Biologist Talks About a Beneficial Flower for the Garden 0 10

Nicotiana Trap

– Yulia Nikolaevna, last year, while passing by a garden plot, I sensed an incredibly pleasant aroma. It was fragrant tobacco. Is it also grown from seedlings?

– This perennial heat-loving crop is cultivated as an annual in our latitudes — through seedlings. It is indeed a beneficial flower. Its sweet aroma attracts bees, which pollinate trees and shrubs. Additionally, it serves as a natural insecticide, attracting harmful insects.

The nicotine contained in the leaves of fragrant tobacco becomes a deadly poison for them, and the dried leaves can be soaked and used for spraying cabbage against pests. If you plan to sow tobacco, it’s better to do it now. The winged or decorative varieties are the most popular among gardeners, differing in a variety of sizes and shades of inflorescences, possessing a unique aroma.

– Is it necessary to thin out fragrant tobacco?

– Absolutely, and this plant responds very positively to this process, which promotes its active growth. I recommend hardening the seedlings by taking them out to the balcony first for a few hours, then leaving them out for the whole day and even overnight. The rules for growing seedlings are the same as for petunias.

Syringe for Petunias

– Which annual flowers are the most popular?

– I would highlight petunias. This beautiful plant starts to bloom in early summer and continues until late autumn. Ready seedlings are quite expensive, so it’s better to grow them yourself. Usually, seeds are sown at the end of February, but it is also possible in mid-March.

– Are there any peculiarities in growing petunias?

– It is important to carefully choose the soil. It should be intended for seedlings, nutrient-rich, loose, with neutral acidity, moisture-retentive, and light. Those who did not prepare the soil in the fall should purchase it from specialized stores. Don’t forget that a long daylight is extremely important for petunias.

The boxes for sowing should have drainage so that excess water during watering can escape into the tray. Excess moisture can lead to a fungal disease known as damping-off, which will destroy all the seedlings. Petunia seeds are very small, so it’s better to buy them with a margin.

– Is there a way to make the planting process easier?

– In stores, you can find treated granulated seeds with a nutrient coating. They are much easier to plant, but they are more expensive.

Regular seeds can be mixed with sand, snow can be placed in the box with soil, and the seeds can be distributed, which will sink into the soil after the snow melts.

After that, the container should be covered with a plastic bag or a tight lid to create a mini-greenhouse effect. The temperature should not be lower than +20 °C. The sprouts appear on the 7th–14th day, depending on the temperature, seed quality, and plant variety.

It is important to avoid both overwatering and drying out the soil. When the sprouts appear, the film should be removed, and the lighting should be increased to 12 hours. Otherwise, the plants may stretch or die.

It should be remembered that petunia sprouts are very delicate, so they should be watered carefully, preferably not from a watering can, but by spraying with a spray bottle with a gentle pressure. Some even use a syringe to drip room temperature water under the roots. When the first true leaves appear, the plants should be thinned out into separate cups with holes in the bottom to avoid excess moisture.

– Are asters also grown from seedlings?

– They can be sown directly into the soil, but then they will bloom a little later than those planted from seedlings. The planting rules are practically the same as mentioned above. Don’t forget to pay attention to the expiration date of the seeds when purchasing. For asters, it is no more than two years.