Gypsophila paniculata is a plant that needs a fairly long daylight. This type of plant requires 13-14 hours of sunlight per day for flowering, so you need to use additional lighting to create such conditions. Only after the gypsophila has developed at least 12 pairs of leaves, this plant will bloom. But sometimes the flowering of gypsophila occurs during 3-5 weeks of short light days. To achieve high productivity, this plant must be planted in the spring.
Gypsophila planting is preferably carried out in the soil, which passes moisture well, and also contains 1-2% humus. In addition, gypsophila cultivation involves the presence of lime in the soil. Before planting the plant, you need to spread lime on the soil, and also make sure that the pH of the soil varies from 6.3 to 6.7. An addition of potassium mineral fertilizer is needed if flower cultivation is provided for in open ground. This procedure is required to be carried out regularly throughout the flowering period.
It is recommended to plant a plant in open ground in two rows, observing a distance between the seedling bushes of at least 70 centimeters, and between rows - at least 130 centimeters. When planting gypsophila in one row, the distance between adjacent rows should be 170 cm, and the distance between the plants in the same row should be 50 cm.Two years after planting, every second bush must be transplanted so that one square meter per plant bush. Thereby they achieve the best quality of the flower. After digging up the plant, you need to cool its roots and only then plant the bush in another place.
If the planting of gypsophila is carried out in closed ground, it is allowed to plant a plant of 5 pieces per one square meter. The main thing is to arrange the beds in two rows, maintaining a distance of 40-50 centimeters between them. Similar gypsophila cultivation is carried out using an installation of 30x30 grids at a distance of 0.3-0.4 m from the ground. When planting gypsophila, it should also be ensured that the root system of the plant is in a sufficiently moistened substrate, and the root neck is not deepened.
Gypsophila cultivation requires very careful watering. After planting, watering is carried out, taking into account the time of year. Before flowering, the plant needs a large amount of moisture. In summer, the gypsophila is watered every 2-3 days with a calculation of 4-5 liters of water per square meter, in the winter it is watered every 7-10 days with the calculation of the water 0.5-1 liter per square meter. The flowers of the plant are quite delicate, therefore it is possible to water it from above only until bushes have formed. It will not be superfluous to add mineral fertilizers when watering in a small concentration.
During the growth of gypsophila shoots, cultivation requires compliance with the temperature regime, namely 16-18 degrees. When it blooms, the ambient temperature should be 12-13 degrees. In order to achieve gypsophila bloom in the absence of sufficient natural light, it is necessary to additionally illuminate the plant artificially before dawn or after sunset. Aperture at the plant level should reach 80-100 lux. This can be achieved by hanging a 100-200 volt bulb 1.8 m above the plant. For well-developed plants, another lighting method is also suitable, which often uses poultus cultivation: 10 min. light, 20 min. the darkness.
After the gypsophila has faded (in the open ground), in the autumn it is necessary to cut the stems. If it bloomed in the spring, it is necessary to cut the stems so that it bloomed again in the fall. It is necessary to cut the stem so that 3-4 cm of the vegetative part remains on the roots. Before such pruning, the soil should not be watered. The stem must be dry. With the growth of new stems, the amount of moisture and minerals should gradually increase in the roots of the plant. Subject to this condition, new branches develop quite durable.
After the flowers open on the stems, 70-80% of the gypsophila are considered ripe. The tops open first, so cut them first, and then the rest of the branch, when all the flowers blossom. Immediately after cutting, the flowers must be put in water or in a solution with a preservative.