Reproduction and planting of balsam in the open field
Wet Vanka reproduces in two ways: by seeds and cuttings. When growing herbaceous plants using seeds, you can get early flowering outdoors. To speed up the process, cuttings are used.
From seed
Growing balsam from seeds is as follows:
- At the end of February or in the first half of March, seeds are sown in containers pre-filled with soil. The filler should include garden soil, coarse sand and peat. The soil is lightweight, which promotes good air flow.
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Seeds are sown at a distance of 3-4 cm from each other. Like adult plants, seeds like good lighting, so you don't need to cover them with earth from above.
- The substrate should be sprayed with water at room temperature and covered with glass or special film. Thus, you will get a small greenhouse, in which the first seedlings will certainly rise.
- Containers with seeds are placed in a warm, bright place, which should be ventilated daily.
- When the first shoots appear, the seedlings are moved to a well-lit room.
Shoot care consists in the constant maintenance of optimum soil moisture. After the formation of 2-3 full-fledged leaves, young plants dive into separate containers. The roots and stems of the plant are very fragile, therefore, they must be handled very carefully during transplantation.
When the sprouts grow up a little and they have 5-8 leaves, it is advised to pinch the young shoots. Carrying out such a procedure helps to strengthen the root system.
If there is no time to deal with seedlings, you can sow the seeds directly into open soil. It is possible to sow only after the end of frost in specially prepared soil. Seedlings should be covered with agril or foil. You can wait for shoots for 5-7 days.
Cuttings
Garden balsam reproduces well by cuttings. Cuttings are able to quickly take root and grow. You can propagate a plant in this way at any time of the year.
Cuttings
To carry out this procedure, you should read the step-by-step instructions:
- Each stalk, about 6 cm long, should have 3 to 5 leaves.
- The lower leaves must be removed. The segments are placed in a container of water, then placed in a slightly shaded place.
- After about a week, small roots will form. Cuttings with roots can be planted in flowerpots or directly on a flower bed.
Landing
Balsams can be planted in the garden only after the night frosts have stopped. Seedlings need to be prepared a little for transplanting - periodically put flowerpots with sprouts on the street.
Seedling holes are made so that the distance between plants is 25-30 cm.
If the soil on the site is bad, a little sand, humus and peat are added to the holes
Young flowers are carefully removed from the container, placed in a hole and covered with soil. Then the balsam must be watered and mulched.
In order for the bush to grow lush, you should pinch it.
All varieties of this species love soil with low acidity. Before planting, it is advisable to treat the land with a fungicide. This will prevent fungal diseases.
After planting the cuttings in a flower bed, they are provided with an optimal amount of sunlight and are regularly watered. For normal development, the ambient temperature is also important - 20-22˚С. It is necessary to water young plants often, but not abundantly, because the stems do not like strong moisture and can rot.
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Features of flowering plants
The beauty of the plant is that its flowering does not stop for almost six months. As soon as some corollas wither, new ones immediately bloom to replace them. The forcing of buds stops only when there is a lack of light or nutrients in the soil.
A period of activity and rest
The first flowers when sown for seedlings at the end of February will appear in the second half of May. Further, the bush in the open field will bloom until the first frost, and at home until December. Artificial lighting up to 10-12 hours will help to make it year-round.
For your information! After resting during December-February, from March the bush will continue to bloom.
Types and shape of flowers
Corollas are found in all kinds of shades, both monochromatic and multi-colored. They are simple, semi-double and terry. Outwardly, they are often very similar to miniature roses, and in some varieties, to tiny orchids.
Further care
- After transplanting, abundant watering is required.
- It is advisable to keep a houseplant in a bright room with a temperature of at least +20 degrees. Outdoor balsams should be sheltered from the cold if frost is predicted.
- During the flowering period, balsam requires feeding with nutritious fertilizers. They must contain phosphorus and potassium, but nitrogen is best avoided. Nitrogen fertilizers will cause active growth of roots and greenery, but balsam will refuse to bloom.
Do not fertilize immediately after transplanting balsam! The first fertilization can only be carried out three weeks after planting, when the balsam has adapted.
As you can see, even a novice gardener can handle balsamic care. Remember to follow our planting and replanting guidelines and you will always have a beautiful blooming balsam on your windowsill or in your garden!
Application in landscape design
Balsam is perfect for planting along solid fences, decorating borders, flower beds. It can also be placed in containers, flowerpots and hanging baskets. It feels good under the crowns of trees and shrubs, while decorating them with its bright flowering. It can be included in various mixborders.
Balsam will be a great decoration for your balcony
Balsam is a very effective and beautiful plant. At the same time, it is very simple and undemanding in content, therefore it is very suitable for beginners in floriculture. The variety of species with different heights, shapes and shades of flowers allow balsam to become a worthy decoration for a wide variety of garden plots.
Jul 21, 2015
Article Information
Name
Garden balsam ("Ogonyok", "Vanka wet") - a bright and luxurious plant
Description
Tips and tricks for growing, care and varieties of garden balsam from a practicing gardener
author
Planting and caring for the plant
Balsam likes to grow in the western or eastern part of the personal plot. Good lighting promotes faster bud formation and also affects flowering time. And those plant bushes that are in a more shaded place grow longer and produce fewer buds for flowering. On sunny days, you need to darken the plants, protect from direct sunlight. Balsam gets along, in fact, with any flower, but mainly grows with verbena, fuchsia, begonia, ageratum.
Sprouted seedlings should be planted in the ground immediately after the end of the spring frost. But before planting, you need to prepare the plant for weather conditions. To do this, you can take out the balsam for a while on the balcony. You need to plant seedlings at a distance of 25-30 centimeters. The soil can be fertilized. To do this, add peat, humus, sand. Seedlings are carefully removed from the pots, rearranged into a hole, sprinkled with an earthen mixture, watered with water and mulched. If you pinch the top, a bush is formed.
Balsam grows well in moist soil.If it lacks moisture, then the leaves will fade, gradually curl into a tube, wither and fall off. Watering is best in the evening, after sunset. Naturally, during the rainy period, the balsam does not need to be watered. It needs to be regularly fed with fertilizer intended for flowering plants. This must be done twice a month. But by the end of the summer, you need to stop feeding. The presence of potassium and nitrogen in fertilizers has a beneficial effect on the flowering process. If the faded flowers are cut off, then "Vanka wet" will bloom for a long time.
By collecting seeds yourself from flowers grown in your own flower bed, you can multiply balsam. At the end of summer, seeds ripen in green boxes. They are collected and stored until spring. You need to be careful: with a light touch to a mature box, the seeds spill out, therefore it is better to collect them when they are still green. Then, put in a dry place, allow the seeds to fully ripen. After the seeds have passed the final drying process, they are folded in bags or wrapped in paper for storage. The ideal storage temperature is 0 to 10 degrees Celsius.
Planting balsam in the garden
It is possible to plant a delicate flower directly into the ground only when the air temperature reaches the summer norm. Later, it is planted in the northern regions, earlier - in the southern ones. If the threat of frost persists, then the plant must be covered, because with the slightest hypothermia, the balsam will die.
There are three ways to grow new specimens:
- Seeds.
- Seedlings.
- Cuttings.
The first method is preferable for the southern regions, where spring and summer start early and autumn is warm. In the middle lane, with a favorable weather forecast, you can also sow seeds on the flowerbed at once, but the weather in this region is often changeable, so it is better to play it safe and use the seedling method - to place already semi-mature, strong plants in the ground. For the northern regions, only a greenhouse method is possible - when the seedlings are kept in a greenhouse for some time before being moved to the open air.
Reproduction process by cuttings
Seed use
It is advisable to breed balsam using the original seed only if the soil in the garden has had time to warm up well, and the air temperature has risen to at least +20 degrees. Such weather in the middle lane usually occurs in late May or early June, but this is not scary - garden varieties grow quickly, and then they will bloom until late autumn. But still, this method works better in southern regions, where there is no threat of a sudden drop in temperature to frost.
Balsam Seeds
You can buy seeds at the store. Balsam has excellent germination rates, so that the seed has a shelf life of 6-7 years. But in order for the seeds to germinate, they need to be properly processed:
- We disinfect the seed in a weak solution of potassium permanganate for about a quarter of an hour).
- We spread the wet mass on a wet napkin laid out on a shallow plate.
- We put in a warm place, wait for swelling (about 6-12 hours).
- On beds with pre-prepared soil, we make holes 1-2 centimeters deep.
- We put the seeds in moistened soil, cover the top with dry soil, spray it and add mulch.
- Cover the bed with foil.
- We are waiting for the appearance of the entrances for about 10 days, after which we remove the cover.
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If the crops are too thick, thin them out so that about 30 centimeters remain between the plants.
In a similar way, you can plant balsam at an earlier date - in April, using a greenhouse or greenhouse for this.
Getting seedlings
A less risky breeding method is to obtain seedlings from seeds and place them in the beds. To be in time before the warm season, you need to start at the end of February or at the beginning of March. Individual pots with substrate or peat tablets should be selected for new seedlings.
The swollen seeds prepared in the manner described above are transferred to the moistened soil, the containers are wrapped in a film. From time to time, its edges are raised and a little water is added so that the soil does not dry out.
Seedling balsam
After the sprouts appear, the cover is removed, and the pots are placed in the sun, for example, on the southern windowsill. Additionally, you can highlight phyto balsam or a regular lamp. During this period, the plant requires an air temperature of 23-25 degrees.
When the plants have 3-4 large enough leaves, pinch the crown so that the branching of the crown begins. This will make the bush more lush. In the ground, you can plant specimens with a formed and strengthened stem, but you need to wait for the onset of warm weather. If you plant at the end of May, flowering will begin in June.
Dive seedlings
How to use cuttings for propagation
If you want to grow balsam in your garden as quickly as possible, then in this case, the cuttings method is best suited. Shoots can be obtained from adult plants that are already on the site, from universal varieties from the windowsill, from friends and neighbors. Thanks to this method, the flower takes root well and reaches the flowering stage very quickly.
Step-by-step instructions for grafting balsam
Step one: carefully cut the stem with internodes from an adult bush (It should be at least 7-8 centimeters long).
Step two: place the scion in a jar with previously settled clean water and wait until the roots appear.
Step three: transplant the cutting into a pot with a loose and moist substrate.
Step four: move the container to a well-lit windowsill.
Step five: cover the shoot with a film or bag, and periodically water it a little so that the soil does not dry out.
Step six: after 7-10 days, when the plant is well rooted, you can plant it in a flower bed.
Can garden balsam be grown at home
In the room, he is assigned the brightest window - south or east. With enough light, the bush can bloom all year round. It is worth buying seeds for indoor cultivation marked "perennial balsam".
Garden balsam - planting and care
Sowing seeds is carried out in late February - early March.
Interesting! Seeds retain their germination capacity for up to 6-7 years!
At a temperature of + 18-20 ° C, seedlings appear in 3-7 days. The pick is carried out at the stage of 2-3 true leaves. Pots are chosen for young plants with a diameter of 6-7 cm.
The soil is suitable for roses, violets, as well as universal with neutral acidity. Rippers are introduced into it: peat, vermiculite, perlite, sand, achieving good looseness and air and moisture permeability.
Water the plants in pots after the soil dries up to half the height of the pot. Top dressing is carried out once every 2 weeks with a complex fertilizer for indoor flowering plants, for example, Agricola. The optimal duration of lighting is 10-12 hours per day. Under such conditions, flowering will begin in May and will last until December.
Choosing a place for a flower garden
Balsam loves light, but not the scorching midday rays. It is advisable to place the flower bed in an open place, to the north of a tall tree, so that in the hottest hours the plant is protected by the shade from the crown. To make the flowers decorate the garden longer, you can grow several bushes in portable flowerpots or hanging baskets and, with the arrival of heat, take the containers to the site. The southern plant does not tolerate cold weather; it can be planted in open ground only in June.
For good development, flowers need planting in fertile, loose soil. If the flower garden is located on heavy soils, make a mound of equal parts of humus, garden soil and sand. To prevent the plants from dying from excessive soil moisture, first cover the soil with expanded clay for drainage, and then make a hill for a flower bed from the prepared soil. Balsam is not capricious, it takes root well on any soil, it does not like only sour soil.The introduction of peat, lime or chalk will help make the Ph reaction neutral.
Think about what kind of plants will inhabit the flower garden. You can use only Waller's balsams, their half-meter bushes will decorate the flowerbed even at a time when the plants are not blooming. Green, red and variegated leaves grow on thick, spreading shoots, proper care will make their color bright and expressive. Then the buds bloom and flowers of all kinds of shades appear, smooth and double. The background can be the planting of iron-nosed balsam, reaching a height of two meters.
When is a transplant required?
- It is advisable to transplant if you bought balsam in a store and do not know in what soil and how long the plant has been growing. But first, let the flower get used to its new habitat. Better to transplant it 10 days after purchase.
- Planned replanting in the spring for soil renewal.
- The transplant can be used to save the plant when the roots rot (about what balsam diseases are, as well as about their treatment and prevention, you can find out here). Balsam does not react well to being in a cold room. If you water it with tap water at the same time, the root system begins to die off.
How to transplant a plant at home to help it:
- extract the balsam;
- examine the roots, remove those affected by rot;
- cut the sections with crushed activated or charcoal;
- plant balsam in new soil;
- move to a warmer room, take water at room temperature for irrigation.
- A transplant is also needed if your balsam has significantly outgrown the pot. This is usually noticeable by a deterioration in its appearance and roots protruding to the surface or sticking out of a hole in the bottom. Choose a new planter 1-2 cm larger in diameter.
- If a white coating forms on the soil surface, replanting is not necessary. It is enough to remove the thin top layer, add fresh soil to the pot. After that, water only into the pan of the pot to avoid further alkalization of the soil.
- After 2-3 years, it is better to renew the balsam completely, otherwise it will stop blooming and eventually lose its attractive appearance. Take a cutting from the bush and root it, and discard the old plant.
Site selection and soil preparation
For proper care and planting of garden balsam (a photo of the plant is presented in the article), the place of cultivation and soil play a significant role.
An ideal site for a plant would be a place protected from the winds, with diffused sunlight. Balsam is a thermophilic plant, therefore, sharp temperature fluctuations are destructive for it, as are the scorching rays of the sun, which negatively affect the growth and development of a flower. Flower beds and balsam beds are best planted along the house, gazebo or near trees.
The soil for the plant must be prepared in advance, so balsam, planted in heavy soil with closely located groundwater, does not develop well, its leaves become shallow, and flowering is scarce.
This can be avoided if:
- with stagnant moisture, provide the root system of the flower with drainage from sand, crushed stone, stone or other available materials;
- loosen heavy clay soil with humus, sand, perlite or other appropriate material;
- ensure the appropriate PH level of the soil, too acidic, flavored with limestone and dug up;
- observe the nutritional balance, if humus was used to loosen the soil, no additional fertilizers are applied.
Popular types of balsams
In regions with harsh winters, balsam is grown exclusively as an annual crop. The general favorite - the touchy Waller, or Waller (Impatiens walleriana) - has overshadowed other types of balsams today.But other plants, larger and more lush, New Guinea hybrids of balsam (Impatiens New Guinea), large, erect touch-me-not balsam (also known as garden balsam - impatiens balsamina), two-meter ferruginous balsam (Impatiens glandulifera) or graceful balsam Balfour (Impatiens balfourii) deserve great attention. After all, the large size and less lush flowering does not make other species more difficult to care for.
Whichever type of balsam is involved, these are easy-to-grow plants that are easy to grow. And the simplest, most popular and affordable method of breeding charming touchy, of course, is sowing seeds.
Impatiens glandulifera. Waldemar Weiss (Impatiens namchabarwensis). Rene Stalder Large Balsam (Impatiens grandis). Nobuhiro suhara
Reproduction and transplantation of New Guinea balsam at home
The plant is propagated in two ways: vegetative (cuttings) and generative (seeds). Most growers prefer vegetative propagation.
Cuttings
The best time for grafting is March. At this time, a new round of vegetation begins. March cuttings will bloom this year
Unlike the seed path, propagation by cuttings allows you to preserve the varietal characteristics of the mother plant, which is important for the reproduction of rare hybrids. Propagation of balsam by cuttings consists of several stages:
- An apical shoot with three internodes is cut from an adult plant. The lower leaves are removed. On the shoot intended for the cutting, there should be no buds or inflorescences.
- The cutting is rooted in a container with water or with a wet mixture of peat (1/4), vermiculite (1/4) and perlite (1/2). The water is periodically replaced with fresh water.
- Cuttings are left in a warm room with bright, diffused light.
- To speed up the rooting process, the container is covered with a film or a transparent cap.
- Cuttings placed under the film need daily ventilation. Cuttings that take root in the soil need to be sprayed additionally on a daily basis.
In water, balsam takes root in 10-14 days, in soil - after a week. After rooting, the film is removed and the cuttings are left to strengthen for 2-3 weeks. They are then planted as mature plants.
Seeds
The advantage of seed propagation is the large number of new specimens. But this method also has disadvantages. First, the seeds do not retain varietal characteristics. Secondly, they do not have very good germination.
You can remove a plant from seeds as follows:
- Balsam seeds are pre-soaked in warm water.
- A couple of hours after soaking, the seeds are mixed with sand and placed in a container with wet peat.
- The container is covered with foil and left in a warm, bright place.
- Seedlings require daily ventilation and moisture. Instead of watering, the soil is sprayed with a spray bottle so as not to wash out the seeds.
- Seedlings appear 2-3 weeks after sowing. As soon as this happens, the film is removed.
When the sprouts reach 5 cm, they are transplanted into the usual soil for balsam.
Transfer and landing
The flower has a very developed root system, so the transplant is carried out every year. It is advisable to carry out the procedure in the spring, before the period of budding and flowering. A flower transplant involves the following steps:
- The plant is carefully removed from the old pot and freed from the old soil.
- The roots are carefully examined for rot. If it is, the affected areas are cut off and treated with a fungicide solution.
- A quarter of the new pot is filled with drainage (expanded clay, pebbles, broken brick).
- A little soil is poured onto the drainage layer. A flower is placed on top and its roots are straightened.
- The voids of the pot are filled with the remaining soil.The soil is slightly trampled and moistened.
The first planting is no different from the flower transplant procedure. For young plants, pots with a diameter of no more than 10 cm are selected. The plant is comfortable in nutritious and loose soil. Most often, balsams are planted in a universal soil with the addition of vermiculite.
Characteristics of varieties
Popular varieties of garden balsam can be characterized as follows:
- Unusual Tom Tamb. An annual, beautifully flowering plant, the height of which does not exceed 25 centimeters. Terry flowers of various shades will decorate flower beds, garden pots, borders. There are shades from white to deep purple. Prefers areas that are well lit by the sun. It is planted as seeds directly into the ground in March or seedlings in April. Flowering continues until October.
- Camellia variety. The pyramidal shape and double flowers of a wide variety of shades make the variety quite popular among flower growers. This species has a rather massive, but fragile stem. In early June, the first double flowers appear in the leaf axils, resembling a camellia in shape. Flowering continues throughout the season. Looks perfect on flower beds in a variety of flower arrangements. A balsam resistant to the vagaries of the weather, planting and care in the open field is carried out by seeds or seedlings.
- Waller is new to the landscape. The variety was bred not so long ago, but is rapidly gaining popularity. The plant is much larger than its "congeners". But the main difference is not in the shape of the flower, but in its color. They are richer. Today it is known that the variety has about 17 shades. An annual species that dies at the first frost. The height and fragility of the stem make the plant vulnerable to the elements of nature. Heavy rain, gusty winds can break it off. Therefore, breeders recommend planting it in compositions where more resistant plants are located in the neighborhood.
- Exotic dwarf. Due to its small size, the flower is actively used for planting on balconies or in outdoor pots. But with a small stature, it is distinguished by an abundance of large double flowers of various shades. In diameter, such flowers can reach 4 centimeters. It has lanceolate, needle-like leaves, which are practically invisible during the period of active flowering. The variety was recently bred. But due to the fact that balsam implies simple cultivation, does not require complex maintenance, it quickly became popular among florists and landscape designers.
- Terry Impatiens. Another newcomer to balsamines, bred through a complex and long selection. It differs in that the flowers of this variety are not monochromatic. Shades of other colors are available. Outwardly, they resemble tea roses. Looks perfect in garden compositions. With a fragile stem and delicate double flowers, balsam does not imply difficult cultivation, but is a little picky about the soil. The only thing that such a flower does not like is the abundance of moisture. In places where water stagnates or the soil is waterlogged, the plant may die due to decay of the root system.
- Roly is wet. There are many garden balsams. One of them is referred to as Vanka wet. It is a versatile variety that takes root outdoors or at home. A fairly tall plant, the height of the stem in the open field can reach 50 centimeters. A distinctive feature is a small number of leaves and an abundance of large, double flowers, the size of which is about 4 centimeters in diameter. An abundance of shades, there are only blue colors, but there is a rich purple color. The plant is unpretentious to care for. Propagated by seeds, seedlings and cuttings.
- Impreza is a bright accent. A small, compact shrub ideal for open flower beds and balcony flower beds. Dense foliage and an abundance of bright flowers will delight you throughout the summer season, from early June to October.The uniqueness of the variety is that it easily tolerates haircuts and shaping. After such procedures, even more abundant flowering is noted. Before growing balsam of this variety, it must be remembered that it is planted in open ground after the threat of frost has passed. The seed germinates in 15 days, the first flowers can be expected in no more than a month.
Lantana: description, care and reproduction at home
Sowing seeds: steps and important tips
Seed material of balsam does not need stratification, but it must first be disinfected. Potassium permanganate (potassium permanganate) is diluted in heated water so that it turns light purple, and then the seeds are lowered there and kept for 10 minutes. After that, the liquid is drained, and the seeds are soaked in warm purified water and kept there for another day.
Balsam is picky about soils and prefers light substrates with low acidity. The soil can be either purchased or self-prepared at home from the following ingredients:
- 2 parts of peat;
- 1 part of vermiculite, garden soil and coarse sand.
If it is not possible to use garden soil, it is allowed to use vermiculite and peat in an equivalent ratio. The prepared soil is calcined in the oven for about two hours to eliminate all harmful microorganisms, and then spilled with Fitosporin diluted in water. This allows you to optimize the microflora of the soil and reduce the risk of damage to plants by the black leg.
Seed material swollen from moisture is evenly distributed over the surface of the soil, trying not to pour them too often. Since the seeds are small, it is preferable to do this with the tip of a wooden toothpick.
They must be carefully pressed to the ground, not burying too much.
The surface with seeds spread out on it must be sprayed with a spray bottle. Then the container is placed inside a transparent plastic bag. It should not be pressed too hard so that there is enough air for the seedlings.