Bacopa or sutera is a perennial, lush flowering climbing herb from the Plantain family, common in many European countries and Russian regions. These flowers are native to the South African tropics. Bacopa has decorative qualities, is unpretentious in care and maintenance, is distinguished by a long flowering period and a wide variety of species, varieties and hybrids. She is deservedly held in high esteem among florists, gardeners and landscape designers.
The method of propagation of bacopa by cuttings is the simplest and does not require special skills and efforts, but it is available only to those who already have an adult plant. All others can take advantage of the method of growing a flowering crop from seeds. This will have to spend a lot of attention, some florist skills and a lot of hard work. For planting, it is recommended to take seeds from tried and true Bacopa varieties: Snowflake, Scopia Doubl Ballerina Pink, and Blizzard.
Preparation for sowing seeds
The optimal time for sowing seeds is the first week of March. For earlier planting (for example, in the last week of February) it is necessary to use additional supplementary illumination of crops. For convenient control over soil moisture in containers, it is recommended to use transparent plastic cups for planting seeds.
The soil should be loose, moist, with a low level of acidity. The ideal composition is equal parts of peat, compost (wet), leaf humus. To prevent the appearance of root rot and other diseases associated with an excess of moisture in the soil, it is recommended to use sand drainage. This material easily absorbs excess moisture. A small layer of sand must be poured onto the bottom of each glass, and only then filled with soil mixture.
The date of packaging of purchased seeds is of great importance, since their germination capacity is maintained only for three years.
Soaking is necessary for seed as a disinfectant and prophylaxis against various diseases. The residence time of seeds in a weak manganese solution is about 20 minutes.
Sowing and picking rules
Sowing seeds is carried out in moist soil, after which they are lightly pressed and sprayed with a sprayer. Each plastic container with seeds must be covered with glass or plastic wrap and placed in a bright, warm room with a temperature of at least 20 degrees Celsius.
Constant temperature and high humidity levels must be maintained for two weeks. This time is necessary for the germination of seeds and the appearance of seedlings.
The emergence of seedlings is a signal for transferring the containers to a brighter place, for removing the glass or film coating, as well as for thinning young plants.
The method of watering seedlings is drip and abundant. The potting mix must be constantly moisturized.
The first pick is carried out after the formation of 3-4 full-fledged leaves. Plants in this form can grow independently in individual containers with peat soil.When transplanting seedlings into common containers, it is necessary to observe the distance between plantings (at least 2 cm). Plants are transferred to a new growing site together with an earthen clod in order to preserve the integrity of the delicate and fragile root system.
Top dressing is applied regularly. The first one - 15 days after germination, the second and all subsequent ones - every 10 days. It is necessary to use mineral and organic fertilizers alternately. Full development and abundant lush flowering of bacopa depends on the composition of the complementary foods. It must contain phosphorus, nitrogen and potassium in large quantities.
The second pick is carried out with grown bushes, which are transferred to a permanent growing place. The decorativeness of the plants will depend on the planting density. The distance between plantings should not be less than 10 cm. It is recommended to deepen the root part by one node, which will promote better rooting and abundant flowering. The growing area can be open areas in a garden or flower garden, as well as hanging flower containers or pots.
Growing Bacopa outdoors
Bacopa seedlings should be hardened approximately 15 days before planting in open ground, gradually reducing the temperature, reaching 15 degrees Celsius. This procedure will strengthen the immunity of young plants, which can be transferred to the beds in the second half of May. The distance between the planting holes is at least 20 cm. In case of unexpected whims of the weather and a drop in temperature below 10-14 degrees, it is recommended to use film covers.
The landing site should be half-shade, without direct sunlight, with moist soil (it is possible near a reservoir).
Basic rules for caring for bacopa
- The decorative qualities of bacopa are preserved with regular pinching.
- Withered and dried flowers do not need to be removed.
- Plants require periodic loosening of the soil. Do not forget about the shallow location of the roots to the soil surface.
- It is recommended to timely carry out preventive treatment of plants by spraying in order to resist pests. When the main pest (aphids) appears, it is necessary to use a soap solution based on laundry soap to combat it.
The flowering bacopa plant is an excellent decoration for a flower garden, garden, veranda, gazebo, loggia or balcony. A little patience for its cultivation is required only at the initial stage of plant development, when it can be overly capricious. After adaptation to a permanent place, the rooted flowering culture will become practically unpretentious and will not require much attention.
That year we bought ourselves a plot of 10 acres, and already half of the plot was planted - with various vegetables and berries, now my wife wants to decorate our garden with some flowers. These flowers (bakopa) are very beautiful, there are many varieties of them, many different colors, you can beautifully decorate your garden with such flowers. This flower grows in our house, we did not add any fertilizers, and we did not notice any problems with growth.
We also have a small plot where we grow only vegetables. Half a year ago we decided to decorate our krylechko with some flowers, we were advised flowers (bakopa), for the sake of experiment I planted one sprout of this flower, but for some reason it did not take root with us and died, I would like to know - this is due to for the climate.
Now I looked at the pictures, how the bacopa blooms. Beauty pleases the eye and soul. Is it possible to grow these flowers in the house? I would love to wake up and see these beautiful flowers.
Blooms beautifully.
In the pictures I saw and set out to decorate the balcony with these beautiful flowers. I started looking for information on the Internet and found this article about growing bacopa. I really want to grow this beauty next year.