Ageratum planting and care in the open field

Ageratum

Such a wonderful plant of the Asteraceae family, like Ageratum, came to us from America. Ageratum also grows in India. The Ageratum genus consists of more than 60 representatives. In Latin, the name of this flower means "ageless".

Description of the plant

Ageratum is a low plant up to half a meter in height. It has serrated foliage and small flowers that form inflorescences. The shape of the leaves of the ageratum may differ depending on its type. Ageratum flowers have a pleasant delicate aroma and can stand for a very long time after being cut.

It is a very thermophilic plant, therefore, in our latitudes, it is grown as an annual. Gardeners are very fond of this flower for its ease of growing and beautiful, bright, fluffy flowers that resemble small pom-poms. The most common flower is blue, but there is also a white, pink ageratum.

Planting ageratum in the ground

The plant is recommended to be transplanted into the ground when the probability of frost has passed. The flower prefers sunny places and does not like drafts. If the plant lacks sunlight, there will be few flowers, the bushes will stretch out a lot. This plant is undemanding to the soil, but it is preferable to have a sufficiently nutritious soil that has good drainage. The soil should not be acidic.

Before planting seedlings, it is necessary to prepare the holes. They must be at least 10 centimeters apart. Then plants must be planted in these holes. Taking care of the plant is quite simple. The flower should not be forgotten to periodically water, it loves moisture, but the water should not be allowed to stagnate. You also need to destroy weeds and loosen the soil. You can apply mineral fertilizers to the soil about once every 20 days. In no case should you fertilize the flower with cow dung. It is important not to overdo it with fertilizers, otherwise there will be no flowering. To enhance flowering, it is necessary to remove excess shoots, leaving only a few of the largest ones. All dull flowers must be cut off in a timely manner. If you want to enjoy the flowers for as long as possible, you can dig up an ageratum bush before freezing, transplant it into a pot and bring it home. There it will continue to bloom for some more period of time. In March, you can cut off shoots from it and root them in order to then plant them in the ground. It makes no sense to try to keep the ageratum in the open field until next year, trying to cover the bushes, all efforts will be in vain, in the spring there will be nothing left of them.

Ageratum reproduction

Propagated by seeds, they are planted on seedlings. For it, you need to prepare the soil in advance. It is necessary to mix humus together with sand and peat in equal quantities. The seeds should be placed in the ground and lightly sprinkled on top. The container with seeds must be covered with glass so that the moisture does not evaporate. The temperature should not drop below +15 degrees. Every day, the glass must be lifted and the seeds must be ventilated, as well as watered, the soil must not dry out. The preferred time to water is morning. The easiest way to water crops is from a spray bottle. You need to wait for the first shoots in a couple of weeks. When the seeds sprout, the glass can be removed, and when the plants have 3-4 leaves, they can be planted in separate containers. Before planting ageratum in open ground, it must be hardened. To this end, they begin to be taken out onto the street or balcony within two weeks before disembarkation. At this time, you need to monitor the weather so that frost does not harm the plants.

Ageratum diseases

It is often exposed to diseases, it is prone to the appearance of root rot, so when watering it is important not to flood the plant. If the flower gets sick with root rot, it will die. It can also be affected by spider mites, whiteflies. If this happens, the affected leaves are removed and the flower is treated with insecticides. Processing should be continued until all these pests have completely disappeared.

Ageratum photo