Phloxes: planting and care, growing from seeds. How to grow good seedlings of annual phlox from seeds

Bright phloxes are often found in city flower beds, as well as in areas near summer cottages. They are grown on balconies and placed in school flower beds. Such popularity is completely unsurprising. The name of this plant is translated from Greek as fire.

Phloxes are able to bloom for a long time, they give the owners a pleasant aroma and calmly treat any weather vagaries. The reproduction of these flowers is carried out most often vegetatively, by dividing the bushes or by cuttings. However, it is possible to produce them from seeds. In most cases, seed division is used when growing annual varieties this plant, however, perennials can be grown in this way.

Seed preparation

Collect phlox seeds. Before that, it is necessary to determine the degree of their maturity. This is not particularly reflected in their appearance, because they are located inside the boxes. Having missed the moment of ripening, the seeds can crumble from ripe boxes, and you won’t even notice it. If insufficiently ripened seeds are harvested, they will not be able to ripen.

To determine the degree of maturity, take an awl, carefully drill one box and examine its contents. It should contain quite large seeds, painted in green color and having dense structure. Planting material can also be purchased at flower shop.

Perennial phlox seeds quickly lose their germination capacity, which is why you should not wait for spring to plant them. Please note that the full development of plants is possible only after the seeds freeze, so planting should be done soon after they are collected.

Soil preparation and site selection

Determine a place on your site where the plant can safely grow for several years. Remember that phloxes love sunny areas and semi-shaded areas. Do not plant them in a swampy lowland and under a dense canopy of trees.

Prepare the soil well for planting. It should be loose and nutritious, since phloxes will grow well on such land, and their flowering will not only be long, but also very lush. These plants do not do well on soils with a high content of sand, they also do not like heavy soils with strong acidity. You are unlikely to succeed in achieving seedlings in such places. Flower beds or beds should be prepared even before the onset of the first frost.

Planting seeds

It is worth sowing seeds in late autumn-early spring. It is allowed to carry out this process in January. You should not postpone this process to February, and even more so to March, since such crops most likely will not sprout. If there is snow on the beds, just shovel it to the side.

On the frozen area of ​​\u200b\u200byour flower garden, spread the prepared seeds, placing them four to five centimeters apart. Sprinkle them on top with a small amount of ordinary garden soil. You can prepare it in advance and store it in a fairly warm room, preventing it from freezing. Optimum soil can be selected in gardening stores, where it is sold throughout the year.

The layer of earth does not need to be made continuous, just sprinkle a little seeds. Pour snow over the bed and leave it until spring. Thus, you will get almost one hundred percent spring germination, while half of the plants should also bloom.
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home cultivation

If you plant seeds of perennial phlox indoors, it is worth subjecting them to artificial stratification. First, place the container with the sown seeds in a room with room temperature, after fifteen to twenty days, move them to the cold (from minus two to plus four degrees) and soak for fifteen to twenty days.

Then place a container with seeds near the window and place a screen from the room and heating appliances so that the temperature around it does not rise above twelve degrees. In the event that the planting of phloxes was carried out in February, then in April it is possible to bring the container with them into the garden, covering it with agrospan or plastic wrap. Plants germinate best between five and twelve degrees.

After two or three pairs of true leaves appear on the flower, transfer them to the main place of growth, observing an interval of twenty centimeters between them.

Care

The main care for phlox is systematic weeding, loosening the soil, watering and fertilizing. small plants you can mulch the soil between them with mowed grass. This keeps the soil soft and moist longer, and prevents weeds from growing.

On hot and dry days, phloxes should be watered, at the same time they can suffer from powdery mildew. For this reason, the plant must be sprayed with fungicides, otherwise it may die.

After the flower gets stronger over the fifth pair of leaves, a clothespin is made. This procedure helps the tillering of phloxes. The flowering of these plants lasts from mid-summer until the end of September. It is important at the same time to eliminate faded inflorescences in a timely manner. Once every three to four years, it is worth dividing the rhizomes, best time for this - early spring or September.

For the winter, the plant must be cut off by mulching the roots with dry peat or plant residues.

Phloxes are able to grow over a fairly significant area, forming a bright beautiful carpet during the flowering period.

Phlox is a bright and unpretentious perennial culture that will fit perfectly into any design. garden plot. Not only the colors of phlox flowers are varied, but also the height of these plants. There are tall crops, as well as ground covers. Thus, they can be combined and successfully combined in flower beds and flower beds.

This unpretentious culture is not demanding on the composition of the soil, light, weather conditions, and also winters excellently even in the most frosty winter.

Small star-shaped or wheel-shaped flowers form corymbose large inflorescences. The colors are varied: white, pink, purple, blue, and also multi-colored.

Crop Height depends on the variety. So, the paniculate grows up to 100 cm, and the styloid - only up to 15 cm. Flowering differs in duration, the timing depends on the type and variety of the crop. They usually bloom during the summer season, and some until October.

Planting and growing does not require special skills and knowledge. In addition, phloxes grow on almost any soil.
It is better to plant them from mid-spring to the end of May. Landing is also allowed at the end of August.

Site selection and soil preparation

In the place where the phlox is to be planted, should be low ground water , since plants do not welcome stagnant moisture. Accordingly, it is desirable to choose hills, elevated areas.
Phlox loves the light, but the best option there will be a landing in a small penumbra.

Bright sun and strong shade are contraindicated for phlox. At the same time, in the shade of shrubs and large trees growing phlox is not recommended, as their horses will take nutrients from the soil.

The ideal place for planting phlox is in partial shade

You should not choose the northern areas and too windy. Winds are especially unfavorable in winter time of the year.

The soil must be neutral or slightly acidic. If the site has increased soil acidity, then it is recommended to add lime to the soil to neutralize it.

Sand is added to heavy soil, and peat is added to sandy soil. If the soil is fertile, then this does not mean that phloxes will grow better and bloom profusely. On the contrary, on poor soil, phloxes bloom much more intensively.

Planting process

Planting process perennial crops slightly different from planting annuals. The distance between seedlings should be somewhat greater, as the plants grow strongly.

1. Seeds are sown at a distance from each other 40-70 cm depending on the height of the culture. You can sow the seeds often, but then plant them at a specified distance from each other;
2. soil needed mulch after planting with sawdust, peat, humus;
3. Planting depth should be less than 15 cm for spring planting and about 25 cm for autumn planting;
4. If the seeds are sown in the fall, then the crops must be covered for the winter.

Seedlings before planting in the ground

Some flower growers believe that sowing seeds is best done in late autumn - early winter.

If the seedlings were grown at home, then plant the seedlings in the ground after the formation of at least 4 leaves. The distance between seedlings should be more than 20 cm.

Care

Phlox is considered an unpretentious culture. The process of caring for a plant is not difficult and even a beginner in floriculture can cope with it.

Autumn care basics

Before winter comes planting will be required soil, manure or humus. The layer thickness should be within 10 cm. This will prevent the kidneys from freezing in winter period. This is especially important for newly planted cuttings.

After flowering, it is desirable to treat the plants with fungicides as preventive measure fungal diseases.

If the seeds have ripened on the flowers, but have not yet ripened before the start of winter, then the phloxes can be dug up and transferred to the room by planting them in a pot.

At the end of flowering remove wilted flower stalks. In addition, you can divide the bush in order to rejuvenate the culture and transplant plants.

There are also basic rules:

• Watering is necessary only in early autumn in dry weather. Watering is best evening time. Then the plant does not need watering. For irrigation, it is important to use warm water;
• Phloxes can grow equally well in the sun and in partial shade;
• Fertilizers are applied after planting phlox, as well as during the formation of buds. Used as supplements mineral fertilizers, ash.

Phloxes are very good at top dressing from mullein infusion and bird droppings.

Transfer

Phloxes can grow in one place up to 15 years, but it is advisable to transplant them. at least once every 7 years. You can transplant at any time of the year, but it is best in the fall after flowering is complete.

How to transplant:

1. Phlox is dug out of the ground;
2. The root system is cleaned from the ground;
3. The bush is divided into parts, while two stems should remain in each part;
4. Planted in a new area at a distance of at least 30 cm from each other.

It is better to make a transplant in the evening.

Reproduction methods

Propagated by the following methods:

• seed;
• The division of the bush;
• Green cuttings;
• Autumn cuttings.

seeds

1. Sowing seeds is carried out before winter;
2. seeds can be sown immediately open ground ;
3. If seeds are sown in winter, then monthly stratification is necessary. For this, crops are kept in the cold;
4. Shoots are thinned out and seated after the appearance of 4 or more leaves.

By dividing the bush

1. The plant is removed from the soil;
2. The bush is cut into pieces. Each section must have at least 2 kidneys;
3. The resulting plants are planted in pre-prepared soil.

Green cuttings

1. In late spring, cut off the tops of shoots with 2 or more buds;
2. For an hour, immerse the cutting in a container of water;
3. Cut off the lower leaves, and shorten the upper ones by ½;
4. The cutting should be about 10 cm long;
5. Plant the cutting in open ground, where there is no excess sunlight. You can cover the seedlings with damp paper.

reproduction autumn cuttings carried out in the same way as in summer. Only the harvesting of cuttings is carried out at the end of summer or at the beginning of autumn.

Diseases and pests

The most common disease is powdery mildew. It appears in the form white plaque on leaves and stems.

Main reasons - maintenance in the shade, too dense planting and improper care. To combat the disease, it will be necessary to treat the culture with a solution of soda ash and laundry soap or solution blue vitriol and soap.

Prevention is carried out before winter with the help of Bordeaux mixture and in summer with the help of fungicides.

Kinds

Douglas

This undersized variety, whose height does not exceed 5 cm. The Douglas variety is grown as a groundcover. It blooms twice per season - in early summer for a month and in September. Flower colors are varied: white, pink, purple and blue.

Ice Mountain

subulate

These are ground plants no more than 15 cm. Flowers form medium-sized bright inflorescences.

Colors: pink and purple. Flowering early - from May to June. When flowering, it forms floral carpet. The view is also called carpet lights.

creeping

Another undersized variety. plant height no more than 20 cm. Up to 10 inflorescences can form on one bush, which are shaped like umbrellas.

The shoots are strongly branched. Blooms from late spring for a month. Colors: purple, pink and red.

Thus, perennial phloxes are elegant and unpretentious cultures that can be a wonderful decoration of the garden. Caring for them is not difficult, they are not demanding on the soil. Perennial phlox amaze with a variety of species and varieties.

Phloxes are plants that are distinguished by their attractive appearance and unpretentiousness in care. Due wide choice shades of the flower and the shape of the petal, each gardener can create his own unique flower arrangement. At the same time, caring for phlox is completely easy.

Description and varieties

Phlox is distinguished by the presence of colorful flowers. Among the variety of shades, they can be blue, white, red or pink. In addition, each type of plant differs in the shape of leaves and petals. So before choosing one or another variety, you need to familiarize yourself with the features of each.

Paniculate

This variety is considered the most common today. It can be seen on almost every personal plot. Panicled phlox received this name due to its peduncles. They are collected in inflorescences, which are so reminiscent of panicles. Each variety of culture has its own growth. It can vary from 40 to 1.5 m.

Paniculate

Paniculata culture has the appearance of a bush, on the upper part of which there is a hat of inflorescences. Their color can be very different, but in addition to yellow. Panicle shoots can be found in your flower bed immediately after the snow has melted. Every year the number of stems of the plant increases. In June, their growth stops, and flowers form at the top.

From July to September, the bush will be strewn with bright flowers. This period lasts 45 days. When the peduncles have formed seeds, the panicled phlox begins to slowly dry out, and the stems die off by winter.

When choosing seeds for planting, it is necessary to take into account the height of the bush, the shade of the flowers and the shape of the petals. The latter can be smooth, corrugated and wavy.

For those who love bright flowers, you need to purchase the following varieties:

If you like flowers of soft colors, then these varieties will be an excellent option for you:

In addition, phlox of varieties such as Albatross or Snow White can decorate any flower bed. All presented varieties of culture are decorated with plain flowers. Today panicled phlox may have inflorescences that combine several shades at once:

Subulate

All varieties of this culture are sharp and narrow leaves. styloid phlox counts groundcover. The height of its bushes reaches no more than 10-15 cm. If you choose a plant with a lying stem, it will resemble a path of blooming clover. This phlox has inflorescences, in which 6-7 flowers are collected.

Subulate

The flowering of the styloid culture occurs abundantly. Sometimes the bush is literally covered with flowers that it is simply impossible to see the green mass through them. The next feature culture remains a flowering period. Phlox blooms for the first time in May-June, and the second - in August-September. Peduncles can take various shades, including white, blue, lilac and pink.

Still peduncles may not be monophonic. On them you can often notice spots, edging or stripes of other tones. The styloid phlox belongs to winter-hardy plants, for which even severe frosts are not terrible.

splayed

This is another type of perennial. Its inflorescences have a wide palette of shades. But only the period of its flowering does not last long. It is only 20-30 days. won't give you much trouble.

splayed

Drummond

This plant is the only annual. During flowering, the bush looks so beautiful that it can compete with its perennial brothers. Drummond is characterized by such a form as stellate, dwarf and tetraploid. The stems of the culture have numerous branches, as a result of which the plant has a rather lush appearance. takes place in March.

Drummond

Peduncles are distinguished by a delicate aroma, shape and colors. In the flower bed, you can plant plants with lilac, pink, blue and white flowers. - this is the only species that blooms from July to October.

Anna Kalugina

Anna Kalugina is a famous collector who collects different varieties plants, grows phloxes and selects them. All cultures bred by her are resistant to external conditions, beauty and density of inflorescences. Such varieties as Viy, Ekaterina Gordeeva and Blue Patterns are considered quite popular.

Flowers of Anna Kalugina

Among the new varieties, Zvezdochet, Lavender Dream and Blue Vortex remain promising.

But what Rudbeckia hairy looks like, and in which part of the garden it should be planted, is described in great detail in this

How and when to plant

In order for phloxes to delight you with their abundant flowering, it is necessary to properly plant seeds and subsequent care for seedlings.

Soil selection

The composition of the soil plays an important role in the cultivation of phlox. Soil is excellent for them, which is rich in humus, loose and contains a small amount of loam for low acidity.

Sowing planting material must be carried out in special containers filled with soil mixture. In this case, the container must be big size so that plants can develop a powerful root system. 7 days before planting, the soil should be treated with a solution of potassium permanganate.

earth fertilizer

And although phloxes are unpretentious plants, fertilization at the stage of growing seedlings is considered mandatory procedure. Feeding should be done in small quantities. Mineral fertilizers are excellent here. Thanks to them, it is possible to accelerate the development and growth of culture.

On the video - how to plant Phlox:

Phloxes are incredibly beautiful bright flowers that have a strong pleasant aroma. Plants are perennial, so abundant flowering need to take care of favorable conditions cultivation. In the article we will talk about growing perennial phloxes from seeds, we will give recommendations on planting and care.

How to propagate perennial phlox in the garden

Unlike annual phlox that only breed seed way, perennials reproduce in three ways:

1. Seeds. Phlox is sown in spring, autumn or early winter.
2. The division of the rhizome. In the spring, the bush is dug up, the rhizome is divided into several parts and young bushes are planted. Most often, this vegetative method is used to rejuvenate a flower when it long time grows in one place.
3. cuttings. At the beginning of summer, cuttings are prepared, strong young shoots are selected. They are planted in open ground under a jar, watered abundantly and wait for rooting. At winter sowing phloxes bloom on next year autumn.

If the bush has lost its decorative effect, then it is propagated by dividing the bush even in autumn (end of August-mid-September). To update the phlox, the oldest rhizomes are thrown away, and only the lateral parts are seated.

Summer and spring breeding better than winter.

How to plant phlox seeds

There are two ways to grow a flower from seed.

Sowing seeds immediately in the flower garden

Seeds are sown at the end of May or in November-December:

• Winter sowing. If snow has already fallen during the winter sowing, then it is removed, the seeds are sown on top of the frozen soil at a distance of 5 cm from each other, sprinkled with earth with a layer of 2 cm and covered with snow. Germination during sowing in winter is 70%. Sprouts appear in the spring, and when two leaves open, the seedlings are planted at a distance of 20 cm from each other.
• Sowing in spring. Phlox seeds are sown in fertilized moist soil. 4 seeds are placed in the hole. They fall asleep with earth, water and cover with a film until shoots appear. Two weeks after the seeds have descended, the flowers are already fed with slurry or nitrophoska.

Sowing phlox seeds for seedlings

For seedlings, seeds are sown in boxes or peat tablets. Seeds are not buried deep in the ground, but laid on the surface. Cover with foil on top. Optimum temperature for seed germination - + 10-18 ˚С. Moisten the soil with a spray bottle. IN peat tablets stronger seedlings can be grown on the windowsill. With a high content of peat in the soil, the decorative effect of phloxes increases.

Favorable conditions for growing phlox

The main requirements are put forward to the quality of the soil. The decorative effect and development of phlox depends on the fertility of the soil. Soil requirements in the table.

The acidity of the soil is determined using litmus paper. Phloxes are suitable for the climate of the middle zone, where it is not very hot and moderate rainfall. For landing, choose a site with a flat terrain, protected from the wind. On open sunny places Phlox is not planted, but shaded areas where the flower is shaded from 11 am to 2 pm are ideal.

When growing seedlings, the following conditions are favorable:

• humidity above 70%;
• temperature after seed emergence to 21 ˚С, within two weeks the temperature is lowered to 15 ˚С;
• a container with seedlings is placed on sunny windowsills, and the film is removed.

Soil preparation for planting phlox

If the soil is not suitable for planting phlox, it is improved:

• on the clay soils make sand and manure;
• clay and lime are added to sandy loams, and peat is also added to sandy ones;
• poor soils are filled with peat, manure or compost.

Prepare the soil in autumn. Apply up to 8 kg/m. sq. peat or manure, up to 300 g / m are added to acidic lands. sq. lime. The soil is plowed to a depth of up to 30 cm. In the spring, the ground is plowed again, harrowed, nitrophoska and potassium salt are added. A week before sowing seeds, the ground is disinfected with a solution of potassium permanganate.

Phlox planting and care plan

Sow phlox seeds in spring, summer, autumn or winter. It all depends on how you grow. Consider an action plan for growing seedlings and caring for them.

Action	Timing
Sowing seeds in pots	February
picking	When 2-3 true leaves appear
Hardening (seedlings are taken outside for a day)	April-beginning of May
Transplanting seedlings in open ground	May June
Pinching over the fifth pair of leaves	July
Feed 5 times:	May-September
1. Liquid manure (100 g of manure per 10 liters of water).	The end of May
2. Slurry with potassium salt or superphosphate.	The beginning of June
3. Slurry or chicken manure solution.	Early July
4. Superphosphate and potassium salt.	Beginning of August
5. Use ash, nitrophoska,	Beginning of September
Pruning phlox and mulching the soil with peat	October November

Phloxes bloom from July to the end of September, they prefer potash-phosphorus fertilizers

How to care for phlox in the garden

While the phlox sprouts are not yet strong after transplanting into open ground, the soil is regularly loosened and the flowers are watered. Freshly planted phloxes are watered every three days for two weeks. The aisles are mulched with mowed grass so that weeds do not germinate and moisture does not leave the soil.

If the summer is dry, up to 2 liters of water is poured under each bush every 2-3 days. In hot weather, the soil is mulched with peat or humus with a layer of 4 cm.

Tip #1 In order for the phlox to bloom profusely, faded inflorescences are always removed.

For abundant flowering, perennials are fed up to 5 times per season. Phlox fertilizers are shown in the table.

Fertilizer name	Description	Application
"Ekorost" for garden flowers	Fertilizer based on humic acids. Increases seed germination, seedling survival, increases disease resistance.	Root and foliar top dressing: 2 caps per 10 liters of water, watered once every two weeks.
"Grow" fertilizer for flowers	A complex remedy that contains nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. Accelerates growth, increases the duration of flowering and the brightness of flowers	1 st. l. per 1 sq.m.
"Windsor" for garden and indoor	A complex product that provides abundant and long flowering	50-80 g/m. sq., watered flowers 1-3 times during the entire growing season
"Buton-2" for garden flowers	Provides long and abundant flowering	10-20 g/10 l of water
Bui fertilizers "Flower Paradise" for flowering plants	Comprehensive liquid remedy, which stimulates growth, flowering and increases disease resistance	10 ml / 1 l of water
Universal fertilizer for garden flowers "Pokon"	Improves soil composition, nourishes flowers and accelerates their growth	1 scoop per 1 sq.m. Feed once a season in the spring.

Once every 3-4 years in May, the bush is dug up and the rhizomes are divided.. When grown in southern regions the division of the bush can be postponed until September, the main thing is that the plant has time to take root before winter.

Grown up phloxes of spring sowing are planted in autumn

Regardless of the growing region, perennial flowers are covered with peat or straw for the winter. In the South, fallen leaves are used instead of peat, but pests can start in such a mulch. They cover the bush when the stems turn yellow and dry. Dry tops are cut off, and the root zone is covered with a layer of mulch. In a snowy winter, if the layer of fallen snow is more than 50 cm, phloxes can not be covered. Flowers are afraid of snowless winters, even if the frost is -10-15 ˚С.

Tip #2 Phloxes are used in landscape design to create profusely flowering flower beds. Flowers go well with monards, astilbes, marigolds and heliopsis.

With abundant watering in a dry summer, flowers are affected powdery mildew or septoria. To prevent diseases, flowers are treated with fungicides.

How to deal with pests and diseases of phlox

Phlox diseases include spotting and powdery mildew. Recognize diseases by characteristics. Consider the symptoms of diseases and methods of dealing with them in the table.

Disease name	signs	Prevention and control methods
spotting	Dots on the leaves, with their further twisting	Sick leaves are removed, and the flower itself is treated with a Bordeaux mixture.
powdery mildew	White coating on leaves and stems	To prevent infection of healthy flowers, the diseased plant is removed and burned.
variegation	Peculiar patterns appear on the leaves
fomoz	The leaves begin to dry up and the stems become thinner	For prevention in the spring, while the air temperature does not exceed 18 ˚С, colloidal sulfur is sprayed onto the stems and leaves.
Septoria	Dark brown dots on leaves	The bush and the soil around are treated with Bordeaux liquid once every two weeks

For the prevention of diseases in the calendar spring work in the garden, treatment of phloxes with a solution of Bordeaux mixture should be included. Pests include filamentous worms, nematodes, slugs and caterpillars. When the bushes are affected by nematodes or worms, the flower is dug up and burned. The land is treated with nematicides or lime every 20 days. Three treatments are needed.

Phloxes that grow on acidic soils, get sick less

Insecticides are used to prevent pests. In the spring they are sprayed with Fury, Karate or Kinmiks preparations.

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Features of growing perennials and annuals

Growing perennials is generally similar to growing annual phlox, but there are the following differences:

1. Perennials are more often sown in open ground, rather than growing seedlings.
2. Perennials bloom later, but bloom longer.
3. Before winter, perennials, in contrast to annual plants are not sown as they are not frost resistant.
4. Perennials need five top dressings per season, and not 3-4, as is the case with annual phlox.
5. Seedlings are not planted closer than 0.5 m from each other, because perennials grow strongly in one place.

Answers to common questions

Question #1. When is the best time to sow seeds in a flower garden?

Phloxes belong to those garden flowers that propagate all year round. They are planted in spring, summer and winter. But spring is more suitable for seed propagation. In the second half of April, phlox seedlings are planted in flower beds. spring planting has its own advantages. Flowers have time to take root, but they bloom two weeks later than planned.

Autumn planting with seeds is possible only in the southern regions and middle lane where frost occurs later. Sow seeds in early September. Before the first frost, the flowers take root, and bloom the next year in July.

Question #2. How to dive phlox seedlings?

Sprouts dive 20 cm apart into a greenhouse or greenhouse. Also, each sprout is planted in a separate pot, and when it gets warmer, they are planted in open ground.

Question #3. Is it possible to mulch the soil in summer during extreme heat?

Yes. To protect from the scorching sun, the soil is mulched with peat or humus with a layer of 5 cm. You can water over the mulch.

Question #4. When can phlox bushes be transplanted?

The best period is April or September. Transplanted as needed in the summer, but without dividing the root system. Be sure to move the roots to a new hole along with an earthen clod.

Question #5. What are the popular varieties of perennials?

Popular varieties include such perennials:

1. Subulate. The plant is completely covered with flowers from white to dark red. Blooms in May.
2. splayed. Blooms lilac-blue. The plant prefers shady areas. Blooms in May.
3. Paniculate. Blooms in mid-summer. Inflorescences and leaves are large. Bushes 70-100 cm high.

Gardeners' mistakes when growing perennials

Gardeners' mistakes are as follows:

1. Do not water phlox in hot weather. cold water otherwise the stems will crack.
2. Withered flowers should not be left on the plant, they interfere with the blooming of new ones and delay flowering.
3. Many gardeners do not cover phlox for the winter. If there is little snow in winter, then the flowers can die even at -10 ˚С, so it is necessary to mulch the soil in the month of November.
4. Phlox cannot be planted on the site where strawberries were previously grown. Otherwise, the invasion of pests cannot be avoided.

Multiply perennial phlox how can vegetatively, as well as seeds.

The method of reproduction of phloxes is chosen depending on the goal that is set in this case. So, for example, phloxes can be divided in order to multiply rare and beautiful variety, for getting a large number planting material or its improvement, finally, for the preparation of ordinary cutting or cutting for exhibitions.

When are phlox propagated by seeds?

With good weather conditions phloxes produce seeds in abundance, which often, especially in early varieties, ripen on the bushes. The readiness of the seeds is indicated by the browning of the boxes and the beginning of the wilting of the leaves. In late-flowering varieties, seeds reach wax ripeness in October. To get mature seeds, cut the stems, tie them in bunches and hang them on a cold veranda. If the room is very dry, then the boxes begin to crack, the seeds scatter, and they can be lost. Then the inflorescences are placed in gauze bags. Browned boxes, as they mature, can be collected from the bushes in paper bags and brought into the room. In a paper bag, the boxes dry up and burst with a characteristic crack. Phlox seeds quickly lose their germination, especially in a dry and warm room. It is best to clean the seeds just before sowing. P. G. Gaganov advised to mix the peeled seeds with sand and store them in a cool room in this form until sowing. The highest germination (up to 80-90%) is given by seeds when sown immediately after their collection - in late November - early December. You can also sow in winter - in January-February on a garden bed prepared in the fall. To do this, snow is removed from the garden, seeds are rarely scattered on its frozen surface, with a distance of 3-4 cm. Then they are covered with a layer of sifted earth prepared in advance, or sand 1-1.5 cm thick and snow. When sown in winter, seed germination will be 70%.

When growing perennial phloxes from seeds, they can be sown immediately in open ground in the fall or at the beginning of winter, planting the seeds to a depth of 1.5 cm. In the spring, the seeds will germinate safely and bloom by autumn.

With seed propagation, phlox seedlings bloom for 3-4 years. Sowing is done in the fall, as the seeds quickly lose their germination. With this method, decorative qualities mother plant are not fully preserved.

When sown at home perennial phlox seeds need stratification. The container with the planted seeds is first kept in room conditions 15-20 days, then in the cold (from -2 to +4 0C) 15-25 days. After low temperatures put a container with phlox seeds close to the glass and make a screen from the room and heating appliances so that the air temperature is not higher than +12 0C. If phlox seeds were planted in February, the third period will be in April, then the container with phlox seeds can be safely taken out into the garden under agrospan or plastic film. The optimum temperature for germination of phlox seeds is from +5 to +12 0C.

Once the seeds germinate, the difficult, tedious process of waiting ends: “maybe I did something wrong; maybe the seeds are bad; may be...". In the future, seedlings require the same care as other seedlings.

Small phlox seedlings in the phase of two or three pairs of true leaves are planted at a distance of about 20 cm on a bed with fertile soil. Further phlox care consists in systematic weeding, loosening the soil, watering, top dressing. While the phlox seedlings are still small, the soil between them can be mulched with mowed grass. This will keep the soil soft and moist and will also prevent weeds from growing.

Perennial phloxes in dry hot weather need watering, but it is at this time that there is a risk of phloxes being affected by septoria, powdery mildew. In this case, spraying with fungicides is necessary, otherwise you can lose the plant.

In summer, as soon as the plants get stronger, you need to pinch over the fourth or fifth pair of leaves. This is done for better tillering of phloxes. Flowering of phloxes lasts from July to the end of September, but the peak falls on August. It is only necessary to remove faded inflorescences in time, then new flower stalks appear from the axils of the lateral leaves. Once every three to four years in May, the phlox rhizome must be divided. This is best done in early spring or September so that the transplanted plants have time to take root before winter.

We bring to your attention the video: "How to grow perennial phlox from seeds"

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