On the first of September, almost all yards bloom with asters - this is their favorite "school" flower. It is easy to conclude that it refers to plants that bloom in the fall. However, there are varieties that begin to please with flowers even in July, that is, a couple of months earlier. Fans of asters can pick up such an assortment of plants that will allow them to admire most of the summer and virtually all of autumn. Unless, of course, the gardener manages to plant and grow them correctly. As a rule, there are no problems with the last point, but the first should be considered more carefully.
Which way to choose?
All plants can be planted in two ways, so you must clearly decide how to plant aster - seedlings or seeds in the ground. The first method is most relevant if the source material is not enough. For example, you are interested in a rare or expensive variety. Then each seed will have to shake and make every effort to increase germination. If there are enough seeds, it is easier and less laborious to sow the beds reserved for asters. Of course, not all grains will sprout, but you will save time and effort. When choosing this option of planting, know that you can sow in spring and autumn. In the latter case, the seeding density should be higher. If the planting is too thick, you can always transplant the flowers to another place, but if the flower garden turns out to be “bald”, you will have to buy seeds or seedlings. In the spring, you may need to cover the seedlings from possible night frost with a film, but as soon as the temperature stabilizes, the shelter needs to be removed completely.
When to plant
But suppose you miraculously got the seeds of a rare plant, and there is no choice but to plant an aster on seedlings. The main thing is to do it on time. Most seed bags indicate planting dates, however, remember that climatic features are common to all regions, and what is effective in the south can ruin the plantings in the north. A rough guideline may be the time it takes for the plant to sprout, take root and begin to bloom. This will take about three months. Proceed from this. Before planting an aster on seedlings, provide the ability to control the temperature - not only the germination of seeds, but also their survival depends on it. Before the appearance of sprouts, the "degree" should be at least 20 ° C, and with their appearance it will have to be reduced to 16 ° C.
The right containers and the right "stuffing"
We presume that you will not grow seedlings in the greenhouse, but at home, in the conditions of the windowsill. Boxes should correspond to the size of window sills (meaning length and width) and be at least 10 cm deep. They need to be filled with a mixture of peat (humus as an option) and turf land in a ratio of 1: 3. To ensure that the flower seedlings are healthy and rise together, grooves are made to a depth of 1 cm and with a distance of at least 8 cm between them. Seeds are placed in the grooves, covered with soil and watered. For better germination, the boxes are covered with polyethylene or glass. In this case, it is not necessary to monitor the temperature too vigilantly, since the greenhouse effect is preserved. The question is, how to plant an aster on seedlings? It seems to be quite simple, but why do most gardeners prefer a simple sowing of seeds? Because they are afraid of diving. You can do without it, but then you get plants with a rather weak root system, so that with the advent of a pair of real leaves, the seedlings are transplanted into separate cups.
Technical Subtleties
There are tricks to help you grow luxurious asters. Seedlings are planted on flat ground, for this it is enough just to take it with your hand. There should not be dimples or tubercles! In a box or pot, the ground should be at least a centimeter below the sides.
It is better to sprinkle the seeds with soil through a sieve - so it lays more evenly and does not press on the grains. The layer of substrate or vermiculite should be about half a centimeter thick.
Watering the seedlings must be very careful, without eroding the ground. And at first it is better to use a spray.
Sprouts will appear - take care of their hardening. To do this, remove the shelter from the landing boxes daily: first briefly, but every day increase the time that the seedlings spend without an impromptu greenhouse.
During the first pick, the root (it usually grows alone, but of considerable length) is better to shorten - so the seedlings will turn out to be stronger, more viable and with a branched root system.
An old way to grow chic asters
These flowers were grown by gardeners many hundreds of years ago, so even then there were secrets under which aster seedlings (photo you can see above) were lush, resistant and gave large double flowers. The bottom line is multiple transfers (picks). Moreover, they are held until the moment the buds are formed. The basic rule is a transplant in the evening, when the sun is already setting. The first pick is done no later than the third day after germination. A couple of weeks after this, the seedlings were transplanted to a new place, and as soon as the asters took root, they were again relocated to another bed. The process of "moving" stopped only when the buds appeared on the flowers. With their formation, the flowers moved to a permanent place. Usually it was a flower bed for flowering plants. As a result of the nomadic way of life, asters bloomed profusely, the heads turned out to be very large, and the flowers themselves were “double”. Some gardeners have checked - it works!