Dates of planting aster seedlings in open ground and care of seedlings

Asters will decorate any flower bed with magnificent multi-colored inflorescences. Summer residents love them for their endurance and unpretentiousness, but even such picky plants require proper care. You can just throw the seeds into the ground and forget about them, shoots will appear, buds will develop, only stunted, nondescript flowers will hatch from them, unsuitable for bouquets or for decorating lawns. So that in the second half of summer and in autumn your flower garden arouses the envy of all neighbors, you need to grow or acquire good seedlings in the spring and plant them correctly in open ground.

Place for a flower garden

Asters love the sun, but during the flowering period, hot rays burn the petals, the flowers lose their brightness and attractiveness. It is advisable to plant plants so that on the south side the thin crown of a tree or tall bush creates partial shade. It's a good idea to set up a flower garden to the north of the canopy with blinds: you can independently adjust the lighting. The site must be protected from drafts: the area open to all winds is not to the asters' liking, and air currents can bring spores of pathogens. Groundwater should not be high. If the site is located in a damp area, make an elevation, the design of the area will only benefit from this.

Advice

Young seedlings of asters can get sick with fusarium. To avoid contamination, plant flowers in a new place every year, and you do not need to plant them after carnations and gladioli. If you plan to create a flower garden in former vegetable beds, avoid areas where nightshade crops grew. Prepare the soil well calendula and marigold.

Asters love fertile soil; when laying a flower garden on poor soils, you need to add black soil or peat. Flowers don't like acidic earth, so take a closer look at the plants in the place of the future flower bed. If sorrel and rhubarb grow well there, add lime or chalk to the ground when digging. Everything can be done according to science: first determine the pH of the soil. A score of 6 to 8 means that the reaction is normal, landing is acceptable. In order for a unit to be added to the indicator, on light and medium soils, 350 g of lime per 1 m should be added², on heavy soils, increase the amount to 400 g.

In the fall, dig deep into the flower bed, select the roots of weeds and pest larvae. On clay soil, add sand for drainage. And fresh manure is contraindicated for asters, plants can get sick with fusarium. Add it rotted or compost when digging.

When to plant outdoors?

In central Russia, seedlings of asters in the spring can be planted in open ground in the second half of May. You can see the weather forecast, find out when the warm days will come. You can also believe folk omens and plant when the bird cherry blossoms and the cooling associated with this phenomenon ends. You will do everything in the right time - you will be with flowers in July.

Two weeks before planting, start preparing the seedlings for new conditions. At home, the seedlings were warm and comfortable, now start taking them outside. First, let them "walk" for several hours during the day, then, if frosts are not expected at night, leave the boxes on the glazed loggia or unheated closed veranda around the clock. Plants will harden, and it will be easier for them to survive the difficult rooting time. Even if you do not cover the asters before the sudden freeze, the temperature is not lower than -5⁰, the seedlings used to living on the street will survive.

Dig up the flower bed a week before planting, adding for each m²:

• phosphate fertilizers - 20-40 g;
• potash fertilizers - 15-20 g;
• ammonium sulfate - 15-20 g.

Mark the holes. If you are going to grow asters with a high stem for bouquets, the distance between them should be at least 25 cm so that the branches with flowers develop freely, do not interfere with each other. Curb varieties can be planted 15 cm apart from one plant, they will create a continuous multi-colored line or colorful carpet. When growing very large varieties with a stem height of more than 60 cm, the gap should be over 30 cm.

Planting seedlings in open ground

Seedlings become ready for transplanting at the age of 1.5-2 months, in early spring when sowing seeds, be guided by these dates. Developed seedlings should have 5-7 good leaves and a strong stem 6-10 cm long. Be sure to water the plants an hour before planting to make it easier to remove them from the cups. It is advisable to hold the underground part of the plants in a growth stimulator, this procedure will accelerate the survival rate. The less the roots are damaged, the better the asters will take root. You need to plant in cloudy weather; on sunny days, plan this work for the evening.

When the places for the plants are already marked, planting begins.

1. Dig holes 20 cm deep, put compost on the bottom and sprinkle with a layer of soil.
2. Fill the holes with water, wait for it to soak into the ground.
3. Immerse the seedling in the soil, burying the above-ground stem 2 cm into the ground, after planting it should be no longer than 7 cm.
4. Spread the roots so that they are pointing down, cover with earth and lightly tamp.
5. Water the plantings at the root and sprinkle the surface of the soil with sand or mulch.

Advice

When the seedlings are overgrown, plant them so that the stem goes 3-5 cm into the ground.

No matter how carefully you take out the seedlings, the roots will still be injured. Solve this problem in advance by sowing seeds in peat pots... You just have to plant the seedlings with the container in the ground and bury them to such a depth that the stem is of the required length. Soon, the pots will decompose for additional fertilization, and the roots will freely enter the surrounding soil.

Care of young asters

Asters do not tolerate drought. The main root mass is located no deeper than 15 cm, and plants cannot extract moisture from a great depth. Water them abundantly: the soil should be saturated with moisture, but not turn into a swamp. You can add a little potassium permanganate to make the liquid pale pink. It is better to water in the morning: if you accidentally overdo it and turn the flower bed into a rice field, the sun will dry out excess moisture during the day and the roots will not rot.

Advice

So as not to have to tie tall plants to pegs, spud asters as they grow. The mound will slightly shorten the stem and become an additional support for it. Additional roots will begin to develop in the ground, feeding the aboveground part. The buds and leaves will receive more moisture, minerals and trace elements, the plant will develop well and will give you beautiful flowers.

The first feeding should be done about 10 days after planting, when the bulk of the plants have taken root in a new place and have begun to release new shoots. Use an infusion of ash, it will not only fertilize the soil, but also protect against some diseases, drive away pests and reduce the acidity of the soil. You can also apply complex fertilizer. During the drought period, fertilizing must be applied in a liquid form; in damp weather, fertilizers are embedded in the soil in solid form.

Asters bloom magnificently only in loose soil. If you have taken care in advance and mulched the flower bed, there is no need for additional work, otherwise you will have to break the crust on the soil surface after each watering. A layer of mulch will also prevent overdrying of the soil, prevent weeds from growing. Aster roots are located close to the surface, so as not to damage them, loosen to a depth of no more than 5 cm.Make sure that pests do not attack the plantings. When you notice suspicious insects, immediately treat the flower bed with an insecticide.

Output

In order for asters to quickly take root in spring and begin to develop well, strong seedlings are needed. It is better to grow it in peat pots and plant flowers in the garden together with the container, then the roots will not suffer at all. It is better to buy seedlings from familiar sellers, so as not to purchase infected seedlings. Treat your purchase with a fungicide for insurance.

It is better to plant in open ground immediately after the end of the frost. A slight cooling will not harm the hardened seedlings, but the asters will bloom already in the middle of summer. Do not thicken the planting, the distance between the bushes depends on the height of the plants. In heavy soils, add sand for drainage: the roots do not tolerate waterlogged soil.

Mulching makes it easier to care for the seedlings: the number of waterings is reduced, the soil does not need to be loosened and weeded. 5 cm of sawdust, pine needles or straw will save you time all summer long. Hilling plants will save the flower bed from unaesthetic garter pegs. Growing asters does not require hard work, but for the whole second half of summer and autumn you will cut lush colorful bouquets.