When choosing a plant for a flower garden, mallow does not come first. However, experienced and novice gardeners, summer residents come to the conclusion that without this herb with a large stem, graceful large flowers, it is impossible to create a beautiful composition. Therefore, mallow, having a long history, remains loved by many. It is especially highly regarded in China.

This article describes in detail how to grow mallow from seeds, prepare planting material, indicate the timing of when to sow mallow, give the basic rules for growing, give recommendations, expert advice.

Mallow

The basics of agricultural technology for perennial mallow

Beginners ask the question: "How is mallow grown in the garden?" Everything is very simple.

Like any plant, mallow requires adherence to the rules of care. But, since she is not capricious, the growing process does not cause much trouble.

Watering

In dry weather, regular watering is very important. It will be necessary to water approximately 1 liter of water every 2 days. In normal warm conditions, procedures should be carried out 2-3 times a week. In wet weather, it is better to do without watering.

Important! You should not get carried away, as there is a high risk of overflowing the plant, which will lead to its death.

Soil care

Every week in the spring and summer, weeding is carried out with the removal of weeds, loosening the soil. It is periodically recommended to mulch the soil with compost.

If the soil is infertile, experienced gardeners use phosphate-potassium fertilizers annually, before flowering.

Trimming and garter

Mallow stems are capable of breaking in high winds. If such cases are possible, it is recommended to create a support for the plant. Usually this is a fence, hedge or pegs, the height of which is at least 1.5 m.

Pruning is carried out in spring and autumn, removing dead flowers, old leaves. It is necessary to cut off with sharp scissors.

When propagating hybrid varieties, cuttings are cut. If they are planned to be planted in spring, then they are collected near the root, if in summer - at the top of the stem.

Preparing for winter

If there is no severe frost, then you do not need to create any shelter.

However, at high temperatures (more than -28 degrees Celsius), it is worth thinking about covering the mallow with dry leaves, cellophane, fiberglass. This is especially true for immature plants, sensitive varieties.

Growing from seeds

Seedling preparation

It is better to harvest seeds for planting in advance.

How to grow a rose from seeds

There are 2 ways to get mallow from seeds: planting in open ground and preparing seedlings. Despite the simplicity of planting mallow in the first version, experienced gardeners and summer residents still prefer to first prepare blanks for planting - seedlings. It has the advantage that the plant will bloom in the year of sowing, it will have time to get stronger during the season, the inflorescences, in most cases, are larger, more saturated.

How to collect mallow seeds

Seeds from mallow are collected at the end of summer. In place of the inflorescence, seed flat rounded bolls are formed, which are formed in the deepening of the sepals. Their color is gray-brown.

The boxes are torn off, left in a warm room for 1 month, dosed so that the seeds are finally ripe. They soon disintegrate into individual flat oval seeds. In the center, the seed is dark brown, along the edges - beige.

They are packed in small bags. Store in a dry, dark place for no longer than 3 years.

Note! Double varieties of flowers, when sown with home seeds, do not retain their properties.

Seedlings

Peat tablets or peat pots are suitable as a container for seedlings. They are filled with soil of the following composition:

  • Ø 2/3 garden, loose soil.
  • Ø one piece of sand and humus.

In a container in February or March, 2 seeds are sown to a depth of 2-3 cm, lightly sprinkled with earth, watered with a small amount of water. Next, you need to cover future seedlings with foil. For seed germination, the temperature should be kept at least 20 degrees Celsius.

The first shoots will appear in 1-2 weeks. Unwanted specimens are transplanted or removed.

Conditions of detention

Sunlight is a must. If it is not enough (especially often this situation happens in February, therefore it is advised to plant seeds in mid-March), use an ultraviolet lamp.

The temperature should always be kept at 20 degrees Celsius. With sharp drops, even for a short time, a young plant may die.

Sunlight is a must

No additional feeding is required. Watering should be carried out as the soil dries up.

1-2 times in 5 days it is better to open the film for 3 hours.

Landing in the ground

Grown seedlings are transplanted into open ground in late May or early June, perennial specimens - in mid-summer.

The place should be lighted, spacious, without drafts. If the seedlings were grown in peat pots, then you can plant with them.

The plant is planted, watered with a little water. The distance between the seedlings should be 0.5-0.7 m. After 2-3 weeks it will be possible to weed the soil around the mallow.

Seeds in the open field

When sown in this way for the first year, the plant only grows a rosette of leaves, only annual species of mallow bloom.

Site and soil preparation

Sow seeds immediately to a permanent place. Mallow should be grown in a windless area. It is important that a support is not made of iron nearby.

Adequate light is needed for comfortable growth. At the expense of soil fertility, the gardener does not need to worry - the long root allows the mallow to receive nutrients from the soil.

Important. The best soil for planting is loamy with a high humus content. If the soil on the site is clay, sand and humus are added to it in equal amounts, to sandy - humus, peat, clay of your choice.

Before planting, it is recommended to moisten the soil, but do not be zealous so that there is no stagnation of water.

After the soil is dug up on the tip of a shovel, humus or wood ash with compost is added for digging.

Seed preparation

It has been proven that a seed that has lain for 1.5-2 years has a higher germination capacity. During this time, the seed coat dries up.

On a note. To wake up the seeds, to increase their size, it is recommended to soak them in warm water for 12-15 hours before planting.

Choice of term

You can sow seeds in open ground in 2 terms: in mid or late May or in mid September. They sow mallow in open ground when the temperature outside is at least 10 degrees Celsius.

If you give preference to spring planting, the plant will bloom only next year. When choosing the autumn period for planting, one should take into account the likelihood of severe cold weather, which will not allow young, immature shoots to grow strong enough for winter time.

You can sow seeds in open ground in 2 terms in mid or late May or mid September

Sowing technology

High varieties of mallow are sown at a distance of 70 cm from each other, lower ones - about 50 cm.In the prepared soil, holes are made at a depth of 2-3 cm.In each one lay 3 seeds at a distance of 5 cm.After sprinkle with a layer of earth, compact with hands, water a little.

Mallow seedlings need to wait 2-3 weeks. If all the seeds have sprouted, then the excess can be pulled out.

Fighting disease

The dangerous enemy of mallow is rust.That is why it is not recommended to plant a plant near iron fences, fences, structures.

On a note... If dark red spots appear on the leaves, you must immediately break them off, burn them. After the procedure, treat with fungicides.

Powdery mildew is less common. An effective way to combat is Topaz. All affected areas are removed, burned, treated with a product. The procedures are repeated every 2 days until complete recovery.

Often slugs settle on the plant, which provoke fungal diseases. If they appear, you can simply collect them by hand. There is another more pleasant way - to put containers with beer around the plant, leave it until morning. The next day, they will all slide down to the drink.

Disease prevention

Growing mallow from seeds allows you to get flowers that are distinguished by excellent health and freshness. Still, one shouldn't forget about prevention.

To strengthen mallow and premature protection from pests and diseases, it is recommended to spray the plant with soapy water once a week. This is especially true in the autumn and spring periods.

Interesting. If you treat the seeds with colloidal sulfur before planting seedlings, then the likelihood of many diseases will decrease.

Tips from experienced florists

How to grow strawberries from seeds

Specialists who have been growing mallow for several years adhere to several rules, and also use their own tricks, which are willingly shared with newbies:

  • Ø During the autumn planting period, crops are recommended to be mulched with peat so that they do not freeze out.
  • Ø After planting seeds in open ground, cover the hole with a piece of covering material. It will retain moisture in the soil, accelerate the emergence of sprouts.
  • Ø It is not worth replanting an adult plant. If necessary, it is best to do it in the spring. A painful transplant is possible only at a young age.
  • Ø It is recommended to loosen the soil around the plant at a depth of no more than 5 cm, otherwise there is a high risk of damaging the roots.
  • Ø If mallow blooms poorly, looks lethargic, it is advisable to use mineral fertilizers.

Despite the chosen planting method, observing the rules regarding mallow growing from seeds, even a novice florist can grow this magnificent plant in his country house or near his home. Bright "bouquets" of mallow will turn any place into a blooming garden.