Content
The Shabo carnation is the most recognizable and beloved variety of the carnation family by many gardeners. This is a hybrid species, memorable for its aroma and grace. Grown in any region and in almost every area.
Even fastidiousness in leaving does not stop summer residents. The color scheme of the plant is so diverse that it is difficult to list all the variations. There are monochromatic flowers and mixed flowers, in which shades flow from dark to light. Some people combine several tones in one petal at the same time.
To place a beautiful plant in a flower bed, you need to grow seedlings of garden carnations "Shabo" at home. This is not an easy matter, but the result will make you forget all the troubles. In our article, we will describe in detail the step-by-step process on how to plant a Shabo carnation with seeds.
Description and characteristics
Slow development from sowing to flowering is the main reason for growing Shabo carnations from seed. It takes about six months from the sowing date to the cut for a bouquet. Some gardeners practice the cultivation of a flower by cuttings, but most prefer planting seeds for growing garden Shabo carnations.
The plant does not belong to a separate type of carnation, but is considered the most popular and recognizable.
Garden carnation Shabo is different:
- A compact rhizome without branching. The depth of the rhizome is from 10 to 20 cm.
- Leaves of a grayish or pale green hue are arranged in pairs on the shoot.
- Shoots up to 50 cm high, knotty and thin. There are new Shabo hybrids with a small shoot height and abundant flowering.
- The flowers are large (diameter 6-8 cm), double with a persistent pleasant aroma. The color is very varied.
Garden carnation Shabo is valued for its ability to bloom for a long time and for the fact that this flower stands for a long time in the cut. Shabo bloom begins in July and lasts until frost. In the southern regions, the carnation calmly remains in the ground for the winter. In order for the plant to endure wintering in the areas of the Middle Lane, it needs to provide shelter.
If a beginner in gardening wants to grow a garden Shabo carnation from seeds at home, it is better to take a variety mixture for sowing. An experienced flower lover may be advised to work with new products. There are modern hybrids that bloom 1-2 months earlier, but require proper care. And if you know how to grow a Shabo carnation from seeds, then you can get acquainted with new varieties. They are still little tested, so the strategy for growing them still needs to be studied. Let's move on to a description of how to plant a Shabo carnation for seedlings.
Sowing seeds and growing seedlings
Let us consider in more detail the cultivation of garden Shabo carnations from seeds at home.
For self-sowing Shabo carnations, you can get seeds in two ways:
- buy a bag in the store;
- grow and collect by yourself.
The first option is more reliable, but you need to purchase seeds from a trusted manufacturer. The planting material retains its ability to germinate for 2-3 years, and the germination rate is a record 85% -95%. But despite this, attentiveness is always needed.
It is much more difficult to independently obtain seeds from plants grown on the site. If the carnation grows in the south, then this will not be a problem.But when growing a garden Shabo carnation from seeds in the regions of the middle lane, the collection of planting material will require additional effort. The plant blooms in the second half of the growing season, therefore seed ripening occurs during the period of moisture and temperature variability. In order for the seeds to ripen, the plants need to provide certain conditions - warmth and lack of moisture. Experienced gardeners transplant the cloves into containers and transfer them to a room where the seeds ripen for 1.5-2 months. As soon as they easily spill out of the seed, they are already considered fully ripe.
The seeds are very small, so it is worth putting a cloth or gauze bag on the seed to collect the planting material. 1 g contains up to 550-600 seeds. You will get about 450 plants to grow. This number includes rejections and unallocated copies.
When the seeds are harvested, the next question arises. When to sow Shabo carnations for seedlings? The crop is sown in the winter months, starting in December and ending in mid-February. Optimally - January or February. In December, it will be necessary to supplement the seedlings more due to the very short daylight hours. The date when to sow Shabo cloves can be shifted to the end of February if modern hybrids with an earlier budding date are grown.
Land preparation
To grow high-quality seedlings of Shabo carnations, you will need to prepare the soil. The soil in which flowers grow in the garden is not suitable for the normal development of seedlings. Therefore, gardeners have two options:
- buy ready-made soil for flower seedlings marked "universal";
- prepare the mixture at home in advance.
For sowing Shabo carnations for seedlings, the following components are prepared:
- garden or sod land - 1 part;
- humus - 1 part;
- peat - 1 part;
- sand - 0.5 parts.
Additionally, perlite is added to improve the quality of the soil. And if you add a hydrogel, it will help to reduce the number of waterings.
All parts are mixed and proceeded to seedbed preparation. The soil is spilled with a solution of potassium permanganate or "Fitosporin-M". Then it is calcined or frozen in the cold.
Container preparation
For convenient sowing of Shabo carnations for seedlings, use seedling boxes of different sizes, plastic containers, flower pots, peat pots or tablets.
Important requirements for the landing container are:
- The height is not more than 6 cm. If you take a deeper container, then there is a danger of overmoistening the seedlings and the loss of seedlings.
- The presence of drainage holes and a drainage layer. Saplings do not tolerate stagnant water, therefore it is necessary to ensure the outflow of excess moisture. If this is not done, the seedlings will be susceptible to the spread of rot, wilting of leaves.
- Mandatory disinfection. Use a solution of potassium permanganate, "Fitosporin-M". Some summer residents are limited to boiling water treatment.
The next step in growing Shabo carnations from seeds at home is the correct preparation of the planting material.
Seed preparation
Presowing treatment is needed for seeds that were harvested on their own. If they are bought in a specialized store, then the manufacturer has already taken care of this. Such a seed can be immediately placed in the soil.
In order for the planting of Shabo carnations on seedlings with seeds from their site to be successful and the seedlings to sprout well, it is required to prepare the planting material:
- First, it is calibrated. This is necessary to select suitable full-weight specimens. A 3% -5% solution of table salt is prepared, in which clove seeds are placed. Mix several times and then select only those that have settled to the bottom.
- The second stage is disinfection from pests. For this, heat treatment is carried out. This is the name of soaking for 1 hour in water heated to 50 ° C with the addition of potassium permanganate.
- Some growers additionally place seeds in a growth stimulant solution.
After such events, you can safely start planting Shabo carnations with seeds.
Sowing
Sowing of Shabo carnations for seedlings is carried out according to the technology for small seeds.
The container is filled with soil mixture and tamped a little so that the seed does not fall into the voids. It is convenient to use the bottom of a glass jar for this. The earth is poured not to the very top, leaving at least 1 cm from the side.
Let us consider in detail how to sow Shabo carnations for seedlings in order to get the maximum percentage of germination. Small seeds are not immersed in the ground, but simply scattered over the tamped surface. Then sprinkle with calcined sand. It is prepared in advance. It is necessary to pour the sand in a thin layer on a baking sheet and bake it in the oven at a temperature of 65 ° -100 ° C for half an hour. This technique protects the seedlings from being damaged by the black leg.
How to sow Shabo carnation seeds for seedlings if they were soaked in a growth promoter? Only after drying. Otherwise, they will stick together, and you will not be able to distribute them evenly over the surface of the soil. After sowing, the sand should be lightly tamped and covered with glass or foil. Thus, they create a greenhouse effect.
Many gardeners prefer sowing Shabo carnations in a snail. This is done in the same way as for seeds of peppers, tomatoes, or other crops. Read more about growing garden Shabo carnations from seeds in a snail on the video:
Seedling care
After the sowing has been done correctly, you need to ensure the seedlings of Shabo carnations and proper care. For seed germination, you will need to maintain an air temperature of about + 15 ° C. Garden carnation Shabo does not require bright lighting and heat in the first days. But the soil is needed commensurately moist. A spray bottle is used for this purpose.
If favorable conditions are created when growing Shabo carnations from seeds, then the first shoots appear in 4-5 days (see photo). The rest appear after 10 days. Above the required temperature, germination slows down. When all the seeds have sprouted, the film is removed.
As soon as the seedlings hatch, the main attention is paid to watering. Seedlings are susceptible to black leg damage. Therefore, waterlogging is unacceptable. Too zealous watering will lead to the death of seedlings. If a problem occurs, the diseased specimens are removed and the soil is sprinkled with ash or crushed activated carbon.
Another important aspect. The planting depth of the seed is not great, therefore, during the growing up of seedlings, soil addition is required.
The air temperature is maintained within 12-13 ° С.
Picking
When growing Shabo carnations, a double pick is required. The first time the seedlings dive when the first pair of leaves appears. This usually corresponds to a plant age of 3-4 weeks. At this stage, the transplant aims to plant the seedlings according to the 4 cm x 4 cm scheme. They do the pick very carefully, trying not to damage the delicate roots.
The second time, seedlings with 3-4 pairs of leaves are transplanted. How to properly dive a Shabo carnation a second time:
- It is best to plant the plants in separate containers.
- Add humus or nitrogen fertilizers to the soil to improve growth.
At the time of the second pick, the seedlings are buried to the root collar. How to dive a Shabo carnation can be seen in the photo.
In the phase of 5 leaves, the seedlings are additionally pinched. This makes it possible for the plant to form a lush bush.
Video about the correct pick of the Shabo carnation:
Flower growers are interested in the question of how to sow Shabo carnation seeds directly into open ground.
In this case, the main problem is the long growing season of the plant. To get flowering on time, you need to sow in a greenhouse, greenhouse or greenhouse. Then the seedlings are transferred to open ground when the temperature is right.When to plant a Shabo carnation in a greenhouse when grown from seeds, it can only be decided taking into account the climatic characteristics of the region. The temperature for seedlings needs to be low, but daylight hours are required for a long time. Therefore, sowing is not carried out before March.
Useful video about growing seedlings of garden Shabo carnations:
