Last year I tried to grow osteospermum. One seedling survived.
I even thought that the game wasn’t worth the candle. So much trouble, and only one bush. Not to my mind or heart.
But now it has bloomed! And I realized that I would try again. I will definitely repeat it!
The daisy-like flower struck me with a blue, very blue core. White daisy with a blue center! It is beautiful! Very.
My seeds are from last year (I always sow not all the seeds, but some), which means they are not very fresh, which means I need to try to grow them.
The photo on the right is the same seeds that I have.
In fact, all the seeds sprouted. But then they died. Probably the black leg that often haunts me.
The photo below shows the first blooming flower of my osteospermum. 
So THEORY.
DESCRIPTION
Osteospermum, Cape daisy - Osteospermum ecklonis 
Perennial subshrub or shrub up to 1 m high, native to the Cape region South Africa, a close relative of the annual dimorphotheca.
IN middle lane Russia is grown as an annual, but can overwinter in bright, cool rooms.
Osteospermum belongs to the Asteraceae family. This genus includes 70 species of heat-loving annual and perennial subshrubs or shrubs originating from South Africa.
Osteospermum flower color can range from deep dark purple to pink, bright orange and pure white. What unites these different colors is their bright blue center interspersed with small orange-red dots. The leaves of the plant are dense, but not brittle, of a juicy green color.
Chamomile-shaped inflorescences with a diameter of 4-5 cm with white reed flowers and a blue center bloom from June to October.
Osteospermum is grown through seeds or cuttings. If the variety is valuable and it is important to preserve all its properties, then it is better to choose cuttings. And if you don’t go into the intricacies of selection, then growing from seeds is a simple and uncomplicated method that gives excellent results.
PECULIARITIES
- Location: They grow well in warm sunny areas and do not lose their decorative properties in bad weather.
- The soil: needs loose, fertile soil
- Care: When planting osteospermum in containers, you must carefully ensure that the soil does not dry out completely. Plants should be fed from time to time, as this promotes longer flowering.
- Usage: The Cape daisy is grown in flower beds, in flowerpots and tubs on terraces and patios.
- Overwinters in bright, cold (but not freezing) rooms with minimal watering.
LANDING. GROWING SEEDLINGS
To obtain flowering plant in June, it is advisable to plant seeds in the second half of March or early April.
The seeds of osteospermum are quite large, they germinate well and quickly, so you can plant them immediately in pots, avoiding the picking stage, which poses a risk of damage to the root system.
The soil should be loose. It is best if it is a mixture of humus, turf soil and sand.
Plant the seeds dry.
The seeds are deepened into the ground 0.5 cm and covered with earth. The container with future seedlings must be moved to a bright place and the air temperature must be about 20 °C. By providing regular moderate watering, you can see the first shoots within a week.
Plant in the garden permanent place possible at the end of May. After planting, water the bush in the morning and evening for at least three days for better rooting.
Despite the high cold resistance of the plant, it is advisable to harden the growing seedlings. When real leaves appear, you should lower the temperature for a short period by opening a window or balcony frame. You can start with 10 - 15 minutes, gradually increasing the time interval and lowering the temperature to 12 °C.
CUTTINGS
If you decide to get a plant from a cutting, then you need to start propagation wisely. Cuttings are usually taken from the tops of plants in January or February. Root at a temperature of 18 – 20 °C for about a month. Then they are transplanted into pots and grown in the same way as seedlings from seeds.
Gardener's advice:
If you grew osteospermum and kept it indoors over the winter, then in the spring you can take cuttings from this plant, thereby obtaining even more beautiful, unpretentious annuals.
Cut with a wallpaper knife or paper cutter with a sharp blade.
Cut the tops into 5-7 cm pieces.
Remove the lower leaves.
Plant in a moist substrate or moss with hydrogel. You can use perlite or vermiculite.
Build a mini-greenhouse and place it in a warm, bright place.
In just 10 days you will see which cuttings will take root and which will not.
SOURCES
Osteospermum (African chamomile, Cape daisy) – in the natural environment is a perennial herbaceous plant, shrub, subshrub. In cold and temperate climate zones it is cultivated as a single or biennial plant. Belongs to the Asteraceae family, native to South Africa, the Arabian Peninsula.
Botanical description
The stems are erect, less often creeping. The height of the plant is about 30 cm, varieties up to 75 cm in height have been bred. The leaf blades are dense, ovoid, oblong, with smooth or jagged edges. The stems and leaves may be bright green or grayish in color.
Delicate inflorescences look like daisies. The core can have a blue, blue, smoky black color. Color of petals (reed inflorescences): white, various shades of purple, pink, yellow, orange, blue. Their shape is oblong with pointed tips, but the so-called spoon osteospermum are bred: the shape of the ligulate inflorescence resembles a spoon.
The diameter of the inflorescence is 3-8 cm, they are simple; breeders have bred double and semi-double. It blooms almost throughout the summer, and if the weather is favorable, it can bloom until October. Each inflorescence lives for about 5 days, they continuously replace each other. Flowers open in clear weather.
A variety of shades, long flowering, and ease of care contribute to the popularity of osteospermum.
Growing osteosperm from seeds at home
The plant successfully propagates by seeds: they remain viable for up to 4 years, friendly shoots appear 7-10 days after sowing. Propagates well by self-sowing.
Seeds are sown in open ground in April. No pre-treatment of seeds is required.
When to plant osteospermum seedlings
To get more viable plants that bloom earlier, you should grow seedlings.
- Sowing osteospermum seeds for seedlings in early March.
- It is better to sow one or two seeds at a time in separate pots - the seeds will definitely sprout and you will not have to replant in between.
- If there is no opportunity or there is a lot of space, you can sow the seeds in a common container at a distance of 3-5 cm from each other, and then carefully transplant them into separate cups.
- To grow seedlings, you need loose soil (a mixture of humus, turf soil and sand).
- Simply press the seeds shallowly into the soil.
- Maintain the air temperature at 20 °C, diffused lighting is needed.
- With the appearance of 5-6 true leaves, pinch the tops to stimulate the forcing of side shoots and good bushiness.
- Harden the seedlings by gradually lowering the temperature to +12 °C. You can simply take it out onto the balcony for a short time at first, and then increase the time you spend outside.
As soon as the threat of frost subsides, transplant the seedlings into open ground.
The video will tell you how to plant osteospermum seeds for seedlings:
Hardened seedlings planted using the transshipment method practically do not get sick and take root immediately, especially with careful care. Don’t be too zealous and flood the plants: just keep the soil slightly moist.
Propagation of osteospermum by cuttings
To preserve varietal characteristics, propagation by cuttings is used. This method is suitable for plants that have been moved indoors for the winter.
- In February, select a shoot that has not bloomed and cut it apical stalk, the cut should pass under the node.
- Remove the leaves from the bottom and plant the cutting to root.
- The soil is a mixture of peat, sand and perlite.
- Cover with a cut jar plastic bottle or film.
- Rooting lasts about a month. Ventilate and moisten the soil regularly.
- With the onset of warm weather, transplant the rooted cuttings into open ground.
Planting in open ground
The best place for planting will be an open sunny area, perhaps light shading.
The soil required is loose, moderately fertile, permeable, neutral or slightly acidic.
- Dig up the area, loosen the soil and let it settle.
- The plants are rolled along with the earthen lump - the hole must correspond to this size.
- Keep a distance of 30-40 cm between bushes.
- Press down the surface of the soil around the seedling a little and water well.
How to care for osteospermum in the garden
Osteospermum Sky and ice - blue-eyed daisy photo
Watering
The plant is drought-resistant, but to maintain abundant flowering moderate watering is required. Avoid overwatering; water only when there is severe drought.
Pinching and feeding
- Pinch the tips of the shoots to encourage branching.
- Feed three times a season: a couple of weeks after planting in open ground, then during bud setting and at the end of summer. Use complex mineral fertilizers for flowering plants.
- Constantly remove wilted inflorescences.
Wintering
Osteospermum in open ground winters only in regions with warm winters (maximum temperature drop to - 10 °C). For successful wintering, it is necessary to cover the plants with dry leaves in the fall.
If the temperature in your region drops below -10°C, the plants will die, but to preserve them until spring and propagate them by cuttings, you can dig up the bushes and keep them in a cool room. Carefully dig up the bush without disturbing the earthen coma and place it in a wide container. Keep at low air temperatures, water occasionally. In spring, replant into open ground again.
Diseases and pests
Overmoistening of the soil may cause rot damage - remove the affected areas, treat with a fungicide, and adjust watering.
Possible damage to aphids - treat the plant with an insecticide.
Types and varieties of osteospermum with photos and names
There are more than 70 species, many species, varieties, and hybrid forms are cultivated.
Osteospermum ecklonis
It is grown as an annual crop. The shrub is highly branched, erect stems stretch up to 1 m, the leaves are narrow with jagged edges. The core of the inflorescence has a red-violet hue, the petals are white, and pink veins run along the lower part.
Varieties:
Osteospermum Eklona Osteospermum ‘Sunny Philip’ photo
Zulu - inflorescences of a bright yellow hue.
Bambe - the color of the inflorescence varies from white to purple.
Sky and ice are the core of blue color, petals are snow-white.
Volta - pinkish petals turn white as they bloom.
Buttermilk - bright yellow petals turn white as they bloom.
Silver Sparkler - white inflorescences.
Congo - purple-pink inflorescences.
Pemba - reed inflorescences are twisted halfway into a tube.
Sandy Pink - spoon-shaped pink petals.
Sterry Ice - the ligulate inflorescence is folded in half lengthwise, inner part has a white color, the outer one is gray-blue.
Peshn is a hybrid series of this species. Here it is worth noting the varieties Pink Lace, Gnome Salmon, notable for the spoon-like shape of the reed inflorescences.
Osteospermum noticeable Osteospermum jucundum
The color of the petals is white, purple, the reverse side may have a lilac-violet tone.
Varieties:
Buttermilk is a plant up to half a meter high. The color of the petals is pale yellow, their reverse side acquires a bronze tint.
Lady Leitrim - the core is almost black, the petals are light lilac.
Bengal fire - inner side The reed inflorescence is white, and the outer one is blue.
Bush osteospermum Osteospermum fruticosum
It has the shape of a compact bush. The color of the reed inflorescences is white, pale lilac, red.
The best varieties of osteospermum with photos and names
The Akila variety has many shades from white and pink to burgundy and dark purple. Looks beautiful in mixed plantings.
The Passion variety is also magnificent in mixed flower beds; its compact low bushes with powerful upright stems are densely dotted with beautiful flowers with neatly outlined petals, on which longitudinal voluminous stripes are clearly visible.
It is impossible not to admire the white daisies with blue centers, along which rare yellow spots of stamens are scattered. This is a unique Ice White variety.
Osteospermum Sunny Philip Osteospermum ‘Sunny Philip’ photo
The stunning variety Sunny Philip really resembles small suns with radial rays. The tips of the petals seem to be pinched, curled into tubes.
The Impassion variety has a special shape of petals; the flowers look very neat, as if stamped, alike.
Terry variety Double Parple With tubular central petals, it is somewhat reminiscent of a chrysanthemum.
Another amazing one terry variety 3D with several rows of petals crowned by a central tubular center. The color is rich, the lower petals are oval-elongated, the middle petals are slightly shortened and dissected at the tips.
Osteospermum in landscape design
Low-growing species are planted as ground cover plants. They are also good in pots to decorate balconies, terraces, and verandas.
Osteospermum will become bright accent in any flower bed, looks good in rocky gardens, frame ridges, plant in groups in mixborders.
Cuff, geranium, cinquefoil.
Garden annual flower Osteospermum belongs to the Asteraceae family. A little-known plant among gardeners, it is very similar to the popular daisies, asters and daisies. Its homeland is African countries, so the second name for osteospermum is “ African chamomile" In June, buds appear on the flower, which bloom and bloom until the autumn frosts. Caring for it is very simple, and growing osteospermum for your garden plot easily possible from seeds.
Osteospermum: photo, description, types
African daisy is a large shrub with erect, branching stems covered in dense foliage. Its spatulate, irregularly toothed leaves have an oblong ovoid shape and can be bright green, gray or variegated.
A double or semi-double inflorescence reaches 3-8 cm in diameter. It consists of central sterile tubular and marginal reed flowers. Depending on the species and variety, the central flowers are most often blue or blue. The marginal flowers come in a variety of colors from white to purple. Quite rare are varieties with orange, yellow, purple, pink and red flowers.
Each inflorescence lives no more than five days. But in its place, new buds quickly form, due to which the plant blooms continuously and for a long time. In favorable weather, flowering can continue almost until mid-autumn.
Bright flowers of osteospermum open during the day in clear weather, and are closed at night and in cloudy weather. This property of the plant protects the pollen of the flower from exposure to night moisture or rain.
Types and varieties
Osteospermum bushes can be of different heights and shapes, blooming with flowers of a wide variety of colors. It all depends on the type and variety, the variety of which African chamomile is famous for. Some hybrid varieties stand out unusual shape reed flowers.
Osteospermum Eklona or Carpathian daisy is a perennial heat-loving shrub, therefore, in regions with cold winters it is grown as an annual. The plant grows up to one meter in height, has highly branched straight stems and decoratively serrated leaves. Based on the Carpathian daisy, breeders have bred many hybrid varieties, each of which differs in the shape and color of the petals and the size of the bushes.
Osteospermum noticeable is the new kind African chamomile. Its distinctive feature is the change in color of the petals as the flower blooms. In buds they can be white, and a fully bloomed flower can have a purple color. In this case, the upper part of the petal is always lighter than the lower part. Lifespan of each flower from 10 to 15 days. After which the color of the petals becomes lighter again, and the flower fades. Osteospermum is noticeable, compared to the Carpathian daisy, and is more difficult to grow.
Osteospermum: cultivation and care
African daisy loves well-lit places and fertile soils. Therefore, it is necessary to select a sunny area for it and enrich it with a nutrient mixture before planting. For this in equal parts you need to mix:
- leaf soil;
- turf land;
- humus;
- sand.
The prepared nutrient soil is poured into the hole in which the plant will be planted.
Plants are thermophilic, but can tolerate light frosts. For the winter, some gardeners manage to dig up plant bushes and store them at home in order to plant them in the garden again in the spring.
Osteosparmum is an unpretentious drought-resistant plant. It will tolerate hot weather and temporary lack of watering calmly. However, long lack of moisture affects flowers, which lose their terryness, decorativeness and become smaller.
The Carpathian daisy does not like waterlogging, so when caring for it you need to ensure that the soil dries out between waterings and water does not stagnate in it.
Collateral successful cultivation and the abundant flowering of osteospermum is ensured by its regular feeding. For this purpose, mineral and organic fertilizers. To prevent rapidly growing bushes from stretching out and branching, it is recommended to pinch them periodically.
In mid-summer, at hot temperatures, African chamomile may stop laying new buds and flowering. But it will bloom profusely again literally as soon as the heat subsides.
Pests and diseases
Osteospermum is a very resistant plant that is practically not susceptible to diseases and pest attacks.
However, if the bush is grown in the shade, where the soil is always wet, this can lead to weakened immunity. In this case, the plant may be susceptible to fungal diseases. Its roots will begin to rot, and the bush itself will wither. You can save osteospermum by transplanting it to a well-lit place, having previously treated the roots with special antifungal drugs.
Plants with weakened immune systems can be attacked by aphids. The insect settles on leaves and stems and feeds on their juice. As a result, the leaves turn yellow and fall off, and the bush itself begins to fade. Insect control should be carried out by spraying with special insecticides.
Wintering
Osteospermum can survive winters in open ground only in mild climates with temperatures not lower than -10 degrees. But if you dig up the bush and grow it in a cool but bright room, then in the spring the plant can be planted again in its place in the garden. Winter care will consist only of infrequent watering.
Reproduction of osteospermum
Carpathian daisy can be propagated in two ways:
- seeds;
- cuttings.
Propagation by seeds
For seedlings, seeds are sown in March or April. IN peat tablets or seedling boxes with peat-sandy soil, dry seeds are sown. Many people mistakenly pre-soak them, since osteoperum seeds are similar to regular seeds. But this plant really does not like waterlogging, so in the future the sprouts may rot.
Seeds are planted to a depth of no more than 0.5 cm. To do this, you can use a skewer or toothpick to push them into the moist soil. Covered with glass or polyethylene, the box is placed in a warm place with a temperature of at least +20-+22 degrees. The first shoots should appear already on the fifth or seventh day after planting.
Seedling care osteopermum is as follows:
- The seedling container is placed in a well-lit but cooler place.
- Seedlings are watered regularly, but care must be taken to ensure that water does not stagnate in the soil.
- After the appearance of the second or third true leaf, the seedlings are planted in separate containers. If they are very stretched, then you can carefully bend the stem, put it in the groove and cover it with earth.
- Slow down the stretching and provoke more lush flowering You can do this by pinching the plant after picking.
- With the onset of the last spring month, seedlings at home need to begin to be hardened. In this case, it is taken out onto a glassed-in loggia or the windows are opened.
At the end of May, seedlings can be planted in a permanent growing location. The distance between young bushes should be at least 20-25 cm. In the first few days, care consists of watering the plant in the morning and evening.
Cuttings
Cuttings are prepared from osteospermum bushes dug up in the fall and preserved until spring. With their help, you can get several unpretentious, beautifully flowering annuals from one bush.
Cuttings 5-7 cm long cut with a sharp knife. The lower leaves are removed and the pieces are inserted into a container with a moist substrate. You can use vermiculite, perlite or moss with hydrogel.
The cuttings are covered with polyethylene or a glass container and placed in a well-lit, warm place. They need to be ventilated every day and the soil should be sprayed regularly. Which cuttings have taken root can be seen in about ten days.
Unpretentious in care, beautifully and long-blooming osteosparmums are ideal for decorating flower beds and borders in the garden, decorating balconies and loggias, flower beds near entrances. Landed in hanging planter Carpathian daisy can be grown even at home.
Beautiful osteospermum
CHEAT SHEET REMINDER. WE FERTILIZE AND FEED ONIONS AND GARLIC ONIONS. Do not apply fresh manure to the onions, otherwise growth is delayed and the formation of leaves does not stop for a long time. The bulb forms late and ripens poorly, is more susceptible to neck rot, and is poorly stored. Onions respond well to the application of mineral fertilizers. However, its root system is sensitive to increased concentrations of salts, so it is better to apply them in small portions 2-3 times. Immediately after the emergence of nigella seedlings, the crops need to be fed with nitrogen fertilizers at the rate of 10-15 g/m2. When 1-2 true leaves are formed, the first thinning is carried out, leaving 1.5-2 cm between plants. At the same time, weak plants are removed. After the appearance of 3-4 true leaves, thinning is repeated to the final distance - 5-7 cm. After the second thinning, fertilizing with full mineral fertilizer, better in liquid form. A good effect is obtained by fertilizing with slurry diluted with water 5-6 times, or bird droppings, diluted 10-15 times. Add 30-40 g of superphosphate to a bucket of water. 3-4 buckets of solution are used per 10 m. A month before harvesting, watering is stopped. The last feeding with phosphorus-potassium fertilizers is carried out during the formation of the bulb; 150 g of potassium salt and 200 g of superphosphate are added per 10 m2. When growing onions on heavy soil, rapid formation and maturation is facilitated by unhilling of plants. In this case, carefully, without damaging the root system, the soil is raked away from the bulbs. When sowing seeds in early spring, onions are ready for harvesting in late August-early September. In some years, due to unfavorable weather conditions, it does not have time to ripen by this time. To speed up ripening, plants are dug up, damaging the root system and disrupting the connection with the soil. After 2-4 days, depending on the weather, the bulbs are removed and laid out to dry along with the leaves. Due to the outflow of plastic substances, the ripening process occurs and bulbs suitable for storage are formed. Sometimes rolling or crushing leaves is used to speed up the ripening of bulbs. However, this technique is harmful to the crop, since the plants are damaged and pathogenic organisms penetrate into the bulbs through the resulting gaps. In addition, rolling does not stop growth, and plants continue to grow with a broken stem. FROM SEVK. When the feather reaches a height of 10 cm, they begin to treat the plants against diseases (phytosporin - every 2 weeks). When the feather reaches a height of 8-10 cm, carry out the first feeding: for 10 liters of water - 1 cup of mushy mullein, 1 tbsp. spoon of urea, per 1 m2 - 2-3 liters of solution. The second feeding is 12-15 days after the first. For 10 liters of water - 2 tbsp. spoons of nitroammophoska, per 1 m2 - 5 liters of solution. Third - when the bulb reaches size walnut. For 10 liters of water - 2 tbsp. spoons of superphosphate, per 1 m2 - 5 liters of solution. Measures to combat onion fly. Onions are placed next to carrots. The specific smell of carrots repels onion fly, and onion phytoncides - carrot fly. Dissolve 1 cup of table salt in 10 liters of water, and water the onion ridges from a watering can, trying not to get it on the feathers. The first time this is done when the feather reaches 5 cm, after 20 days the watering is repeated. When a fly appears, sprinkle the soil with a repellent substance: 100 g wood ash, or 1 tbsp. a spoonful of tobacco dust, or 1 teaspoon of ground pepper per 1 m2 (2 times with an interval of 10-18 days). Measures to combat peronosporosis (false powdery mildew). The onion bed should have a direction from north to south and be well lit by the sun. Crops and plantings should not be thickened. Before planting, the seedlings are warmed up. Feathers at a height of 10-12 cm are sprayed with a solution of copper oxychloride, and every 2 weeks they are sprayed with phytosporin. LEEK. The first feeding is when 5-6 true leaves appear, the second - a month after the first. For 10 liters of water - 0.5 liters of mullein, 1 teaspoon each of urea, potassium sulfate and superphosphate. For 1 m2 - 3-4 liters of solution. Once a week, before hilling, add ash - 1 cup per 1 m2. GARLIC As soon as the garlic leaves appear from the ground, the plantings are fed with nitrogen fertilizer. To do this, dissolve 1 tbsp in 10 liters of water. a spoonful of urea, 10 l - per 1 m2. When the garlic leaves reach a height of 10-15 cm, remove the soil from the bulb, sprinkle it with ash and return the soil to its place. This operation is repeated when arrows appear. When removing the garlic arrows, leave a few pieces. You can easily determine from them optimal time harvesting. As soon as the wrapper on the heads cracks and the bulbs begin to peek out, it’s time to dig the garlic. For your health planting material It is recommended to regularly rejuvenate the cultivated variety by sowing aerial bulbs. In the first year of cultivation, they form single-toothed ones. They are planted in the fall and the following year they receive normal multi-toothed bulbs.
Osteospermum is a heat-loving plant. The genus includes more than seventy species of both perennial and annual shrubs and subshrubs. Comes from South Africa.
Appearance
The lush and tall bush pleases the eye from the beginning of June to the end of October. Depending on the variety, osteospermums are of the most different colors: blue, blue, pink, white. One drawback is that the bright green leaves have a specific and unpleasant smell if they are broken off. Biological description of osteopermum: a perennial subshrub, as well as a shrub up to a meter tall, closely related to the annual dimorphotheca. Differs from other Asteraceae. If, for example, daisies have reed inflorescences that direct insects to tubular flowers for pollination and seed formation, then everything is different: tubular flowers are sterile, and seeds are formed in reed flowers - this is osteospermum. The photo shows rather large seeds, like a belt in the barren center of the flower.
Types of osteospermum
Osteospermum ecklonis
Eklonis, or osteospermum Eklona, is the most widely used. Popularly called the Cape daisy. perennial shrub up to a meter high, it is very thermophilic and in regions with cold winters it is used as an annual plant. The most elegant hybrids of the Cape daisy: Volta, whose lilac-pink petals gradually become white, Bambe - whose petals acquire white purple, Congo - with pink-purple petals, Buttermilk - pale yellow, Zulu - bright yellow, Symphony Cream - with a narrow purple stripe, Silver Sparkler - white flowers and speckled leaves, Sky and Ice - blue-white. These are all tall bushes. Low-growing bushes for containers are much more in demand - up to 30 centimeters, compact. This is, for example, Passion - with shiny petals different shades with a bright blue center. Also interesting for gardeners is osteospermum, which has spoon-shaped petals. These are Pink Lace and Gnome Salmon. Also beautiful are white, purple, red, yellow, orange flowers varieties Springstar, Cap Daisy, Sunny, which grow luxuriantly at a height of only 25-60 centimeters.
Osteospermum jucundum
This osteospermum is extremely effective. Growing, however, is somewhat difficult due to the special properties inherent in the plant. This species, called osteospermum pleasant, is an evergreen but slightly winter-hardy shrub, which is suitable only for regions with a warm climate. During the flowering process, the petals change their color from white to purple, and their underside is purple. Breeders have developed wonderful varieties: Lady Leitrim - 30 centimeters in height, white flowers with pink markings, Buttermilk - pale yellow petals, white on the inside, and large blue petals on the inside, leaves with a golden edge.
Osteospermum: cultivation
Low growing plants are great for containers and window boxes. Osteospermum grows well, it is branchy, creeping shoots can be used as well. It also reproduces well by seeds, which are sown in a light substrate, adding sand. Seedlings suffer greatly due to injury to the roots, so it is better to sow them in separate cups or peat pots. It is necessary to sow in boxes at a great distance, and carefully transfer them to the garden, along with an earthen lump on the roots. Sowing - in the last ten days of March or in the first - April. Shoots appear quickly. Seedlings need bright light and a fairly moderate temperature, and moderate moisture. In tall varieties, it is better to pinch the tops of the seedlings, so the osteospermum bushes thicker. Growing from seedlings gives a positive effect: subsequently the bush blooms more profusely and longer in the flower garden. No pests or diseases were observed.
Osteospermum: growing in favorable conditions
This flower is light- and heat-loving. It is necessary to protect the place where it grows from cold winds, but it must be sunny or at least partial shade. His beautiful flowers Fully open only in bright light. The soil is best light, drained and fertile. The distance between plants is approximately twenty-five centimeters. The seedlings need to be hardened off and watered for a while after being transferred to the garden. A rooted plant becomes both drought-resistant and cold-resistant. Fertilizing promotes both growth and an increase in the number of buds. It is better to remove faded inflorescences. The mother liquor of osteospermum is stored all winter in a bright, cool place, moistening the soil from time to time.
