When to plant coreopsis seeds for seedlings: care, photo

It is necessary to plant coreopsis for seedlings in late March or early April. Seedlings are grown at normal room temperature, observing the regime of watering and highlighting. Seedlings can be obtained both in the traditional way (sowing seeds in common containers), and using peat tablets, which eliminates the need for diving.

What coreopsis seeds look like

Perennial coreopsis can be propagated vegetatively (for example, by dividing a bush) or grown from seeds. They can be purchased at the store or assembled by yourself. If it is a hybrid, many of its signs may be degenerate, and the flowers may not even appear, so it is better to purchase planting material and not risk it.

Coreopsis seeds look like small black grains with two brown lobes (left and right). On the one hand, the core is slightly swollen, and on the other, on the contrary, there is a depression.

Coreopsis seeds have an unusual shape

They are small in size - like grains of anise, but not too small. Therefore, it is quite possible to take them with your fingers, and not with a toothpick.

If you grow perennial coreopsis from seeds through seedlings, it will bloom in the same season.

When to plant coreopsis seedlings

Coreopsis seeds can be sown 1.5-2 months before the planned transfer of seedlings to open ground. The specific period depends on climatic features:

• in the suburbs and other regions of the middle lane - the end of March;
• in the south - the first days of spring;
• in the Urals and Siberia - early April.

It is better to prepare for planting in advance: purchase soil, disinfect it, prepare the necessary containers.

Sowing Coreopsis seedlings at home

Cultivation of annual and perennial coreopsis from seeds is carried out according to the standard algorithm. First, you need to prepare containers - these can be wooden boxes or plastic containers, wide enough and at the same time not very deep (up to 15 cm). At the bottom, they should have several drainage holes for water drainage.

Previously, the containers can be washed and disinfected by holding for several hours in a 1% solution of potassium permanganate or in a 3% solution of hydrogen peroxide. Then the surface is washed again with water and wiped dry.

The soil mixture is purchased in the store (a universal soil for flower seedlings is suitable) or compose it yourself

For example, you can mix 2 parts of garden soil with humus, peat and sawdust, or with coarse sand (1 part each).

These components will make the soil not only nutritious, but also porous, which is exactly what is needed for coreopsis. Another option is to mix turf soil with humus and compost in a 2: 1: 1 ratio. Or take peat with garden soil in equal amounts and add a few pinches of sand and wood ash.

The soil for planting coreopsis seeds is also pretreated. This can be done in several ways:

1. Hold in a solution of potassium permanganate (1%) or hydrogen peroxide (3%), then pour running water.
2. Send it to the freezer for a week, then remove to thaw and crush all the lumps.
3. Bake for 15 minutes in the oven at 130 ° C and cool.

The algorithm for planting coreopsis seeds is as follows:

1. A layer of pebbles or other small stones is laid at the bottom of the boxes.
2. Then the soil is filled without tamping it, keeping the maximum porosity, "lightness".
3. The seeds are planted with an interval of 4-5 cm, while they do not need to be buried - it is enough to slightly press them into the ground.
4. Sprinkle on top with a mixture of earth and sand.
5. Water abundantly (preferably from a spray bottle).
6. Cover the container with a foil or glass lid.
7. They are placed in a relatively warm place (standard room temperature is 20-22 ° C).

An alternative way of planting coreopsis seeds is in peat tablets. This approach avoids diving and thinning. The instruction is simple:

1. A white napkin is laid out on a flat tray.
2. Pour in a little growth stimulant solution.
3. Spread the seeds on a napkin, cover with a lid.
4. After 1-2 days, the tablets are soaked in a 1% solution of potassium permanganate or hydrogen peroxide.
5. When they swell, put a few coreopsis seeds in the very center and press a little.
6. The tablets are placed in transparent containers and covered with a lid. Further, seedlings of coreopsis are grown in the same way, but without transplanting (diving), which greatly facilitates the whole process.

Several coreopsis seeds are planted in each peat tablet

Growing and care

The first shoots of coreopsis appear in 10-12 days. At this point, the shelter is removed completely. Further plant care is standard:

1. If there is clearly not enough light, it is advisable to illuminate the seedlings (from the very first day of sowing) with a phytolamp, bringing the total daylight hours to 15-16 hours (for example, turn on for 4 hours in the morning and at the same time in the evening).
2. Watering regularly - do not allow the soil or peat tablets to dry out.
3. If the seedlings are grown in a common container, then after the appearance of 2-3 true leaves, the seedlings of coreopsis are planted in small pots or ordinary plastic glasses (at the bottom, several drainage holes are previously made to drain water).
4. A week after transplanting (i.e. about 2-3 weeks after planting coreopsis seeds), it is recommended to feed the seedlings with liquid complex fertilizer.
5. Plants begin to harden 2 weeks before transferring to the ground. To do this, they are taken out every day to the balcony or to a cool room (temperature 15-16 ° C). First, this is done for 15 minutes, then for 30 minutes, etc. (hardening time can be increased by 10-15 minutes per day, resulting in 3-4 hours).

When growing coreopsis in seedlings, it will give the first flowers in the same summer.

Signs of improper care

Seedling care is not difficult, but in some cases, beginner growers may encounter problems. To avoid them, you need to know in advance the signs that indicate improper care.

When to plant outdoors

Coreopsis seedlings are transferred to open ground at the end of spring, when the threat of recurrent frosts is no longer present:

• in the middle lane - in early May;
• in the south - at the end of April;
• in the Urals and Siberia - in the last decade of May.

Attention! You should be guided by the weather conditions: sometimes May is too cold, so the transfer date is shifted to the end of the month or even to the beginning of June.

The night temperature should not drop below 10-12 ° C.In some cases, growers transplant coreopsis into a greenhouse. This can be done 7-10 days earlier than the standard deadline - for example, not in mid-May, but at the beginning of the month.

Conclusion

Planting coreopsis seedlings at home is quite simple. The basic rule is to carefully prepare the soil, monitor watering and lighting. Do not allow waterlogging of the soil, but at the same time watering should be regular.

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