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Growing feathery celosia from seeds allows you to get very bright and beautiful flowers in a flower bed. But first you need to get acquainted with the peculiarities of culture, it is bred according to strict rules.
Description of paniculate celosia with a photo
The herbaceous plant Celosia (Celosia) belongs to the Amaranth family and comes from the widespread silver celosia. It grows on average 1 m above ground level, has straight branched stems, oval ovate leaves of bright green color, smooth and pointed at the tips. Some varieties have clearly visible red streaks on the surface of the leaf plates.
Cirrus celosia is a very beautiful plant, but it does not hibernate in the ground
Flowering begins in June and continues until late autumn. Photos of pinnate celosia in a flower bed show that during the period of decorativeness, the plant brings numerous paniculate inflorescences directed vertically upwards. They consist of small elongated flowers, the petals of which almost close inwards at the top. The buds are very dense, they can be red, yellow, orange, crimson, purple.
In its natural form, the culture is widespread in warm climates – in South America, Africa, Asia, and in certain regions of North America.
Paniculata celosia: perennial or annual
Cirrus celosia belongs to the category of annuals. In warm regions, it is often grown as a perennial crop, but in temperate and northern latitudes, the flower is simply not able to survive the frosty winter.
Top Grades
Cirrus celosia on the horticultural market is represented by undersized and tall varieties with bright flowering. At their summer cottage, any of the annuals will become a real gem.
feuerfeder
Cirrus Feuerfeder celosia is a low annual about 35 cm tall. In early summer it brings bright red feathery inflorescences. The leaves are light green with pink-red veins, so the plant looks decorative even when not in bloom.
From German, the name Feuerfeder is translated as “fiery feather”, which fully corresponds to the appearance of the plant.
Torchlight
Variety Fackelschein – tall feathery celosia about 70 cm tall. Differs in bewitching bright red flowering throughout the summer, brings abundant elongated and wide inflorescences.
Torchshine really does look like a blazing torch in a garden.
Golden Flitz
Golden Fleece is a popular tall annual variety. It rises up to 80 cm above the ground, the flowers of pinnate celosia are golden-orange, collected in large inflorescences.
Golden Flitz can bloom until October and fades only with the arrival of frost
New bow
The low grade New Look stretches up to 40 cm above the ground. In July, it produces paniculate pinnate inflorescences of bright scarlet color. The leaves of the annual also have a noticeable purple tint. Flowering continues until September.
New Look feels comfortable in the sunny areas of the garden
Thomsoni Magnifica
Very beautiful variety Tomsoni Magnifica – high feathery celosia, reaching 80 cm above the ground. By the beginning of July, inflorescences of a rich burgundy shade appear on straight stems. The beauty of the panicles is especially emphasized by the pinkish-green leaves of the annual.
Tomsoni Magnifica blooms from early summer to October cold
Panicled celosia in landscape design
Although pinnate celosia is an annual, it is valued and used very widely in garden design:
- The plant is used to decorate verandas and terraces.
Low-growing varieties of feathery celosia grow well in closed containers outdoors.
- With the help of an annual, single flower beds are created.
A flower garden with decorative celosia becomes a bright spot in the garden
- The plant is planted in borders and along the walls of buildings.
Celosia can beautifully emphasize the line of the path, frame the gazebo or house
- The plant is used in large flower beds of perennials.
You can plant celosia in a flower bed as a bright frame
Cirrus celosia is good both as a tapeworm and as an element of group compositions
Features of reproduction
Unlike many other plants, annual feathery celosia is propagated exclusively by seeds. The seed sprouts easily and quickly, in the summer the flower bed blooms with bright inflorescences, and dies off in the fall. It is not customary to practice cuttings, it takes too much time, and besides, the culture often loses its decorative effect.
Growing seedlings of pinnate celosia
The annual is not planted directly into the ground – first, celosia pinnate is grown from seeds at home. Only slightly grown seedlings, already ready for development in the air, are transferred to an open area.
When to sow paniculata seeds
It is necessary to start growing seedlings in the spring, at the end of March or early April. In this case, by the summer the annual will be ready for transfer to the garden.
Preparation of containers and soil
Ideally, it is recommended to grow pinnate celosia immediately in individual containers; the culture does not tolerate picking well. You can take peat pots or plastic cups about 8 cm high. However, group sowing of seedlings in a low wide container is also allowed, in which case, when transplanting, you just have to be especially careful.
It is best to immediately sow the celosia in separate pots.
The soil for seedlings must be taken fertile, loose and with a pH level of about 6,0. A neutral soil mixture for flower seedlings is suitable, you can also prepare the soil yourself, namely:
- mix 3 parts of leafy soil and turf;
- add 1 part vermiculite, sand and humus.
The prepared mixture is recommended to be calcined in the oven, and then spilled with a biofungicide for disinfection. Do this in advance, 2 weeks before sowing seeds.
Seeding algorithm
Cirrus celosia is sown by the surface method – they are not sprinkled with soil from above, but simply pressed tightly into the ground. Then the seeds are lightly sprayed with a spray bottle and the pots or container are covered with film or glass.
Celosia seedlings are sown on the surface of the soil
Seedlings are left in a bright, warm place at a temperature of about 25 ° C. From time to time, the shelter is removed, the soil is ventilated and moistened, and accumulated condensate is removed. In about a week, the first shoots should appear.
Care of seedlings
Growing seedlings of celosia in seedling boxes in the spring does not imply any particular difficulties. Care comes down to several measures:
- watering, the soil in the container is moistened as needed, it must not be allowed to dry out;
- backlight – seedlings are kept under a lamp so that the total daylight hours are at least 10-12 hours;
- picking, when 3 leaves appear in the seedlings, they need to be transplanted in separate containers, if the seeds were originally laid in a common container.
After picking, celosia can be watered with a solution of complex fertilizers for flowers containing potassium and phosphorus.
Strengthened seedlings of celosia in May begin to harden in the air
In early or mid-May, seedlings begin to gradually prepare for transplanting into the ground. To do this, pots with seedlings are taken out to the balcony or veranda, first for a couple of hours, then for the whole day. Hardening is carried out for 2 weeks, so that the plant has time to get used to the new conditions.
Planting and caring for panicled celosia in the ground
Although the annual can be grown in closed containers, it is more commonly placed in flower beds in the garden. In order for the plant to successfully take root, you must follow the important rules for planting and caring for feathery celosia.
Deadlines
Cirrus celosia is transferred to open ground in late May or early June. Since the annual dies even from slight frosts, it is necessary to wait until a stable warm temperature is established day and night.
Site selection and soil preparation
It is necessary to plant pinnate celosia in a sunny, well-drained, draft-free place. The plant loves neutral or slightly acidic soil, but does not respond well to excessive acidification, therefore, if necessary, the site is limed. For celosia, small holes are dug about 20 cm deep, after which they are half filled with a mixture of humus, sand and soddy soil.
The roots of celosia are fragile, so they plant it in a flower bed along with a clod of earth
Rules of landing
The landing algorithm looks very simple. On the day of transfer to the ground, the seedlings should be properly watered, and then carefully removed from the containers, without destroying the earthen ball at the roots. Seedlings are placed in prepared holes, sprinkled with soil and watered again, after which the soil is lightly tamped.
Usually cirrus celosia is planted in a heap to create a spectacular flower bed. Since the annual will grow, gaps must be left between the seedlings, 15 cm for undersized varieties and 30 for tall plants.
Watering and fertilizing schedule
Cirrus celosia reacts badly to waterlogging. Usually she has enough natural precipitation – the plant needs to be additionally watered only in extreme heat and drought. Use water at room temperature, cold moisture can damage the roots.
Top dressing can be done once a month – phosphorus and potassium are added to the soil, the transplanted annual does not need nitrogen. It is important not to overfeed the plant, otherwise the leaves will be very large, but flowering will not take place.
Loosening and weeding
So that moisture does not stagnate in the soil under feathery celosia, once every 2 weeks the soil needs to be fluffed to a shallow depth. Simultaneously with this procedure, weeds are removed. Self-seeding plants take water and nutrients from the decorative annual, respectively, the splendor and beauty of flowering are noticeably reduced.
The soil under the celosia needs to be loosened to avoid stagnant water and the appearance of weeds.
Wintering
With the onset of autumn, the flowering of celosia stops, usually it completely loses its decorative effect by October. It is not customary to keep the plant in the soil, the annual crop is simply disposed of, and the next year, if desired, it is sown again with seeds.
Diseases and pests
Of the fungal diseases, the annual is most often affected:
- blackleg;
Black leg disease develops against the background of waterlogging, the roots and stem darken and rot
- chlorosis.
If celosia grows in too acidic soil, the leaves may turn yellow from a lack of iron, and flowering will be poor.
To prevent diseases, you need to monitor the level of soil moisture and control its chemical composition. If the annual is sick with root rot, you can transplant it to a new place and add wood ash to the soil. However, with a strong defeat, such a measure will not help, and the plant will die.
The most dangerous pest is the aphid, which feeds on the cell sap of the plant. Pest control is usually carried out with a soapy solution, the product is sprayed over a flower bed every 3-4 days. In case of severe infection, you can use Aktellik or Karbofos.
Aphids that feed on leaf juices are the most dangerous pest of decorative celosia.
Collection and storage of seeds
For planting feathery celosia next season in the fall, it is customary to store annual seeds. To do this, in September, cut off a few withered inflorescences and put them in a cool, dark place. Dried panicles are shaken properly over a sheet of paper and the spilled seeds are collected.
For storage, the material is sent to the refrigerator in dry sealed containers, until sowing for seedlings in the spring.
Conclusion
Growing feathery celosia from seeds is a fairly simple task. If you follow the terms and rules for caring for seedlings, then at the beginning of summer you can decorate a flower bed in the garden with a bright and lush flowering annual.
