Snapdragon (Antirrhinum), or antirrinum, is an unpretentious flowering herb that does not require much time and effort to care and maintain and is characterized by a long flowering period that lasts from early June to mid-October. The flower brings a noticeable revival to any flower bed or flower garden, it is popular among amateur florists and among real professionals of landscape design.
The culture is rich in a variety of species and hybrid varieties, the abundance of which many owe to the painstaking and long-term work of breeders. Among the many varieties of snapdragons, you can find different shades and colors, except for blue and light blue. The people call the plant affectionately "dogs", since the shape of the flower resembles an open mouth (a lion's or a dog's - it is as seen by anyone).
Snapdragon breeding methods
A flowering culture is easily propagated by seeds - in a seedling and non-seedling way. Planting seeds in open ground is not often used, since the germination of seeds with insufficiently warmed soil in spring is low. Growing a flower in this way is quite troublesome, so the most popular method is to grow a crop from seedlings. Seedlings of snapdragons are grown indoors, after which, under favorable weather conditions, they are transferred to an open ground in a flower garden or garden.
When buying ready-made seedlings, you need to pay attention to its quality, which can be determined by several signs. High-quality seedlings should have a healthy and well-developed root part, on which particles of moist (not overdried) soil have been preserved. The stems should be strong and not thin, and the leaves should be well formed and have a healthy green color. Other (opposite) signs will indicate improper care and improper growing conditions for young plants.
Sowing seeds and growing seedlings
You can grow high-quality seedlings at home, observing all the rules, deadlines and preliminary measures. Unpretentious flowers do not require a special substrate and special conditions of detention. The plant is very hardy and undemanding. Even when the minimum conditions are met and the individual characteristics of the snapdragon are taken into account, excellent results can be obtained.
In order to sow seed material around the period from April 20th to May 20th, it is necessary to purchase high-quality seeds of the selected variety, containers or seedling boxes, a suitable soil mixture, a small shovel, a rake and a sieve.
Individual containers or medium sized wooden boxes can be used for general planting of seeds. The selected container must be filled to the top with a soil mixture, having previously treated it with a weak manganese solution, and level its surface using a miniature garden tool or by hand.
The soil should be light, breathable and loose.In specialized stores for gardeners and florists, you can purchase a soil mixture for growing seedlings or a substrate for flowering perennial garden plants.
After chaotic sowing of seed on the surface, it is recommended to lightly press each seed into the substrate with your finger or the back of a regular pencil or pen. Crops should be sprinkled with a thin layer of earth and sprayed with water at room temperature from a spray bottle. After all these procedures, the containers must be covered with a thick transparent film or glass to create a mini-greenhouse and placed in a warm room. Soil moistening should be carried out regularly and in a timely manner.
For the rapid appearance of seedlings, it is necessary to maintain the temperature in the room from 20 to 23 degrees Celsius. It is very important to maintain soft diffused lighting for 10-12 hours a day. The first shoots will begin to appear in about 15 days, after which the procedure for airing and hardening the young seedlings is added. Every day, the time spent uncovered seedlings should increase and soon lead to the removal of glass or film. Hardening of seedlings promotes good survival of young crops in the open air and quick adaptation to conditions of different day and night temperatures.
The most important element of care is timely watering and sufficient soil moisture. Irrigation volumes are moderate, without excess moisture. After about 30-40 days, two full-fledged leaves will appear on the plants - you can pick. The roots of "dogs" are very fragile, therefore, when transferring plants to individual pots, you need to be very careful. In one flower pot, you can plant 2-3 sprouts at once.
To form lush flowering plants and stimulate the growth of lateral shoots, it is recommended to carry out a pinching procedure to the tops of the seedlings. It is carried out when the snapdragon grows to the ten centimeter mark.
Planting seedlings in open ground
It is possible to transfer seedlings to open flower beds only when the weather is warm, without the threat of the return of night frosts. The most favorable time is the second half of May. By this time, the snapdragon should look like a small formed bush - strong, strong and with a juicy green color.
Snapdragon is a light-loving plant, so it needs to choose a well-lit area in the garden. If there is only a slightly shaded area of land or partial shade available, then it is possible to plant flowers on it.
The distance between plantings of seedlings of dwarf and low-growing varieties is about 15 cm, for tall ones - at least 40 or 45 cm.
Outdoor snapdragon care
Watering the flowers should be done sparingly, but regularly, as crops are very fond of moisture. For irrigation, you can use settled water or ordinary water, directly from the water supply. It is advisable to water young flowers from a scattering watering can, so that a strong jet of water does not damage the delicate bushes.
It is recommended to use organic fertilizers as the first additional nutrition approximately 15-20 days after planting seedlings in open ground (for example, nitrophoska). Subsequently, top dressing should be applied regularly at intervals of two weeks. You can use complex mineral fertilizers containing nitrogen, potassium and phosphorus.
Mulching the soil will protect against weeds and retain moisture in the soil, which will greatly reduce the need for watering. As mulch, you can take sawdust, straw or humus.
Loosening is carried out periodically and shallowly. It provides air access to the roots and destroys emerging weeds.
Planting a snapdragon in the garden, caring for it and the entire growing process is not difficult, even an inexperienced florist can handle it.With a great love for plants, perseverance and patience, the snapdragon will thank you with its endurance, high decorative effect and a long flowering period. Various varieties of flowering crops will perfectly fit into various natural ensembles and compositions, and will also look great among members of their family.
