How to Plant Cosmos Seeds
This article provides an overview of how to plant cosmos seeds and related knowledge about the cultivation and management of cosmos, offering some very useful tips and tricks. It is recommended to bookmark for future reference!
The flower introduced today is cosmos, also known as the common gesang flower. Recently, we have been introducing flowers for spring sowing every day, hoping that learning about flower care can help everyone relax.
Introduction to Cosmos:
Cosmos is an annual herbaceous plant. Many people say it is a perennial, but let me correct that. After cosmos flowers fade, the seeds fall to the ground and can self-propagate. seeds can be sown throughout the year when the temperature is suitable, which can create the illusion that it is a perennial plant. The flowers come in a variety of colors, including pink, magenta, white, and so on, and are very beautiful when in full bloom, making them suitable for large-scale planting in gardens and for home potted care.
Growing Habits:
Cosmos is adaptable, preferring a sunny, cool, and well-ventilated growing environment. It is afraid of intense heat and cold, drought-resistant, and dislikes waterlogging. It can grow well in poor soil but is not tolerant of rich soil. If the soil has a high humus content, cosmos will produce fewer flowers and have long, slender stems. Therefore, for home potted cultivation, it is best to use a loose, well-draining matrix.
After getting a simple understanding of cosmos, let's move on to the main topic and introduce the propagation methods and care techniques for cosmos:
I. Propagation Methods
There are mainly two methods of propagation for cosmos: cutting propagation and seeding propagation. However, because it produces seeds after flowering and has a strong self-propagation ability, the seeds can grow on their own when they fall into the soil, so we usually propagate cosmos by seeding, which is simple and produces a large number of plants.
Of course, we need to buy flower seeds for sowing. Don't worry about fake seeds, as cosmos seeds are very cheap. I bought 500 seeds for less than 5 yuan, and you probably won't even need that many if not planting in the ground.
【Sowing Time】
The main sowing time for cosmos is in the upper half of spring every year, although it can be sown all year round in places with a constant temperature of around 20 degrees. Starting next month, you can begin sowing, with the latest by the end of April. As long as the temperature is between 10-25 degrees, the seeds will germinate in 7-10 days and can bloom in about 40 days.
【Soil Matrix】
Cosmos is very easy to grow because it does not tolerate fertile soil. Therefore, you cannot use fertile soil as you would for other flowers. If you have a garden, just dig deep into the soil in a high, sunny, and sheltered area and mix it with coarse river sand. For potting, you can use a large, shallow pot with ordinary garden soil mixed with river sand or perlite. I planted mine in a pot with a diameter of 34 centimeters and a depth of 20 centimeters.
【Sowing Method】
Although cosmos does not like fertile soil, it requires good soil water permeability. Therefore, when preparing the soil, it must be loose, well-draining, and you must place drainage material such as ceramic stones, broken bricks, broken tiles, hard foam, or broken pot pieces at the bottom of the pot.
After laying the drainage layer, fill the pot with soil matrix to 9/10 full and gently shake the pot to compact the soil. Then, you can evenly sow the seeds in the soil, maintaining spacing, and then sprinkle fine sand on top of the seeds, with a thickness not exceeding 1 centimeter. If sowing directly in the ground, just scatter the seeds on the flattened soil and then sprinkle fine soil on top.
After sowing, water the soil evenly with a fine stream and wait for the seeds to germinate. For potting, move the pot to a ventilated, shaded area temporarily, and with a temperature of about 20 degrees, the seeds will germinate in about 7-10 days. However, during these days, make sure to keep the surface of the soil matrix moist. Once germinated, move the pot to a well-lit, ventilated area for care.
Some gardeners may ask whether cosmos seeds need to be pre-germinated before sowing. Here, I want to tell you that cosmos seeds have a very high germination rate, as it is a flower with high self-propagation 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 centimeters and then thinned and transplanted the seedlings when they reached a height of about 5 centimeters. Just carefully dig up the dense seedlings 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, which will prevent bare roots during digging. Make sure to transplant with the original soil to increase the survival rate! After transplanting, water the seedlings with a settling water and keep them in a well-ventilated, shaded area for a few days before moving them to a sunny area for care.
II. Care Techniques
【Water and Fertilizer Management】
Cosmos is drought-tolerant and dislikes moisture and fertilizer. Yes, you read that correctly, cosmos is quite picky. While it is common to see drought-tolerant and moisture-intolerant plants, it is not common for a plant to require almost no fertilizer. That's why the editor of Green Enthusiast Network says cosmos is a very easy flower to grow.
Generally, cosmos only requires the soil matrix to stay moist before germination. After germination, water can be added only when the soil is dry. It is a drought-loving flower, so watering does not need to be done every day and should not result in waterlogging. Gardeners only need to keep the soil slightly moist. Only during high summer temperatures is it necessary to keep the soil moist. Other seasons are suitable for slightly drier care.
When it comes to fertilizing, it is even more worry-free. Those familiar with the editor of Green Enthusiast Network know that whenever soil configuration is mentioned, it is recommended to add a small amount of base fertilizer. However, today the editor did not mention it because cosmos produces fewer flowers in fertile soil and more in poor soil, so no base fertilizer is needed when planting.
Just after pinching the top, add a diluted organic fertilizer (1000-1200 times) or a balanced three-element organic nutrient solution every 10 days. Properly supplementing fertilizer after pinching the top can promote the growth of lateral branches and increase the number of flowers.
【Light and Temperature】
Cosmos loves light but is afraid of high heat. If the temperature exceeds 35 degrees, it will start to grow tall and slender stems without flowering, even during the seeding stage. Don't worry, just move the pot to a well-ventilated, cool area with scattered light during hot weather.
Be careful not to move it to a dark, shaded area because cosmos loves light and requires at least half a day of sunlight to flower normally. If you want it to bloom more, it must be kept in a well-lit area.