Brachycoma

The beautifully flowering, incredibly tender brachycoma was recently forgotten by gardeners, although it did not deserve it. This beauty is unpretentious to care, does not require much attention and at the same time pleases with the magnificence of her flowers decorating garden plots.

Brachikoma: flower description and characteristics

Brachikoma flower: photo

The Brachikoma flower belongs to very beautiful and delicate annual ornamental plants of the Astrov family. It tolerates dry periods perfectly. Its origin is from the Australian continent. In the south of the country, in the middle latitudes, it can be grown as a perennial plant for three years. Barhikoma does not have frost resistance and can only grow during a warm period, it is for this reason that the plant is used by gardeners as an annual. Thus, the plant must be planted again every year, growing seedlings from seeds, and then into the garden. But all the time and labor spent, will lead to the fact that as a result you can enjoy the splendor and uniqueness of the flower.
The Brachikoma plant blooms magnificently and for a long time. One small shoot after a short time grows into a dense bush, which is covered with hundreds of fragrant flowers. Flowering begins in mid-summer and ends only in the first autumn month. You can also increase the flowering period by postponing the beginning to June, for this you just need to start growing seedlings from seeds a little earlier. This flower can give various colors, for example, flowers can be purple, lilac, pink, blue, white, purple with black or yellow in the center. It all depends on the varietal affiliation of the plant. Their shape is similar to asters belonging to non-archetype varieties.
The maximum height of the Brachikoma bushes is no more than 30 centimeters. The highly branching stem forms a rather dense bush.

Growing seedlings of Brachikoma

Brachikoma: photo of flowers

For growing seedlings, Brachicoma seeds can be sown in the last days of February or transferred to the first weeks of spring. Florists with extensive experience recommend this period of time for planting. The procedure will be as follows:

• The first step is to prepare a suitable earthen mixture for sowing seeds. The earth should be light and rich in nutrients. To make it such, you will need leafy earth, humus, sand and sod land in proportions of 1/2/1/3. Next, you need to add mineral fertilizers there and mix everything well.
• After that, you need to start choosing a suitable container. Small, flat containers are an excellent option.
• The container is filled with the prepared earthen mixture and watered.
• After that, small furrows are made
• Further, the seeds are evenly distributed along these furrows. When sowing seeds, you do not need to deepen or dig in them.
• At the end of sowing, the container is covered with foil or glass.

The containers must be placed in a room with a temperature of at least 18 degrees and not higher than 20, this will promote better germination of seed. The first seedlings can be seen in one week. After their appearance, the film must be removed.

After the appearance of two true sheet plates, a pick is carried out. This procedure is not harmful for these flowers, so you should not worry about any consequences after transplanting into individual pots.

The pick can be done in separate cups, or you can drop them into a large common container.If the latter option is chosen, then when planting, a distance of 5 centimeters should be left between the plants. Correct planting of seedlings is very important. Seedlings of Brachikoma can be pry off with a small wooden spatula, removed from the ground, and the roots can be cleaned from the soil. Next, you need to pinch the main root and plant a small plant in a container prepared for it, cover the roots with earth, tamp it with your hands and water using a spray bottle.

In order to grow a brachicoma, it does not take a lot of time or much labor. Timely watering is not frequent fertilization and this is all that is needed for the plant to please the beauty of its flowering for three or even more months.

Brachikoma: planting flowers

Brachikoma: photo of flowers

Before planting Brachikoma in the garden, she needs hardening. It should be carried out after warming on the street. The grown and matured seedlings should be taken out into the street every day and each time increasing the period of stay there. Brachikoma is transplanted into open ground after the threat of frost disappears, in the second half of May.
The Brachikoma flower favors open, sunny areas with well-drained soil. Brachikoma does not tolerate stagnation of moisture, therefore, drainage from expanded clay or pebbles must be laid out in the hole. When transplanting, the earthen lump should remain on the roots. When preparing the holes, leave a distance of 20 centimeters or more between them.
The plant begins to bloom three months after the appearance of the first leaves, therefore, after transplanting into the garden, in the near future you can enjoy the redness and scent of flowers. In the south of the country, planting of seed can be done directly on the garden plot in May. The Brachycoma plant can be grown in pots with a diameter of 20 centimeters.

Brachycoma: care

It is quite easy to grow Brachicoma, as it is an undemanding plant:

Irrigation activities

Watering should be infrequent and not too much water should be used, as this plant feels comfortable in a dry environment. Constant moisture in the soil can lead to the death of the flower.

Light

For planting Brachikoma, you need to choose an illuminated area, because the plant, originally from Australia, loves a lot of light.

Fertilization

Three additional dressings will be enough during the summer. During them, universal fertilizers with a low concentration are used, after which wood ash is added, which is sprinkled on the soil around the bushes.

Pruning

In order for the bushes to bloom profusely and magnificently, you need to pinch their tops. Timely removal of inflorescences that have already faded from the bushes will help to make flowering longer.

Loosening

The soil where Brachikoma grows should be loose. To provide her with such conditions, it is necessary to regularly loosen. But you shouldn't do this too often.

If you want to keep the plants, then at the beginning of autumn they can be transplanted into pots and put in the house. But before doing this, you need to collect the seeds, if they are needed for sowing. Sowing can be done immediately after harvest or in mid-autumn. If you provide the flower with comfortable conditions and high-quality care, then in winter you can enjoy its flowering. For this reason, this culture may appeal to flower growers who grow flowers in a winter garden or greenhouses.

Disease and pest resistance and control

Brachikoma: photo of flowers

Brachikoma has strong immunity that protects the plant from various diseases and harmful insects. Nevertheless, at times you can face some difficulties.

Watering frequently and using too much liquid can lead to root and stem rot.
It can also be triggered by rainy and damp summers.Brachycoma needs dry soil for good development, growth and good health, which is why it is very important to lay a drainage layer on the bottom of the pot or holes that prevents water from stagnating.
At the initial stage of the development of rot, this problem can be dealt with. To do this, you need to transplant the plant into other holes with a drainage layer, and remove all damaged parts.

Snail - she loves to settle on a brachycoma and eat its leaves leaving holes of different sizes on them, by which it can be determined that they have settled on a flower. Manual collection of snails and their subsequent destruction will help to save the plant. In order to scare them away, you can use special products sold in all specialized stores and nurseries. But it is important to know that the use of chemicals can negatively affect the plant.

Having met a whitefly on a plant, you need to understand that this flying pest with white wings reproduces very quickly. The feces that it leaves on the surface of leaves and shoots corrodes them. Its larvae suck out all the juices from the plant. Especially often they can be found on plants grown at home. To combat them, you will need the use of chemicals. It should be noted that this pest is extremely rare on the brachycoma.

Brachikoma: varieties

Brachikoma: photo of flowers

The genus of brachicoma has about 50 species. The most popular among florists is Brachikoma Iberisolistnaya. With the help of it, a large number of other varieties were created thanks to the sectional work of scientists. All of them can be easily purchased at various specialty stores and nurseries. The most popular varieties of Brachikoma Iberisolistnaya are:

• Bluestar- this variety gets its name from the rich blue color of its flowers. This climbing plant is perfect for growing in hanging pots, this is where they will look especially great.
• Bravo Mixed- this is also a climbing plant that is suitable for hanging pots. This variety is distinguished from the previous one, its flowers are lilac, pink, blue and white.
• Summer skies- Flowers of bed and delicate tones contain about five thousand seeds per gram. The name translated into Russian is Summer Heaven.
• Purple splendour- these flowers are especially popular with gardeners. This is most likely due to the intense purple color of its inflorescences. One inflorescence reaches 3 centimeters in diameter. With it, you can create great borders.
• Waltz- Plants of this variety have lilac, pink and blue shades of flowers with a dark center. Such flowers are able to decorate any garden area.

Outcome

Brachikoma: video about planting seeds

All Brachikoma varieties have the same characteristics, they are equally unpretentious and do not require much attention. Therefore, when choosing a variety, you can safely focus only on what colors the plant will give you. It will be easy for any gardener, even one with no experience, to cope with planting and growing such beautiful flowers as Brachikoma.