Three ways to grow terry cosme from seeds

I have a kosmeya growing near my house with simple flowers. I didn't plant it on purpose, we got the bushes from the previous owners after buying the plot, and since then they have planted themselves. And the other day, quite by chance, in a flower shop, a variety with stuffed inflorescences caught my eye. I could not resist and bought a bag. Tell me how to grow terry kosmeya from seeds and when is it better to plant them?

Terry kosmeya is the most beautiful variety of an unpretentious flower native to the hot tropics, which has very happily taken root in the local climate. The plant belongs to the Aster family, blooms in July-August, and its inflorescences, with a diameter of 5 to 12 cm, outwardly resemble something in between aster and stuffed chamomile. At the same time, the color of flowers is very diverse - there are both light colors (white, pale pink) and saturated colors (dark red, purple). The bush itself, depending on the variety, can be compact (up to 50 cm) or rather high - up to 1.5 m. The leaf plates are indeed almost like those of wild chamomile - very beautiful, delicate and airy.

In nature, the plant reproduces by self-seeding. At home, terry kosmeya is grown from seeds, and when to plant them depends on the sowing method. This could be:

• sowing seeds in open ground;
• sowing seeds for seedlings.

For sowing, seeds should be taken no more than three years ago. Then they significantly lose germination.

We sow cosme on a flower bed

Terry kosmeya so unpretentious that the seeds can be sown immediately on the garden bed, both in spring and before winter:

1. Spring sowing. You can do it already in April, when all the snow has melted. The flowerbed must first be dug up. Place several seeds in groups on the soil surface every 40 cm, pressing them slightly against the soil. It is not necessary to cover with earth from above, otherwise the seedlings may not hatch. When the seedlings grow up, if necessary, thin them out, leaving one, the strongest, bush.
2. Autumn sowing. Seeds are best sown in late autumn. Dig up the planting site so that the soil is loose. Sowing technology is similar to spring.

When sowing seeds before November, they will germinate and die from freezing, so it is important to observe the timing of the autumn planting.

Seedling method

Sowing cosmos seeds for seedlings allows you to bring the flowering time closer to 1-1.5 months. To do this, in March, fill a shallow container with nutritious and loose soil, moisten it abundantly and lay out the seeds on top, without sprinkling, but slightly deepening into the ground with your finger. Cover the container with foil and place on a warm and light windowsill. When the seedlings grow up, dive them into separate cups and grow them at an air temperature of no more than 18 degrees Celsius.

To avoid picking, the seeds can be sown immediately into cassettes or small containers of 2-3 pieces.

Seedlings are planted on a flower bed when it reaches 6 cm in height, in early June.

Video about growing cosmos