When to plant and how to grow asters from seeds

Asters have won the hearts of many gardeners due to their attractive appearance and not very difficult care. Many decide to grow asters from seeds, but do not know when to plant them. In order for the flowers to please their long and plentiful flowering, it is important to provide them with the most comfortable conditions for growth and life. And, of course, you can’t do without special care for the plant. What flower beds bloom all summer.

Sowing dates

Growing asters from seeds usually begins in late March or early April, when the weather outside the window is more or less stable, and the ground is warm enough for the seeds to live. If you sow seeds of aster immediately in open ground, then you need to do this a little later, in late April or early May, or in late autumn, when the ground is already frozen.

If you sow seeds in the spring, then the place on the garden should be prepared in the autumn. As soon as the seeds are in the ground, they should be covered with special material in two layers. To harden the plant, cover should be removed, provided that the street is calm and the temperature does not drop below 7 degrees. To completely remove the shelter, you must wait for the May days.

If you plant seeds for seedlings before sowing in open ground, it will take about 1.5 months. So, for example, sowing seeds of aster on seedlings on March 25, you can get seedlings by May 20-25. The time from sunrise to flowering of this flower is 80-140 days. If you want the flowers to bloom even earlier, then you should start sowing in March. Information on when to plant asters for growing from seeds is usually indicated on the packaging. When open roses after winter.

In order for astra seedlings to feel comfortable, appropriate soil should be prepared for it. Namely, it should be light, loose, with humus. To prepare the ground for the aster, you need to mix three parts of turf land, 2 parts of peat and one part of river sand, and also add 2 large tablespoons of wood ash. This soil mixture should be poured in equal amounts in containers for seedlings.

It is not always possible to mix the soil yourself. In this case, there is an alternative: take the finished soil mixture and add ash and sand to it. If the soil is prepared correctly, then the risk that the plant becomes sick is reduced to a minimum. But, just in case, you can treat the soil with a weak solution of potassium permanganate.

Sowing and germination

Since the seeds of aster are large enough, they can be decomposed less frequently in the container. Before burying seeds in the ground, it must be watered. Seeds burrow into moist soil to a depth of not more than one centimeter. Then, the containers should be covered with cellophane, so that the plant does not dry out, and put in a bright place. In order for the first seedlings to appear as early as possible, it is important to ensure that the soil is moist, but not overfilled, otherwise the plant will begin to rot. Also, it is necessary to observe the temperature regime, the optimum temperature for seedlings is 18-20 degrees.

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Important! As soon as the first seedlings become noticeable, the containers with seedlings must be rearranged closer to the window, where it is light and cool.

When the first two full leaflets appear, seedlings can be transplanted into separate cups. Flower seedlings are quite fragile, but have a weak spot in the transition from the stem to the spine. Therefore, before transplanting them into glasses, it is necessary to water the soil abundantly, and after 30 minutes, with the help of a match, take out the asters and transplant them into already prepared glasses.

Rules for the care of seedlings and transplantation in open ground

Growing asters from seedswhen to plant (photos and videos) have already figured out. But how to care for the plant and plant it in open ground? Asters are not watered often, but it is plentiful. In cups or pots where seedlings sprout, there should be a good drainage system so that excess moisture can safely go away.

If the soil for seedlings is prepared correctly, then it is not necessary to fertilize the soil for the period of seedling growth. Before planting a plant in open ground, it must be prepared for this. Namely, to begin to temper the flower. To do this, take out the cups with seedlings in fresh air, each time increasing the time spent in “open” conditions.

Asters: growing from seeds, when to plant in open ground in Siberia and other regions? The most suitable time for most regions is mid and late May. But, after sowing, the plant needs shelter until the first days of June. Plant a plant at a distance of 20 centimeters from each other. Astra branches well, abundantly and luxuriantly blooms, therefore, no "gaps" in the garden, even at this distance, are not formed. A place for aster flowers must be prepared sunny, and the land is non-acidic.

Important! Before planting asters in open ground, it is not tedious to add fresh manure to it.

In general, aster is an unpretentious plant, but loves a friable earth. Therefore, periodically the soil needs to be loosened independently.

How to care for asters in the open ground

• Astra loves light and tolerates cold well. It grows best in non-acidic, loamy soil. In order for the aster to bloom magnificently, one must choose a place for it where the shadow does not fall.
• Asters can tolerate frosts if the temperature does not drop below -5 degrees. But the flower does not like heat and drought, such conditions adversely affect the growth of the plant.
• When an aster grows in open ground, it must be regularly weeded, fed, and protected from pests and various diseases. It is also important to water the flower correctly.
• The plant is watered at the root without raising the watering can and the watering hose high.
• It is necessary to fertilize the plant for the first time when the budding period begins, ready-made complexes of mineral fertilizers suitable for this can be purchased at a gardening store.
• The second feeding is carried out when the flower buds begin to form. The exact same fertilizer as the first time will do.

Advice! A good fertilizer for asters is wood ash, which contains many trace elements necessary for the full growth of asters.

Astrochki bloom after 3.4 months from the moment of planting the seeds. Flowering continues until the onset of severe cold. If you provide the aster with all the necessary conditions for growth and development, it will certainly delight with its beautiful, bright buds and will become a favorite decoration of any flower bed!