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Sowing balsam for seedlings is one of the most popular ways of cultivating this type of plant. The method is simple and can be implemented at home even by beginner flower growers.
Features of growing balsam from seeds at home
Balsam is a herbaceous plant that is included in the group of both annuals and perennials. Its main feature is the variety of varieties. The last factor affects the timing of disembarkation and care features.
Balsam is a plant with jagged or rounded leaf plates of a dark green palette and flowers of various shades (pink, red, white). Inflorescence petals can be smooth, double or semi-double. Flowering does not occur at the same time.
In good conditions, balsam blooms all year round.
What do balsam seeds look like
Balsam fruits are small seed pods that open after a light touch. The seeds themselves are very small, of different sizes, covered with a shell of dark brown, black or white. In annuals, seed material is usually slightly larger than in perennial crops.
All seeds require pre-treatment before planting.
How to collect balsam seeds
The collection of balsam seeds has its own characteristics. The fruits of the plant cannot be cut ahead of time, otherwise the seeds will rot. It is very simple to determine the onset of the moment of ripening: you need to pick up a seed box, if the wings open immediately, then the time has come to collect.
The storage period of balsam seeds can reach 6-8 years, however, only freshly harvested materials demonstrate the best germination.
When to sow balsam for seedlings
It is more expedient to plant balsam on seedlings in the last decade of March or in the first of April. However, the timing of the landing depends more on the region and its climatic conditions.
In the southern regions, planting can begin as early as the first half of February, while in the middle lane, namely in the Moscow region, the optimal time is in early spring. In Siberia, the Leningrad region, Karelia and the Urals, the planting date may be moved to early April.
Most gardeners, when calculating planting dates, use the lunar calendar.
Auspicious days:
- from 12 to 17, 19 and 20 March;
- 6-8, 11-13, 15-17, 29 and 30 April.
The following are considered unfavorable:
- 6 and 7, March 21;
- 5 and 19 April.
You can also determine the time of disembarkation in the opposite way. Since balsam transplantation most often takes place in late May or early June, and growing seedlings takes 3-4 months, depending on the region, the sowing date is determined by countdown.
How to plant balsam for seedlings
It is possible to competently plant a balsam for seedlings only after having previously studied all the subtleties and nuances of the process itself, as well as subsequent agricultural technology. Most varieties of this crop can be planted with seeds.
Selecting and preparing a container
The best choice for planting balsam with seeds will be a small container up to 10-12 cm deep. You can plant both in small separate containers and in one large box, the main thing is to choose the right width based on the number of seeds. Subsequently, you can always pick and successfully plant young plants.
At home, flower growers actively use plastic cups and cassettes, small pots and peat tablets. Each future seedling should have a volume of at least 200-220 ml.
Seeds must be disinfected before planting
Before use, it is necessary to treat the container with antiseptics or a solution of potassium permanganate for complete disinfection. Dense plastic containers can be scalded with boiling water (except for cups).
Each seedling container must be equipped with a drainage hole. If this is not available, you need to make it yourself.
Soil Preparation
Balsam appreciates light fertile soil with high air and water permeability, as well as a moderately acidic environment. Dense soil, generously fertilized with compost, is not the best option.
Suitable soil for balsam can be purchased at a specialized store or made independently by mixing turf soil, peat, perlite and sand in equal proportions. It is advisable to pass all the ingredients of the mixture through a wide sieve. This will make the soil looser, as well as additionally saturate it with oxygen.
Preparing balsam seeds for sowing
It is possible to increase the germination of seedlings by carrying out preliminary preparation of seed material. To do this, the seeds are treated, thus removing pathogens and bacteria from the surface of their shell.
Fitosporin-M is most often used as disinfectants. The time of treatment with the drug should not exceed 25-30 minutes. After dressing, the seeds are soaked in growth stimulants (“Zircon”, “Epin-Extra”).
The processing procedure allows you to accelerate the germination of seedlings.
Algorithm for planting balsam seeds for seedlings
There is nothing difficult in planting a balsam. The working algorithm includes the following operations:
- Laying a drainage layer (gravel, perlite) on the bottom of the container.
- Filling the container with prepared soil (not reaching 1,5-2 cm to the edge).
- Leveling and moistening the soil (using a spray gun).
- Sowing seeds at a distance of 3-3,5 cm from each other.
- Second watering (spraying).
- Covering the container with glass, plastic lid or cling film.
For convenience, you can sign the plant. For example, if several types of crops are sown simultaneously.
You can take purchased soil or make your own soil mixture.
How to grow balsam from seeds
It is possible to grow high-quality seedlings only by creating a healthy microclimate for the plant. An important role in the growth of balsam is played by its agricultural technology.
After how many days does balsam seedlings sprout
According to reviews, balsam from seeds sprouts approximately 1-3 weeks after planting. As a rule, fresh materials show a higher pip rate. You need to understand that you should not expect a friendly and simultaneous emergence of seedlings from this plant.
There are a number of reasons for this process:
- too low ground temperature;
- high soil temperature (above +25 ° C), at which the seeds die;
- heavy composition;
- expired seed material;
- high acidity of the soil.
The microclimate organized by the grower is also important.
Microclimate
Optimal conditions include not only air temperature and humidity, but also lighting. It is necessary to grow seedlings in a bright place with a sufficient amount of sunlight. The length of daylight hours for balsam should vary from 12 to 14 hours. In winter and early spring, it can be regulated with the help of fitolamps.
The optimum air temperature is 23-25 °C. Balsam requires airing 2 times a day (morning and evening) for 12-15 minutes. The soil should not dry out, so air humidity and timely watering must also be carefully monitored.
When the first shoots of seedlings appear, the ambient temperature should be lowered by 5-7 ° C. For 3 weeks after planting, you can increase the ventilation time. First bring it up to 1 hour, then gradually up to 3-4. By the end of the week – up to 5-6 hours.
Watering and top dressing
It is impossible to grow seedlings of balsam from seeds without properly organized watering.
Moisturizing the soil is carried out using a syringe, a small watering can or a large-volume syringe. Watering is basal in nature. The frequency depends on the humidity of the air and the rate of drying of the topsoil (it should always be slightly moist).
When watering from a watering can, it is important to direct the water under the root
The water used for watering balsam seedlings should be settled, without impurities, at room temperature. Top dressing is carried out together with watering, using instant mineral complexes with nitrogen.
The first fertilizer is applied only after the appearance of the first leaf. Subsequent dressings can be applied 1 time in 10-12 days.
What to do if balsam seedlings stretched out
In some cases, one can observe how the balsam seedlings stretch out excessively, making the plants more fragile. The reasons for the phenomenon can be:
- too early planting;
- violation of the temperature regime;
- lack of lighting.
Solve the problem in the following ways:
- Increase the daylight hours of the plant with the help of phytolamps.
- Organize pinching.
- Conduct a dive.
In the latter case, the plant is slightly buried in order to remove the excess load from the shoot.
Picks
Picking is carried out only if there are at least 2 well-developed leaf blades. Transplant seedlings into individual peat cups or cassettes with drainage holes. In this case, the soil can be used the same as that used for planting seeds.
You can reduce the level of stress during picking by using special solutions, for example, Epin-Extra. To do this, the plant is sprayed from a spray bottle on the eve of transplantation and 2 days after it.
The drug “Epin-Extra” is also used as a growth stimulator
The picking algorithm looks like this:
- An hour before the procedure, the soil should be well moistened.
- New cups must be filled with enriched soil, making a small hole in the middle.
- Monitor all seedlings and get rid of weak and diseased specimens.
- Pick up the plant along with a clod of earth that protects the root process, and carefully transplant it to a new place, deepening the seedling to the cotyledon leaf.
- Sprinkle soil on top and tamp lightly.
The main characteristics of the microclimate do not change after picking.
The first 3 days after picking, the plant is under stress. Experts advise for this period to slightly shade the seedlings. After 2 weeks, you can feed the balsam with any mineral complex.
Topping
1-2 weeks after transplantation, balsam is pinched with fingers or scissors. Any tool is pre-disinfected. The pinching procedure stimulates the growth of side shoots, which significantly increases the decorative qualities of the future bush, making it more lush and attractive. After pinching, the seedlings are watered with settled water.
Hardening
The hardening procedure is necessary to improve the adaptive qualities of the plant after it is planted in open ground. For 10-15 days, seedlings begin to be taken out to the loggia or fresh air, gradually increasing the time spent in a less comfortable temperature regime.
Transplant into the ground
Planting balsam from seeds is only the first stage in the cultivation of this plant. The final operation is planting seedlings in open ground. The main condition is the correct selection of the place. It should not be too open (balsam wilts in direct sunlight), but not in the shade.
The transplant procedure is indistinguishable from a pick. At the end, the plant should be watered (under the root) and observed for at least two weeks as it takes root.
Conclusion
Sowing balsam for seedlings is not a very difficult event, but with its own nuances. Properly grown and planted balsam will become the main decoration of the garden or house, depending on the place of its cultivation.
