Nasturtium: planting and care in the open field, description of 14 species and varieties with photos

Planting and caring for nasturtium is a fairly simple and exciting process. This culture belongs to the Nasturtium family. This plant is native to America. However, now it is popular in different countries. This is due to unpretentious care, medicinal characteristics and the possibility of use for culinary purposes.

Description and features

Nasturtium is an annual or perennial plant. Usually it is a creeper that has succulent shoots. In more rare cases, semi-shrubs can be found. Most often, leaf plates have a lobed or thyroid shape.There are also palmately divided and entire leaves

Culture has fragrant flowers. They can be simple or terry. There are also semi-double options. The composition contains 5 or more petals and the same number of sepals. In addition, there is a funnel-shaped tube that contains nectar. The flowers are usually yellow or red. The fruits contain 3 wrinkled lobes with seeds.

Growing seedlings

The simplest method of cultivating a crop is considered to be planting in open soil. However, in cool areas, it is recommended to first grow seedlings and only then place the plants in the soil. This will help speed up the blooms.

Date of planting

It is permissible to plant seeds for seedlings from the end of March to the first half of April. In areas with a cold climate, it is better to shift the timing a little. In such a situation, seedlings are planted in mid-April or early May.

Seed selection and preparation

To speed up the emergence of sprouts, it is recommended to soak the seeds in warm water. Its temperature should be around 40 degrees. This is done overnight or for 24 hours. In the second case, it is recommended to change the water 1 time. Soak the planting material in gauze or cotton pads. It is also acceptable to use a cup or plate with a lid.

How to plant

To plant a crop, you should follow these steps:

prepare containers for planting;
fill them with nutrients;
moisturize thoroughly;
put 2-4 seeds in one pot;
deep into the ground by 1.5-2 centimeters;
sprinkle with earth;
moisten the soil again;
put in a dark place.

Temperature and light conditions

When planting seeds, it is worth monitoring the temperature parameters. It can be 20-22 degrees. It is important to ensure that the sprouts receive enough light. Otherwise, they will stretch out. After transplanting into the soil, such plants can get sick.

Picking

The plant has fairly weak roots. To avoid damage to them, it is not recommended to dive seedlings. It is immediately transferred to open ground with a clod of earth.

Hardening

Before transplanting the plant into open soil, it is recommended to harden the sprouts. For this, seedlings are taken outside for 3 days.

Landing in open ground

In order to grow a strong and viable plant, it is recommended to properly transplant it into open soil.

When to plant

Planting a crop is in late May or early June. It is at this point that the risk of returning frosts disappears. By this time, the seedlings become quite strong and contain 2-3 true leaves.

Soil Requirements

When planting nasturtium, it is important to choose the right composition of the soil. Too wet soil can lead to the death of the plant. A very large amount of fertilizer will lead to an increase in green mass. This will negatively affect the size of the flowers. At the same time, too poor soil will not provide lush flowering.

Soil with low acidity is ideal for growing crops. It should be fairly loose and fertile.

Plant pattern

Planting plants is in the holes. In this case, you can not break an earthen clod. It is recommended to water the seedlings well the day before planting. After planting the crop in the ground, the plant must be watered and the ground around it should be covered with a mulch layer.

The interval between individual bushes should be at least 20 centimeters. With a strong growth of nasturtium, a distance of 30-40 centimeters will be required. It is worth planting a crop in warm and sunny weather. If it is cold enough at night, the bushes are covered with foil.

Care

To grow beautiful bushes and abundant flowering of nasturtium, it is necessary to provide it with high-quality and complete care.

Irrigation

Culture should be watered systematically, but moderately. This is especially true when growing young plants. During the flowering period, watering is carried out only during the maximum drought. In the standard season, the plant does not require additional moisture.

Loosening and weeding

After watering, the culture should definitely be loosened. This will improve the access of oxygen to the soil and ensure a more active development of the crop. Equally important is the weeding of the beds, which is aimed at the destruction of weeds.

Mulching

It is recommended to apply a mulch layer on the bed during planting seedlings. This will help to avoid the active development of weeds and provide long-term soil moisture.

Feeding

Fertilize before flowering and at the very beginning. For this, combined mineral preparations intended for flowers are used. They contain a minimum amount of nitrogen. The most effective include Agricola, Fertika.

The plant does not like fresh manure. With an excess amount of nitrogen, the crop will begin to grow green mass, and will practically not bloom.

Diseases and pests

Nasturtium faces these diseases:

Gray rot - accompanied by the formation of gray-brown spots on the trunks and leaves.
Rust - characterized by the appearance of black and brown spots on the leaves. Gradually, they transform into tubercles.
Bacterial wilt - in this case, the lower leaves wither first, after which the upper ones suffer.
Mosaic - this virus provokes the appearance of a mosaic pattern on the leaves.
Ring spot - characterized by the formation of small dots on the leaves. Around them is a red-brown border.

Experts advise digging up and destroying infected plants. The rest of the bushes should be treated with special tools.

After flowering

After the end of the flowering period, dried buds should be removed in time. Thanks to this, it will be possible to extend the flowering period. If you need to collect seeds, it is worth leaving a few ovaries for the fruits to ripen.

Views

Today, many varieties of nasturtium are known. Each of them is characterized by certain features.

Foreign

This is a creeper native to South America. It has light green stems. They reach a length of 350 centimeters and quickly braid arbors. The plant blooms from mid-summer until frost. It has bright yellow flowers that are distinguished by ruffled petals.

Big

The culture is characterized by branched stems, reaching a length of 250 centimeters. The erect stems are 70 centimeters. The culture blooms profusely from June to autumn frosts. It spreads beautifully on its own. Moreover, the germination of seeds is preserved for 4 years.

Cultural

The plant is a hybrid of 2 types of nasturtium - shield-bearing and large. It is characterized by dense foliage.Varieties of such nasturtium differ in size. Compact plants reach a height of 50 centimeters, and creeping - 4 meters. There are also dwarf crops. Their height does not exceed 15-20 centimeters.

Small

The culture is characterized by thin branched stems 35 centimeters in height. The leaves are round in shape. The flowers are quite small and do not exceed 3 centimeters. They have a yellow tint and are covered with dark spots. Culture blooms in June-October.

Thyroid

She is a creeping shrub. It is characterized by fragile shoots that reach 4 meters. The leaves are distinguished by a thyroid shape and a rich green tint. The flowers are dark red in color. The plant blooms from June to October.

Popular varieties

There are many popular varieties that are characterized by certain characteristics.

King Theodore

Nasturtium of this variety is characterized by fairly rich flowers. They have a bright red tint.

Peach Melba

This crop has delicate cream colored flowers. Red spots can be seen in the central part of the inflorescence.

Salmon Baby

The culture is characterized by semi-double flowers. They are distinguished by a delicate salmon shade.

Ladybug

This plant has beautiful apricot colored flowers. There are burgundy spots in the middle of each of them.

Gleming Mahagani

This nasturtium grows as a bush that can reach a height of 37 centimeters. It is characterized by double red flowers.

Golden Globe

The plant is a bush in the form of a ball. It reaches 25 centimeters in height and 40 centimeters in width. It is characterized by rounded leaves and large flowers of a golden yellow hue.

Moonlight

This plant weaves beautifully. Its stems can reach 2 meters in length. The flowers are distinguished by a pale yellow tint.

Cherry Rose

This variety can grow up to 30 centimeters in height. It is characterized by double flowers of rich red color.

Black Velvet

This nasturtium also grows 30 centimeters. It is characterized by simple flowers with a diameter of 6 centimeters. They have a maroon hue.

Reproduction

There are different methods of breeding nasturtiums. This allows each grower to choose the best option.

Shanks

Nasturtium is rarely propagated in this way. Usually this is done to obtain new varieties. To root young cuttings, you should use water or wet sand. Then they are planted in open ground.

Seeds

First, the seeds need to be soaked in water or in a special solution. Then they are planted in a warm area after the completion of night frosts. To get sprouts after 2 weeks, put a few seeds in each hole.

Dividing the bush

Nasturtium is not propagated by this method. This is due to the fragility of the plant's root system.

Features of growing at home

Culture is actively used to decorate verandas and balconies. For this, the culture should be planted in a pot. It is important that the container is wide and not too deep. The container should be placed on an open balcony or in a place that is well lit. It is important to systematically water the plant and apply fertilizer.

Use

Nasturtium is considered a very useful crop. It is actively used for medicinal purposes and in cooking.

Cooking

Young leaves and inflorescences are used to improve the taste of salads and soups. They are put in sandwiches and used for decorative purposes. The fruits can be pickled. The seeds are also dried and ground, after which they are used as a seasoning.

Medicine

The healing properties of nasturtium make it possible to use it to combat skin rashes, vitamin deficiency, anemia. The plant also helps to cope with kidney stones.

Nasturtium is a unique plant that is used for decorative purposes. It is actively used in folk medicine and cooking. To grow a strong culture, you need to follow the basic recommendations of experienced flower growers.