How to grow Lisianthus at home: when to sow seeds for seedlings

If the rose is considered the queen of flowers, then the Lisianthus is definitely the princess of the world of flowering plants. In Europe, it is one of the ten most popular flowers, and you can easily grow it yourself.

OBOZ.UA learned the main secrets of gardeners who know how to grow Lisianthus. We will tell you when to sow the plant for seedlings and how to take care of it to get the most magnificent flowering.

Sowing for seedlings

From the moment the first seedlings appear to the first flowers, Lisianthus has to go a long way – about 5-7 months. Therefore, it is sown for seedlings in the first days of the new year. If everything is done by the end of January, it will bloom in June.

If you want to grow the flower as a houseplant, then it should be sown in July and August. In this case, the Lisianthus will delight you with flowering in the winter season. It is noteworthy that when grown at home, the flower lives for several years, and in the open field it behaves like an annual.

How to choose a variety

Lisianthus is divided into three types according to the size of the bush: tall – up to 90-120 cm, medium – 50-80 cm, undersized – 15-25 cm. Any of them can be grown in a flower bed or garden. Only miniature varieties will feel good at home. If you plan to cut Lisianthus for bouquets, you should focus on growing tall varieties.

How to sow Lisianthus correctly

As a rule, packaged flower seeds are sold disinfected and prepared for planting, so all you have to do is to sow them properly in the ground – no additional preparation is required. Sow the seeds in a peat substrate that is neutral in acidity. The flower also grows well in violet soil.

Take out plastic containers 5-10 cm high and fill them with soil, compacting it at the same time. Leave 1-1.5 centimeters of space from the edge of the container. Spray the soil with water from a spray bottle – it should be slightly damp, not wet. Place the seeds on the moistened soil at a distance of 1-1.5 cm from each other. Do not bury them. Use different containers for different varieties of Lisianthus.

When all the seeds have been sown, spray them again with soft water at room temperature from a spray bottle and cover the container with a transparent lid. Even cling film will do. Place the resulting greenhouse in a warm place where the temperature does not drop below 20 degrees. Provide the crops with 10-12 hours of light per day.

Remove the lid from the greenhouse in the morning and evening. Ventilation should last 20-30 minutes. If you do everything right, the first sprouts should appear in 1-3 weeks, depending on the variety.

Caring for the sprouts

When the Lisianthus grows up and has a few real leaves, start increasing the airing time by 30 minutes every day. The plant should gradually get used to room temperature. Water the young flower from a spray bottle and make sure that the water is not cold.

When the third pair of true leaves is formed, it is time to plant the plants in separate containers. The pots should be about 200 ml in volume. The time for this comes about a month after sowing.

Spill the soil in the Lisianthus containers before planting. Carefully remove each plant with the clod of earth to avoid damaging the roots. In a separate pot filled with the substrate, make a depression in the middle, insert the plant into it, and sprinkle it with earth, slightly compacting it.

Gently water the planted flowers and place them under a phytolamp – flowers need long daylight hours. Cover each pot with a transparent glass with a hole in the top. In two days, when the flower is accepted, this greenhouse can be removed. Water the planted Lisianthus every 2-3 days. Make sure that no water gets on the leaves.

Feeding Lisianthus seedlings

The first feeding of the flower is carried out 7-10 days after the dive. At this time, it needs nitrate. To prepare the fertilizer, dilute 1 gram of the substance in a liter of water. Water the seedlings with this solution at the rate of 50 ml per plant. Fertilize in the evening, after the phytolamps are turned off. Then fertilize young flowers every 10-14 days. A ready-made fertilizer for flowering plants is well suited for this purpose.

To transfer Lisianthus to the open ground, you need to wait until the frost stops and the temperature at night exceeds 10-12 degrees Celsius. The seedlings should be at least 8-10 cm tall and have 5-6 pairs of leaves. If the seedlings are smaller, wait until they grow to the desired size.

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