Growing aster from seeds - from sowing to flowering! How long does it take for aster seeds to hatch?

Growing aster from seeds - from sowing to flowering.
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This flower occupies a special place in my front garden. My grandmother loved it very much and her asters always bloomed by September. She simply sowed them in the ground, and then planted them in the flowerbed. They bloomed late, but still made us happy. The flowers were the simplest - pink and purple. Now there are many varieties of this flower. They are varied in petal shape, color, and plant height. Now I no longer sow aster directly into the ground; I want it to bloom earlier. To do this, you need to grow asters at home with seedlings.

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When to sow asters - timing of sowing seeds
Asters vary in flowering time:
- Early ones bloom 90 days after germination,
- Average - after 110 days,
- Varieties late date flowering - after 130 days.
They usually bloom until frost. These beauties are not afraid of the cold, so seedlings can be planted in the Urals in May. It is desirable that by the time of planting in open ground the seedlings should be one month old, small, about 6 cm, with good roots.

Taking into account all this knowledge, determine the sowing time. I always sow aster in early April at home. You can also sow seeds in the greenhouse at this time.

If you have space on the windows or a heated greenhouse, you can sow aster in March. But there is no need to do this even earlier. The seedlings will be drawn to the light, which is still not enough, they will become thinner, fall down and then wither. I had such an experience.
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Sowing

Aster seeds are quite large and can be spread out sparingly. I sow first in small containers, then plant them in separate cups or small boxes. Astra is not afraid of transplantation; it grows its root system in a spacious pot.

You can buy the soil or prepare it yourself. I usually take it garden soil, I add humus, purchased soil, ash, or sand. To make it work light soil, well permeable to air and water.

Aster seeds quickly lose their viability; it is better to take them completely fresh. In the second year, half of the seeds may not sprout.

I sow the seeds to a depth of about 1 cm. I water it and put the container in a bag, and after a few days shoots appear. I put it immediately closer to the window so that it is light and cool.

As soon as real leaves appear, you can plant them. Aster seedlings are strong, but fragile at the junction of the stem and the root. Therefore, first we wet the soil well, and after half an hour you can carefully remove the small asters with a match or a toothpick and plant them in prepared large cups.
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Caring for seedlings at home

Asters are watered infrequently, but abundantly. Containers for seedlings must have drainage so that excess water could have drained. You can’t fill the aster with water, otherwise you might get sick. black leg and die.

Seedlings usually grow well. If you have prepared good soil before sowing, there is no point in using fertilizers. But if the soil is poor, you can water your seedlings with biofertilizer a week after transplanting. You can pour infusion of ash.

There is no need to get carried away with nitrogen fertilizers. Otherwise, there will be huge green bushes, and flowering will come later and will not please you at all with quality.
Planting seedlings and care

In a normal Ural spring, aster seedlings can be transplanted outside in mid-to-late May. But in order for young plants to withstand replanting and possible cold snaps well, they must be hardened off. In early April, begin to take the seedlings outside. If growing in a greenhouse, open the doors on warm days.

Usually in April, almost all of my seedlings move to the veranda. I only bring it home if frost is expected.
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She loves a sunny place, non-acidic, fertile soil. Asters are not planted with fresh manure!

I plant tall cutting asters at a distance of 25-30 cm from each other. They branch well and form many shoots with flowers. I plant low, border ones closer, about 15-20 cm from each other. Then, growing, they bloom in a continuous carpet.

Groups of flowers of the same color look interesting. And low ones can be planted with different colors, there will be a variegated border or an island. For the beautiful lush flowering remove old flowers in a timely manner.

A week after planting the seedlings, I water it with ash infusion or biofertilizer. Spring and early summer are dry, and we don’t get much rain. In order not to constantly run around with a watering can, immediately after watering the flowers, mulch them with hay, grass, sawdust, and wood chips. This will reduce the work of both weeding and loosening. And for good flowering Asters need to be loosened frequently. Although in general it is a very unpretentious flower.

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Possible difficulties with growing seedlings:

- The asters have not sprouted at all or are growing poorly and are dying. Sow again, don't waste time. Check the expiration date of store-bought seeds - make sure they are fresh. Try soaking your seeds for a day in ash (a spoon in a glass of water) or aloe juice (diluted in half with water). And be sure to change the soil, disinfect it with pink potassium permanganate or a biofungicide (for example: Fitosporin-M).
- Asters suffer from fusarium. To do this, do not fertilize them with manure! And do not plant after nightshades (tomatoes, potatoes, physalis). You cannot plant asters after gladioli, carnations, tulips, gillyflowers and yourself!
- The aster develops incomplete inflorescences - perhaps it suffers from spider mite or aphids. Or the plant does not have enough nutrition. If care is not taken care of, defective flowers may also appear.

Asters are considered a very popular plant today. They have very beautiful bloom, and retain their decorative properties for a long time. Flowers can decorate both flower beds and cut bouquets. Also in Ancient Greece asters were considered a kind of amulet, so they were planted in front of a house or temple. Today, the crop has begun to be grown almost everywhere, both at home and in parks.

Description and varieties

Currently, aster is presented in a wide variety of species and varieties. Each of them has its own growing conditions and varietal characteristics.

Dwarf

This type of asters is considered the most popular. The height of the bush reaches 30-150 cm. Use dwarf plants for decoration alpine slide, rockeries and borders. The size of flowers can be 3 mm. Flowering can be observed from September until frost.

The following varieties are considered the most popular:

American

This type of aster is characterized by a lush and dense bush. It has large leaves and flowers. In the month of September, inflorescences form on it. Their size reaches 3-4 mm. Can accept red, pink, lilac, blue and lilac shade. The most common varieties remain:

Italian

These asters are perennial. They form a medium-sized bush, the height of which reaches 60-70 cm. It has large inflorescences, the size of which is 4-5 cm. Flowering can be observed in July. The colors of the flowers are lilac, blue and lavender. The following varieties are considered popular:

Do I need to soak the seeds?

Before planting planting material, it must be carefully prepared. Treat the seeds that were collected on the site with a fungicide or manganese. Take a couple of potassium permanganate crystals per 100 ml of water. Stir thoroughly and add 100 ml of water to the resulting solution.

Thus, you will receive a 0.5% solution of potassium permanganate. Pour it into a container and place a cloth. Pour planting material onto it. Make sure it is completely immersed in the solution. After 25 minutes, remove the napkin and rinse the seeds in clean water.

Video shows soaking Aster flower seeds:

How to germinate seeds

In order to grow seedlings, you need to prepare a container and substrate. You can buy it in a specialized store. Before sowing, water the soil, then send the planting material, pressing it a little into the wet sand. Bury the seeds to a depth of 0.5-1 cm. Cover the top of the crops with film and place the container in warm room. By following these measures, seed germination increases.

Be sure to control the soil moisture level. If there is excess water, the seedlings may die. To grow seedlings must be observed temperature regime 18-20 degrees.

As soon as the first shoots form, the container should be placed closer to the window. The room should be cool and light. As soon as 2-3 leaves are formed, pick. This happens on the 10th day of sowing the seeds. Further cultivation seedlings occur at a temperature of 13-15 degrees.

How long does it take for seeds to germinate?

It is simply impossible to give a definite answer to this question. It all depends on when the seeds were planted. Most often, seedlings need to be observed after 4-10 days. But this is provided that fresh planting material, which is no more than 2 years old, was used for this purpose. But when sowing old seeds, it is necessary to observe seedlings no earlier than 8-15 days. At the same time, on the 15th day, individual germination is observed. Here's what daisy seeds look like and how to plant them. This will help you understand

How to care

Astra is ornamental plant, which loves light and can withstand cold. But you can grow aster on acidic, black soil or sandy loam soils. The area should be well lit. The soil for plants is prepared in advance. To do this, you need to add a bucket of humus mixed with river sand per 1 m2.

The crop is able to tolerate light spring and autumn frosts. But dry and hot weather have a detrimental effect on the growth and development of asters.

When caring for asters in open ground It is necessary to take care of regular watering, loosening and fertilizing. You cannot fertilize the crop with manure. But water at the root of the bush, without getting on the leaf part.

Apply the first fertilizers before the buds begin to form. For these purposes they use mineral fertilizers. The most commonly used drugs are Agricola-7 and Flower. For 10 liters of water there are 3-4 liters. This is enough for 1 m2. In spring you can add organic fertilizers. And also water flowers, but this will help you understand how to do this using sprinklers for watering.

Video on how to care for flowers:

Apply further fertilizing when the first flowers begin to bloom. Best used wood ash. It contains a large number of microelements, which is extremely important for plant development.

Flowering can be observed 3-4 months after planting the seeds. This will last until severe cold. After watering the plant, it cannot be immediately cut for a vase, otherwise the bush will lose its decorative effect.

What to do if the seeds do not germinate

When planting planting material, situations arise when it does not sprout. This happens because some gardeners make a number of mistakes, including:

1. Using seeds that have passed their expiration date. When purchasing planting material, you need to make sure that it is of high quality. Improper storage also affects seed germination.
2. When buying seeds, you must immediately prepare yourself for the fact that the plants shown in the picture do not always grow from them. It is best to purchase products from a trusted manufacturer.
3. There are some varieties of aster, the seeds of which must be processed before planting. Simply digging them into the ground and burying them will not be enough. Processing involves breaking the shell and stratification.
4. If, when planting seeds, you forgot to water them or buried them too deeply, they may not sprout. In this case, the planting material will have to be planted again, otherwise the desired result will not be achieved.

In the video - collecting Astra seeds:

How to Collect and Clean Your Aster Seeds

in fact, collecting aster seeds at home is very difficult. The reason is that each plant variety has its own ripening time. Taking into account weather conditions The harvest time may be delayed or the seeds simply will not have time to ripen. It is necessary to cut asters from the site and place them in a vase for ripening.

You can dig up the bush and carefully transplant it into a flower pot. Aster is one of those plants that tolerate transplantation well. Due to home warmth its seeds will be able to ripen. It is necessary to wait 15-20 days for the planting material to ripen, but the temperature will be 15-20 degrees.

When the flowers fade, carefully cut them off and place them in a paper bag. In it they will be at a temperature of 3-5 degrees Celsius. If these conditions are met, the seed will be preserved until spring and will allow for high germination.

How much are

It must be noted that seeds obtained from one’s own plot cannot convey the characteristics of the parent crop variety. So it is better to purchase planting material in a specialized store. Thus, you will be able to obtain high-quality planting material that will not require pre-treatment. You can buy seeds for 33-39 rubles.

Aster is a perennial crop with which you can get incredibly beautiful flower arrangements Location on. And although caring for the plant is not difficult, it is still necessary to pay due attention to the crop in terms of watering, loosening and fertilizing.

Growing aster from seeds - from sowing to flowering. ====== This flower occupies a special place in my front garden. My grandmother loved it very much and her asters always bloomed by September. She simply sowed them in the ground, and then planted them in the flowerbed. They bloomed late, but still made us happy. The flowers were the simplest - pink and purple. Now there are many varieties of this flower. They are varied in petal shape, color, and plant height. Now I no longer sow aster directly into the ground; I want it to bloom earlier. To do this, you need to grow asters at home with seedlings. Aster seeds in the catalog http://vse-rastet.ru/catalog/69/ ---- When to sow asters - timing of sowing seeds Asters differ in terms of flowering: - Early varieties bloom 90 days after germination, - Medium varieties - after 110 days, - Late flowering varieties - after 130 days. They usually bloom until frost. These beauties are not afraid of the cold, so seedlings can be planted in the Urals in May. It is desirable that by the time of planting in open ground the seedlings should be one month old, small, about 6 cm, with good roots. Taking into account all this knowledge, determine the sowing time. I always sow aster in early April at home. You can also sow seeds in the greenhouse at this time. If you have space on the windows or a heated greenhouse, you can sow aster in March. But there is no need to do this even earlier. The seedlings will be drawn to the light, which is still not enough, they will become thinner, fall down and then wither. I had such an experience. --- Sowing Aster seeds are quite large, they can be spread out sparser. I sow first in small containers, then plant them in separate cups or small boxes. Astra is not afraid of transplantation; it grows its root system in a spacious pot. You can buy the soil or prepare it yourself. I usually take garden soil, add humus, purchased soil, ash, or maybe sand. To create a light soil that allows air and water to pass through well. Aster seeds quickly lose their viability; it is better to take them completely fresh. In the second year, half of the seeds may not sprout. I sow the seeds to a depth of about 1 cm. I water it and put the container in a bag, and after a few days shoots appear. I put it immediately closer to the window so that it is light and cool. As soon as real leaves appear, you can plant them. Aster seedlings are strong, but fragile at the junction of the stem and the root. Therefore, first we wet the soil well, and after half an hour you can carefully remove the small asters with a match or a toothpick and plant them in prepared large cups. -- Caring for seedlings at home Asters are watered infrequently, but abundantly. Containers for seedlings must have drainage so that excess water can drain. You cannot fill the aster with water, otherwise you may get sick with blackleg and die. Seedlings usually grow well. If you have prepared good soil before sowing, then there is no point in using fertilizers. But if the soil is poor, you can water your seedlings with biofertilizer a week after transplanting. You can pour infusion of ash. There is no need to get carried away with nitrogen fertilizers. Otherwise, there will be huge green bushes, and flowering will come later and will not please you at all with quality. Planting seedlings and care In a normal Ural spring, aster seedlings can be transplanted outside in mid-to-late May. But in order for young plants to withstand replanting and possible cold snaps well, they must be hardened off. In early April, begin to take the seedlings outside. If growing in a greenhouse, open the doors on warm days. Usually in April, almost all of my seedlings move to the veranda. I only bring it home if frost is expected. --- She loves a sunny place, non-acidic, fertile soil. Asters are not planted with fresh manure! I plant tall cutting asters at a distance of 25-30 cm from each other. They branch well and form many shoots with flowers. I plant low, border ones closer, about 15-20 cm from each other. Then, growing, they bloom in a continuous carpet. Groups of flowers of the same color look interesting. And low ones can be planted with different colors, there will be a variegated border or an island. For beautiful lush flowering, remove old flowers in time. A week after planting the seedlings, I water it with ash infusion or biofertilizer. Spring and early summer are dry, and we don’t get much rain. In order not to constantly run around with a watering can, immediately after watering the flowers, mulch them with hay, grass, sawdust, and wood chips. This will reduce the work of both weeding and loosening. And for good flowering, asters need to be loosened often. Although in general it is a very unpretentious flower. --- Possible difficulties with growing seedlings: - Asters have not sprouted at all or are growing poorly and die. Sow again, don't waste time. Check the expiration date of store-bought seeds to make sure they are fresh. Try soaking your seeds for a day in ash (a spoon in a glass of water) or aloe juice (diluted in half with water). And be sure to change the soil, disinfect it with pink potassium permanganate or a biofungicide (for example: Fitosporin-M). - Asters suffer from fusarium. To do this, do not fertilize them with manure! And do not plant after nightshades (tomatoes, potatoes, physalis). You cannot plant asters after gladioli, carnations, tulips, gillyflowers and yourself! - The aster develops incomplete inflorescences - perhaps it suffers from spider mites or aphids. Or the plant does not have enough nutrition. If care is not taken care of, defective flowers may also appear. Aster seeds in the catalog

Astra – unique, unpretentious autumn plant, which amazes absolutely everyone without exception with its beauty. The flower got its name from the Greek word for “star”. Today there are about eight hundred varieties of these beauties. Terry varieties, having many petals, resembling a hemisphere, varieties with wavy, curved or straight petals, as well as a wide range of colors... This variety will help you choose ideal variety, which will decorate the flowerbed and will suit your taste.

When do the seeds germinate?

Many gardeners are interested in how many days it takes for asters to sprout. It is impossible to answer this question unequivocally, since much depends on the planting process itself. Average this process occurs in four to ten days. However, this is provided that fresh seeds were used, no older than two years old. Old seeds germinate in eight to fifteen days. Moreover, on the fifteenth day they sprout individually. If during this period they have not sprouted, it is recommended to replant the flower, since your efforts were in vain. Planting depth is also of great importance. Experts recommend deepening them into the ground no more than half a centimeter.

One should also take into account the fact that the larger the seeds, the better they germinate. The same seeds that were grown on your site have excellent immunity to fusarium diseases. To accelerate growth and enhance protection, it is recommended to soak them in a light solution of potassium permanganate before planting. As an alternative, formaldehyde can be used.

Why didn't the seeds sprout?

Seeds may not germinate due to many reasons. The most common mistakes that block their growth are:

1. Expired seed expiration date. When buying seeds, make sure that their expiration date has not yet passed. Remember that if stored incorrectly, it may shrink.
2. "Bad" seeds. When purchasing a bag of seeds from an unknown manufacturer, you should not hope that they will grow as beautiful as in the picture. In most cases, such a product does not sprout.
3. Special processing. There are a number of aster seeds that require special processing. Thus, simply burying it in the ground and watering it will not be enough. Treatment may involve breaking the shell (the procedure is performed using a blade or sandpaper), stratification, etc. Therefore, before planting, be sure to read the instructions.
4. Incorrect landing. If you forget to water the seeds or bury them too deep, they may not sprout. In this case, you need to sow them again, otherwise you will not get the desired result.

As you can see, planting seeds must be approached responsibly, following the recommendations of experts. Only this will help you avoid the death of the plant and enjoy it in the future. unusual appearance and the subtle aroma of flowers.

One of the most common types of annual flowers in dachas and personal plots is , planting and care in open ground it is not particularly difficult to follow.

Currently, there are over 800 varieties of this crop. Based on the type of inflorescences, they can be divided into the following groups:

• simple or not terry;
• semi-double;
• terry;
• densely double.

Asters are also classified according to the shape of the bush:

• pyramidal;
• columnar;
• oval;
• spreading.

The varietal diversity of this flower is impressive. So, how and when to sow asters?

Sowing time

The timing of sowing asters largely depends on growing conditions and climatic features region. To get more early flowering It is recommended to grow them through seedlings. Plants sown immediately in the ground or before winter will bloom much later.

Aster seeds very quickly lose their viability. Therefore, when purchasing them, you must pay attention to the expiration date and choose only the freshest seed material.

Beginning gardeners very often ask: how many asters sprout? If the seeds are fresh and of high quality, and the conditions are favorable, then the emergence of seedlings takes only a few days. In cases of a significant drop in temperature when sowing in the ground or insufficient humidity, the emergence of seedlings may be delayed up to 7-10 days. There is no point in waiting for sprouts to appear after this time.

Growing seedlings

Growing aster seedlings is not particularly difficult. At seedling method sowing is carried out in mid-March in light and sufficiently nutritious soil. For example, you can use peat soil to grow seedlings of flower and vegetable crops. Optimal temperature for germination of aster seeds +20°C.

After emergence of seedlings, it is reduced to 15-18°. This prevents the seedlings from being pulled out. Aster seedlings are not particularly demanding. It is enough to loosen and water young plants in time.

When sowing densely in the phase of 2-3 true leaves, you can pick them.

Planting seedlings in open ground

Inexperienced gardeners very often ask: when to plant asters in open ground and are they afraid of return frosts? Planting begins when warm, stable weather arrives. In most regions this time falls at the beginning of May. In colder and rainier weather, these dates may shift by a week or even two. In general, aster seedlings can safely tolerate frosts down to -3°, so after planting they do not require additional shelter.

To improve the survival rate of plants in open ground, they must be hardened off for a week before planting.

Now we have learned how and when to plant asters, now we just have to deal with subsequent care.

Outdoor care

Growing aster in open ground is not particularly difficult. Open, well-lit areas with well-drained soil are best suited for planting. Also, this crop grows and develops best when protected from cold northern winds.

Among the main care measures annual aster It is worth noting timely weeding, loosening the soil, etc. It is also worth knowing that when growing this crop, you should not overly thicken the plantings. This will lead to the occurrence of various fungal diseases.

Planting and caring for aster in open ground is impossible without fertilizing. Especially if the plants are grown for later cutting into bouquets. The plants are fed for the first time two weeks after planting the seedlings. For this purpose complex ones are used. The second feeding is carried out during the budding phase. For it, it is best to choose fertilizers with a high content of phosphorus and potassium. The asters are fed the third time after flowering begins.

Under no circumstances should fresh manure or other organic matter be used to feed asters. Their use can contribute to the appearance of fungal diseases.

Abundant and long flowering Asters are also promoted by regular removal of fading inflorescences. With systematic pruning, plants retain their decorative qualities until late autumn.

Planting an annual aster and subsequently caring for it in the open ground does not require any special skills and is available to anyone. The main thing is to give the plants due attention and provide appropriate care. And then they will definitely thank you with an abundance of large and bright inflorescences and a long flowering period.