Aster is one of the most popular ornamental plants for a garden or flower bed. This culture has several effective breeding methods. The most effective of these is the cultivation of alpine asters from seeds. It allows you to get a large number of new seedlings with minimal labor and time.
Benefits of the seed method
There are several ways to breed alpine asters. The most affordable and simplest is seed. It usually does not require the use of additional equipment and materials. Everything you need to eat in the household.
By propagating plants by seeds, you can get a large number of seedlings. With proper care, they will all be fully developed.
Terms of planting
The sowing date of seeds varies depending on many factors.
By regions
In areas with a warm climate, alpine aster begins to be sown in the first decade of May. The deadline for the procedure is mid-June. In the northern regions, the crop is sown in March – early April. When choosing a date, it should be borne in mind that the duration of the growing season for alpine asters varies from 80 to 130 days.
Lunar calendar
In accordance with the lunar calendar, the optimal terms for sowing the seeds of the crop in question for 2019 are:
- 12-17, 19-20 March;
- 6-8, 11-13, 15-17, 29-30 April;
- 8-17, 21-23, 26-28 May;
- 1-2, 5-6, 9-13, June 16-20;
- July 8-10;
- November 6-8, 13-18, 24-25.
It is preferable to refrain from sowing asters on the following dates:
- 21 March;
- 5, 19 April;
- 5, 19 of May;
- 3-4, June 17;
- 2-3, July 17;
- November 12-13, 26-27.
Popular varieties with photos
The most common varieties of alpine asters are:
Seed sowing
Perennial alpine aster most often propagates by seed. The sowing procedure in open ground is carried out according to the following algorithm:
- Seeds are laid out in grooves no more than 4 cm deep.
- The plantings are watered with warm settled water and covered with earth.
- The area with the planted seeds is covered with a transparent plastic wrap, which should not be removed until the first shoots appear.
The seedling method of growing crops is also widely practiced. The procedure consists of the following steps:
- A week before sowing, the seeds are soaked in a solution of pink potassium permanganate, and then wrapped in a damp cloth for germination.
- Pick up bowls, boxes or pots for sowing.
- Fertile loosened soil is prepared for plants. When using garden land, it is also necessary to treat it with a solution of potassium permanganate.
- Shallow grooves are made on the surface of the soil, into which the seeds that have hatched are laid out.
- The seed is sprinkled with a half-millimeter layer of sand and moistened with a spray bottle.
The seedling method is a more reliable way of growing alpine asters. However, its implementation takes much longer. The advantage of seed propagation of a crop is the absence of the need for stratification.
Care after landing
When sowing in open ground, it is necessary to maintain a protective plastic film until shoots appear. When 2-3 full-fledged leaves are formed on the plants, the plantings must be thinned out in such a way that a gap of approximately 10-15 cm remains between the strongest and normally developed specimens. Plants that turn out to be superfluous can not be thrown away… Instead, it is preferable to transplant them to another location.
Immediately after sowing aster seeds on seedlings, the plantings are covered with a film or glass and placed in a warm room, where the air temperature is constantly maintained at + 20 … 22 ° С. After 3-6 days, the first shoots are formed above the ground, and the temperature can be reduced to + 16 ° C.
When 3-4 full-fledged leaves are formed on the seedlings, they must be dived. During this procedure, it is allowed to cut the roots a little in plants so that they branch out and the root system becomes thicker and more powerful. When diving, use the same soil as when planting, but you can add a small amount of ash to it. Watering of plantings is carried out in moderation, as the soil dries out.
Post-transplant care
After 4-5 true leaves appear on the plants, they are ready to be transplanted to a permanent place. A well-lit area is suitable for an alpine aster. The soil must be sufficiently drained. The culture reacts negatively to high humidity. Stagnant water can completely destroy plantations. The plant does not have serious requirements for acidity, but it grows better on calcified soils.
Alpine asters should not be grown in one place for more than 3-4 years, since they begin to grow strongly, which negatively affects the saturation of the flowering.
Two weeks before transplanting into the ground, the plantings need to be hardened. For this, containers with seedlings must be taken outside daily. At first, their stay in the fresh air should be short, but every day it increases continuously. Plants should be protected from drafts.
Once the transplant is complete, they will need regular watering. To do this, use settled water at room temperature. The procedure is best done late at night when the sun goes down. Water is carefully poured under the root, trying not to drip onto the foliage and stem, so as not to provoke the development of burns.
The soil should always be moist, but not overfilled.
In the first year, plants need to be fed moderately. For the Alpine aster, two summer cow dung applications are sufficient. Closer to autumn, the culture begins to prepare for the winter period, and at this time the introduction of nitrogen is contraindicated for it. In the autumn period, it is allowed to make a single addition of the ash infusion.
Adult plants should be fed with potash fertilizers or ash infusion in the spring. These substances will enhance the flowering and make it longer. For the same purpose, flowers that have stopped blooming are most often removed. If the fall is long and warm, the culture can bloom again. Shortly before the beginning of winter, this is undesirable, therefore, flowers must be removed from such plants.
Sometimes young asters manage to form full-fledged flowers in the first year of life, closer to autumn. It is necessary to remove them even during the bud stage. If this is not done and flowering is allowed, then the plants will tolerate the unfavorable factors of the winter period worse, and the next year they will begin to bloom later.
Alpine aster seeds ripen by the end of July-August. Seed should be collected from the earliest flowers.
The culture is rarely affected by pests and diseases, but in too shaded areas, plants sometimes suffer from powdery mildew. In this case, you need to transplant the Alpine aster to a sunnier place. After that, it is necessary to treat the plantings with any biological fungicide. Most often Fitosporin is used in this capacity.
After five years of cultivation, you need to take care of replanting the plants to a new place. It is advisable to postpone the procedure until autumn. Plantings are removed from the ground with care, taking care not to damage the root system.
It is not recommended to leave the ground bare before the onset of winter. Instead, spread a layer of sawdust and mulch around the plants. If the stems and foliage have dried out, they should be cut off so that they do not prevent the plant from resuming normal development the next year. The culture tolerates low temperatures well and does not need additional shelter. You can only sprinkle the bases of the bushes with sand – this will prevent the kidneys from freezing.
Growing alpine asters from seeds is not difficult. This is a simple and reliable way to get many new plant specimens.
