Brakhikoma: planting and care in the open field, growing from seeds, the best varieties

Every gardener wants to plant unpretentious and beautifully flowering plants on his plot. Such a garden flower as a brachikoma will ideally complement any landscape design, planting and appropriate care of which practically does not cause difficulties, it is only important to follow the simple rules of agricultural technology. The plant has recently begun to gain popularity due to its characteristic features.

Brachikoma - what kind of flower is it: characteristic features

The beautiful brachikoma is native to Australia, where it grows as a perennial plant.In our regions, the flower is grown as an annual, because it does not tolerate winter frosts. In a warm climate, you can cultivate brachicoma as a perennial, but for this you need to properly prepare the bushes for winter.

Brakhikoma is a low-growing plant of the Astrov family, the height of which reaches 25-30 cm. The stem is thin, branched, eventually forming into a lush bush. It is decorated with pinnately separated, carved leaves. The flowers are similar in appearance to chamomile and have a variety of colors, which depend on the variety.

They are collected in inflorescences-baskets, there are simple, semi-double and terry. About 100 baskets can be observed on one bush. The aroma of flowers is characterized by tenderness and sophistication. Flowering occurs in July and lasts until September. Seeds ripen in autumn, their germination is about 2-3 years.

Growing conditions

To enjoy the beautiful flowers of brachykoma in your garden, you need to create for them the basic conditions necessary for their normal growth and development, which include light, air, heat, water and nutrients in the soil.

Lighting

Brakhikoma refers to light-loving plants, so it is better to plant a flower so that it is under the sun most of the time, and is also protected from the wind as much as possible. The ideal solution would be to take the plant to the southern part of the garden plot.

Ground

Culture grows well on light sandy and fertile soils. It does not tolerate excess moisture, as stagnant water provokes rotting of the roots. Therefore, when planting, you need to make sure that the soil is well drained.

Temperature conditions

The temperature regime for this garden flower is of great importance. Brahikoma does not like cold, but does not tolerate heat well. Therefore, the most optimal range will be +18 … +20 degrees.

Growing brachycomas from seeds

According to gardeners, breeding brachykoma from seeds is a simple and very exciting process. It is important to study the features of the plant and the technology of its cultivation, and then even a novice grower will be able to cope with the task.

Terms and technology of sowing

You need to start growing seedlings in late February or early March. To do this, follow the following procedure:

1. Prepare a soil mixture of sand, leafy soil, soddy soil and humus (1:1:3:2) with the addition of minerals.
2. Take a small container and fill them with prepared soil, moistening it a little.
3. Form grooves on the surface of the soil, and spread the seeds in them, do not sprinkle with soil and do not deepen.
4. Cover the seedlings with film or glass.

Place containers in a room with a temperature of 18-20 degrees above zero. For the speedy germination of seeds, you need to regularly ventilate the room and spray the seedlings using a spray bottle. When the first shoots appear, the cover must be removed.

Picking

As soon as the seedlings have 2-3 full-fledged leaves, you need to pick. This garden flower tolerates the procedure perfectly and is practically lossless. To do this, plant the plants in separate containers, keeping a distance of 5 cm between them. Care after picking includes timely watering and occasional top dressing.

As warm weather sets in, you need to harden the grown plants by daily taking the container with the seedlings outside, gradually increasing the time. In the last days of May, when there is no risk of return frosts, plant the seedlings in a flower bed, keeping a distance of 20 cm between planting units. First, dig the planting site to a depth of 20-25 cm and carefully level it.

Brakhikoma 3 months after seed germination will begin to please with its flowering, almost immediately after planting in open soil will decorate the site with elegant flowers.

Caring for an outdoor plant

Brakhikoma refers to unpretentious plants, so care for it is reduced to a minimum. Standard practices such as high-quality watering, timely top dressing, bush formation, as well as the fight against dangerous pests and major diseases will allow you to decorate the local area with amazing flowers.

Irrigation

Carry out regular, moderate watering. It is important not to overdo it, as excessive moisture leads to the death of the plant. Also, do not forget that a strong drying of the soil can greatly harm the garden flower.

Water the bushes more often during the dry season and at the time of their active growth. After each irrigation, it is imperative to loosen the ground so that the root system receives oxygen. In rainy weather, it is recommended to sprinkle around the bushes with needles or ash, then the snails will bypass the brachicomas.

How to feed

During the summer, during the growing season, the plant needs to be fertilized only 3 times, using a universal top dressing of a small concentration, after which sprinkle the bushes with ashes. It is not recommended to feed the brachicoma with organic fertilizers, as nitrogen makes flowering poor.

Shaping a bush

To form a lush brachycoma bush and encourage abundant flowering, you need to pinch the top of the plant. And the timely removal of faded inflorescences will prolong the flowering process.

Preparing for winter

When growing brachycoma in areas with warm winters, there is a chance to save plants for the next season. To do this, insulate the bushes using straw or spruce branches.

Diseases and pests

Brahikoma demonstrates unpretentiousness, endurance and is rarely affected by diseases and pests. When growing a crop, a gardener may encounter such problems.

Root or stem decay

Excessive watering and rainy weather can cause stem and root rot. To save the plant, you need to transplant it to another place and provide high-quality drainage, after ridding it of rotten parts.

Snails

Brahikoma can be attacked by snails that gnaw holes of various sizes in the leaves. Effective pest control is the manual collection of pests and their subsequent destruction.

Also treat the bushes with specially designed agents that repel gastropods, it is important to consider that chemicals can harm the crop.

Whiteflies

This garden flower is being bothered by the whitefly pest. The danger comes from the larvae of this flying insect, which feed on the sap of the plant, leading to its death.To repel their attack, you need to use suitable chemicals sold in retail chains.

Best varieties

There are more than 50 varieties of culture, but gardeners are of particular interest when creating landscape design brachykoma iberisolifolia, on the basis of which various plant varieties are derived.

Iberisoloistnaya (Brachycome iberidifolia)

This species is presented as a small branching bush, reaching up to 40 cm in height. The plant is decorated with thin, openwork foliage. Flowers of different varieties attract attention, the colors of which can be white, blue, purple, purple, pink. Tubular flowers have a pronounced blue color. Flowering occurs in July and lasts until mid-autumn.

Multipartite (Brachycome multifida)

Compact perennial up to 45 cm high. The foliage is green, deeply carved, pinnate, 3-6 cm long. The flowers, painted in lilac, pink or white, with numerous thin and narrow petals, fascinate the eye.A distinctive feature of the species is the active rooting of plants when the stems come into contact with the soil. Forms a small number of seeds that have low germination.

Mega blue

A graceful perennial flower with unique purple and bright blue with a dark center and white edging in basket-shaped inflorescences, which are placed at the ends of the shoots singly or in several pieces. Thin stems are covered with foliage that has a solid surface. Pleases with luxurious flowering in the middle of summer.

Blue

Compact shrub, strewn with pale blue inflorescences with a yellowish center, 1.5-2 cm in diameter, which stand out against a green background of openwork foliage. The leaves are entire or pinnatipartite, are in the next order. Begins to bloom in mid-July.

Swan Lake

Beautiful, graceful plant up to 25 cm high.The bush is strongly branched, covered with delicate, pinnately dissected foliage and dotted with numerous flowers collected in inflorescences-baskets 3 cm in diameter. The flowers are reed, having a varied palette of shades. Abundant flowering begins in June and continues until the beginning of autumn frosts.

For every gardener, a brachikoma will be just a real find. This unpretentious plant will delight you with luxurious flowering all season. And a varied palette of shades of inflorescences is a great opportunity for a flight of fancy when creating unique live compositions.

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