What are the features and problems of growing verbena from seeds and cuttings at home?

Ampel verbena was bred as an ornamental plant adorning window sills and gardens.

Its main difference from other species in beautiful small flowers and delicate, neat foliage.

This plant is quite hardy, tolerates drought well and has a rich color palette of its inflorescences. How to grow it from seeds and cuttings? Answers further.

Flower features

Ampel verbena was bred relatively recently. Currently, this promising plant has more than 250 varieties. The main purpose of the flower is ampel and indoor cultivation. It grows very quickly, turning into thick motley "caps", reaching a diameter of half a meter.

Most often, ampelous verbena is planted in hanging pots, since its flexible stems hang on the sides of the pot by 50-60 cm. This is its main difference from upright verbena. The leaves of the plant are simple and dense, covered with hairs. Each flower has 5 petals and dense spikes. The color scheme can be various: blue, blue, violet, pink or red.

ATTENTION: The main feature of ampel verbena is its ability to attract butterflies and caterpillars, for which it serves as food.

Breeding methods

How does this plant breed? Most often seeds. But if desired, a new young plant can be grown from the cuttings. Consider these methods in detail.

Seeds

How to assemble and prepare?

Verbena blooms from early summer to late autumn. Green or light brown nuts are formed. When they fully ripen, they break up into 4 segments. The collection of material for sowing is necessary after the seed boxes have dried and become brown.

How to collect flower seeds?

1. Cut off inflorescences with boxes should be laid out on paper and allowed to dry well, periodically turning over so that they do not mold.
2. Then the seeds are taken out of the nuts, put into a paper envelope and signed.

Processing of seeds before sowing is carried out in several stages:

1. Calibration This procedure involves sorting the seed where small, damaged, or suspicious seeds are sifted out.
2. Disinfection. Seeds are placed in a 1% solution of potassium permanganate for 30 minutes, after which they should be washed with boiled water.
3. Stratification. Grains are placed in a container on a damp cloth (gauze) and covered with plastic wrap. A box of seeds is placed in the refrigerator on the lower shelf for cooling for 7 days. This procedure will make it easier for hard-coated seeds to germinate later.
4. The alternation of temperatures. To get the best result, you need to alternate cold with heat. For example, the container with seeds is cooled during the day, and pulled out of the refrigerator at night to warm at room temperature. This treatment will allow the seeds to germinate faster and more evenly.
5. Nutrient solution. Verbena seeds give the first seedlings not so fast, for their germination it may take from 2 to 4 weeks.To speed up this process a little, their germination can be stimulated by the following drugs: Zircon, Kornevin or Heteroauxin. Seeds are soaked for 6 hours, and then dried before sowing.

Photo

And what flower seeds look like, can be seen in this photo:

When and how to plant?

You can grow verbena by seed in boxes, containers or flower pots. It is only necessary to maintain a comfortable temperature and provide a sufficient amount of light.

When to plant seeds? To decorate your balcony or cottage in May, you should start growing seedlings of ampel verbena in late January. Then in mid-March you will have strong, adult seedlings.

A step-by-step scheme for growing verbena seedlings from seeds at home:

1. Prepare low boxes for planting, fill them with soil, spray the ground with water, sow the seeds and cover them with a thin layer of soil (read more about planting and subsequent care for verbena here). Verbene is suitable for almost any soil composition. But it is better to use fertile loam. When using other soils, they can be “lightened" by adding sand.
2. Cover the seed box with glass or a thick film to create a greenhouse effect. Place the container in a warm and dark place. Germination temperature should be between 18-22 ° C.
3. After about a month, the sprouted seedlings are transferred to a lighted place. After a week, the grown young plants can be planted in separate pots.
4. When good warm weather with a stable temperature is established on the street, new flowers can be safely taken out onto the street.

TIP: Adult plants do not need regular transplants. Therefore, immediately select constantly a place of residence for young flowers, where they will grow evenly.

Watch a video on how to grow verbena from seeds:

Cuttings

This method of reproduction is very simple and does not require much effort.. To prepare the cuttings it is necessary:

1. From an adult plant, cut off the upper parts of the stems with 4 or more pairs of leaves with scissors or secateurs. The places of cuts should be treated with charcoal.
2. To root the material, we prepare the soil: mix sand with peat 2: 1. Cuttings are placed in the soil composition to the level of the lower leaf.
3. Seedlings should germinate in greenhouse conditions. Therefore, you should cover the box or pot with cuttings with a glass cap. But do not forget to air every day for a few minutes. Watering should be moderate when the topsoil dries up.
4. After about a month, the cuttings will take root. They can be planted in separate containers for growing.

Care Tips

Ampelic species of verbena are quite unpretentious to the conditions of detention “They don’t need complicated care.”

The main thing that these plants need is the timely removal of wilted flowers so that the plant is constantly updated and throws out new inflorescences.

The regimen of watering verbena is moderate and at different times varies significantly:

• summer - once a week;
• in winter - once every 2 weeks.

This method of hydration ensures the flowering of verbena in the next spring.

During the period of active growth, the plant needs top dressing. It is better to use universal complex fertilizers for flowering plants.

Possible problems

Despite the unpretentiousness of the plant, There are several important points that you should pay attention to when leaving.:

1. The substrate of the flower should always be slightly moistened. But one should not be too careful with watering, otherwise the root system will begin to rot.
2. The flower does not need additional hydration by spraying.
3. To flower often and beautifully bloomed - you need to remove wilted inflorescences in time.
4. Do not forget about the removal of weeds that take nutrients from the soil, thereby preventing the emergence of new buds.
5. Verbena can stop blooming if there is an excess of nitrogen in the top dressing. In this case, the plant will begin to form numerous, unnecessary shoots that weaken the plant.
6. In order for verbena to bloom densely and as long as possible, it must be cut into 1/3 part after the end of the first flowering phase. Further flower pruning is not required.

Conclusion

As you can see ampel verbena is an excellent plant for growing at home and in the country. It is unpretentious to the conditions of detention, very densely and beautifully blooms. It is easy to propagate and just look after it. And its motley delicate flowers serve as a beautiful decoration of any room and delight with its flowering eyes from early summer to late autumn.