Growing indoor plants is a very interesting hobby. In addition, flowers help create coziness in the house, improve the microclimate and purify the air.
Growing a real beautiful flower from a small seed is not so simple, it requires a lot of effort and knowledge. This article describes in detail how to grow a house flower from seeds, which house flowers can be planted with seeds, and all that is connected with this.
What house plants can be grown independently from seeds
Almost all flowering indoor plants produce seeds, which means that they can be grown at home. Home flower seeds can be purchased at a specialty store or collected directly from a flower.
What flowers are easy to grow from seeds at home? Many flower growers agree that it is easy to grow from seeds: pelargonium (geranium), begonia, orchid, gloxinia, cyclamen, passionflower, abutilon, adenium.
But at home you can grow not only flowering plants, but also flowers with decorative foliage: these are various palm trees (Washington, chamerops, hoveya, chamedorea), dracaena, Chinese bamboo, coleus, cyperus, bottle tree.
Various succulents can also be grown from seeds: cactus, agave, aloe, hechtia, bergerantus, sansevieria, gasteria, haworthia. These plants are considered highly ornamental, and their seeds are very rare.
When plants are grown from seeds, they become more adapted to the conditions in a particular apartment, that is, to lighting, heat and humidity. That is why those plants that were bought and brought into the house as adults, often die due to a sharp change in conditions.
There are other positive aspects in growing indoor plants from seeds, for example, splitting of decorative characters. And, as a result, the difference between the grown individuals from the mother. From the seeds of home flowers you can grow a unique geranium, begonia or rose.
Sowing preparation
Sowing seeds is usually done in shallow containers or pots. On average, the depth of the container should be 6-8 cm, the width will depend on the number of seeds. If the containers are new, you don’t need to disinfect them, but if they were previously grown in something, then they need to be thoroughly washed and treated. Processing can be carried out with a solution of potassium permanganate, or with the help of an alcohol-containing disinfecting spray. You can also wipe with antibacterial wet wipes.
In advance, several drainage holes should be made at the bottom of the container. In order for seeds of domestic flowers to germinate better, it is important to provide them with an optimal microclimate, for this, immediately after sowing, the containers should be covered with film or glass. Therefore, choosing containers for sowing, it is better to think about this in advance.
It is not worth using fragile and brittle plastic food containers for sowing, as they quickly decompose under the influence of humidity and load, and some seeds of perennial domestic flowers germinate for a very long time, several months.
Soil for pets
It is best to germinate the seeds in a specialized soil for a particular plant. It can be bought at a potted seed store. This is the easiest and most reliable option, but there is another one - to prepare the soil yourself. To do this, you need to take sand, peat and garden soil in equal proportions. A 2 cm drainage layer is laid at the bottom of the container. It can be expanded clay, vermiculite, pebbles, sandstone, broken brick. The soil itself is poured on top, which then needs to be well moistened.
If the soil mixture is prepared independently, then before sowing it must be decontaminated. You can put the soil in a heat-resistant container and bake it in the oven for 3-4 hours, or spill the soil with boiling water, or treat it with a solution of manganese. Ready soil is laid in containers, leaving 2-3 cm to the top edge.
Seed preparation
You can buy already prepared seeds treated with growth stimulants, nutrients, and pest protection products. You can buy them in a specialized store or order indoor flower seeds by mail. Such seeds do not need additional preparation. In addition, they can not be soaked.
Planting material, collected independently, needs special preparation: rejection, sorting, disinfection, stratification, heating, soaking and germination. If the seeds of domestic flowers have a dense shell, then they will need a scarification, that is, it must be carefully destroyed.
Seed preparation begins in December-January, so that in February-March they are already sowing.
Screening and sorting seeds
Screening of seeds is carried out in a solution of salt, the water temperature should be 37-38 degrees. Indoor seeds are placed in color in a solution and lightly stirred. After that, empty and inconspicuous will come up, and high-quality ones will be at the bottom.
Of the seeds that were at the bottom, for sowing, you need to choose the most complete and large grains.
Plant material disinfection
To disinfect the seeds, they must be placed in a solution of potassium permanganate for half an hour or treated with hydrogen peroxide. This procedure kills harmful microorganisms located in the seminal membranes. It is especially important to get rid of microscopic fungi, due to which plants die in the initial period of growth. Therefore, disinfection is important and should be carried out.
Stratification
If you are not sure about the germination of the seed, then you can stratify the seeds of flowers at home. This stimulates seed germination and is harmless to most plants. The procedure itself is as follows: in a plastic bag you need to put clean wet sand, put seeds in it and leave this mixture on the bottom shelf of the refrigerator. Stratification can take 10 to 45 days.
Warming up
This procedure accelerates seed germination by 4-10 days. You can warm the seeds of indoor plants both in dry form and in water. In the first version, they need to be hung in a fabric bag close to the heating devices for 10-15 days. In the second case, the seeds are placed in hot water, and left in a thermos for a day. The water temperature should be around 50 degrees.
Germination
Germination of flower seeds at home begins with soaking. This is especially important after dry heating. Pour water at room temperature into a flat container and place the seeds there for 1-3 days.
During soaking, the seed coat swells, and the sprouts hatch much easier and faster. The denser the seeds, the longer they need to be soaked. When soaking, water must be changed after 3-4 hours.
Germinate seeds of indoor plants in wet tissue. Here you need to ensure that the fabric does not dry. Immediately after the seeds hatch, they can be sown. No need to wait until the sprouts in the tissue grow large - they can mess up and break off.
Sowing seeds
When planting seeds, the depth of sowing is very important - the germination of seeds depends on this. The sowing depth will depend on the size of the seeds themselves. If the seeds are more than 2 mm in diameter, then to calculate the depth of sowing, you need to multiply the diameter of the seed by two. Moreover, if the soil is heavy, then the depth can be slightly reduced, and if the soil is light - slightly increased.
Small seeds, with a diameter of up to 2 mm, do not need to be covered with soil at all. On the contrary, some plants germinate in the light; these are pelargonium and petunia.
Very small seeds of indoor flowers for sowing are mixed with sand. You can also mix such seeds with a lighthouse culture, such as radish. Radishes emerge in 4-5 days, and clearly indicate the rows of flowers. When the flowers begin to emerge, the radish should be removed from the rows.
Dive Seedlings of Flowers
Indoor plants come in different ways, usually from 7 days to 1 month. When the plant has real leaves (1-3), then the seedlings need to be dived.
Indoor flowers are best planted immediately in separate containers or pots. After transplanting, the plants will begin to grow stronger and grow faster. If the plant stops growing, and the plant itself withers with proper care, then it is better to throw it away.
An individual container is selected for each plant so that the roots feel free, and from the edges of the container there is still 3-4 cm of free space.
Too large containers, too, do not need to be taken, since moisture can stagnate in it and rot the roots. Prepare and fill the container with soil in the same way as during the sowing of seeds.
Follow-up care
After transplanting plants into individual containers, the expectation of the first flowering begins. Perennial flowers grown from seeds bloom later than vegetatively propagated. Sometimes the first flowering will have to wait 3-4 years.
In the first year of cultivation, plants need to be regularly watered, loosen the soil and feed at least twice. In early summer, flowers need to be fed with humate-based fertilizer, and potash fertilizers will be needed by winter. Intermediate dressing can be carried out with special fertilizers for a specific type of plant.
By winter, watering reduces and reduces the amount of sunlight. With the onset of the spring period, plants will need more light, a special lamp will help provide additional lighting. Today you can buy a specialized phytolamp with red-blue light to further stimulate plant growth. Nfre. the phytolamp needs to be turned on for only 1-2 hours a day. In summer, flowers can be taken out onto the balcony or loggia for air and sun bathing.
Several plants that can be grown at home from seeds
- Adenium - is a striking representative of the kutrov family. This succulent has a strong trunk, grows up to 50 cm at home. Having created favorable conditions for adenium seeds, they will give good shoots. To create the necessary conditions, you need to constantly heat the seeds sown. The temperature of the soil with seeds should be kept around 25-29 degrees. Adenium seeds of a delicate brownish color, look like small straws. This indoor flower will please gardeners with its rapid growth.
- Plumeria Plumeria is a tropical plant, characterized by amazing beauty and pleasant aroma. It is possible to grow plumeria at home from seeds only if the seeds are planted correctly and the plant is properly cared for. Plumeria grows quite high, at home can reach 2 meters. This plant is best grown in conservatories and greenhouses. Plumeria seeds germinate well under the same conditions as adenium seeds.
- Date fruit. A date is easy to grow at home from its own seeds. But here you need to remember that the fruits of such a plant can not wait. The date is a big palm tree, but it grows well both at home, and in the office or greenhouse. Date seeds sprout quickly, the first sprouts can appear in a week.
- Passionflower. Passiflora is a vine that is also easy to grow at home. To grow passionflower from seeds, you need to properly prepare the soil: mix peat, humus and leafy soil, calcine this mixture in the oven for 10 minutes and let it cool. It is also important that the seeds are fresh - the percentage of germination will be greater.
- Pelargonium. Pelargonium is a perennial flower of the geranium family. This plant can be grown even by a novice, observing the basic requirements of sowing and subsequent care. Seeds for sowing are easy to buy in a regular garden store, while you can choose varietal pelargonium.
Growing houseplants from seeds is a very interesting activity, especially since the seeds are now freely available. You can easily buy them at the store or order potted seeds by mail. Perhaps the cultivation itself will bring a little trouble, but experimenting with new plants is very exciting.