"I will not sow any more"
Do you still want to grow a beautiful eustoma and wipe your nose to other growers who are not getting along with this plant in any way? Then a fiery salute, comrade conceited gardener!
Today on the agenda is a list of common mistakes due to which another loser tells his colleagues at the dacha that "The capricious eustoma disappeared / never bloomed / drank all the blood".
Stop. What does it mean: "Eustoma is capricious?"
Eustoma is both capricious and easy to grow flower. Capricious in the sense that he clearly outlines the boundaries: he knows what to allow the grower and what not. But if he plays by the rules of the flower, he will get an abundantly flowering plant for the garden and photographs.
Note to a friend: If everything is done correctly, then the eustoma will bloom from July to... September-October
However, our summer residents sin by reading the recommendations, saying to themselves "Some bullshit!" and do everything in their own way. Marigolds - forgive. Asters - forgive. Yes, even petunia will forgive, only it turned out to be more terrible. Eustoma will not forgive. Therefore, I advise you to accept her rules of the game and not make 4 mistakes. And then you, comrade, will see how easy it is to grow.
Late sowing: when no fools write about the timing
Citizens who want to grow eustoma from seeds are often confused by the recommendation to sow for seedlings in November-December. Reviews from the Internet add fuel to the fire "And I sowed in March and everything bloomed in June." Maybe this is what happened in 1 out of 100, but it’s naive to think that it’s the same for you, right? Most likely, with a late planting, the eustoma will reveal its first bud to the world sometime in September.
Friendly tip: Dwarf (potted) varieties of eustoma bloom in 4-5 months. Full-fledged (cut for the garden) require 5-7 months. And this is in ideal conditions! Any oversight will delay flowering even more.
Count: for the eustoma to bloom in July and bloom for at least 2-3 months, in January you should already have seedlings, comrade. And a powerful lamp, without which the seedlings will stretch out, weaken and never become a healthy ornamental plant.
Plant where you want yourself, not eustoma
I was almost stunned when my mother-in-law planted an eustoma under a spreading apple tree. Because I read on the Internet that she "loves partial shade." And then she wondered why the bushes fell apart and gave only 3 pitiful, indistinct flowers.
Comrade! Eustoma - loves light. Be sure to protect it from the global shadow. It will be great if she will be in it at midday summer hours. But not everyone has the opportunity to build a plan of flower beds in accordance with the astronomical position of the heavenly bodies. In this case, after planting eustoma in an open area, just watch out for timely watering.
Leave the acidity of the soil at the mercy of the gods
Eustoma grows best in neutral soil. Neither acidic and alkaline its growth is inhibited. This is due to the fact that due to the wrong pH, the plant cannot absorb food from the ground and is very upset.
Friendly advice: I strongly recommend that you find out the acidity of your soil at least once by purchasing litmus strips
Sour soil? Before planting, be generous with ash or dolomite flour. Alkaline? Add sour peat or coniferous litter.
I consider it my duty to the dacha commissar to warn that a special danger lies in wait for eustoma in the newfangled version of growing in pots. They are usually watered with tap water, which is unforgivably harsh. And, as we all remember from the school chemistry course, it alkalizes the earth. To bring the pH to a decent indicator, periodically water the planter with a citric acid solution (a teaspoon per 10 L bucket).
Manure and ignore the chemistry
I do not know a single person who has suffered from fertilizing flowers with purchased fertilizers. But I often see miserable plants, suffering from an inexplicable desire to fertilize "only natural". If you are in the last camp, then it is easier not to start an eustoma initially.
Comrade! Eustoma is a gluttonous plant.
- When preparing the soil for its seedlings, fill the soil with the universal "Nitroammofoska" and a little compost.
- Uncover the potassium-phosphorus fertilizers by July. I see no reason to measure out grams of potassium salt and double superphosphate. It is better to take a complex mineral fertilizer for any flowering plant. For example, eustoma "Hurray!" the remedy for roses comes in.
- In July, spray the potassium plant with monophosphate (1 g per 1 liter) - this makes any obstinate flower produce more buds.
If you want to see a long and colorful flowering, then feeding should be regular; and not be episodic.
Are you dreaming of growing an exemplary eustoma and was the article helpful? Press, comrade, "Thumbs up"! Sincerely yours, Fyodor Tyapkin-Sklyankin, who reads the instructions on the seed bags and is not afraid of chemical fertilizers.