Contents
- What do caliberchoa seeds look like?
- How to Harvest Calibrachoa Seeds
- When to sow calibrachoa for seedlings
- How to plant caliberchoa from seeds
- How many days does it take for caliberchoa seeds to germinate?
- Why don’t caliberchoa seeds germinate?
- How to Grow Calibrachoa from Seeds
- Pinching calibrachoa
- Transplanting Calibrachoa Seedlings to a Permanent Place
- Conclusion
- Calibrachoa Seed Reviews
Growing caliberchoa from seeds is a fun activity. This plant was considered a type of petunia. But since 1990, due to the difference in DNA, they have been isolated in a special group. To date, gardeners can purchase varietal plants with different colors of petals.
What do caliberchoa seeds look like?
Growing a flower has its own characteristics. Calibrachoa seeds are very small, round in shape, slightly larger than those of petunias. In addition, they are characterized by low germination. This fact should be taken into account when sowing; seeds should be applied very thickly into the soil.
It is even better to purchase granular seed for growing high-quality seedlings, as this will facilitate the work.
How to Harvest Calibrachoa Seeds
If there is at least one caliberhoa bush on the site, then the seeds can be collected independently. They ripen in small boxes. Keep in mind that the boxes crack. Therefore, they need to be collected without waiting for disclosure. It is better to put the collected seed for further growing flowers in a tall jar and put it in the sun so that the seeds do not scatter around the apartment.
When to sow calibrachoa for seedlings
To grow lush bushes of a surprisingly beautiful flower, you need to decide on the time of planting caliberhoa seeds for seedlings. The best dates are the end of February or the beginning of March. Before planting in the ground, seedlings will have time to grow. And this is the key to successful cultivation of calibrachoa in a flower bed.
How to plant caliberchoa from seeds
As already noted, the germination of caliberchoa seeds is low. Growing a plant in a seedling method involves preparing the soil, containers for sowing seeds.
Preparation of planting containers and soil
You can sow the seeds in a common seedling box, if picking is supposed, or in separate pots, peat tablets. But due to low germination, you will have to put several seeds in one container, then leave one plant.
As for the soil for growing calibrachoa, you can buy a ready-made composition in the store. You need to choose the soil intended for growing seedlings and flowers. But many flower growers prefer to prepare the soil on their own. It should be borne in mind that plants respond well to loose, breathable soil. Therefore, peat, perlite or vermiculite are added to the garden soil.
The composition of the soil for growing seedlings:
- garden land;
- peat;
- compost;
- sand.
Proportion – 2:1:1:0,5.
To improve fertility, you can add superphosphate or phosphorus-potassium fertilizers.
If the seeds are sown in boxes for growing on the balcony, that is, immediately to a permanent place, then picking is not expected. A drainage layer of at least 4 cm is laid out at the bottom of the box. These can be small stones, pieces of red brick (not silicate). And already a layer of fertile soil is poured on the drainage.
Before sowing, any soil (store-bought or self-made) must be disinfected with hot water with several crystals of potassium permanganate. For the same procedure, you can use boric acid or hydrogen peroxide.
Seed preparation
When growing calibrachoa from seeds (the dimensions of which are visible in the photo), it is not always possible to obtain a sufficient number of seedlings due to the fact that only a third of the seed germinates. To increase germination, protect against diseases and pests, experienced flower growers advise soaking in a pink solution of potassium permanganate, in Zircon or Epin.
After 24 hours, the seeds intended for growing seedlings are washed with clean water and dried on a napkin. It remains only to sow them in the prepared soil.
Rules for sowing calibrachoa for seedlings
Calibrachoa seeds are sown in well-moistened soil very densely, as germination is low. At least 10 seeds should be sown on a 10×80 cm square. It is better to scatter the seeds over the surface, and then sprinkle them with a small layer of soil, but not higher than 0,5 cm.
After that, the seed containers are placed for growing seedlings on a well-lit window in a room where the temperature is at least 18-20 degrees. To retain moisture and accelerate seed germination, containers are covered with glass or a transparent plastic bag.
Under the shelter, a greenhouse effect is created, which means that drops of water, settling, moisten the soil. During the cultivation of seedlings, so that the surface does not become moldy, the film or glass must be lifted several times. And wipe off the dew.
If the soil has dried up before germination, then it is sprayed from a spray bottle. It is not recommended to use chlorinated tap water for irrigation. If there is no other liquid, then water is poured into a container in advance and allowed to stand for at least 12 hours.
Shelter of glass and film is removed when green blotches appear on the surface of the container.
How many days does it take for caliberchoa seeds to germinate?
Although the seeds are small, shoots do not appear soon. As a rule, small green blotches can be observed after 14-16 days. Unfortunately, not all grains germinate.
Why don’t caliberchoa seeds germinate?
Calibrachoa seeds are expensive, and not all hatch. This, of course, is embarrassing. You need to understand why:
- Seeding too deep. Small seeds simply stall, the sprout cannot break through the thickness of the earth.
- Drying of the soil after sowing.
- Too damp soil, because of which the seed rots before it hatches.
How to Grow Calibrachoa from Seeds
When growing a caliberchoa flower at home from seeds, it is necessary to follow the rules for sowing and caring for seedlings. To do this, you need to know the features of agricultural technology, care for seedlings indoors and outdoors.
Optimal conditions for growing caliberhoa seedlings from seeds
Calibrachoa is a plant that is demanding on lighting. Immediately after germination, seedlings need to be illuminated for about 16 hours. Natural conditions will not allow this parameter to be observed, therefore, during the cultivation of high-quality seedlings, you will have to take care of installing additional lamps.
When 4-6 true leaves appear on the plant, the duration of lighting can be reduced to 12 hours. The air temperature throughout the entire stage of growing seedlings from the moment of germination is 18-20 degrees.
Watering and feeding
Calibrachoa seedlings grown from seeds require watering, but it is not recommended to fill the soil in a nursery or open field. Stagnant water can cause root disease such as blackleg, which can kill caliberchoa. Water only when the topsoil dries out.
In the heat, the bushes need to be sprayed. Growing seedlings involves irrigating it from a spray bottle. For spraying flowering caliberchoa, sprinkling is used, but the nozzle must be very small. The thing is that the bells are delicate, fragile, easily damaged.
Calibrachoa is watered only under the root, fertilizers are applied at the same time. Only in this case can bushy plants with lush flower caps be obtained.
Until buds are formed, caliberchoa is fed 3-4 times a month. Fertilizers must contain nitrogen in order to build green mass. When the buds are tied, fertilizers containing potassium and phosphorus are selected for feeding.
Suitable for feeding room or balcony caliberchoa:
- “Floron”;
- “Nutrivant universal”;
- “Polygro”;
- complex fertilizers for flowers.
Calibrachoa is an ampelous plant. But lush bushes with an abundance of green mass are of value. To improve tillering, seedlings are fed with Athlete. Only 3 procedures with a frequency of 14 days will prevent excessive stretching of the stems. The internodes will become shorter, which means that the buds will be denser.
When using any chemicals to feed caliberchoa, you must strictly follow the instructions, as a large concentration of substances can harm. If the plants grown from seeds do not die, then their development will slow down, flowering will be postponed indefinitely.
Picks
Growing seedlings in a common container involves picking. This work is planned when 2-3 true leaves are formed on the plant, that is, a month after germination.
The composition of the soil should be identical to that used when growing seedlings. The soil is also prepared: spilled with boiling water, it is possible with potassium permanganate.
With regards to containers, when transplanting caliberchoa seedlings for the first time, a glass of 200 ml will suffice. During subsequent transshipment, a pot is taken, the diameter of which is at least 15 cm. The bottom of the pot is drilled to prevent stagnant water. For the same purpose, drainage is used, which should be at least 4 cm.
A recess is made in the center of the container, in which only one seedling is placed. The root is covered with earth, the soil is pressed with fingers, then watered abundantly to squeeze out voids.
Calibrachoa seedling care after picking
Further care for calibrachoa grown from seeds after picking comes down to traditional activities:
- watering and feeding;
- loosening and weeding weeds;
- pinching.
In addition, to give the bushes a decorative effect, it is necessary to remove faded inflorescences in a timely manner. Such a procedure will not only increase the flowering of caliberchoa, but also allow you to collect seeds. This is necessary when growing lush bushes.
Pinching calibrachoa
Powerful cascading bushes of an ampelous plant can only be formed if the stems are pinched.
Do I need to pinch caliberchoa
After the procedure, lateral shoots begin to form in the internodes. The result is a voluminous and lush bush.
Cut shoots do not need to be thrown away. The cuttings root well. This will allow you to get a large number of new bushes to decorate the garden, veranda or terrace.
When to Pinch Calibrachoa
You need to pinch the caliberchoa while the seedlings grown from seeds are still small. It was at this time that the first buds appear, which will slow down the growth of the plant, and, therefore, a lush bush will not form.
How to pinch caliberchoa
As soon as the length of the stems reaches 6-8 cm, pinch them 2/3 of the length. A second operation is carried out when it reaches 15 cm. Further actions depend on the preferences of the grower. If bushes with hanging shoots are needed, then some of them are not pinched again.
Transplanting Calibrachoa Seedlings to a Permanent Place
Calibrachoa seedlings are planted in open ground (pots or flower beds) after a stable positive average daily temperature is established.
It is desirable to grow decorative bushes in a place filled with light. Even a slight shading contributes to the uneven growth of the stems, from which the aesthetics of the plant are lost. In addition, there is a risk of lack of flowering. The south side of the site is perfect.
It is necessary to protect the caliberchoa from drafts and sudden gusts of wind. After all, the stems of the plant are very delicate and fragile. And the opened buds do not like showers, they lose their decorative effect, the edges on the petals break off.
That is why experienced flower growers recommend growing bushes in closed or semi-closed rooms. It can be balconies, loggias, verandas or terraces.
When growing indoors, especially if they face north, backlighting is necessary even in summer.
Before planting, you need to carefully prepare the site. The soil must be fertile and nutritious. To prevent a disease of the root system from a black leg, the seat must be shed with boiling water with several crystals of potassium permanganate.
If plants are grown in containers, planters and pots, then you can use ready-made soil, which is sold in specialized stores.
Water Calibrachoa outdoors or in pots sparingly as the soil dries out. Water only under the root, and not along the leaves, 1-2 times a week. In the dry season, spraying is required.
Conclusion
Growing caliberchoa from seeds is only gaining popularity among flower growers. So they have a lot of questions. Flower growers are interested in the timing of sowing seeds for seedlings, the rules of agricultural technology and the features of care for obtaining an ornamental bush.
