Cineraria: planting and care
The cineraria plant belongs to the Aster family. In nature, there are about fifty species of this flower. It is mainly used as an ornamental garden plant.
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Planting cineraria
Process landing cineraria is not difficult. This plant prefers bright light, but at noon it should not be exposed to direct sunlight. The flower will thrive on fertile, neutral soil with good drainage properties. It is necessary to plant cineraria in the second half of May, when the threat of night frosts has already passed.
There are no peculiarities in planting cineraria. You just need to dig small holes and place cineraria seedlings in them, without shaking off a clod of earth from the roots in which the seedlings grew. After planting, the soil must be tamped and watered. If there is a threat of frost, the flower must be covered with special material for the night.
Home cineraria
With the content of cineraria in an apartment place it on the east or west side. This will create the best lighting conditions for the flower. The plant will thrive in a relatively cool room. It is best if the temperature does not exceed 20 degrees.
It is necessary to water cineraria regularly, achieving moderate soil moisture. The soil should not be dry, but excess moisture is also not acceptable. For irrigation, it is preferable to use soft rain, melt or settled water. Although the plant loves humid air, you shouldn't spray it. Better to put the cineraria pots on pallets with wet sand or expanded clay.
For planting cineraria, use low and wide containers, filling them with light and loose soil with high nutritional value. For better air penetration, add pieces of bark or perlite to the soil. Be sure to lay a drainage layer on the bottom. In the months of active growth, be sure to apply every decade of complex fertilizers that are recommended for flowering plants.
Reproduction of cineraria
Like many other plants, cineraria can be propagated by seeds and vegetatively... At the same time, cineraria is planted with seeds only on seedlings, which are then transplanted into open ground. The seeds of this plant have excellent germination.
At the end of March, start landing seeds:
- Stir in equal amounts of sand and peat and fill a shallow container with this soil.
- Smooth the surface of the soil and spray it with water from a spray bottle.
- Now pour the seeds over the surface of the soil and press them against the ruler.
- Then sprinkle everything with water again and cover the box with glass.
- Place the box in a warm place for a week.
- When the seedlings hatch, remove the glass and transfer the seedlings to a bright but cool room. This will prevent the seedlings from pulling out.
- After waiting for the appearance of two leaves, dive the seedlings into separate containers. Try to remove the plants along with the clod to avoid damaging the delicate roots.
If you want to propagate cineraria by cuttings, then this should be done in the summer. You do not need to cut off the branches. The cuttings just need to be torn off with a sharp movement from the mother plant, so that a piece of the heel comes off with the cuttings. Then stick the cuttings into the prepared soil, compact and water. To create a favorable microclimate cover up cuttings plastic bottles... After rooting, gradually accustom the plant to normal air. Keep the earth moist at all times.
Cineraria in the open field
Only cineraria seedlings are suitable for growing in open ground. At the same time, it must be planted at the age of 50-60 days. In this case, a couple of weeks before the scheduled date of transplantation, it is necessary to fertilize with mineral fertilizers.
Dig holes 20 cm deep and add organic fertilizer to them. It can be compost or humus. Add ammonium nitrate and superphosphate. Mix fertilizer with soil and plant seedlings. Cover the seedlings the first week to create a greenhouse effect. In this case, the plant will quickly adapt to open ground.
Cineraria care
For good development, cineraria must be properly watered. Too little moisture causes the plant to become weak and wither. An excess of water affects the state of the root system - it begins to rot. There are many types of cineraria that tolerate drought well. Therefore, when the summer is humid enough, the cineraria does not need to be watered. It is quite enough moisture, which gets to the plant from atmospheric precipitation. After watering, the soil next to the cineraria must be loosened and all weeds that draw nutrients from the flower must be pulled out.
Pull off faded buds to extend the flowering period. Pruning of cineraria is not necessary. Be sure to feed the plant. If the soil where the plant lives is poor in nutrients, fertilize it with mullein infusion. Be sure to periodically apply mineral and organic fertilizers. First of all, this plant needs potassium, nitrogen and phosphorus. Then the plant will have a developed root system, healthy leaves and lush inflorescences. Fertilizing is necessary twice a month until the flowering period is over.
Cineraria: photo
