reliable, although you will have to tinker.
But no matter what kind of soil it is, from the store or made with your own hands, it is important to loosen it thoroughly before planting, and after the seeds fall into the ground, sprinkle it with sand, and then cover it with soil again.
Any gardener can sow and grow gatsaniya. The main thing is to follow the rules of agricultural technology. And then in the spring you will be able to plant healthy, strong seedlings in open ground.
