When to plant a cosmos flower - growing from seeds, planting and care

Cosmea, aka “Mexican aster”, “beauty”, “space”. It is a green herbaceous plant with dazzling petals. Belongs to the Asteraceae or Asteraceae family. It was first discovered in South and Central America. If you translate the name from Greek, you get the word “decoration”. Today it is popular all over the world for its unpretentiousness and decorativeness. Because it is easy to watch, it is perfect for beginners.

Types and varieties of cosmos

There are more than 20 specimens of the plant, let's look at the most common ones.

Double-pinnate

The most famous annual herbal plant, with roots from Mexico, up to 1.5 m high. Its leaves are divided into thread-like lobes, reminiscent of dill foliage. The diameter of the inflorescence is approximately 7-10 cm. The baskets come in pink, white, purple, and red colors. The following varieties are distinguished:

Sulfur yellow

Grows in the vicinity of Latin America. It is considered an annual plant and loves warmth. The baskets are orange or yellow-golden in color.

Chocolate

Another name for it is blood red or black. It is a perennial plant. The flowers are burgundy in color and smell like chocolate. Loves warmth and is mostly kept in pots.

However, you can also grow it in open ground, and when the cold comes, cover it or move it indoors.

Terry species are in great demand.

The most famous varieties:

Terry

The petals are arranged in several rows, which gives them splendor and special beauty. May be sunny yellow, burgundy or orange.

Description of the plant

The plant belongs to the Asteraceae (otherwise known as Compositae) family; the genus includes more than 20 species of flowers .

The natural habitat of cosmos is in the subtropical and tropical zones of South America; it can be found much less often in North America, while most of the plants are found in Mexico, its mountainous part.

Depending on the variety, the size of a well-branched bush can vary from half a meter to one and a half meters in height.

Thin flexible shoots of cosmos are vertically oriented. The leaf blades are oppositely located, doubly dissected, very beautiful.

The period when cosmos blooms is long, it can last for three months: it begins in July and ends with the first autumn cold snap.

The inflorescences- baskets of cosmos resemble large daisies in appearance (the diameter of a fully open calyx can reach 12 cm).

The corollas can be either single or part of loose paniculate inflorescences.

The most common color of the petals:

• pink;
• white;
• orange;
• purple;
• red;
• golden yellow.

Varietal mixtures

These are varieties that include flowers of the same type, but differ in color.

Sensation

A mixture of cosmos, reaching a height of 1-1.5 m, baskets of white, pink and red shades.

Rainbow tints

It pleases the eye with its harmonious variety of tones; there are pink, red, white, brown-crimson. Grows up to 1.2 m.

Sea shells

The most interesting species is characterized by reed inflorescences connected into a tube, branching and similar in appearance to shells.

Application

If we talk about the use of the plant in various spheres of life, then in this case scientists have not yet sufficiently studied all the properties of cosmos.

At home

In everyday life, cosmos can only be used as decoration for a home or garden plot. This is a very good solution, since cosmos is not picky and does not require special care or constant watering. Well, of course, it has a very beautiful appearance, which allows it to become the center of attention of your flowerbed.

Growing cosmos

A popular method of propagating it is by seed. For this reason, in temperate climates the perennial is grown as an annual plant. There are two growing methods: seedlings and seeds.

1. In the first method, to obtain young plants, seeds are planted in small boxes with soil (preferably a sand-peat mixture) in early spring, lightly pressed into the ground and placed in a sunny room at a temperature of +18...+20 °C. The appearance of sprouts is expected after 7-14 days. Once they reach a certain size, they are transplanted into a larger tank, maintaining intervals of 10-15 cm. Then the temperature regime should be changed to +16...+18 °C. The first flowers are expected in early June.
2. The second method is to place the seeds in the ground outside. First, dig a small hole 10 mm deep (after the snow has melted). Then the seedlings are dispersed in 3-4 pieces, keeping a distance of 30-40 cm between them and watered so that the seeds are not washed out. Subsequently, they are cared for like adult plants. Flowering is observed at the end of July.

Features of seeds: removal and selection for sowing

Suitable seeds for planting can be collected even in cold climates. The plant is unpretentious, so planting material will sprout in any case. An assortment of cosmos seeds is available in all flower shops. However, most gardeners prefer to use their own planting material. They remove it from mature plants on their site. This procedure has the following nuances:

1. Flowering lasts a long time, so it is not necessary to wait until it ends to collect seeds.
2. Planting material is collected in early autumn from flowers that have already dried up.
3. The seeds have a long shelf life. They are able to sprout within 3-4 years after collection or purchase.

Cosmos seeds are elongated and dark in color.

Principles of self-seeding

Cosmea is a wild flower, so it can reproduce by self-sowing. In the fall, the seeds spill out of the inflorescences to germinate the following spring. If there are no complaints about the variety and characteristics of the flower on the site, you can allow it to reproduce on its own.

Important! The plant tends to cross-pollinate. If 2-3 different varieties of cosmos grow nearby, it will be impossible to achieve a perfect color when propagating by self-sowing.

Cosmea soft lilac color

Planting cosmos in open ground

Planted in late May or early June, when light morning frosts are already behind us. Choose a place that is windless and sunny. The land is pre-prepared: it should not be very nutritious, the pH level should be in the range of 5.1-5.5, well drained. When the height of the seedlings is 60 mm, they are placed in dug holes 30x30 cm in size, filled with water. Next, they are covered with soil and watered again.

For tall plants, sticks are stuck nearby so that later, if necessary, you can tie it up. When the bush reaches 50 cm in height, pinch off the tops of the stems. Thanks to this, the cosmos will grow fluffy and graceful.

How to care for cosmos

It is necessary to water the plant regularly and moderately before it gets stronger. Then you can simply make sure that the soil does not dry out. Until the cosmos grows, you need to loosen the soil with a flat cutter and weed the weeds. It is better to cut off the fading buds so that more new buds will appear.

Tall varieties of cosmos need support, and it is better to take care of it right away. If you want a more branched bush rather than just a tall one, you can pinch the plant back once it reaches the desired height.

To collect seeds, it is better to leave the largest and strongest buds. As for fertilizer, you can feed the plant 3 times a season. However, as mentioned earlier, cosmos cannot be overfed. The plant is believed to grow well without any fertilizer.

Diseases, pests

It is not susceptible to diseases and pests, however, it may be subject to their attacks at the initial stage of growth. If snails and slugs are found on the leaves of a flower, they are collected by hand and destroyed. A good option would be to install a trap with beer, which will significantly reduce the number of parasites; you just need to check them regularly and replace the bait.

Principles of growing seedlings from seeds

This method is chosen by gardeners who want to get flowers as quickly as possible. In this case, the first inflorescences appear at the beginning of summer. Also, the seedling method is relevant if you want to create a flower garden on your site with a strictly defined arrangement of plants. When planting seedlings, it is much easier to achieve the desired geometry.

Sowing seeds

So, the algorithm of actions for the seedling method will be as follows:

• Find a low, wide box or individual cups for sowing cosmos.
• Fill the containers with breathable soil. You can buy universal primer in the store. The soil needs to be thoroughly loosened and moistened with a sprayer.

Preparing the soil before sowing seeds

• The seeds are evenly distributed over the soil surface. If planting occurs in separate cups, place 2 seeds in each. They need to be lightly pressed into the soil with your finger.
• It is not recommended to sprinkle the seeds with soil, as they need a lot of light to germinate. It is enough to spray them with water and cover them with glass or film.
• The resulting mini-greenhouse with future cosmos is placed in a bright, warm place with an air temperature of +18 ... +20°C.
• The film must be regularly opened slightly to ventilate the plantings and eliminate condensation. As the soil dries, the seeds are moistened. Watering should occur no more than once a week so that the plantings do not begin to rot.

Mini greenhouse

• The first shoots should appear in about 1-1.5 weeks. After this, the film is completely removed and the temperature is reduced by 2 degrees.
• Young shoots need to be thinned out, removing weak shoots. You need to leave a distance between flowers of about 10 cm.

Strong young shoots can be hardened off. The procedure is carried out approximately 2 weeks before transferring to open ground. For hardening, boxes with seedlings are taken out onto the balcony or outside. On the first day, the plants spend 10-15 minutes in the fresh air, gradually this time increases.

Important! If you plan to create flower bushes with an abundant crown, the grown shoots need to be pinched after the 7th leaf pecks. But in this case, flowering will occur much later.

Grown cosmos seedlings

Soil prices

soil earth

Transferring seedlings to the garden plot

The optimal time for transferring seedlings to the ground is mid-May. At this time, constant warm weather has already established itself outside, and severe frosts are already excluded. Young shoots for transplantation should stretch approximately 6-10 cm. The transplantation algorithm, along with the nuances, is presented in the table below.

Table 2. Algorithm for transferring cosmos seedlings to open soil.

It should be remembered that cosmos are cross-pollinated. Therefore, it is better not to plant different varieties of plants next to each other.

Important! There is no need to keep the seedlings at home: this way they will get used to greenhouse conditions and may not survive being transferred outside.

Young plants in the garden plot

Mr. Summer Resident informs: the reasons why cosmos does not bloom

The following can be distinguished:

• Late landing. If you do not do this on time, the flower may not have time to open.
• Excessive feeding of the plant. Due to the fact that the land in which the flower grows is excessively fertile, all its forces go towards increasing the green mass: tall and thick stems, large leaves. To avoid this, you should control the time and amount of fertilizer applied.
• Violation of the rules of care (overwatering, placement in the shade) can lead to poor flower opening.

When to plant cosmos?

The time for sowing cosmos depends on which growing method was chosen. This can be planting in open ground using the seedling method. Their nuances are presented in the table below.

Table 1. Choosing the time to plant flowers.

In both cases, the first shoots may appear within a week after sowing. If it is still cool outside, cosmos can germinate in open ground in 12-14 days. This garden crop loves warmth, but can also tolerate light frosts. Therefore, if frost unexpectedly hits you in the spring, there is no need to panic.

Important! For timely seed hatching, the air temperature at the planting site should be maintained at 12-15°C.

Grown sprouts of cosmos

Combination with other plants and use in landscape design

The abundance of shades and varieties of cosmos allows you to make landscape design simply stunning. It will look bright and romantic on any site. Wonderful combinations are obtained from cosmos with daisies, phlox, or marigolds.

Tall varieties are often planted along fences and railings; they can be used to create a kind of corridor or decorate a border. Low-growing representatives look amazing against the background of other plants in flower garden borders. Cosmos planted in stylish pots and modern flower containers will help you decorate balconies, window sills or verandas.

Secrets of success

Cosmea develops best in well-lit areas, but can also grow in light partial shade. With a clear lack of sunlight, the bush becomes elongated and blooms weakly.

It is important to choose a location protected from winds to prevent the fragile stems from breaking. Additional insurance, especially for tall varieties, will be the installation of supports.

IN THE PHOTO: Cosmea feels quite comfortable in any soil. However, the more nutritious the soil, the more actively the foliage grows, and flowering begins much later and becomes scarce. Photo by: @weloveourgarden.

The plant needs abundant watering only at the very beginning of the growing season. Then it is enough to carry out the procedure once a week. Loosening the soil after watering, as well as killing weeds, are mandatory maintenance requirements.

The bushes are fed with complex mineral fertilizers after planting seedlings or thinning seedlings, in the budding phase and at the beginning of flowering.

Pinching stimulates lateral branching, removing faded heads stimulates the formation of new buds. A heavily overgrown bush can be trimmed to give it any shape. It is noteworthy that after cutting, flowering does not deteriorate.