Growing gatsaniya seedlings from seeds

Gatsaniya is just a godsend for flower growers. This flower is surprisingly unpretentious, easy to grow and at the same time so beautiful that it will not leave anyone indifferent. Perhaps this plant has only one small drawback. Growing gatsaniya seedlings from seeds requires a certain amount of patience.

    How to grow gatsania seedlings at home

What kind of soil is needed for sowing seeds?.

Gatsania seedlings are not demanding on the composition of the soil. It grows poorly only on heavy, clay soils, preferring light, breathable soil. If you want to prepare your own soil mixture, then mix forest soil, sand and humus in equal parts.

Be sure to sift the resulting mixture through at least a large sieve (you can use a mesh from an old iron bed). Unsifted soil will be very difficult to work with.

Any store-bought soil designed for growing flowers will do.

    When to sow gatsaniya

    This question is asked more often than others.  There are two sowing options:

    Option 1. If you are growing gatsania seedlings for yourself, then it is better to sow at the end of February or at the beginning of March. At this time it is already becoming much warmer and the daylight hours are quite long. Your seedlings will develop quickly and will delight you with the first flowers in June.

    Option 2. It is more suitable for those who grow flowers for sale. In this case, flowering should begin at the end of April. In order for gatsania to bloom at this time, it will have to be planted in the fall, preferably in early November. In winter, seedlings grow very slowly. The time from sowing seeds to flowering increases to 5 - 6 months.

And it’s better to completely avoid planting any plants in December. For all plants this is a period of deep dormancy and seed germination is very poor.

    Sowing gatsaniya for seedlings

Place the seeds in shallow grooves or simply scatter them evenly on the ground. Sprinkle lightly with soil and moisten well. Cover with glass or film and leave at room temperature. As a rule, shoots appear within a week.

    Picking seedlings

Picking of seedlings is carried out 1.5 months after germination. When picking, there is no need to bury the seedlings.  Gatsania seedlings practically do not stretch. Even if it grows in insufficient light and in dense plantings.

    Under what conditions to grow gatsania seedlings

The optimal temperature for growing seedlings is 18 - 20 degrees. Watering is moderate. After picking, feed the plants with any complete flower fertilizer once every 10 days. It will be very good if, when growing gatsaniya in winter, you take care of the lighting. And although this condition is very desirable, it is still not mandatory. All the plants you see in the photographs were grown without lighting. All photos were taken in early March.

    Planting gatsaniya

You can plant seedlings in the ground at the end of May. Leave a distance between bushes of 20 - 30 cm. Gatsania loves sunny places and is not afraid of drafts. Do not plant it in low, damp places.

    Flower care

This flower is not demanding in care. But with monthly fertilizing it will bloom much better. Water not often, but generously. If the flowers are planted in flowerpots, then they need to be fed with complex fertilizer 3 times a month.

How to collect seeds

To collect the seeds, be sure to tie the faded buds with gauze. Otherwise, all the seeds will scatter throughout the garden, making it very difficult to keep track of them.

       Using self-seeding

     Growing gatsania from seeds is the most common, but not the only way to propagate African chamomile. In the summer you can successfully take cuttings from the plants you like.

It’s even easier to use self-seeding. In autumn, young sprouts can always be found under gatsania bushes. Transplant them into pots and place them on the windowsill. All care will consist of infrequent watering. Already in April you will receive flowering plants. In the same way, you can preserve an adult bush in winter.

Continuation of the topic:

1. Growing azarina from seeds
2. How to grow cosmos
3. Growing garden balsam
4. Planting and caring for aquilegia
5. Planting astilbe in open ground