Content
Cultivation of ampelous diastia from seeds is possible at home. The homeland of the plant is considered to be the mountainous regions of the southern part of the African continent. Ampel diastia belongs to the Norichnikov family, in European countries it is grown as an annual. Professional landscape designers and florists have long noted the excellent decorative properties of unpretentious diastia. The culture has a wide range of colors: from stylish salmon, orange, pink to contrasting white, and various shades of purple.
Multicolored flowers of ampelous diastia, resembling seashells in shape, look great in hanging pots, separate decorative containers and containers
Nuances of growing diastia from seeds
Experienced growers note some of the features of growing ampelous diastia from seeds. Of all the known methods of propagation of the South African culture, seed is the most productive. There are two ways to plant prepared seeds:
- in open ground;
- for seedlings.
When sowing seeds in open ground, the flowering of diastia occurs quite late - by the month of August. In addition, unstable climatic conditions during the day and at night in spring can cause seed death.
Plants grown from seedlings delight much earlier with their lush and numerous flowering (end of June). In this case, the gardener independently controls and adjusts the conditions for growth and development, which guarantees the survival of the crop.
The sowing technology itself has some nuances. Since the seeds of the plant are very small, many growers mix the seeds and sand before sowing the seedlings, after which they evenly distribute the mixture over the surface of the container with the prepared soil mixture.
When sowing seeds for seedlings in disposable containers, you can use wet toothpicks to alternately move 1-2 seeds into the ground.
Young plants obtained from seedlings of diastia bloom profusely by June
How to sow diastia on seedlings
If you are engaged in the cultivation of diastia from seeds, the material should be planted already at the end of winter. Knowing some of the simple rules for planting an African culture will help you avoid common mistakes.
When to plant diastia for seedlings
Experienced flower growers recommend planting seeds for seedlings in late February or early March. This makes it possible already at the end of May to complete work on transferring seedlings to open ground or hanging pots, and in a month to have spectacularly flowering plants on your garden plot.
At the end of June, you can enjoy the budding of outlandish flowers if you sow seedlings in February
The choice of capacity and preparation of the soil
Photos and reviews on the cultivation of ampelous diastia from seeds allow us to make sure that for germination of seedlings, you can choose any small container in height (cassette container, wide bowl, plastic or wooden box). For individual (piece by piece) sowing, any disposable containers are suitable.
Before sowing, the container is disinfected, filled with a mixture of slightly acidic earth and sand, and well moistened.
A slightly acidic, moderately fertilized soil with the addition of river sand and earth is suitable for an African culture
Sowing rules
Since the seeds of the plant are small, growers use various convenient sowing methods. The following techniques are most often used in practice:
- seeds mixed with fine sand are evenly distributed over the surface of the soil in a container and slightly pressed into the soil;
- the seeds are moved into a separate bowl with soil mixture using a wet wooden toothpick and lightly pressed into the ground.
The seeding algorithm boils down to the following steps:
- preliminary moistening of the soil mixture in the seedling container;
- transfer of plant seeds to the ground with light pressing of seeds into the soil;
- irrigation of crops with warm water using a sprayer;
- creating a greenhouse effect (covering a container with crops with plastic wrap, glass, transparent plastic cups or bottles).
Small seeds can be "grasped" with tweezers or a moistened wooden toothpick, skewer
Growing diastia from seeds at home
The delicate sprouts of African ornamental crops need proper care to grow healthy, viable seedlings. It is important to create a comfortable microclimate for shoots, to ensure timely watering and fertilization.
Do not forget about the obligatory picking and pinching of seedlings.
Microclimate
The seeds will take about 3 weeks to form. The planting container with seedlings of African decorative culture must be placed in a warm and bright place. The most comfortable for the germination of seed material is the ambient temperature up to 20 ⁰С.
When the first shoots appear, the shelter is removed, the container with seedlings is placed in a bright place with a lower temperature (up to 15 ° C).
For the germination of seed material, a thermophilic African plant requires a sufficiently high temperature (up to 20 ⁰С)
Watering and feeding schedule
Proper watering is one of the keys to success in growing healthy seedlings at home. The soil with crops must be constantly moistened, avoiding the drying out of the earth. It is impossible to water future seedlings in the usual way, since the seeds can be washed away with a stream of water. It is necessary to moisten crops only with a spray bottle.
Complex liquid fertilizers in a reduced dosage will stimulate the growth of seedlings and ensure future lush flowering. Be aware that African ornamental crops do not need organic fertilizers.
Over-fertilization can cause abundant green vegetation to grow in the future and reduce flowering
Picking
2 weeks after sowing, the seedlings of diastia are dived into separate containers. By this time, the seedlings have 2-3 main leaves. In order not to injure the plants when picking, experienced florists immediately sow seeds in separate containers. The pick should be carried out carefully, trying not to damage the delicate parts of the plants.
Before picking, seedlings can be thinned out, leaving healthy and strong shoots
Topping
Simultaneously with the pick, it is necessary to pinch the tops of the plants for the first time. With this technique, you can begin to form a spectacular decorative bush. To stimulate a beautiful branch, the bush is dived several more times (as the seedlings grow).
Before transplanting into open ground, the seedlings of diastia are hardened by exposing them to the open air for 0.5-1 hours
Open ground transplant
Gradual hardening of seedlings will allow the plant to adapt to the extremes of night and day temperatures, get used to the sun's rays, wind, and precipitation. The time for "street walks" should be constantly increased: starting from 1-2 hours of being outdoors, continuing up to 1 day.
At the end of May, the seedlings of ampelous diastia are planted in open ground (prefabricated flower beds, mixborders, individual flowerpots, hanging pots). For permanent "residence" choose stony, loose, slightly acidic or neutral soils with an admixture of fine gravel and coarse sand.
African culture "loves" sunny and sheltered areas. In places where water can accumulate (lowlands), effective drainage should be provided to prevent moisture stagnation. In the shade of trees and buildings, the plant will lose its decorative appeal and will be weak.
Plants are planted on flower beds in small holes, pressed a little, sprinkled with earth and mulched with cut grass. In the beds, the distance between individual seedlings is observed - up to 15 cm.
In the case of transplanting crops into hanging pots or flowerpots, drainage holes should be provided to prevent stagnant water. Up to 4 sprouts are placed in hanging decorative containers.
Plants love abundant watering, but cannot tolerate stagnant water.
Conclusion
Growing ampelous diastia from seeds at home is an easy way to get healthy and viable seedlings of an amazing, abundantly flowering South African plant. Lush foam made of multi-colored diastia flowers, similar to small sea shells, will become a spectacular decoration of any part of the local area. Unexpected color variations of fashionable shades will favorably emphasize individual elements of landscape design.
