Content
Bacopa (sutera) was cultivated in Russia in the early nineties. This is an exotic plant about which it is difficult to find information. Growing bacopa from seeds can be done at home. The process is no different from the cultivation of ordinary vegetable seedlings. But there are small nuances, they should be taken into account.
When to sow bacopa seeds for seedlings in 2020
Bacopa is not recommended to be sown directly into open ground, since the growing season for this crop is quite long. It is easier to grow a flower bed through seedlings. Seeds begin to be sown in early March.
If it is possible to additionally illuminate the plant, you can plant seeds in the ground at the end of February. Without bright light, the seedlings of a photophilous culture are strongly elongated, become thin and weak.
After planting in open ground, stunted plants are in no hurry to spread out in a lush carpet and bloom
In order for the seedlings to be strong and bushy, in addition to the rules of caring for it, they will find out the right time for growing. The gardener's lunar calendar will help with this.
Planting bacopa seedlings
You can also grow bacopa from seeds at home. You must first prepare the soil, containers, seed.
Seed preparation
Bacopa seed for growing is usually sold in pellet bags or dragees.
It is convenient for flower growers to use dragees, they are disinfected and processed, the granules are easy to evenly distribute over the soil surface
If the seeds are in a pure form, they are mixed with sand so that it is convenient to work with them.
The soil
Bacopa for seedlings should be planted in specially prepared soil. It consists of sand, humus (they are taken in 2 parts), peat and leafy earth (they are taken in 1 part). This composition can be used in pots, flower pots and open beds.
Essential for bacopa and good drainage. Expanded clay or river sand is used as it. It is important to remember that when transplanting seedlings into open ground, expanded clay is difficult to separate from the overgrown rhizome.
Charcoal can also be used as a drainage layer. When planting, it will disinfect the root of the plant, and enrich the soil with potassium.
Just peat or peat tablets are also suitable for growing seedlings from seeds.
For disinfection, the soil mixture is fried in the oven. The oven is heated to 100 ᵒС, a heat-resistant container is placed in it, filled with nutrient soil for an hour. You can simply spill the soil mixture with boiling water.
Once the potting mix has cooled, it is filled with special peat cups or plastic growing containers.
Sowing
The process of sowing bacopa seeds for seedlings is quite simple, they are evenly distributed on the soil surface. If the source material is purchased, then it is easy to work with it, since the seeds of industrial production are produced in the form of colored balls, which do not need to be processed before sowing.
You can collect bacopa seeds yourself from flowering plants. It is important to indicate the date of collection, as the seed will remain viable for 3 years. Before planting, the seeds are mixed with sand to facilitate their distribution on the soil surface.It is recommended to sow such material abundantly, since the seeds of the suter collected with their own hands have a weak germination.
It is not necessary to crush the seed with soil from above
Containers with seedlings are covered with a transparent film, placed in the light in a warm place. The air temperature in the room should not fall below + 20 ᵒС. If daylight is not enough, you need to provide the seedlings with additional lighting.
Periodically, the seeds are sprayed with water from a spray bottle so that they do not dry out
If there is enough light and moisture, the first shoots will appear after 2 weeks.
Transplanting
As soon as 2 true leaves appear on the sprouts, the plants dive into spacious pots. Further cultivation takes place at a higher temperature - from + 22 to + 26 ᵒС.
2 weeks before planting in open ground, the grown plants are hardened. The containers with flowers are taken out into the open air, first for half an hour, then for an hour, gradually the time of air procedures is increased to 12 hours.
Before planting, the seedlings are watered abundantly, this makes it easier to remove the bushes from the pots.
The pots or flower beds, depending on the place of planting, are filled with the soil mixture that was prepared for the seeds.
On the site, the plants are planted according to the scheme 30x30 cm.First, shallow pits are dug, the bushes are deepened into them until the first pair of leaves, the roots are sprinkled with earth. After planting, the bushes must be watered abundantly.
Growing in regions
Growing bacopa from seed in the southern and northern regions is slightly different. This is due to different periods of warming in spring. In the south, seeds can be sown directly into open ground at the end of March, while in central Russia and in the north, seedlings are grown at home starting in February.
When to sow bacopa for seedlings in Siberia
Planting bacopa seeds for seedlings begins in February. In 2020, it is recommended to select the days at the beginning of the month - from the 8th to the 10th. The conditions for growing seeds indoors does not differ from the recommendations given above.
At the end of April, the grown seedlings are taken out for hardening in the open air. Planting in open ground is carried out in the middle or at the end of May, when the probability of return frosts has passed.
Growing conditions
In order for the seeds to turn into lush flowering bushes, it is important to create the necessary microclimate for the grown plant. Good lighting, regular watering and pest control are the main conditions for growing a flowering crop from seeds.
Shine
For seedlings and for an adult plant, light is important. Exposure to direct sunlight should not be allowed. Culture does not bloom in the shade. To preserve the decorative qualities in the room, additional phyto-lamps are exhibited; on the street, sunny areas are chosen for planting.
On hot days at noon it is good if the bush is in light partial shade
Watering
Bacopa needs abundant and regular watering. Especially often the flower is moistened in hot summer. In the process of cultivation, the culture does not tolerate drying out of the soil. The frequency of watering is determined as the soil dries out. For one plant, you need to take about 2 liters of water.
After watering, the soil around the bushes is loosened. This is done carefully, since bacopa has a superficial root system. Simultaneously with loosening, weeding is also carried out.
Top dressing
In the process of growing, fertilizers are applied once every 2 weeks. For these purposes, choose mineral fertilizing for flowering crops. The drug is diluted not according to the instructions, but less often. Water is taken 2 times more than indicated in the annotation to the drug.
The diluted product is poured strictly at the root, without wetting the foliage, in order to avoid burns. Bacopa responds well to feeding: it blooms luxuriantly and turns violently green.
Spraying
On hot days, bacopa is sprayed with a spray bottle. The procedure is performed early in the morning or in the evening. When the sun is at its zenith, this cannot be done, even if the flower is on the balcony. Burns can occur on the leaves and shoots of the plant.
After watering and spraying, the plant is provided with air access, the room is ventilated.The moisture will quickly evaporate, there will be no conditions for the reproduction of moldy fungi.
Pest prevention
Bacopa can be attacked by whiteflies, aphids, and spider mites.
Sucking insects deprive the plant of nutrient juices, which leads to its wilting
Acaricides are used to control pests. Processing is carried out in 3 stages.
Features of seedlings of different varieties
Some varieties can be planted at the end of winter. This is due to the long process of pecking seeds and vegetation. So, the Snowtopia variety bacopa, when grown from seeds, is sown in containers in the last days of January. By the beginning of March, the first shoots will appear.
Bacopa of the Blutopia variety, when grown from seeds, is sown in early February. The containers are covered with foil and placed in a warm, well-lit place.
In March, strong sprouts with rounded leaves will appear in containers.
For planting bacopa seeds for seedlings, it is better to use commercially available granular planting material. The granules are easier to properly spread over the soil surface. Spread them at a distance of 2.5 cm from each other, not closer.
One purchased euro pellet contains 3-5 bacopa seeds
Tricks of sowing bacopa seeds for seedlings
Sowing bacopa with seeds, as shown in the video, is not difficult:
In the process of growing, it is important to take into account the nuances that will help you get a beautiful plant.
Advice:
- For planting bacopa seeds, it is better to choose a container with transparent walls.
Light easily penetrates the bacopa seeds, stimulating their hatching
- The soil mixture is disinfected in the oven at a temperature of + 100 ᵒС for several hours.
- The seed is spread on the surface of a disinfected and well-moistened soil.
- From above, the granules are not sprinkled with soil, but slightly pressed into the soil.
- Up to 5 plants can germinate from one granule, this is how many seeds it contains.
- Purchased seeds in balls are laid out in the ground at a distance of at least 2 cm from each other: this is to prevent thickening of the planting.
- Seeds obtained from homemade bacopa are treated with rooters and growth enhancers before planting. For these purposes, Kornevin, Heteroauxin, Epin are suitable.
The first seedlings of Bacopa hatch after 10 days, but completely friendly shoots will appear after 4 weeks.
Conclusion
Growing bacopa from seeds is a simple exercise for those flower growers who germinate petunias at home. For beginners, the process will also not seem complicated. It is no different from growing ordinary vegetable seedlings in the spring. The bacopa flower needs good lighting, warmth and moisture. After 2 weeks, the first seedlings can be seen.
