Growing Gardenia from Seeds at Home: Important Information and Instructions

Growing jasmine gardenia at home is not an easy task.

It is within the power of experienced growers, as well as enthusiastic enthusiasts.

It is these inexperienced flower lovers who are ready to develop their skills for caring for the plant, and also try to propagate an exotic beauty with the help of seeds.

The process of seed cultivation of gardenia is painstaking, therefore it requires a lot of strength and patience.

Flower description

Gardenia is an evergreen shrub, a maternity hospital from South America, East and Southeast Asia. In temperate latitudes, jasmine gardenia has taken root. Indoor flower grows up to 50 cm in height. The color is white, in some varieties there are terry texture of the petals. It has a delicate, jasmine scent that the plant emits during flowering. Just one flower is enough to fill the room with a unique fragrance. You can learn about other varieties of gardenia in another article.

Leaves of dark green, saturated color, with a smooth surface and glossy shine. Florists prefer gardenia for the decorative appearance of foliage, which remains attractive throughout the year.

Breeding methods

To date, there are two known methods of propagation of jasmine gardenia:

• Seminal. With the seed method of cultivation, the main catch is the freshness of the seed, the germination of seedlings depends on this characteristic. It is worth recalling that gardenia seeds are poisonous, when planting with them you need to be careful, use personal protective equipment. But the advantage of this method of propagation is the affordable price of seeds, which are easy to purchase at any flower shop.
• Cuttings. In the vegetative method of propagation, the woody upper parts of the shoots serve as planting material. At the same time, cuttings must certainly be healthy, not suffering stress. Root shoots in the summer in mini greenhouses, after the regular procedure of forming a bush. Such rooted young plants can bloom 6 months after transplanting into a pot.

When does it breed?

For sowing planting material, the optimal period is considered to be the end of February - the beginning of March. At this time, the duration of daylight increases significantly, the weather becomes warmer. The germination period of seeds varies within 30-40 days from the time of sowing.

Growing recommendations

To grow gardenia from seeds is a long and laborious procedure. As already mentioned, the main factor affecting the similarity of seedlings is the freshness of the seeds, so when buying, pay attention to the packaging date indicated on the package. However, there are cases that out of 5 seeds purchased, only 1-2 pieces sprout.

If you want to get the seeds yourself, then it is important to know:

• gardenia blooms in the 5th year of life, but it is possible earlier with quality care (you will learn about why gardenia does not bloom and what should be done in this article);
• flowering period lasts from March to September;
• at the end of flowering boxes with seeds appear;
• the shape of the seeds is oval, with one end pointed, the other round.
• the average seed size is 4-5 mm;
• color of high-quality fresh material - light and dark brown;
• after collecting the boxes, they should be dried well, and then stored in a dry place where there is no access to moisture;
• the shelf life of the seeds is not more than 2-3 years.

How to grow at home?

So, To grow an exotic beauty at home, you can follow 2 ways:

1. buy an adult plant in a flower shop;
2. try to grow seedlings from seeds yourself.

The first option is certainly simpler and more reliable. And the seed method is suitable for purposeful flower lovers, while you can still save a considerable amount. After all, a full-fledged plant costs ten times more than a bag of seeds.

So Before starting the planting process, you should prepare:

• fresh gardenia seeds;
• wide, shallow container;
• fine fraction drainage;
• earth mix for azaleas, this particular substrate is optimally suited for young gardenias;
• the warmest place in the house.

We will analyze the stages:

1. The first step is to prepare the soil, you can take the finished substrate or do it yourself. In this case, it will be needed in equal proportions: peat, sand and deciduous land (you can find out here how to choose the soil for gardenia, as well as which pot you need when planting). Move all components carefully. In winter, the soil should be warmed up to room temperature.
2. A drainage layer, 4-5 cm thick, is laid at the bottom of the prepared container. Ground is poured on top. The soil is watered abundantly, then seeds are evenly spread.
3. The day before planting, the seeds are soaked in warm boiled water with the addition of the Kornevin stimulant, 3 drops of a liquid preparation per 100 ml of water. Then the seeds are carefully planted in the soil, it will be more convenient with tweezers. The distance between the seeds is 3-4 cm, and the depth is not more than 5 cm.
4. A dry layer of earth is sprinkled on top of the sowing. You can not water the soil in advance, and after planting, spray the soil with water from the spray gun.
5. The container is covered with a clear plastic bottle or plastic bag to maintain greenhouse conditions. After moving the pot to a warm place. Ensure that the greenhouse has a temperature of + 20-24 ° C and increased humidity, which is created by regular spraying with water. Do not forget daily, ventilate the greenhouse, and remove condensate.

What to do after germination?

• When the young plants get stronger, several leaves will appear, the time for a dive comes. That is, planting sprouts in separate containers. To do this, small cups or pots with a diameter of not more than 10 cm are suitable, it is desirable to cover with cut plastic bottles from above. Indeed, while the sprouts are not ready for indoor microclimate.
• After a month, remove the bottles and perform the first top dressing. To make the concentration of fertilizers 2 times weaker than indicated in the instructions, in order not to overfeed the plant.
• Every 10 days, spray the leaves with Ferovit, to prevent chlorosis. When watering, you need to add lemon juice, thus acidifying the soil. 4-5 drops of juice are added to 1 liter of water. Instead of juice, you can take citric acid.
• In order for the bush to be voluminous, the upper processes should be pinched.
• After a year, it is worth changing the location of the flower.
• In the future, care in the same way as an adult gardenia.

As it turned out, germination of gardenia seeds at home is not such an impossible task. The main thing is to want and everything will certainly work out. Perhaps not all seedlings will survive for the first time, but with time and experience, the result will improve markedly.

Watch the video: How to Grow Bonsai from Seed (May 2024).