How to collect asters seeds: features and recommendations

Gardeners are very fond of asters, so you canmeet almost at every dacha site. Such popularity is explained by the simplicity of growing this plant, which even a beginner can cope with.

However, not everyone knows that in order to obtainquality seed, it is necessary not only to properly harvest seeds, but also to maintain proper care for the plant throughout the growing period of the crop. Especially this applies to those who breed flowers in the northern regions, where the short summer prevails. Consider how to collect the seeds of asters and get beautiful flowers.

Features of sowing asters

There are several ways to grow thisunusual flower. However, experienced gardeners recommend acting according to several useful tips. First of all, one must take into account that the shoots appear under the influence of the contrast of temperatures, that is, sharp cooling and heating.

At home, the seeds are recommendedpre-put in the refrigerator, and then soak them in warm water. If it is a country plot, the seeds should be spread over the surface of the earth and sprinkled with snow at least 1 cm. After that, you can safely go home. When the snow begins to melt, it will draw the seedlings into the soil. In this case, there will be a kind of imitation of the fact that the crop is produced in the autumn before winter.

To learn how to properly harvest asters seeds,you first need to clarify how to plant them. At home, you can lay out the seed material on the surface of the earth in pots and remove them for the night in the refrigerator. In the daytime, pots with sprouts are placed in a warm place. This change must be made several times until the seeds are not pushed through. After that, you can prikopat their land and water.

Such methods of planting are considered the best, since in this case the flowers will be quite strong. Accordingly, from them it will be possible to collect quality seed material.

How to care for seedlings planted in open ground

Before you properly collect the seeds of asters, the characteristics of care should be taken into account first. To do this, you must adhere to several useful rules.

First of all you need to remember that these flowersdo not like water surplus, so watering them should be extremely rare. After watering the seedlings, it is recommended to ventilate. In pots with plants, it is necessary to organize drainage in such a way that water does not linger.

If on a suburban area prevailsquality and fertile land, it is not necessary to prepare the soil before landing. If the soil is poor, then 2 weeks after transplanting the seedlings, it is necessary to fertilize the soil. For this you can use nitrogen fertilizing. However, they should not get carried away, as they provoke a strong growth of the green part of the bushes, and not the flowers themselves.

As a rule, in early May, seedlings are also fed. To do this, mix 1 teaspoon of nitrosfos and fertilizer "Agricola 7". The resulting mixture is diluted with 2 liters of water.

How to choose seeds

Not all beginning gardeners know howcorrectly select the seed material, so that full-grown plants grow out of it. However, this is very important to consider before collecting the seeds of an aster in the fall.

To collect the seeds, strong and beautifulflowers. They can be marked with a ribbon and cut off after flowering. The dried petals can not be cut off from the core, but the entire flower can be stored in a cardboard box. But for this, it must be absolutely dry.

The quality of the seed material, of course, depends on whether its parasites will damage it during the winter storage period. Therefore, when you say how to assemble the seeds of asters, you should definitely consider this nuance.

Peculiarities of growing

First of all, it is necessary to determine theThe place where the flower will be in the flowerbed, and which plants will be located next to it. As a rule, lower-grade varieties are planted on the foreground, and higher ones are chosen for the rear. In this case, the plants will not eclipse each other and will be able to receive a normal amount of light.

First of all, do not grow these flowers onone and the same place annually, since in this case they risk contracting fungal diseases. It is also not recommended to plant crops in the soil where tomatoes, potatoes, gladioli and carnations grew up before.

If as a fertilizer for plantsuse manure, then it can be affected by a black stalk. In addition, such top dressing can provoke brown rot of roots. Therefore, periodically it is necessary to carry out preventive measures. The best way to do this is to disinfect the soil. It is recommended to remove the diseased plant.

How to collect the seeds of one-year-old asters

For seed it is recommended to leavecentral and larger flowers. The fact is that they manage to mature on time. Typically, this occurs approximately 35-40 days after the plant starts to bloom.

In 1 g of quality seedcontains up to 500 pieces. However, before collecting the seeds of asters at home or directly on the countryside, it must be taken into account that they can be stored for no more than 1 year. After that, they will become weaker and unlikely to get through. If you plant the seeds collected earlier in the second year, then the chance that they will turn into full-fledged plants is only 55%.

Also, fresh seeds are better suited forto land them before winter. In order to collect the seed material, you need to wait until the flowers of the plant completely bloom, and their inflorescences a little dry. After that, you need to observe the colors a little. The main sign that they are ready to collect will be that the petals will slightly darken and begin to fade. In this case, a small fluff will appear in the center of the plant.

In this case, figuring out how to collect the seeds of asters, you can start working.

It is recommended to choose a clear and dry day, cut offflower and slightly dry it. It is not recommended to disassemble the head at this stage. After drying, it will be enough to shake the plant and collect all the fallen seeds in a paper bag. If the inflorescence is not dry, then you can try to disassemble it and then wait a few more days. Otherwise, the seeds can rot.

Features of storage of seeds asters

First of all, it is necessary to collect exclusively dry and healthy seeds. If they are darkened shell or skin is covered with light fluff, then it is better not to use such material.

Before putting the seeds into storage, it is necessarythey should be dried further by spreading on dry cotton cloth or paper. However, it is not recommended to expose seed to open sunlight. Storage should be carried out in a dark room with a relative humidity, which is not more than 55%.

During the year, it is necessary to periodically checkbags with seed material and make sure that they do not appear mold or fungus. If this happens, it is not recommended to use seeds for planting.

Advice

In order to obtain quality seeds,know some of the subtleties of caring for asters. Planting plants is recommended in a fairly sunny place, where the soil is light. During the summer season, you need to feed the plants at least 3 times. As a rule, fertilizers are applied immediately after planting, after buds appear and when they begin to bloom.

If you process the bushes with 1% solution of potassium permanganate, this will help protect them from attacks of aphids and spider mite.

In custody

Knowing how to collect the seeds of asters and theiryou can create beautiful flower beds on a country plot. However, it should be borne in mind that in order to obtain a quality seed material, you also need to think about caring for crops.