More and more gardeners are paying attention to such a tiny, but pretty plant, like a saxifrage. Growing this flower from the seeds is not such a troublesome thing, so many people acquire it by decorating rabatki, rocky garden plots, alpine slides, planting near the curbs. A low dense bush, strewn with a huge number of small pink, white or purple flowers, immediately attracts attention and enriches the garden.
In nature, there are up to 400 species of this plant, many of them are decorative, but the saxifrage Shadow and Arends are most popular with us. The plant can be both annual and perennial. It all depends on the climatic features of the region. If the bushes are insulated for the winter, then the saxifrage will live in one place for several years, delighting with its flowers and solid mossy rugs. Every 3 to 4 years, the bush has to be planted because it breaks up, and then the lower dried leaves are visible.
Seedling method is one of the main methods by which saxifrage propagates. Growing from seeds is not very difficult, but you need to know about some of the nuances. To begin with, it is worth preparing containers with a substrate, for this, not too wet, but not dry, light earth is suitable. The seeds are very small, black in color, they do not need to be buried in the ground, only sown from above and lightly sprinkled with earth.
Cold processing is what a plant like saxifrage needs so much. Growing from seeds involves placing the container in the refrigerator, after half a month the container is exposed on the windowsill and covered with a film. Shoots appear at a temperature of 18 - 20 ° C after 8 days. If the seeds have not germinated within 2 to 3 weeks, then they will not germinate. Since the saxifrage grass is very small, it is planted in open ground with the ground from the container. With a spatula, the rug is cut into pieces and, together with an earthen lump, is planted.
Some experienced flower growers are convinced that saxifrage perfectly grows in the open ground. Growing from seeds involves sowing in March or April, then a cold treatment of the plant will take place without human intervention. Although the saxifrage responds well to fertilizing with fertilizer, but still prefers to grow on depleted light soils. She is very fond of limestone, so in places of plantings it should be dug into the ground.
On the one hand, the saxifrage needs sunlight, but on the other, and is afraid of its burning rays. The problem can be solved if you plant a plant near other flowers that will cover it from the south side, or plant on a rock garden slope, and not on its top. Saxifrage is very afraid of stagnation of water, so it needs to be planted at a slope or between crevices of stones. If the summer is too hot, then the flower should be regularly watered.
Saxifrage is resistant to many diseases, afraid of only rot. Fighting this disease is very difficult, and in some cases even impossible. The affected bush can be saved by cuttings, choosing healthy parts and discarding rotten ones.