The advantage of left-handed people is that they can bloom throughout the summer season, therefore they are a welcome decoration of gardens. To do this, plants need an open sunny place and simple care. Being an annual with a long period of development, levoka enter the flowering phase only three months after planting. Therefore, the preparation of high-quality seedlings grown at home is of great importance.
What's so curious about left
Decorative lefts with their variety of shapes and colors are derivatives of one of the species (Matthióla incána, aka Matthiola gray) of the genus Matthiola, belonging to the cruciferous family. Under natural conditions, on the stony slopes of the Mediterranean plants have a plain appearance: grayish-green leaves and small four-petalled flowers with a pleasant aroma.
Levkoys have a long development cycle, their flowering occurs two and a half (or even three and a half months) after the emergence of seedlings.
To get levkoy in June, seedlings are grown at home or in greenhouses. Seeds sown directly into the soil will only bloom by the end of summer.
In what time frame to plant seeds for seedlings
It is recommended to plant seeds for growing seedlings 2-3 months before planting it in a permanent place.
To get flowering in early summer, you need to sow seeds in early March. The exact time can be calculated based on factors:
- Variety of plant. The appearance of the plant, the time of its flowering, etc., depends on it.
- The climate of a particular region. Levkoy is a cold-resistant plant. In the middle lane, the seedling planting dates are the second half of May.
According to the lunar calendar, the most favorable days for planting, picking and planting annual flowers are the days when the moon is in the first and second quarter of the lunar cycle, that is, "on the growing moon." When to plant with levka when growing from seeds in 2019:
- from February 7 to February 17;
- from March 10 to March 20;
- from April 8 to April 18.
What sort of left-handed pick to plant
Know all the nuances of classification is optional. When choosing seeds, you must carefully read the description of the variety, paying attention to the following parameters:
- plant height;
- the size and shape of the inflorescence;
- flower size;
- flowering time;
- shelf life.
Popular varieties with photos
- Grade Mammut Excelsior (Mammut is superb).
It belongs to the group of single-stem varieties, usually reaches a height of 70-80 cm, forms a long dense inflorescence on a powerful stem, consisting of double flowers up to 5 cm in diameter. It has many shades: red, yellow, white, apricot. Good for cutting. Tall varieties: Fox (pink), Step (red), Excelsior (different shades), Miracle.
Mammoth Apricot
- Variety Thumbelina.
Refers to dwarf varieties. The height of the plant is not more than 30 cm. Dense pyramidal inflorescences consist of large double flowers. Shades from white to dark purple. He is beautiful in the flowerbed, because of compactness he feels great in pots. Dwarf varieties: Gnome (different colors), Sunny Bunny (yellow), Lapis lazuli (blue), Ten Vic (different colors), Intuition (20 cm high).
Thumbelina, a mixture of shades
- Variety Ten Vic.
It has lush inflorescences of densely-sized flowers. Height - 30 cm.
Ten Vic pink
- Variety Snowflake.
Has racemose inflorescences and snow-white large flowers. Its height is not more than 25 cm.
Snowflake
- Shrub varieties (different shades).
The bush form of a flower bush is suitable for the design of flower beds. Plants are highly branched, loose inflorescences, flowers are very large (up to 5 cm). It looks like a blooming cloud.
Bush, a mixture of shades
- Varieties of Bouquet and Victoria.
They form a group of bouquet left-handed people, for which an equal level arrangement of the main inflorescence and lateral is characteristic.
Victoria pink
- Levkoy gray-haired.
Garden group of varieties with a height of about 60 cm, pyramidal inflorescences, various shades. Varieties: Grizzly Giant.
Gray-haired giant purple
- Grade Aida.
It has a bush height of about 50 cm, large double flowers of delicate colors, collected in racemose inflorescences. They form very beautiful borders.
Aida pale pink
A close relative of levkoy is Mattiola bicorn, also known as night violet. This flower is invisible during the day, but at dusk, like little stars, they open and exude a wonderful aroma. Since matthiola is much closer to wild forms, it is much more enduring. It can be sown directly into the ground in early spring and even in the winter near places where people spend time in the evening.
Night violet
How to sow seeds: step by step instructions
Sowing of seeds is carried out no later than the beginning of March. It is necessary to prepare for this work in advance. Actions must be performed in the following order:
- Preparation of tanks. To sow seeds, take containers with holes to remove excess water.
- Preparation of the soil mixture, which should be moisture- and breathable. It is necessary to prepare the soil substrate by mixing the turf soil with sand in a ratio of 3: 1. Neither humus, nor compost, nor other organics should be added to this mixture. If you have bought ready-made soil, it is recommended to add sand to it to prevent excessive compaction of the earth. Nevertheless, the risk of death of seedlings from the black leg remains. For insurance, pour the finished substrate with a solution of potassium permanganate, and then dry.
Stratification of seeds is optional, but this technique will increase seed germination and accelerate their germination:
- Seeds put a flat dish, covered with a napkin, pour water, slightly covering, and leave for a day.
- After swelling, seeds wrapped in a moistened napkin should be put in the refrigerator on the lower shelf, where the temperature is from 2 to 5 ° С. Stratification should last several days to a week.
- Finished seeds should be sown in moist soil, buried half a centimeter and placed seeds at a distance of 3 cm.
- Watering is not necessary. Cover the container with crops with glass or film and arrange in a warm place where the temperature is 20-22 ° C.
- Seedlings need to wait from 4 days to 2 weeks.
Stratification of seeds is carried out taking into account the conditions of the region
How to care for seedlings
After seeing the first shoots, the shelter should be removed, and the container with seedlings should be placed in a well-lit but cool place, where the temperature is not higher than 15 ° C, so that the seedlings do not stretch out, was strong and hardened. Further care is as follows:
- Starting from the moment of full deployment of cotyledonous leaves, seedlings can be dived.
- Watering seedlings after shelter should not begin immediately, but after a few days, avoiding its overmoistening and overdrying earthen coma.
- Sprouts should be planted in pots filled with soil mixture consisting of turf, leafy soil and sand in a ratio of 2: 2: 1. Pots should have a hole below for the outflow of excess moisture.
- Levkoy flower buds are formed at a temperature of no higher than 15 ° C. This is a guarantee of early flowering, otherwise it will come 10-20 days later. Seedlings are placed in a well-lit cool place and watered, avoiding drying out and waterlogging.
- The room where the seedlings are located should be often aired. This will serve as additional hardening and make it stronger and more durable.
- Seedlings ready for planting look like a rosette consisting of 6-7 well-developed leaves.
- Hardened seedlings will not die during brief frosts down to −5 ° C, so seedlings can be planted starting in the second decade of May.
How to choose the right place for landing
Levkoys are planted near walkways, arbors, areas with garden furniture, in which case there will be more opportunity to appreciate the aroma of flowers. Levkoys are most decorative in open sunny places on fertile sod-loamy or sod-loamy soil.
Colors will be damaged:
- stagnation of water;
- prolonged drought;
- organic fertilizers.
When planting plants, one should take into account how they will look when they grow, the volume of their inflorescences and height. Dwarf varieties of left-handed people are arranged in the form of a border along the paths, high - in groups among other flowers or herbaceous plants.
Plants with spreading inflorescences have a distance of more than 35 cm from each other, with bouquet and pyramidal - 25 cm, and single-stem and dwarf - 15-20 cm.
The combination of left-handed people of different varieties will create an unusually romantic atmosphere in the garden.
How to care for flowers planted in open ground
Any root damage to left-handed people is stressful. When transplanting to a permanent place, the seedling should be carefully transshipped into the hole along with an earthen lump. So that the lump does not crumble and hurt the root system, it is pre-moistened. Seedlings are not recommended to be planted in hot weather.
Wells for planting are watered with water, lightly mixed with the ground until the consistency of liquid porridge, so the roots of the plant take root more quickly. No additional fertilizers should be added. The hole is covered with earth, they are well compacted.
Levkoys do not require special care. It is enough for them to perform the simplest procedures:
- Moderate watering without waterlogging of the soil.
- Loosening after watering and rain.
- Weeding.
- Top dressing once a month with ash or mineral mixtures containing potassium and phosphorus.
Possible pests: cruciferous flea and caterpillars of cabbage butterflies. To combat them, you can use a solution of ash, tobacco dust or insecticides.
Florists use left-handed inflorescences that have opened to two-thirds in the preparation of bouquets, while they are able to stand in the water for almost a month, without losing their pristine freshness and beauty. In landscape design, levkoys are suitable for the first rows of flower beds, decoration of terraces and balconies. They are planted in flower beds, flower beds, in flowerpots and containers.
