How to Plant Cosmos Seeds
A brief knowledge on how to plant cosmos seeds and the key points of cosmos daily maintenance. Below, the editor will provide a detailed explanation for you.
The flower to be introduced today is cosmos, also known as theGesang flower. Recently, we have been introducing flowers for spring sowing every day, hoping to relax everyone through learning about flower cultivation.
Introduction to Cosmos:
Cosmos is an annual herbaceous plant. Many people say it is a perennial, but the editor needs to correct this. After the cosmos flowers fade, the seeds can fall to the ground and reproduce themselves. Suitable temperatures allow sowing all year round, which can create an illusion that it is a perennial plant. The flower colors are very rich, commonly pink, fuchsia, white, etc., and the blooming flowers are very beautiful, suitable for large-scale planting in gardens as well as for home potted care.
Growth Habits:
Cosmos is adaptable, prefers a bright, cool, and ventilated environment, and is afraid of extreme heat and cold. It is drought-resistant and dislikes waterlogging. It can grow well in poor soil but is not resistant to fertile soil. If the soil has a high humus content, cosmos will have fewer flowers and long, slender branches. Therefore, for home potted cultivation, it is best to use loose, breathable, and well-draining substrates.
After getting a simple understanding of cosmos, let's move on to the main topic and introduce the propagation methods and maintenance skills of cosmos:
I. Propagation Methods
The main methods of cosmos propagation are cutting propagation and sowing propagation. However, since it produces seeds after flowering and has strong self-reproductive ability, seeds can grow on their own when they fall into the soil, so we generally propagate cosmos through sowing, which is simple and yields a large number of plants.
Of course, we need to buy flower seeds to start with. Don't worry about fake seeds; cosmos seeds are very cheap. The editor bought 500 seeds for less than 5 yuan, and you probably won't need that many if not planting in the ground.
【Sowing Time】
The sowing time for cosmos seeds is mainly in the upper and middle part of spring every year. Of course, places with a constant temperature of around 20 degrees can sow all year round. Generally, sowing can start next month and should not exceed late April. As long as the temperature is between 10-25 degrees, seeds can germinate in 7-10 days and bloom in about 40 days.
【Soil Substrate】
Cosmos is very easy to cultivate because it does not tolerate fertile soil. Therefore, you cannot use fertile soil as you would for other flowers. For those with a yard, simply dig the soil deep in a high, sunny, and wind-protected area and mix it with coarse river sand. For pot planting, you can use a large-diameter shallow pot with ordinary garden soil mixed with river sand or perlite. The editor used a 34 cm diameter, 20 cm deep pot.
【Sowing Method】
Although cosmos does not like fertile soil, it requires high soil water permeability. Therefore, the soil should be loose and well-draining when preparing the soil, and drainage material such as ceramic stones, broken bricks, broken tiles, hard foam, or broken ceramic pots must be placed at the bottom of the pot.
After laying the drainage layer, fill in 9/10 of the soil substrate and gently shake the pot to compact the soil. Then, spread the seeds evenly on the soil, maintain spacing, and then sprinkle fine sand on the surface of the seeds, with a thickness of no more than 1 cm. For ground planting, simply broadcast the seeds on the flattened soil and then sprinkle fine soil evenly on top.
After sowing, water the soil evenly with a fine spray and wait for the seeds to germinate. For pot planting, move the pot to a ventilated and shady place temporarily, and at a temperature of around 20 degrees, the seeds will germinate in about 7-10 days. However, make sure to keep the surface of the soil substrate moist during these days. After germination, you can move it to a place with scattered light and ventilation for maintenance.
Some flower enthusiasts may ask whether cosmos seeds need to be pre-germinated before sowing. Here, the editor wants to tell you that cosmos seeds have a very high germination rate, as it is a flower with high self-reproductive ability, so direct sowing without pre-germination also has a high germination rate.
How to Plant Cosmos Seeds
【Thinning and Transplanting】
The editor of Green Enthusiast Network planted about 30 seeds in a pot with a diameter of 34 cm and then thinned and transplanted when the seedlings grew to about 5 cm in height. Simply dig out the dense seedlings carefully and replant them in other pots. It is recommended to stop watering 2 days before digging up the seedlings to make the soil slightly moist, so that there will be no bare roots during digging. Make sure to transplant with the original soil to ensure a high survival rate! After transplanting, water the seedlings to settle them in a well-ventilated, shady environment for a few days, and then move them to a sunny place for maintenance.
II. Maintenance Skills
【Water and Fertilizer Management】
Cosmos is drought-resistant, dislikes moisture, and dislikes fertilizer. Yes, you read that right; cosmos is that unique. Generally, drought-resistant and moisture-intolerant flowers are common, but those that require minimal fertilizer are rare, which is why the editor of Green Enthusiast Network says cosmos is easy to cultivate.
Generally, cosmos only requires the soil substrate not to be dry during the period before germination. After germination, water can be supplemented when the soil is dry. It is a drought-loving flower, so watering does not need to be done every day and should not cause waterlogging. Flower enthusiasts only need to keep the soil slightly moist. Only during high summer temperatures is it necessary to keep the soil moist, while other seasons are suitable for slightly dry maintenance.
When it comes to fertilizing, it is even more relaxing. Those familiar with the editor of Green Enthusiast Network know that the editor always mentions adding a small amount of base fertilizer when discussing soil configuration. However, today the editor did not mention it. It is because cosmos flowers less with more fertile soil and more with poorer soil, so no base fertilizer is needed when planting.
Just add diluted organic fertilizer (1000-1200 times) or a balanced three-element organic nutrient solution 10 days after pinching the top. Appropriate fertilization after pinching can promote the faster growth of lateral branches and early pinching of lateral branches to increase the number of flowers.
【Light and Temperature】
Cosmos loves light but is afraid of high temperatures. If the temperature exceeds 35 degrees, it will start to grow long branches without flowering, even during the seed-setting period. Don't worry; just move the pot to a ventilated and cool place with scattered light during high temperatures.
Do not move it directly to a dark place without light because it loves light and requires at least half a day of sunlight to bloom normally. If you want it to bloom more, you must place it in a well-lit area.
【Pinching and topping】
Because cosmos is prone to excessive growth, we need to pinch and top it multiple times to make it have more flowers and a shorter, stronger plant. Generally, pinching and topping should start when the plant grows to about 10-15 cm after transplanting and surviving. Pinching the top of the seedlings can stimulate more lateral branches. After pinching, follow the fertilization method mentioned above, and when the lateral branches grow to about 10 cm, pinch the top of the lateral branches again. Repeat this process several times, and a pot of cosmos can produce a large number of flowers without excessive growth or falling over.
In summary: Alright, the propagation and maintenance methods of cosmos are introduced. Do you think it is easier to cultivate than sunflowers? Just pay attention to not using fertile soil, fertilizing less, and pinching frequently, and you can have a pot full of flowers. It is indeed a very suitable flower for beginners to cultivate, and it is also very beautiful. I don't know if you are interested. Finally, the editor of Green Enthusiast Network wants to add that cosmos seeds are easy to fall off, so they should be picked before they are fully mature. If the planting is too dense and the environment is not ventilated, it is more prone to diseases and pests, so make sure to keep the environment ventilated and move the pot to a place where it won't be hit by rain during rainy days.
The above experience of planting cosmos seeds and cosmos daily maintenance brought by Green Enthusiast Network can hopefully bring help to your life!