Verbena

Introduction

Verbena, her homeland is South America. If you are going to grow a plant in a region where the air temperature is rather low in winter, then this perennial plant is recommended to be grown as an annual. Among gardeners, it has earned particular popularity, so they are ready to plant it at least every year, just to see its beautiful flowering. But in order for the plant to be able to please with its beautiful flowering, you need to know how and when to plant a plant, how to grow - using seedlings or planting directly into open ground.

When to plant seeds. After the plant has emerged, it will need about 2 months to grow and develop, after which it will begin to bloom. If you want the plant to bloom earlier, then it is best to use the seedling method for growing. Sowing seeds for seedlings is best at the end of March. It will be possible to transplant the plant into open ground in the last weeks of the spring period, because at the beginning of summer, the plant will already start flowering. Also, planting can be done directly into open soil. It is best to choose the end of April for this. This is due to the fact that the plant does not have a good degree of frost resistance. The plant can be killed by a drop in temperature to -3 degrees.

Verbena planting and cultivation

Preparing seeds for sowing. Depending on the type of plant, its seeds may also differ. For this reason, some seeds need preliminary preparation, while others do not. Seeds that have a thick skin need special preparation. The preparation is very simple. Place the seeds on a wet, absorbent cloth. After that, everything needs to be wrapped and put in a plastic bag. Then, the bag is placed in the refrigerator for 5 days. Using this procedure, you can increase the percentage of those seeds that will sprout and speed up the process of emergence of the first shoots.

Which is better: seedlings or planting in open soil. It should be borne in mind that some hybrid varieties have such seeds that do not have good germination (only about 30%). Therefore, it is best to use seedlings for growing this plant. Plus, this will serve to bring the flowering time of this wonderful plant closer. if you do not want to deal with seedlings, or you do not have this much time, then you can plant seeds in open ground. but the seeds must be planted thickly, since not all will sprout. After the plants grow up, you can plant them.

We take care of the seedlings. As we said a little earlier, planting a plant is best done at the end of March. This should be done as follows:

You need to pour humus soil or sand into the box, and then distribute the seeds over their surface.

On top you need to add a thin layer of sand or humus.

Water, then cover with foil or glass.

In order for the seeds to germinate, it is necessary to observe a certain temperature regime - +18 +20 degrees. Also, sometimes it will be necessary to air the soil, removing the shelter for a while.

The appearance of the first seedlings can be noticed after about 20 days, after the appearance of the first seedlings, the temperature needs to be slightly reduced.

You need to water the plant only after the topsoil dries. Watering should be done using a spray bottle.

After the appearance of 4-5 real leaves, it will be necessary to carry out the diving procedure into separate containers or pots.

15 days after the completed transplant, the young plant will need to be fertilized.

To increase the branchiness of the plant, light pruning of the top of the plant should be done.

Suitable place for planting. For good growth and development, a well-lit area with loamy soil, which will be saturated with the necessary nutrients, is suitable for the plant. If the soil is clayey or heavy, sand can be added to improve the situation.

We carry out planting of seedlings. It is necessary to build a hole and add a drainage layer there. Keep the distance between plants, which are compact - 20 cm, if the plants are creeping - 30 cm.

Verbena care

If you want the plant to delight you with its flowering for a long time, then you must follow the rules related to caring for the plant.

The plant is very fond of moisture, but you should not allow moisture stagnation, because this can adversely affect the condition of the root system.

Those bushes that grow lonely need constant weeding. Those plants that grow in a group, expanding will not allow weeds to appear between the plants.

Do not forget about loosening the soil in order to saturate the soil with oxygen. After each watering the plant, the crust should be removed from the surface of the soil.

To reduce the frequency of watering and loosening the soil, you can carry out the soil mulching procedure. Leaves work well as mulch.

Throughout the season, it will be necessary to apply complex mineral fertilizers 3 times and organic fertilizers 1 time.

In order for the flowering to be long, it is necessary to remove old, dried inflorescences, which simply take a lot of energy from the plant. by doing this, you will be able to extend the flowering process before the first frost.

Now it should be clear to you what actions you need to take so that verbena can delight you with its flowering for a long time. Caring for the plant is not very difficult, but the plant will repay for proper care with beautiful, abundant and long flowering.