Growing heliotrope flowers from seeds

The cultivation of heliotrope is a matter associated not only with special care for the plant, but also with a certain risk. But if you do everything right, you can get a beautiful flower, the aroma of which will simultaneously resemble cinnamon and vanilla.

Description of heliotrope

The heliotrope genus includes grasses and shrubs. In the wild, they grow in the temperate zone, as well as in the tropics and subtropics.

The foliage of plants is dense and pubescent, has a dark green color. The shape is obovate, the structure of the leaves can be both wrinkled and wavy.

The heliotrope blooms violently, with purple, rarely white inflorescences. They consist of small, closely spaced five-petal flowers. After flowering, small walnut-like fruits remain in place of flowers, consisting of 4 parts closely adjacent to each other.

Some species of this flower can be dangerous, as they contain toxic substances related to alkaloids. So, cinoglossin is found in the leaves and stems, and the seeds contain laziocarpine and heliotropin. The last substance was named after this flower. All these aldehydes, when ingested by a living creature, in particular a person, can adversely affect the functioning of the liver of the nervous system.

Growing heliotrope from seeds

In southern Russia, you can find a weed belonging to this genus, which is called "pubescent heliotrope." But, despite this, in other regions, plants of this genus are widely used for decorative purposes.

It is possible to grow a heliotrope at home from seeds in two stages:

1. transplanting;
2. planting open ground.

Each is worth telling separately.

Planting seedlings

It is necessary to start sowing heliotrope seedlings at home relatively early: in late February or early March. This is necessary in order for the plant to grow stronger before transplanting it into open ground.

Before planting a plant, you need to prepare a nutritious soil for it. To do this, you need to mix:

• 4/5 peat;
• 1/5 sand.

Advice

In order to kill all fungal spores and pathogenic bacteria in the resulting soil, it must be steamed.

The resulting mixture must be laid out in an even layer in a flat container and tamped with something like a plank. Without loosening, it is necessary to pour several seeds on top of the resulting layer. After them again you need to sprinkle with earth, but this time you do not need to tamp it. In this case, the layer of the upper part of the soil should not exceed two millimeters.

After the seeds are planted, the container must be covered on top with either glass or cling film. This will create a greenhouse effect. To enhance it, it is recommended to keep plants in a warm place with a temperature of 18 to 20 °.

The maintenance of seeds under such conditions can last from 5 to 20 days. A signal that it is time for the plants to change the situation will be the appearance of sprouts, which hatch at home just at the time indicated above. After that, it is recommended to remove the greenhouse, and transfer the container to a warmer place (20-22 °). In this case, the presence of sunlight for the heliotrope is not necessary. He can do without it in the first months of development.

Transfer to a larger container

Together, the sprouts formed from the seeds are exactly until they begin to acquire normal leaves. This shows that the plant has already developed and matured. From this point on, all flowers begin to be transplanted into separate pots.It is important that the diameter of the new container is at least 9 cm, since that is how much space is required for the roots of a young flower. Before planting in a pot, you should cover with soil, consisting of the same ingredients that are included in the soil for seeds.

It is important to water the plants after transplanting. After 2 weeks, it is worth starting to add fertilizer intended for seedlings to the water for irrigation. You can find it at shops that sell garden seeds. Solutions must be prepared as written in the instructions.

Landing in open ground

Planting seeds in open ground is extremely rare, since this method practically does not bring any results or the plants become sick. But despite this, this practice is very similar to what needs to be done with seedlings after they have lived in pots for several weeks.

First of all, you need to choose the right place where the flower will grow. An open but calm area is suitable for this. The soil should contain humus, be loose and fertile.

When transplanting plants that have already grown from seeds, it is necessary to make a hole in the soil. Its size should be slightly larger than the old pot had. It is necessary to transplant heliotrope together with a clod of earth in which the roots grew, so as not to damage them. Before that, a layer of humus must be laid on the bottom of the recess, which may consist of leaves or manure.

The heliotrope, together with the old soil, is inserted into the dug hole, the hollow spaces must be filled with earth and tamped around the seedling. The last stage of transplanting is watering the plant with plain water.

Care features

Caring for heliotrope has its own characteristics. The main one is watering the soil for a given flower. In order to get drunk, the plant does not need a lot of water, therefore, in weather with relatively average humidity, the frequency of watering should not be more frequent than that of other plants. However, after watering, the land on which the heliotrope grows must be carefully loosened, since the water compacts it, blocking the access of air to the soil.

In addition, after each watering, you should weed the soil from weeds, which appear in fertile soil quite often. Before the flowering begins, the plant must be fed with fertilizers with a full range of nutrients.

You should also treat the plant with Actellik, this will avoid collision with pests that can destroy it. For use, it is necessary to dilute 1 ml of the drug in 1 liter of water. This amount of solution will be enough to process flowers for 5 m².

Outcome

In order to care for heliotrope, a lot of time is needed, especially in the first months of the plant's life. Failure to follow the rules of home care can lead to the fact that nothing will grow out of the seeds.

But if you have patience and do everything as described above, then as a result a new flower may appear in the garden, which can not only surprise everyone with its unusual appearance, but also give the flower beds the delicate aromas of vanilla and cinnamon.