HOW TO PLANT, GROW, AND CARE FOR NASTURTIUMS
Nasturtium flowers have different types and varieties that differ from each other in terms of flowers, fragrance, color and size of hubs, so to plant Nasturtium flowers, you must first choose your favorite type and then cultivate it. Therefore, in this article, we will introduce you to how to plant and maintain Nasturtium flowers.
Nasturtium flower botany
Nasturtium flower is a perennial, wild and autumn plant. In fact, Nasturtium flower is a type of wild rose that has small white, red and yellow flowers, this flower is native to Europe and northwest Asia and Africa that grow like a shrub which is very hardy and beautiful and it has narrow and sharp stems, this flower has grown from the past to the present in the mountainous areas but today it has been cultivated. This plant begins to flower in its growing season, spring, so its presence makes the house lively again. Today, Nasturtium flowers are used as a strong base for transplanting roses.
Growing and planting Nasturtium flowers
Planting Nasturtium flowers is possible in several ways, one through cuttings and the other through planting seeds. Therefore, the best time to plant Nasturtium flowers is late spring or early summer (use the table above for this section) that you can use green flower cuttings.But as the weather gets cooler, that is, in late autumn, you can use the wooden cuttings of Nasturtium flowers, but you should plant Nasturtium seeds from mid-September.
Planting Nasturtium through seeds
One of the methods of planting Nasturtium flowers is propagation through its seeds. When we use the seeds for planting Nasturtium flowers, it takes about 2 years for the planted seeds to germinate because the seeds need to go through a cold season and a hot season to germinate.
- Therefore, first we prepare the seeds of Nasturtium flower for planting.
- To make the seeds reach the germination stage sooner, you can scratch their surface and then soak the seeds in lukewarm water overnight.
- Then you have to make a bed for sowing the seeds, then plant the seeds in the seedling tray. The soil you use for sowing the seeds should be a mixture of sand and peat moss. Note that the seeds should be planted at a depth of three centimeters in the soil and then watered.
- You should keep your plant soil moist by watering it every day, never let the soil dry.
- Transplant the seedbed to a temperature of 27 to 32 ° C for 1 month.
- After this period, the bed should be transferred again to a place with a temperature of 3 degrees Celsius, the planting bed should be at this temperature for 4 months because this will cause the seeds to reach the stage of germination sooner.
- After a while, your seeds will start to germinate. Once the sprouts have reached the desired level of growth, you should transfer them from the seedling tray to your main bed so that they can grow normally. You can transfer the buds to the pot or to the ground.
Planting Nasturtium flowers through cuttings
One of the simplest methods of planting Nasturtium flowers is cutting them, which is a very simple task:
- If you are cutting in spring, you should use soft green stems of the plant, try to use stems for cuttings that are at least 1 year old, but if you are cutting in autumn, you should use the wooden stems of the plant.
- The cuttings that you separate from the plant should be 10 to 20 cm high and also its thickness should be at least 1 cm. Cut the stems just below the pollen, but make sure the cut is not close to the knot.
- After choosing the desired stem for the cuttings, you should remove the lower part of the branch where the leaves are 7-leafed and pick the part where your stem becomes 5-leafed for cutting.
- You should cut your stem obliquely from that part using a clean knife. Cutting at this stage helps a lot to root the cuttings.
- You should use the main part of the cutting, i.e. a 5-leafed branch that has healthy buds, to speed up the rooting of the plant, you can reduce the number of cuttings leaf.
- Then you have to put your cuttings in a plastic bag and pour a little water in it so that the cuttings do not spoil until planting.
- In order to make your cuttings root better, you can soak the ends of the cuttings with rooting hormone before planting in the soil.
- After that, you should plant the cuttings in a bed of sandy soil, plant the cuttings in the soil in a way that it goes about 5 cm into the soil and there is the distance between the leaves and the soil.
- In the last step, you should transfer the planted cuttings to a place that has the desired temperature and humidity. You can provide a favorable environment for the cuttings by pulling a plastic on the planting bed. The substrate should always have sufficient moisture until rooting.
- After 2 months, the cuttings root. After rooting, you have to remove the plastic bag from the planting bed. You can transfer your cuttings to their original place after 3 months.
How to maintain and care for Nasturtium flowers
Since Nasturtium flower is not a sensitive plant, you can easily grow it in a place that has enough light.
Soil:
Nasturtium flowers can grow in any soil, but if you want your plant to grow better and more, you can use silty clay with the necessary nutrients for the plant. Note: Nasturtium plant is not able to grow in sandy and calcareous soils.
the light:
Nasturtium plant is one of those light-loving plants that have the most desirable growth in environments with enough light or partial shade. So you can place it on the balcony or south windows to provide the Nasturtium plant with the light needed.
Note that these flowers are not able to grow in low light environments
Watering systems:
The water requirement of this plant is moderate, you have to let it dry completely between the waterings, the best time to irrigate Nasturtium flowers deeply is in the morning.
Temperature:
Nasturtium flowers, which are other species of wild roses, are able to withstand harsh environmental conditions, so they can withstand temperatures as low as minus 10 degrees, cold weather and strong winds. But it must be said that the best temperature you can consider for breeding the planting Nasturtium flowers is 20 to 24 degrees Celsius.
Fertilization:
To help Nasturtium flower grow better, you can use rotten animal fertilizers twice a year, in spring and autumn, to strengthen your plant.
Prune:
This flower does not need pruning, but you can remove the cuttings that grow from the side of the plant during the growing season. If your plant takes on an improper shape, you can remove the extra foliage of your plant in late winter, especially broken and diseased branches.
