Proper Growth and Care
In order for nasturtium to please you with a magnificent color, choose areas filled with sunlight. Otherwise, the shoots of the plant will be weak and will not become covered with flowers, and eventually they may die.
For proper growing in the soil, you do not need to add too much organic fertilizer, as the flower does not tolerate manure and humus. If you want to make a site for a plant more fertile, better make there potassium and phosphoric fertilizers. Be sure to make sure that the soil is well drained, as an excess of moisture causes rotting of the root system of the plant. To flowers were more lush, it should be once a month during the entire development of the plant to feed it.
Care and watering should be done carefully. When the plant is still young and requires a lot of moisture for growth and development, watering is done regularly. But when it blooms, the amount of moisture should be significantly reduced, and poured only when the earth is very dry. If you overdo it with watering, the nasturtium will only be covered with a lush carpet of leaves, and the blossom will be small.
Transplant and Reproduction
It is better, when the landing will be held immediately in a permanent place, since the nasturtium badly tolerates a change in the situation. But if transplantation can not be avoided, try to dig the plant so that it does not damage the tender root system. Do not be scared if the plant has withered in a new place. This does not mean at all that it has not taken root and will soon die, it just takes time to adapt to new conditions.
Reproduction of nasturtium is carried out in two ways:
Growing seedlings
Fill in small cups of peat soil and in April, put two or three seeds in each. Two weeks later, the first shoots will appear. When they get a few full-fledged leaves, you can transplant them into the open ground together with an earthen lump from the glass.
Sowing seeds in open ground
This way of reproduction, too, does not represent anything complicated. Dig a few holes at a distance of 25 centimeters from each other and sow 3-4 seeds there. In order for it to rise better, pre-soak seeds in water for several days. The first shoots will appear in two weeks. However, the seeds can not be sown early in the spring. The fact is that the plant is very sensitive to frosts and even a small nocturnal frost can destroy young shoots.
Reproduction by cuttings
It is not used very often. However, if you want to bring out some new unusual variety, then root the cuttings from an adult plant in water or moist soil, and after the appearance of the roots, transplant the new plant into the open ground.
Fighting diseases and pests
Nasturtium will not only decorate your garden, but also protect the rest of the flower bed from pests such as the Colorado beetle, whitefly, cabbage and aphids. But this does not mean that she is not at all prone to illness.
- bacterial wilt first manifests itself in the weakness of the lower leaves, which gradually spreads. If the time is not taken, she will die.
- gray rot appears as brown spots. Gradually, the disease spreads throughout the leaf, and then - and the plant completely.
- rust of nasturtium begins with small brown or black spots, which then turn into large relief pads and the plant dies.
- the mosaic can be recognized by a specific pattern on the leaves. They are light green, and gradually increasing, spoil the appearance of the plant and slow its growth.
In all cases, it is recommended to remove damaged leaves, and the rest to be treated with chemical or bacteriological preparations.