Features of growing eustoma from seeds

Eustoma is the most delicate plant that can decorate any front garden with its refined beauty. Outwardly, the flower resembles a blossoming tulip or rose, which is why florists use it when decorating living decorations and creating wedding bouquets.

In the everyday urban bustle, eustomas are found in the form of cut flowers, however, this magnificent plant can be grown by hand. In our article we will talk about the features of growing eustoma from seeds.

Eustoma is an extraordinary flower. Its sturdy stems are similar in structure to those of cloves and, along with them, can grow up to 1 m in height. One branch of eustoma looks like a ready-made bouquet, and all thanks to the increased branching of the stem. The number of neat buds on one branch reaches 35 pieces. They dissolve in turn, as if replacing each other. Eustoma leaves can be gray or bluish in color with a matte surface. In shape, the leaf plates resemble an elongated oval.

Ripe flowers are funnel-shaped. Their calyx ranges from 5–8 cm in diameter. Eustomas with pink and purple flowers are much more common, although there are white and purple buds.

Eustoma is not the only name for this majestic flower. The most common names used in garden conversations are lisianthus, Irish rose, or blue bell.

In the wild, eustoma lives for only 2 years, but mother nature rewarded the plant with such a lifetime. The growing process is 1 season. Growing in a flowerpot, eustoma will be able to delight the eyes of its owners for 4 or even 5 years. The lifespan of an eustoma growing in open garden ground is 2-3 years.

The process of growing eustoma cannot be called simple. First, it takes quite a long time. Secondly, it requires the most accurate execution of each step. Of course, eustoma is a capricious plant, but if everything is done correctly, the result will delight the owner of the garden.

The process of preparing for sowing operations, in principle, does not require special skills. It is enough just to choose the right container, substrate and seed.

The seeds can be purchased at any flower shop. They are sold in small packages, each individual seed is in the form of a dragee. Gardeners should be aware that purchased seeds do not need pretreatment. Their shell contains a sufficient amount of nutrients and other useful substances.

If you do not want to buy seed, you will need to collect it yourself. Any healthy Lisianthus will do as a parent. Collect material from a faded plant carefully. These seeds are very small and fragile, which means they can be injured.

In central Russia, the most successful period for sowing Lisianthus seeds is the end of winter and the beginning of spring. There is no need to rush - early sowing leads to a lack of lighting, which will negatively affect the formation and proper development of shoots.

Late sowing results in delayed flowering. The very first flowers will begin to appear closer to the autumn coolness. However, some gardeners only plant eustoma seeds in March or April. They also argue that the excess of light in the spring period of the year helps the sprouts to "catch up" with the February seedlings.

For the northern regions of Russia, the most acceptable time for sowing lisianthus is the end of March and the beginning of April. Just the air becomes warmer, which has a positive effect on the growth of seedlings. In the southern part, the right time is January-February.

The next step in preparing seed sowing is a tricky one and should be taken very carefully. Eustoma likes to grow in neutral or slightly acidic soil. In addition, the land should be loose, light and, most importantly, fertile. You can make a suitable soil with your own hands.

To get the preferred soil for eustoma, you will need to mix in equal proportions the soil from the garden, river sand, and high moor peat. Mix the ingredients thoroughly. Further, the soil is supplemented with a handful of ash - it provides a neutral soil reaction. After that, the resulting mixture must be sieved through a sieve with large cavities. Thus, it will be possible to rid the manually created substrate of earth lumps. The next step is to roast the dry mixture in the oven. Two hours will be enough.

The easiest way to grow eustoma is to plant seeds in peat tablets, which can be purchased at any flower or hardware store. The tablet is immersed in water, swells in a few hours in a humid environment, after which it can be used as a soil composition. Moreover, disinfection is not needed for such soil.

Besides, seedlings can be grown in common plastic containers such as yoghurt cups, paper or peat cups... The height of the walls is just 6-7 cm, which is quite suitable for sowing at home. The main thing is that there are drainage holes in the lower part of the containers. They help get rid of excess moisture in the soil, which can lead to rotting of a young root system.

Eustoma is considered a capricious plant. And this is not surprising, even the seed in most cases simply does not germinate. According to statistics, out of the total number of sown lisianthus, only 30% germinate.

To improve the quality of the seeds collected for sowing, you will need to carry out a special preparatory soaking procedure, but you will have to prepare the mixture yourself. The gardener will need to choose the most convenient and acceptable method of processing the seed.

• The first method requires soaking the seeds in a dark solution of potassium permanganate, 30 minutes will be enough. After that, the inoculum is removed from the disinfecting solution and laid out for drying. Thus, the seeds acquire additional immunity, which significantly reduces the risk of not sprouting due to diseases.
• The second method is to similarly soak the seeds. Only instead of potassium permanganate, 1 drop of Epin's solution diluted in 100 ml of warm water is used. The processing process takes 6 hours. After the specified time, the seeds are removed from the solution and left to dry at room temperature. This method stimulates the seeds to grow.

Gardeners, not the first time they have taken up the cultivation of eustoma, use both methods on different days. The main thing is that the seeds dry completely between procedures.

Shop-bought Lisianthus seeds look a little different than hand-picked ones. And they do not require pre-sowing preparation, as they are pre-processed by the manufacturer. But even in this case, a 100% result cannot be guaranteed.

After the preparatory work has been carried out, you can begin to plant the seeds. This procedure is not complicated, but it requires a special trick.

First you need to fill the prepared containers with soil. It is important that there is a 2 cm difference between the edge of the selected dish and the ground. Each cup contains 3-4 seeds. This is due to the poor germination of Lisianthus. And out of this amount of planting material, at least one seedling will sprout. If the seedlings produce 2 or 3 seeds, the gardener will need to get rid of the weak seedlings and leave only strong seedlings.

If the seeds are planted in a common container, you will have to try to evenly distribute the prepared seeds over the entire area. The maximum distance between crops should be 2 cm. Seeds can be poured out by hand, but then in some places dense plantings will begin to form and develop, and some parts will generally be empty. To prevent this from happening, you should use a toothpick. With its help, it will be possible to measure the required sowing distance and sow the soil in the required places.

Seeds that are on the surface of the soil are lightly pressed to the ground. Just do not overdo it, otherwise the seed will refuse to germinate. After that, the soil must be moistened. It is impossible to fill the planting with water from a watering can; it is enough to use a spray bottle.

After moistening the soil, the container with the planted seeds is covered with a glass lid, but not tightly. A small hole must be left to allow ventilation of the internal environment. Then the plantings are transferred to a warm place where there is good lighting.

In principle, it is not difficult to grow eustoma seedlings. However, it is very important to comply with the conditions that allow you to grow quality sprouts. If you follow all the instructions, on the 10-12th day you will be able to see how the first shoot sprouts. It is at this moment that the gardener will feel pride in himself and his capabilities. Only in this euphoria, in no case should you forget to keep an eye on your blossoming “children”.

With the onset of 2 months of age, eustoma must be subjected to a diving procedure. This will require preparing containers such as small pots or paper cups. The dishes must be treated with a weak solution of potassium permanganate. After that, drainage is laid out at the very bottom of the pots. It can be pebbles, expanded clay or pieces of broken brick. Soil is poured on top of the drainage layer. Its composition should be the same as that used when planting the seeds. Use a toothpick, match or pencil to make small indentations.

A container with grown seedlings is watered with settled water. Then, using a spatula, the strongest shoots should be removed from the total mass and carefully rearranged into prepared containers for diving.

During the first two months of its life, eustoma develops extremely slowly. The first leaves of seedlings appear 6 weeks after germination. But this does not mean that seedlings need feeding. The given dates correspond to the normal development of Lisianthus. And the soil used for planting contains all the necessary minerals and nutrients, which are quite enough for the plant.

As soon as the first 6–8 leaves of young seedlings have blossomed, they should be transplanted into larger containers, for example, 0.5 liter pots or cups. The transplanting process is similar to the picking procedure. The main thing is to carefully remove the sprouts so as not to damage the young root system.

The subsequent care of the transplanted plants is not difficult. It is important to monitor the moisture content of the soil composition, watering as needed. The same goes for feeding.

Lisianthus is a beautiful plant that can bloom not only in pots on the windowsill, but can also decorate the front garden in the country. The procedure for planting eustoma in open ground takes place directly in the warm season. However, the first rays of the sun will not be able to warm up the seedlings. Only when the probability of spontaneous frost decreases to the very minimum, can the plant be planted outside. If a cold snap is still expected, the gardener should transfer the young seedlings under a film.

Lisianthus is a capricious plant; it loves a hot climate very much. For this reason the place of planting seedlings should be sunny... The main thing is that weeds do not grow nearby.

Despite the strength of the stem, the eustoma will not be able to withstand strong gusts of wind. To avoid damage to the grown seedlings, you should install small windproof supports that can easily withstand the most severe loads.

The soil composition must also meet the requirements of Lisianthus. The soil should be breathable, not acidic, fertilized with compost or humus. If the soil is acidic, you will need to add a little lime to its composition.

Irrigation work must be approached with extreme caution. Lisianthuses are susceptible to attack by fungal diseases that multiply rapidly in wet environments. From this it follows that watering should be moderate and carried out only after the topsoil has dried out.

Even for replenishment with water, eustoma puts forward certain requirements. The plant has a very positive attitude to watering in the evening. In this case, the water temperature should be room temperature. In rainy weather, there is no need to water the plant.

The eustoma fertilization procedure takes place 4 weeks after transplanting seedlings into open ground. The plant will take root completely. A nitrogen mixture should be used as a growth-promoting fertilizer. During bud formation, it is preferable to feed the flowers with phosphorus, which contributes to an increase in flowering.

Today there is a wide variety of eustoma varieties, each of which has its own characteristics and distinctive features. So, if the choice of the gardener fell on a tall variety of Lisianthus, each flower will have to be tied to a support. Thus, the plant protects itself from breaks in the stem and easily maintains its own weight, where the buds have a greater weight.

Eustoma is a plant with character.The process of growing lisianthus corresponds to the nature of the plant and is extremely difficult. This is not about physical work, but about patience. But even when the eustoma is transplanted into open ground, the gardener should not relax. In addition to the proper care, it is important to ensure that Lisianthus does not get sick.

The main pests for eustoma are fungal pathogens: gray rot, fusarium and powdery mildew. The emergence and development of these diseases speaks from the carelessness of the gardener, who in some sense disrupted the process of caring for the flower. For the treatment of fungal diseases, fungicides should be used. But it is best to prevent the development of a fungal infection.

In general, pests rarely attack eustoma, for them this plant is not considered interesting. However, pathogenic bacteria can be carriers of other diseases that penetrate into the structure of flowers through the affected areas of leaves or stems. Unfortunately, curing lisianthus will not work, the only correct solution is to destroy the entire population of flowers.

In addition to invisible pests, slugs can attack the eustoma growing in the garden. Domestic lisianthus is susceptible to whitefly and spider mite attacks. Insecticides or folk methods will help get rid of these parasites.

See below for the correct cultivation of eustoma from seeds.