Ampelia begonia - growing from seeds

Ampelia begonia is quite popular in home and garden floriculture. And this is not surprising, because the flower is incredibly attractive externally with all its asymmetric leaves and flowers of various shapes and colors, and still unpretentious in care.

Cope with the growth of ampel begonia from the seeds can even beginner florist. To do this, it is enough to follow simple rules of care.

How to grow begonia from seed?

It should be said that begonia is a tuber plant, therefore breeding is most often done with the help of tubers. However, it is quite possible to obtain good specimens and by sowing seeds. To do this, it is important to prepare a good primer.

To grow an ample begonia from seeds, you will need a weakly acidic soil consisting of leaf, turf and sand. As the seeds of begonia are very small, in order to avoid their molding, the earth needs to be calcined in an oven for half an hour.

Mix the ingredients of the soil in the following proportions:

The ideal time for seeding is December-January, so stock up the soil better before the onset of autumn frosts. However, you can always buy ready-made primery for begonias in the store.

Sowing begonia with seeds

We proceed directly to how to grow begonia from seeds. As we have already said, begonia has very small seeds. Therefore, their uniform seeding is difficult. To slightly simplify the task, you need to moisturize them about a day before the expected sowing.

At the bottom of the tank, where we will sow the seeds, we need to lay out the drainage, then fall asleep with the prepared and slightly moistened soil. As evenly as possible, we distribute the seeds on the surface and, without sprinkling them on top of the earth, cover with film or glass. Watering the seeds after planting is not necessary, because water can interfere with entrances, tightening seeds under the ground.

If there is an opportunity to get granulated seeds of ampel begonia, this will simplify the task. It's only necessary to take them 2 times more than the desired number of plants and plant, respectively, twice as much from the required number of future seedlings.

If the seeds are granulated, they should be sown in a cassette-type container, placing 2 granules in each cell and pressing them to the ground. In any case, before emergence, it is necessary to keep the air temperature in the room at + 24..25 ° C.

Care of seedlings of ampel begonia

When the first sprouts appear, you need to protect them from direct sunlight and the drying of the soil. Seedlings during this period are extremely tender, therefore it is better to use lower watering. The temperature should be reduced to + 20..21ºС.

In winter, seedlings require additional lighting for 12-14 hours a day. Gradually the period of illumination will be reduced.

On the 50-60 day, grown and strengthened seedlings require picks. You can do this in separate cups or pots with soil, similar to what we prepared for seeds. If you want to decorate the hanging basket with ampel begonia, transplant 3-5 sprouts at once.

During this period, it is important to provide plants with good lighting. Periodically, the pots and cups need to be turned by different sides to the light source, and after 2 weeks After the pick- up, it's time to feed the plants with complex fertilizer.

Further, the frequency of feeding is once every two weeks. At the first time, nitrogen fertilizers need to be introduced, and potash fertilizers during budding and flowering.

Reaching the size, when begonia is already possible to plant on a permanent place of growth, falls on 20-22 weeks. That is, if the seedlings have risen in January, then in late May or early June the plant is fully formed and ready for flowering. Place baskets and pendant pots with ampel begonia on the balcony, terrace, veranda or loggia.