How to grow Platicodon from seeds at home

2024 Author: James Gerald | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-01-12 17:37

Growing Platycodon at home is a complex process. There are many factors to consider and know in advance how and when to sow seeds.

Description of the plant

Platycodon is a perennial that occurs naturally in mountainous areas in the Far East, in Japan, China, and Korea. The flower is popularly called "shirokokolokolchik" or "wide bowl". During the flowering period, the plants are strewn with blue petals.

Platycodon has stems 20-80 cm high, with narrow leaves with jagged edges. Flowers can be either single or presented in the form of panicles. Most often they are open, about 8 cm in diameter.

Growing secrets

Having learned how and when to sow Platycodon seeds, you should not immediately start planting work. In advance, you need to familiarize yourself with all the secrets of growing this flower at home.

How to grow healthy seedlings:

• observe the timing of sowing seeds;
• be attentive to the preparatory work;
• take into account that flowers prefer to grow on fertile, loose soils;
• watering, feeding on time;
• in winter, it is advisable to keep the pot with the plant in a cool room.

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Dates of sowing seeds for seedlings

Platycodon is most often grown in seedlings. To get healthy plants, it is advisable to start planting work in late March - early April.

Seed preparation

Not every grower manages to grow a beautiful shirokokolokolchik. For planting, you need to use only high-quality seeds. If these flowers are already growing on the site, then it is best to collect the planting material yourself.

At the end of September, the pedicels dry up, which means that at this time you can remove the seed boxes. They must be stored in a paper bag in a dry place.

To improve seed germination, it is advisable to keep them in the refrigerator for 2 months. Before sowing, the planting material should be soaked for 2 days in water or treated with a growth stimulant.

Selection of container and soil

Experienced growers know how and when to sow Platycodon seeds at home. The cultivation process takes a long time. In addition, it is necessary to carry out a number of preparatory measures.

With regard to containers, it is advisable to choose shallow containers with drainage holes. The best option is peat pots.

Flowers love fertile, loose soil. A multi-purpose soil for flowering plants is an excellent choice. If you want to prepare the mixture yourself, you can mix humus, sand, peat. Each of the components must be taken in equal quantities.

Before planting work, the soil must be disinfected. To do this, it should be placed in an oven for several hours or sprinkled with biofungicides.

Seed planting methods

There are several ways to sow seeds for seedlings, each of them deserves attention.

1. The traditional way. To begin with, the containers must be filled with earth, put the seeds on top, cover the crops with foil. Containers with seedlings must be kept in a warm place, observing the temperature regime within +22 ° C.
2. Peat tablets. This method has recently gained immense popularity, because the tablets are easy to use. Peat washers must be placed in a container, pour warm water, leave alone for 20 minutes. Then the seeds need to be slightly buried in a tablet, and the containers must be removed to a warm place.
3. Seedling snail. Experienced growers are increasingly growing seedlings in snails. A simple fixture saves space in the house. To build a structure, you will need to prepare a tape 10 cm wide. You need to fill it with earth, and put the seeds on top. All that remains is to twist the canvas into a roll and put the snail vertically in the box.

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Growing seedlings from seeds

Growing Platicodon at home is a complex and time-consuming process. How and when to sow seeds, not all growers know. To get healthy plants, certain rules must be followed.

Planting seeds in steps:

1. We spread the seeds in damp gauze for 2 days.
2. We fill the boxes with soil.
3. Mix the seeds with sand, spread them on top of the ground.
4. We moisten the plantings.
5. We cover the boxes with foil, put them in a warm place.

If everything is done correctly, then in 7-14 days the first shoots will appear.

Seedling care

You need to care for Platicodon seedlings in the same way as for other seedlings. Particular attention should be paid to seedlings. As soon as the seedlings appear, it is necessary to remove the shelter, and put the containers with the seedlings in a cool place.

Further care of the seedlings is as follows:

1. Watering. It is advisable to water the seedlings every 2-3 days. In this case, it is important to monitor the condition of the soil. Watering is needed as needed.
2. Loosening. Loosening should be done after each watering. This must be done carefully so as not to damage the root system.
3. Picking. Learning about how and when to sow Platycodon seeds at home is not enough. You need to get acquainted with the technology of growing a flower, further caring for it. One of the important procedures is picking. As soon as the seedlings have 3-4 true leaves, the seedlings must be transplanted in separate containers. New containers should be approximately 10 cm in diameter. In these, seedlings can grow before planting in the flower bed.
4. Top dressing. Platycodone needs to be fed once a month. For this, it is advisable to use fertilizers intended for flowering plants.
5. Pruning. Maintaining the decorative appearance of the bush is not as difficult as it seems at first glance. It is enough to cut off the wilted flowers in a timely manner, and the plant will delight with bright colors.
6. Pinching. It is necessary to carry out the pinching regularly. Inhibitors can be used to slow down plant growth. It is desirable to cultivate crops in the spring.

Platicodon wintering

With the onset of winter, Platicodon needs rest. In order for the bushes to recuperate, they need to be removed to a cool place. In winter, caring for plants consists in minimal watering, feeding should be excluded altogether.

Diseases

The main advantage of Platycodone over other plants is its resistance to diseases. Diseases rarely make themselves felt. The only thing is that due to improper watering, the bushes can suffer from gray rot.

You can overcome the disease by loosening the soil. If such a procedure does not work, then treatment with a solution of copper sulfate will help to save the seedlings. After 2 weeks, the procedure must be repeated. Severely damaged specimens cannot be saved, they will have to be destroyed.

Few growers can answer the questions when it is better to sow Platycodon at home. To deal with these nuances, you will have to try hard.

In general, the plant is not difficult, and its maintenance is minimal. But in order to get flowering bushes, it is necessary to follow the cultivation technology.

Summarize

1. Platycodon is a non-capricious plant that, even with minimal care, will delight the grower. The main thing is to pay attention to the preparatory work and choose high-quality seeds.
2. People call it "shirokokolokolchik", and this is not surprising. The plant has petals of an original shape, it is they that attract attention to themselves.
3. Platicodone requires minimal maintenance. It is enough to water, feed and pinch the bushes. If all procedures are carried out in a timely manner, then the bushes will delight with lush flowering.