Growing verbena from seeds, planting and care in the open field

Verbena is a perennial plant from the tropical regions of South America; in central Russia it is grown as an annual. It is considered an unpretentious flower: growing verbena from seeds and caring for it does not imply specific knowledge and skills. The vervain family is characterized by a long flowering period and compact size; there is an ampelous and bush form. In nature, you can find about 250 species. These plants have many beneficial properties and are used for medicinal purposes.

Types and varieties of verbena

The most common types of verbena are:

• fragrant (lemon),
• Bonar,
• large-flowered,
• tough,
• beautiful,
• medicinal,
• hybrid.

On the garden plot, a hybrid form is most often planted, which looks like a small bush up to half a meter high, consisting of a main stem and many side shoots with spike-shaped inflorescences that open on them. Verbena hybrid is available in different colors and shades: from orange to purple. There are also two-color varieties. Mammoth verbena with large flowers and low verbena are especially distinguished - a small bush, up to 30 cm high.

Verbena varieties can be conditionally divided into bush and creeping (ampelous). The ampel form is more often used to decorate hanging pots, it is grown in pots and balcony boxes, and the bush form is often used in the garden: it is decorated with flower beds, borders, and ridges.

Popular varieties of hybrid verbena are:

• Peaches and cream - a compact plant with small flowers, shades of which vary from cream to light apricot. The color of newly opened petals is darker.
• Adonis mango - also has shades with transitions, bright and dark in blossoming flowers, but over time they brighten.
• Misty - ampelous large-flowered verbena, cultivation of this variety is possible at home, in hanging pots on the balconies.
• Blue night - a compact variety of finely cut verbena, with openwork leaves and small purple flowers.
• Moon river - ampelous form, up to 30-50 cm high, inflorescences of various colors, up to 5 cm in diameter.

Verbena from seed

There are two ways to reproduce verbena - cuttings and seeds. Cutting is carried out in the spring, cutting off shoots with two pairs of leaves from plants and rooting them in a peat mixture under a bag. But growing verbena from seeds is used by gardeners much more often. Sowing can be done directly in open ground, or grow seedlings at home. The second option is considered more reliable and provides the best germination.

Advice! The seeds of some varieties are covered with a dense shell, and stratification in the refrigerator is required to stimulate germination - the seed should be spread on a damp cloth, placed in an opaque bag and left for 5 days in the vegetable compartment.

Often gardeners pre-harvest garden land mixed with peat. Store it in a cold room or in the cold for disinfection. But planting any seeds at home should still be accompanied by additional dressing of the soil using special formulations. For this purpose, a pink solution of potassium permanganate is also used. Another option is to heat the ground in the oven or microwave to kill pests and bacteria.

Growing verbena seedlings

Verbena seeds are sown in mid or late February in a nutritious loose substrate.If planted earlier, the seedlings may not have enough light. But you can use additional lighting. To increase the germination of seeds, you can soak them in advance in growth stimulants. The soil should be at room temperature, it is recommended to add a little ash to it, and then moisten.

Advice! When planning the cultivation of verbena seedlings, it is important to choose only fresh planting material, since the germination capacity of the seeds of this plant is quickly lost. You can harvest them from your plants when the buds are dry by cutting them off with garden shears.

There are several ways to plant and grow verbena at home:

1. Landing is done superficially. The container must be covered with foil or glass and placed in a dark place, where it is located for 2-3 weeks, until shoots appear. For the best germination of seeds, the temperature should be at least +18 ° C.
2. The seeds are sprinkled a little with soil about half a centimeter, they are not covered with anything from above. The container is immediately placed on a light-colored windowsill. Planting care consists in regular watering with a pale pink solution of potassium permanganate, avoiding waterlogging or overdrying the earth. It is important to monitor the soil moisture level, as excess water can cause seeds to rot.
3. Landing in peat tablets - this eliminates the need to dive seedlings.

Seedling care

When the seedlings have the first pair of true leaves, a pick is made by adding a little rotted compost to the substrate. The second pick is at the beginning of April, after which the boxes with seedlings are taken out into a cold greenhouse. Growing seedlings in it without shelter can cause the death of plants, because during the day the sprouts are covered with a film under arcs, and at night they are additionally insulated with batting.

Care for young verbena grown from seeds consists of regular watering. The temperature should be between + 18-22 ° C. From the age of 6 weeks, verbena is fed with mineral fertilizers and is hardened if the weather outside is sunny and calm. The quenching time is gradually increased, starting from 20 minutes. When the seedlings start to grow and get stronger, they begin to pinch. You can plant plants outside as soon as the threat of frost has passed.

Sowing and planting in open ground

Growing verbena from seeds in the open field begins with the selection and preparation of the site where you plan to plant. It must be dry and well lit. Fertile loamy soils are best suited for these plants. It is important that the substrate is breathable and loose: this can be achieved by adding sand to it. Crops are not buried; you can sprinkle them with a small layer of soil. Plants grown in this way bloom later.

When the ground warms up enough, you can start planting seedlings. Verbena does not like stagnation of moisture, therefore, it is necessary to put a drainage from broken brick or fine rubble in the planting pit in order to protect the root system and create favorable conditions for it, as well as to simplify the care of plants. The distance between the bushes should be 25-30 cm. Pour a small amount of water into each hole and wait until it is absorbed. After that, you can plant seedlings. Verbena, grown from seeds by seedlings, blooms in 3 months.

Outdoor care

Outdoor care for verbena includes:

• tillage,
• feeding,
• regular watering,
• pruning.

It is important to weed the weeds regularly. Planting plants in a group helps to better deal with harmful crops and simplifies maintenance - they will need to be removed only at the initial stage, after which the flowers grow quickly and completely cover the soil. To provide fresh air to the roots, it is recommended to periodically loosen the ground around the bushes. It is advisable to do this immediately after watering. To protect against drying out, you can cover the surface with rotted foliage or special materials.

Verbena responds well to fertilizing with mineral and organic fertilizers, which need to be applied 3-4 times for the entire season, since if the soil is too saturated with nitrogen, the bushes will begin to build up green mass and stop blooming. You can use the following composition: take 1 liter of diluted mullein and 1 tbsp for a bucket of warm water. l. potassium sulfate. The first feeding - 2 weeks after planting in the ground, the second - during the budding period, and the third - when the flowers open.

Although verbena is considered a plant that does well in the dry season, it should be watered regularly during the first half of summer. It can be reduced by the end of summer. To give a beautiful shape to the bushes, they are pruned with garden shears.

Advice! To increase the duration of flowering, dried inflorescences must be removed by cutting off about a quarter of the entire length of the shoot.

Pests and diseases

Vervain is generally resistant to most diseases and rarely pests when properly cared for. For prevention, it is recommended to monitor the moisture content of the soil, as well as regularly remove dried buds. Diseases of this plant are few. The main enemy is considered to be a fungal disease - powdery mildew. Its main feature: the leaves are covered with a white bloom and become purple in color, after which they die off.

To combat this disease, special antifungal drugs are used, it is also recommended to remove all diseased leaves. If the foliage becomes faded and begins to wilt, root decay may be a possible cause. This happens from excess moisture. It is necessary to stop watering and treat the verbena with fungicides.

Tip: although the plant is considered an annual, you can dig it up for the winter and try to keep it in a bright, cool place, where the temperature is not higher than +15 ° C. If the bush blooms, then it is better to remove the inflorescences. In February or March, the vervain is pruned and planted in new soil. Such plants bloom earlier than seedlings.

Output

Verbena is a useful plant with bright flowers that will decorate any flower bed on the site. Growing and caring for it is simple, following its rules allows you to enjoy flowering until the very frost. It can be propagated by cuttings or seeds, but best of all by seedlings.

Pests and diseases are rarely affected. There are many varieties of this plant with flowers of various colors and sizes. In the garden, a bush form is most often planted. Trumpet verbena is suitable for growing in pots and hanging planters.