The bright, wildly flowering Salvia plant, which belongs to the genus Sage, has become one of the favorite adornments of flower beds and flower beds. Moreover, this culture pleases the eye on all continents of the world, except Australia. The plant attracts with its gorgeous appearance, long flowering period and, moreover, unpretentious care. Therefore, even a novice gardener will be able to grow salvia to decorate his site, from sowing seeds to planting healthy seedlings and caring for them.
When is it better to plant salvia
Growing salvia from seeds does not require special knowledge and effort, but you still need to take into account some of the features of this plant. Salvia reproduces in several ways, but many years of gardening experience suggest that planting seeds is most effective. This makes it possible to obtain more resistant plants and accelerate the onset of the flowering period.
The period from sowing seeds to flowering salvia is 3-4 months. It is necessary to sow seeds to obtain seedlings, taking into account the specifics of the area: in regions with an early arrival of spring, the best time for sowing is February, with a late one – March and early April.
To grow healthy seedlings, it is necessary to adhere to certain dates for sowing seeds and planting seedlings in open ground. The lunar calendar will help determine the best days for this procedure in 2019.
Dates of sowing seeds and planting salvia according to the lunar calendar 2019
When planting seedlings in open ground, in addition to the dates of the lunar calendar, you should take into account the current weather conditions during this period.
Popular varieties of salvia with photos
There are several hundred species of salvia. Most of them are perennials up to 120 cm high. But in climates with cold winters and hot summers, salvia is most often cultivated as an annual. Several varieties of crops are most popular when decorating balconies, terraces and areas.
Brilliant
It is the most famous species of Salvia, native to Brazil. Its cultivation period as crops is about 200 years. Thanks to breeding, today you can find brilliant salvia not only red, but also white, purple, lilac and even two-color. It blooms magnificently from the beginning of summer until the first frost. There are many varieties of tall and undersized salvia: the height of the first type is 80–90 cm, the second – up to 50 cm.
Medicinal
This species is familiar to all sage, which is widely used in medicine and cooking. Under natural conditions, it is a perennial shrub. In your garden, it can be grown as an annual crop. It pleases with purple inflorescences of flowers in the middle of summer.
Red
The plant is grown as an annual, but at the same time it reaches a height of 50–70 cm. The flowers are similar to both brilliant salvia and sage. The flowering period is from early July to the first cold weather.
Small-leaved
This species is notable for its small clusters of carmine flowers and green stems containing aromatic essential oils. The leaves and stems of Salvia small-leaved are used in medicine and perfumery. The flowering of the plant lasts from the beginning of June to the end of October.
Muchnistaya
This variety has straight stems, elongated leaves and inflorescences of blue or purple color, the length of which reaches 20 cm. The height of the plant itself is 90 cm. The flowering period begins in August and lasts until the onset of frost.
Motley
Salvia of this species is notable for its bracts growing at the top of the 50-centimeter stems. The inflorescences combine up to six flowers of pink or lilac color, they bloom in early summer.
The disadvantage of variegated salvia is the lodging of the stems. To avoid the problem, it is necessary to install the supports in time.
Seed preparation and planting
Before you start directly planting seeds, you should prepare the container, soil and the planting material itself.
For planting, you can use any container with low sides:
- homemade boxes,
- shop containers,
- cut plastic bottles,
- cups.
There should be holes in the bottom of the container to prevent water stagnation and rotting of seeds or sprouts. In the container for planting, you must put a layer of drainage, for example, expanded clay, pebbles, eggshells or sphagnum moss.
The soil for plants should be easily permeable to air and moisture. A mixture of soil, peat and coarse sand in a ratio of 1: 1: 0,5 is suitable for planting.
The day before planting, planting material should be prepared.
No seed stratification is needed.
Seeds can be purchased or collected by hand. In both cases, you need to do the following:
- Suitability check. You need to pour warm water into a bowl, pour the seeds into it and leave everything for 1,5 hours. Seeds that have sunk to the bottom are suitable for planting, and those that float on the surface of the water are “dummies”.
- Disinfection. Salvia seeds must be wrapped in cheesecloth and placed in a weak manganese solution for 20 minutes. Then they need to be rinsed in clean water.
- Drying. To evaporate excess moisture, the seeds should be dried naturally throughout the day. There is no need to spread seeds near a radiator or other heating devices, so as not to dry out the core.
Landing
Having prepared the container, soil and planting material, you can start planting salvia seeds:
- Fill the container with soil so that 3 mm remains to the top of the sides.
- Compact the soil by hand, then spray with water using a spray bottle.
- Place the seeds on the surface of the soil at a distance of 2 cm from each other. It is necessary to cover the seeds with a millimeter layer of soil.
- Cover the container with foil or glass and put it in a warm, well-lit place, for example, on a windowsill. The optimum temperature for seed germination is 20–22 ° C. Over-watering should be avoided.
Care of seedlings
The first sprouts of salvia will appear 14-20 days after planting the seeds. From this period, film or glass is no longer needed. To prevent the intensive stretching of the shoots in the plants, the temperature should be lowered to 16-18 ° C.
If the sprouts have sprouted in the winter, then it is advisable to arrange artificial lighting for the plants. Watering should be moderate so that only the topsoil is moistened. When watering salvia, avoid getting water on the stem of the plant.
A few weeks after the emergence of the shoots, it is useful to add top dressing. You should choose fertilizers with a complex composition of organic and mineral substances.
Plants are picked when the second leaf appears. It is necessary in order to remove the weakest plants, and strong seedlings to dive into separate containers. When picking seedlings, the shoots should be slightly buried in the soil. This will help strengthen the root system.
After the appearance of the third pair of leaves, pinching should be carried out so that future bushes are thick and lush. To do this, you need to cut off the upper part of the shoot.
Planting seedlings in open ground
Before planting salvia on the territory of the site, the plant must be accustomed to natural conditions. Hardening should begin 15-20 days before disembarkation.
First you need to open the vents in the room where the seedlings are located for 10 minutes. Then it is recommended to gradually increase the duration of the air baths up to half an hour. When warm weather comes, the seedlings should be taken out into the open air. The length of time spent outdoors should also increase gradually. Plants can be left outdoors overnight when the average daily temperature is above +7 ° C.
When stable warm weather sets in, the seedlings can be moved to open ground. For salvia, you should choose a sunny place with fertile soil. When planting seedlings on a site, you need to take into account the following features of the plant:
- Active development of salvia. You need to think about its placement in advance so that the plant does not interfere with other crops. The ideal distance between seedlings is 30 cm.
- Lodging tendency. The lower part of the shoots can be sprinkled with earth to keep the salvia upright.
Further care involves regular moderate watering, timely weeding and loosening of the soil, as well as periodic fertilizing with complex fertilizers.
There are no particular difficulties in growing salvia from seeds. All that is needed is planting material and fertile soil, as well as care and proper care. And for this, the plant will delight with bright lush flowering for many months before the onset of frost.
