In nature, this flower, popularly known as a rug, prefers sandy river banks, loose fields with moist soil. In the garden conditions, a double-sided porcelain, grown from seeds of which even beginners can apply, perfectly feels in the garden near the house, provided that they are properly cared for.
Potulalk terry - cultivation
The main condition for the successful cultivation of a seagull is a sunny place, even in a scattered shadow the plant can be bad. Portulak needs good moisture, but the landing site must be dry, not in proximity to places of water accumulation, otherwise the flower may rot root system. The most convenient and practical way how to grow a terry placket on your site is planting it with seeds for seedlings at home with subsequent planting in the open ground. So the germination of seeds will be higher, and young bushes are more likely to grow and blossom.
When to plant seedlings for porcelain terry?
The timing of sowing portolak for seedlings is a very controversial issue among florists. According to many, it is better to plant seeds in late February - early March, then we will get early flowering. Those for whom it is not important to receive flowers as early as possible tend to believe that April is a more favorable month - then young sunlings will have enough sunlight for normal growth and development. Planted the same before the bush to grow it is necessary to organize additional lighting.
How to plant a terry sandwich with seeds?
Before sowing porcelain terry for seedling, prepare a soil mixture. Ready substrates are not very suitable for such purposes - they contain peat, slowing down the growth of the main. To prepare the soil, take the usual garden soil, add about 20% of river sand, mix well and heat the mixture in the oven.
Next, prepare a container for cultivation. This can be a normal shallow plastic container, in which it is necessary to make a hole for drainage. We lay a layer of drainage (small gravel or expanded clay), we impose a layer of disinfected soil, water it with dormant or thawed water.
We can start landing. It is most convenient to do this: using a toothpick or something else, we make small pits in the soil in a centimeter from each other, put seeds into each one, press the seeds into the soil. Above the container it is important to build a small frame and cover it with a plastic wrap.
We put our small greenhouse in a warm and well-lit place, but preferably without direct sunlight. The temperature under the film should vary from 22 to 30 °. Well, if you can control it with a thermometer. Before the emergence of all shoots can not remove the film.
Portulac - care of seedlings
After 7-14 days, all the emergence of flowers should appear, you can remove the film. What, then, is the care of the seagulls of Portolac?
- Watering. A terry wetland soil needs moist soil. The best way is lower watering with standing water or melt water.
- Lighting. If you see that the stems of the seedling are stretched too far, then they need an additional light source. The ideal option will be a daylight lamp, in the absence of such you can use the usual desktop. If the seeds are planted in April, such a need should not arise.
- Temperature. The greenhouse conditions of seedlings are not needed anymore, but one should not allow hypothermia or drafts. Ideally keep the air temperature within 20-25 ° C
Pursuit of Portolac
As soon as the seedlings have a pair of real leaves, a pickling of the seagull is required. It is to plant the bushes in separate containers and give them space to grow the roots. For this purpose disposable plastic cups with a hole for drainage are perfect, in each of them we plant three young bush.
Further from our seedlings active growth begins, and they need fertilizer. In a week after the picking, it is necessary to make the first fertilizing of the seagull seedlings with mineral mixtures and repeat it weekly or once a decade before landing in the open ground, which will take place no earlier than the summer.
By June, the seedlings are already grown and strengthened, and the temperature outside the window allows to make a landing in the open ground. The bushes should be located no closer than 10-15 cm from each other. In landing, there is nothing difficult - dig shallow pits, they should place seedlings and gently tamp the earth around them.
The first three days after planting a double-haired porcelain, of which we can already confidently claim that growing from seeds was successful, should be watered daily. This is especially important if the weather is dry and no rain is expected. With a successful planting, the young plants will bloom after 6-7 weeks.
Why do seagulls fall?
After disembarking into the soil, seedlings can fall and seem absolutely lifeless. This is an absolutely normal process of adapting the bush to a new place, and under the condition of abundant watering the seedlings will rise after a few days without any effort on your part. If this does not happen with individual bushes, it is possible that the root system has been damaged. Maybe they adapt a little later, but you can not help them in this.
What to feed portolac after planting - another issue that excites florists. If the soil is good, nothing is needed, then the plant is very unpretentious. If the land in this part of the garden is very poor, it will not be superfluous to fertilize it with ready-made mixtures for flowers that are easy to find in any specialized store.