Growing and caring for daisies
Who can remain indifferent littlepretty little flowers looking out from their flower beds? Dense fluffy buds of bright colors, green slender stems - all these are daisies. From time immemorial they were considered a symbol of youth, chastity and kindness of the heart. Girls who dreamed of getting married wove daisies in their hair or wreaths. Also this plant was planted on the graves of children as a sign of eternal childhood and purity of the soul.
What do you need to know about these cute creatures?
To date, there are aboutfifteen varieties of daisies. They come from South Africa. They can be found on almost all continents with a tropical or temperate continental climate. These plants are annual and perennial, blossom inflorescences and single buds. The flowering time is from April to June. Daisies reproduce by means of seeds, budding or dividing a bush. On the territory of our country the most popular is only one species - daisy perennial. In the flower beds, these flowers are excellent neighbors with ferns, asters, cornflowers and chrysanthemums. But they are recommended to plant near shrub plants, peonies, irises and gladioli.
Growing daisies
Seeds need to be sown at the end of May, as soon aslast night frosts will pass. Choose a sunny place with loose soil and make shallow grooves with a distance of 10 cm from each other. The seeds do not need to be buried deeper than 2 cm, as they will be very long to rise. Seedlings appear in 7-10 days, after a week they can already be dived.
The method of propagation is usually used forpreservation of elite varieties. This is a more labor-intensive process than growing from seeds. The right time for propagation is May-July. The procedure is very simple, first it is necessary to cut off small side shoots and plant them in a shaded place with loose and moist soil. Within two weeks, the cuttings begin to form a root, after which they can be planted in the place you need.
Daisies also grow well at home. They can be grown from seeds using the same technology as in a soil planting. Special conditions in the home environment this plant does not require - it is enough only regular watering, sunlit window sill and infrequent fertilizing with fertilizer.
Care for daisies
Caring for this plant is easy, you only needin time watered (twice a week is enough), weed the soil and occasionally add mineral or organic fertilizers. It is recommended to inspect flowers stems regularly, as they are very often affected by powdery mildew. This disease is characterized by a gray bloom on the stems and leaves of the plant. If you notice this on your flowers, you should immediately remove the affected flowers, and spray the rest with a solution of potassium permanganate.
In addition, daisies - a favorite dessert ticksand aphids. With these comrades it is worth fighting more radically. For this, 5-6 spoons of diluted liquid soap and a few drops of garlic juice (calculation for three liters of water) are ideal. This mixture must be sprayed not only on the affected areas, but also on healthy, so that the plant ceases to be tasty for pests.
We hope that the recommendations in this article will helprevive your flowerbed or pot with these gentle and mischievous beauties. Daisies are also suitable for making small bouquets that will please you and your loved ones.
