When to Sow Medal Daisy Seeds
This article introduces the timing for sowing medal daisy seeds and related green plant care, including the following specific content:
Introduction: Chrysanthemums have always been highly regarded in traditional Chinese culture and are particularly favored by ancient scholars and literati. In today's circle of flower cultivation, chrysanthemums also occupy a very important position. As one of the most exquisite and beautiful varieties of chrysanthemums, medal daisies are also favored by many flower enthusiasts. The center of the medal daisy petals has a distinct dark flower heart, which contrasts sharply with the petal color, resembling a medal, hence the name. However, in Africa, medal daisies are also called African sunflowers. The main propagation methods for medal daisies include sowing, cutting, and dividing, with sowing being the most suitable for home use.
The sowing process of medal daisies is relatively simple with a high survival rate. Under normal conditions, seedlings can emerge in about three days, and flowers can start to bloom in three months. The plants can flower in the same year they are sown, which is the biggest advantage of sowing medal daisies. Today, Ayong will discuss the detailed steps for sowing medal daisies, focusing on six key points for quick germination and high survival rates.
Sowing Time for Medal Daisies
Medal daisies can be sown in spring, summer, and autumn. However, to improve the germination rate of the seeds and considering the limitations of home care for medal daisies, it is best to sow when the temperature is around 20 degrees Celsius.
If we are using a constant temperature box for planting, the sowing time can be more flexible. But if we are sowing in a normal home environment, it is best to choose April in spring or September in autumn. Ayong recommends April the most. Sowing at this time allows the medal daisies to start flowering around July. If sown in September, flowering will have to wait until the following year. In any case, we should sow medal daisies when the temperature is stable at around 20 degrees Celsius.
Seed Selection to Improve Germination Rate
Medal daisy seeds vary in size depending on their source. If the seeds are self-harvested, there are 500 to 600 seeds per gram, which are quite small. If purchased online, the seeds are larger due to an outer coating, but the coating prevents us from seeing the seeds clearly, making it difficult to accurately judge the seed quality. Therefore, today's focus is on the sowing method for self-harvested medal daisy seeds.
Before sowing, a rough selection of seeds is necessary, choosing those that are plump and removing any dry, damaged, dull, or hollow seeds, especially hollow ones, as they lack the germination embryo structure and should be discarded.
Tip: When selecting medal daisy seeds, you can gently blow on them. Hollow seeds, being lighter, will be blown away first. However, be careful not to blow too hard at once; gradually increase the force to filter out the hollow seeds.
Prepare Well-Draining Acidic Soil and Choose the Right Pot
Soil: The germination process of medal daisies is relatively fast, so their dependence on soil is not strong. We just need to provide a suitable bedding environment. The soil can be mainly composed of particle soil mixed with a small amount of nutrient soil, such as a mixture of peat soil and coarse river sand. When it's time to repot the medal daisies, the soil can be reconfigured.
Pot: Medal daisies have strong root growth and grow relatively fast. When sowing, we should not use a pot that is too shallow or too small. However, a pot that is too large can easily cause waterlogging in the soil. Therefore, we should choose the pot size based on the number of seeds sown, maintaining an average growing area of about 5 square centimeters per seedling, with a pot depth of 5 to 10 centimeters and a material that is both waterproof and breathable, with drainage holes at the bottom.
When to Sow Medal Daisy Seeds
Sow in Moist Soil with Shallow Coverage
Medal daisies germinate quickly, so soil disinfection can be done or not. Of course, if conditions allow, it is best to消毒 the soil roughly, which can make the root growth environment cleaner and stronger, simplifying later care.
1. Before sowing, wet the soil with a spray bottle. The moisture can be a bit higher, but be sure to keep the soil moisture uniform. You can also water the soil thoroughly and then let it dry for 1-2 hours before sowing.
2. When sowing, be careful not to spread the seeds too densely. Each sowing position can have 1-2 seeds, with a distance of about 5 centimeters between each position.
3. After sowing, cover the seeds with a thin layer of soil. Since medal daisy seeds are small, if the soil layer is too thick, the seeds' germination will be severely hindered. However, not covering the seeds can lead to dehydration and drying, affecting root growth efficiency. Therefore, the soil layer should be kept between 0.5 to 1 centimeter.
Care After Sowing
After sowing the medal daisy seeds, we only need to control temperature, light, and water. In 3 to 10 days, the medal daisies will sprout seedlings.
Temperature: The most suitable germination temperature for medal daisies is around 20 degrees Celsius. If the sowing time is appropriate and there are no significant temperature changes, normal care can continue. However, if there is a sudden drop in temperature, we need to move it to a warm room. If the temperature rises sharply, we can enhance ventilation and spray water mist around the medal daisies to cool them down.