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Among the wide variety of garden flowers, someone likes to plant perennials more and not bother with growing seedlings every year. And for some, it is the cultivation of annual seedlings in early spring that is the most important sign of the coming spring. And the third, in general, like universal flowers that can be grown both indoors and on balconies, or you can plant them in the garden and admire their flowering throughout the warm season, in order to bring them back into the house later.
Schizanthus is just such a versatile plant. When grown in the garden, it shows, of course, more abundant and vibrant flowering, because it loves sunlight and large amounts of fertile land. But it can be severely damaged by rain and wind. And in indoor or balcony conditions, the schizanthus may not bloom so colorful and profusely, but much longer and the appearance of its flowers will always be flawless. Among other things, by its nature, it is a biennial, which means that you can admire its flowering for at least two seasons in a row. Schizanthus can be propagated exclusively by seeds. And in growing schizanthus from seeds at home, there are a number of features, which will be mainly discussed later in the article.
Secrets and secrets of the flower
The botanical name of the schizanthus directly indicates the shape of the flower because it consists of two Greek words that translate as "split flower". By the way, the name of the flower is often translated into Russian as schizanthus. It's just a different transcription of the same name.
After all, flowers so outlandish in color, reminiscent of the shape and color of exotic beauties of orchids, can be grown from just a small bag of seeds, the cost of which is no different from the seeds of ordinary annuals.
Sometimes schizanthus is called a butterfly flower. Because from the whole world of insects, only butterflies can boast of such a luxurious and fantastically varied wing color.
In general, schizanthus is a truly unique plant, concealing in itself many more mysteries and secrets, so completely unsolved. For example, it is known that when growing schizanthus seedlings, some of them lag far behind in development and look, to put it mildly, “suffocated”. This often happens with other plants, but in the schizanthus it is from these, the most weakened at the first stage of plant development, that the most amazing and unique specimens in color and splendor of flowering are obtained.
Or another riddle. Why, if schizanthus seeds are planted in late winter - early spring for seedlings, then they will bloom no earlier than 90 days, that is, by the beginning, or even by the middle of summer. And if the same seeds are sown directly into the ground in early May, then flowering can be expected in two months, that is, at the end of June - in July. Of course, this may be due to the amount and quality of sunlight, which can more than double the speed of plant development.
Description of plants
The genus Schizanthus, as noted above, has nothing to do with orchids, despite some external similarity. It belongs to the nightshade family, to which the familiar tomatoes, peppers and potatoes also belong.There are about 11 species in the genus, and all of them originate from the countries of South America, primarily from Chile. Much later, schizanthus spread to other continents and now it can be found in the wild in South Africa and North America.
The rather delicate and fragile stems of the schizanthus branch very strongly, so that the flower can be used as an ampelous flower. The leaves of a light green color are so delicate and lacy that even without flowers, the schizanthus looks very attractive. Both leaves and stems are covered with glandular hairs.
In the first month of flowering, literally several single flowers open on the schizanthus and it begins to seem that everything will be limited to this. But as soon as a flower takes root well and grows, whole cascades of amazing colors of flowers begin to bloom on it, behind which both stems and leaves will completely drown. Stems from thin and fragile turn into thick and powerful and the height of the peduncles can reach 100-110 cm.
In garden culture, 2 natural species of schizanthus and one hybrid are most common.
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Graham Schisanthus (S.grahamii Gill) - a relatively tall species (up to 60 cm) with rigid, practically without pubescence, highly branched stems. Natural color - pink-purple-yellow with specks. It has been known in culture since 1834.
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Schizanthus pinnate (S.pinnatus Ruiz, et Pav) - a species with a strong pubescence of less branched stems. In height reaches no more than 45 cm. Natural color - purple with white and yellow spots. Known since 1822.
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Schisanthus Vizeton (S.x wisetoncnsis Low) - a hybrid obtained by crossing the above two species. The hybrid was received around 1900. It is his seeds that can most often be found on sale today. They are usually sold in mixtures, so the sizes and color variations are quite unpredictable.
And if you collect schizanthus seeds from your plants and try to sow them, then you can get flowers of a very unusual color as a result.
They are oval-kidney-shaped, dark gray or brown in color. Germination is able to persist for 2-3 years.
Despite its exotic appearance, Schizanthus reproduces quite easily by self-seeding. So in the spring, carefully monitor all the seedlings in the flower beds, where the schizanthus bloomed last year, so as not to miss its germinating sprouts and not weed it out, confusing it with some weed plant.
Growing from seeds
Since the schizanthus is a biennial by nature, the timing of sowing its seeds is somewhat different from the usual schemes adopted when growing ordinary annuals. Seeds are sown as standard at three times, depending on when you want to observe the flowering of schizanthus.
Sowing seedlings
If you plan to observe the flowering of the schizanthus already in April - May, then the seeds for seedlings must be sown at the end of August - in September. In this case, you will have to preserve young plants at home, which is not always easy, but you will be rewarded with an early and truly magnificent Schizanthus bloom throughout the summer.
The flower can also be grown as an ordinary annual - in this case, seeds for seedlings are planted in February - early March. And then flowering can begin in June or July, depending on the care that you can provide to the schizanthus.
The soil for sowing is prepared light, water and breathable. You can add 1/8 of vermiculite to ready-made seedling mixtures. Plastic containers about 5 cm deep with holes in the bottom are filled with earthen mixture. Schizanthus seeds are sown in small grooves or simply evenly spread over the surface in order to then sprinkle them with a small layer of earth, 0.5 cm thick maximum.The container is closed with a lid or a plastic bag and placed in a place with a temperature preferably not higher than + 18 ° + 20 ° C. It is better to place the container immediately on a light-colored windowsill so as not to miss the first shoots of the flower. When using fresh seeds, they can appear literally 4-5 days after sowing. In the worst case, seedlings can be waited up to 25 days.
To maintain soil moisture, it is best not to remove the lid or bag until the first two true leaves are unfolded.
After the appearance of a pair of true leaves, the sprouts carefully dive into separate pots or large containers, observing the distance between the plants of 10-15 cm.Schisanthus is not very approving of the dive, but if all operations are done carefully, without touching the roots, then everything should end well ...
If you decide to sow schizanthus in the fall for spring-summer flowering, then you should take into account the fact that for successful wintering it is desirable for plants to create conditions of maximum lighting at the same time as fairly low temperatures. Ideal temperature conditions are + 5 ° + 10 ° С, but, most importantly, the temperature should not be higher than + 18 ° С on average. Otherwise, the plants will stretch out strongly and they will have to create more additional moisture.
If you find it difficult to create such conditions in rooms with central heating, then it is better to sow schizanthus in February, like an ordinary annual.
In this case, almost immediately after the first pick, it is advisable to pinch the schizanthus bushes for better branching.
You need to start feeding the plants a week after the pick, when you see that they are well rooted. For feeding, it is desirable to use a complex mineral fertilizer. From the moment of the formation of buds on the schizanthus, feeding should be carried out once every 8-10 days.
In May, as soon as weather conditions permit (the soil and air will warm up to + 10 ° C minimum), Schizanthus seedlings can be planted in flower beds or flowerpots.
Sowing in open ground and care features
But schizanthus is such an amazing flower that it can be sown even in open ground at the end of spring and it will have time to please you with its flowering, starting in the middle of summer. It is better to sow seeds under small shelters in the form of arcs with a film, or simply cover the crops on top with non-woven material, such as spunbond. In the southern regions, sowing can be done at the end of April; in the middle lane, the second half of May will be the best time. The sown seeds are lightly covered with light soil, moistened from above from a sprayer and covered with spunbond. Seedlings can appear within 10-20 days. All this time it is necessary to ensure that the soil at the sowing site remains moist.
If the seedlings turned out to be thickened, then after the formation of a pair of true leaves, young schizanthus can be planted. In the future, it is necessary to regularly water the flowers and feed them.
Another important procedure for caring for schizanthus is the removal of wilting flowers in order to prolong the flowering period. Certain non-flowering shoots should be pruned periodically to maintain continued bud formation.
At the end of the summer season, the schizanthus can be moved into the house to prolong its flowering. You just need to remember that for good health, the flower needs cool conditions (+ 15 ° + 18 ° C) and good lighting for at least 12 hours a day.
Florist reviews
Everyone who has ever tried to grow schizanthus is not disappointed in their choice, since even the appearance of individual flowers can cause admiration among inexperienced gardeners.
Conclusion
Schizanthus is a beautiful and unique flower, with which you can not only decorate your site, but also surprise your neighbors. He does not have many care requirements, and if you are lucky, he will be able to settle in your garden and recover every year with the help of self-seeding.
