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Do you want to learn how to grow aster from seed, but think it’s too hard and time-consuming?
Are you afraid that you’ll accidentally kill your aster seed ?
Are you worried that aster from seed needs enough space and weather?
Wherever you are in the world is yours You can easily plant an orange tree at home by learning how to make this aster from seed.
Aster justly earned universal recognition due to its exceptional diversity: bushes from miniature to giant ones are decorated with inflorescences of various shapes in all colors and shades. Aster varieties with a compact bush shape are used in curbs, and tall asters are great in flower beds, rivaling chrysanthemums. Aster blooms 3-3.5 months after sowing, so it is better to grow it through seedlings. In this article you will Learn step by step how to grow aster from seed
Sowing annual asters for seedlings
Aster seeds quickly lose their germination, so only fresh seeds should be used for sowing. Sowing asters for seedlings is early April. For sowing, you can use ready-made soil by adding washed sand (0.5 parts of sand to 5 parts of soil). Experienced flower growers prepare a soil mixture for the aster on their own. To do this, you need to thoroughly mix peat , turf or garden soil , washed sand (2: 1: 0.5), adding 0.5 cups of wood ash or 1-2 tablespoons of dolomite flour for every 5 liters of soil mixture.
After that, the mixture must be sieved and steamed for an hour in a double boiler . After sifting, it is advisable to add 0.5 cups of perlite to the mixture. It allows the soil to "breathe" after watering, absorbs excess moisture, and then slowly releases it to the plant roots. If the soil mixture for aster is not steamed, then be sure to place it in a container and pour it until it is completely wetted with a fungicide solution or a dark pink solution of potassium permanganate. These measures cannot be neglected, because aster seedlings very often suffer from lodging, or black leg caused by various types of fungal infections.
Prepare aster seeds for sowing. To do this, before sowing, aster seeds must be etched with a solution of any fungicide or mixed with a small amount of dry Fundazole , observing all safety measures.
Spread the prepared seeds evenly over the surface of the moist soil, using a small sheet of paper folded in half. Immediately supply labels with the names of the varieties.
Sprinkle aster seeds from above with well-washed sand (preferably calcined) with a layer of 0.5-0.8 cm. This will protect the root collar of seedlings from sticking during watering and damage with a black leg. It is not necessary to water from above, because moisture from the soil will gradually penetrate into the sand, and it will be moistened.
Cover crops from drying out and place in a warm (+ 15 ... + 20 ° С) bright place. Keep the sand slightly damp at all times. If necessary, moisten it with a spray bottle.
After 5-7 days, as soon as shoots appear, the shelter must be removed. At this time, it is especially important not to overdo it with watering. It is not scary if the sand dries up from above, because the root of the seedling by this time has already grown into moist soil. If you still notice the first signs of a black leg, then diseased plants should be immediately removed with a lump of earth, filling the resulting hole with fresh soil. Then re-spill the soil with the fungicide solution.
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Aster seedlings picking
With the formation of 2-3 true leaves, aster seedlings are ready for picking. To do this, you can use the same soil composition (as for sowing - read above), but without sifting. Add 1 tablespoon of complete mineral fertilizer containing nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium and trace elements to the mixture . To distribute the fertilizers evenly, the mixture must be thoroughly mixed.
Fill pots or cassettes with ready-made potting mix, compact a little so that the soil does not settle too much when watering. Make such indentations with a spatula in the pot so that the roots of the seedling are freely located in them. If the roots are too large, you can pinch them a little. Place the seedling in a shallow hole so that about 1 cm is left to the cotyledons.
Carefully compact the soil around the aster seedling so that it will not be knocked out by water when watering.
Water the cut seedlings gently. Try to start watering from the edge of the pot to the middle, avoiding the leaves if possible. Place the seedlings in a bright place, make sure that at first they do not get direct sunlight. The temperature should not exceed + 20 ° С.
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If you correctly filled the soil mixture with mineral fertilizers, then at first you can not worry about feeding the aster seedlings. If the planting of seedlings is delayed for some reason, then feed it with any mineral fertilizer for seedlings ( Fertika, Agricola, Solution, etc.). With the appearance of 4-5 leaves, start hardening the aster seedlings in the fresh air.
Planting seedlings of annual asters in the ground
It is desirable that when planting the aster stalk does not exceed 5-7 cm. The seedlings should have 5-6 well-developed leaves and be hardened. Overgrown plants will not bloom well. Aster plants hardened in the fresh air can withstand short-term frosts down to -2 ° C.
Aster grows well in sunny places, while maintaining slight shading. The place for planting it needs to be changed every year, especially if the plants suffered from fusarium in the previous summer. Spores of this fungus persist in the soil for up to 5-6 years. The place where gladioli used to grow is also not suitable, because they are susceptible to the same diseases as asters.
If the soil on your site has high acidity , and you have not added lime since autumn, then add 120-200 g of dolomite flour or one and a half glasses of wood ash per 1 sq. m area. On very heavy clay soils, add additional peat and sand. It is also necessary to add 40-50 g of complete mineral fertilizer ( Nitroammofosk ) per 1 sq. m. Mix thoroughly so that fertilizers are evenly distributed in the upper soil layer. The main mass of aster roots is at a depth of 15-20 cm. Aster absolutely cannot stand fresh manure.
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Planting aster seedlings is best in the evening hours. The distance between plants is from 15 to 30 cm, depending on the variety. If for some reason the seedlings are too stretched during cultivation, then when planting, deepen it by 2-3 cm. After planting, compact the soil around the plant in the form of a hole for watering.
The procedure for planting seedlings of asters in a flower garden
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After planting, water the seedlings in the holes and mulch the soil with peat so that a crust does not form.
Watering the planted seedlings of asters
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Further care consists of watering, loosening and weeding. It is important to keep the soil loose. In the second half of summer, aster is fed with fertilizers containing phosphorus and potassium. Phosphorus (20-30 g of superphosphate per 1 sq. M) promotes abundant flowering and brighter color of inflorescences, and potassium (15-20 g of potassium salt per 1 sq. M) significantly increases the resistance of plants to various diseases. If You any questions "how to grow aster from seed " please comment bellow your question.
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