Eschscholzia is a compact plant native to North America, belonging to the Mack family. Hence its second name is California poppy. She received the popular name "wormwood" because of the similarity of leaves with wormwood. In Russia, a flower is grown as an annual, but thanks to its ability to self-sowing, it can please its flowering for years. The plant propagates by seed method. Usually, the process of growing eschscholtia from seeds is not particularly difficult, but it is worth paying attention to some nuances.
The main types and varieties with photos
Eschscholzia will become an incredible decoration of any garden, flowerbed or balcony thanks to the interesting shape of the leaves and beautiful inflorescences. It goes well with other plants and is often used to make wedding bouquets.
In total, there are about 10 species of flower in the genus, but in Russia there are only three varieties of eschscholia:
- Soddy.
- Lobba
- Californian.
Eshsholtsiya sod
An annual plant, which is a dense bush with a height of about 15 cm. The flowers are medium-sized, in diameter reach 3 cm, lemon or bright yellow. The small size allows you to grow a flower both in an open area and in a house in a pot. Flowering is plentiful and long - from the first days of June to the first frosts.
Eschscholzia Lobba
An annual plant that prefers open space. The maximum height of the bush is 20 cm. The flowers are single yellow-orange in color with the square shape of the petals, and their size does not exceed 2.5 cm in diameter. Eschscholzia Lobba blooms in July and delights with its flowers until the end of September.
Eshsholtsiya California
Perennial plant, which in the middle zone of our country is grown as an annual. The bush up to 45 cm tall has a straight and highly branched stem, on which there are silver-green openwork leaves that look like wormwood in appearance.
This is the most popular type of plant among gardeners. With the help of selection, various varieties and hybrids with terry or simple corollas and all kinds of colors were bred:
- cream;
- purple;
- white;
- pink;
- red and so on.
Ballerina
Compact perennial growing up to 25 cm in height. Inflorescences can be both terry and semi-double with wavy petals of various shades.
The plant loves a lot of light and heat, but is resistant to frost up to -5 ° C. It does not tolerate transplants, therefore, prefers sowing immediately to a permanent place.
Apple blossom
The variety is characterized by its unpretentiousness, large terry buds of a deep pink color and a high growth of up to 35 cm. Suitable for growing both in flower pots and flower beds and does not depend on soil fertility. Feels great in open areas and in partial shade.
Flowering begins in May and lasts until frost. It is grown both in seedling method and sowing in winter in open ground.
Russian size gold
The main difference of the variety is large and completely double flowers with corrugated petals. The plant has a developed root system, therefore it tolerates drought well, without requiring frequent watering.
Eschscholzia blooms in May. An adult plant forms many seeds, which themselves sprout the next year.
Cherry whirlwind
The peculiarity of this variety in bright double colors with a double color - ruby petals, which become yellow closer to the center. The bush has a compact size, growing up to 25 cm in height.
Openwork silver leaves create a unique contrast against the background of bright inflorescences.
Secrets of seed cultivation and optimal timing
Eschholzia propagates exclusively by seed. It can be sown both in the fall directly into the open ground, and in the spring to obtain seedlings.
Although the wormwood is not particularly capricious, it is nevertheless necessary to take into account some of the nuances of seed breeding:
- Seeds before planting are necessarily stratified. This procedure involves creating cold and humid conditions for better seed germination. To do this, just put the seeds of the plant on the lower shelf of the refrigerator for a month.
- If sowing is carried out in the fall in the open ground, then stratification is not necessary, as this will happen in a natural way. Spring sowing in the soil should not exclude this manipulation.
- Due to the excessive fragility of the root system, picking, that is, planting seedlings in separate containers, should be completely excluded.
According to the lunar calendar, dates from March 10 to March 16 are favorable dates for sowing seeds for seedlings. Adverse dates are from March 5 to March 7 and March 21.
Table. When it is necessary to plant eschscholtsia when growing from seeds in various regions of Russia
| Region | Sowing seeds | Landing |
| southern part | Last February | Mid april |
| Middle lane | Early March | The end of May |
| Siberia | Mid and end of March | Early June |
Rules for sowing in open ground
Sowing seeds in open ground can be both in autumn and spring. Autumn sowing is more preferable, as the conditions for seed growth are as close to natural as possible.
The advantages of October sowing:
- Natural stratification.
- Friendly appearance of seedlings.
- Earlier flowering.
- Easy planting and plant care.
Spring sowing is carried out in April and after 10-15 days the first seedlings appear. But unlike autumn, this method delays the appearance of buds for a whole month.
Regardless of the method of planting seeds, it is important to carry out preparatory manipulations:
- Site preparation. For good health and abundant flowering of eschscholtia, you need to choose a sunny area on which moisture does not stagnate.
- Soil preparation. An important condition is the weak acidity of the soil, as well as the high conductivity of moisture and air. The land should be fertile and preferably sandy. You can do this yourself - in the soil on which the flower will grow, you need to make sand at the rate of 3-5 kg per m² and peat - 2-3 kg per m². Dig the soil well to a depth of 20 cm and level it a week before planting.
The process of planting seeds in open soil:
- In dry or slightly moist soil you need to make grooves up to 8 cm deep.
- Mix the seeds with sand to exclude the dense emergence of seedlings, and sow along the entire length of the grooves.
- Flatten the grooves and cover with dry leaves, sawdust or peat.
- After germination, the seedlings must be thinned out so that a gap of at least 20 cm is maintained between them.
Growing seedlings
With the seedling method of breeding, an important condition is the prevention of injury to the root system during the transplantation of seedlings in open ground. This must be taken into account already at the stage of sowing seeds. Therefore, it is advisable to use peat tablets, collapsible or disposable cups, in order to plant the plant together with the earth in the future. Otherwise, there is a high probability of death of the seedling.
Otherwise, the cultivation of escholzia seedlings is no different from the cultivation of other plants. To do this, you need:
- To disinfect seeds with a solution of potassium permanganate or fungicides, and also treat with growth stimulants to improve germination.
- Set peat tablets in a large plastic container and pour water into it.
- After the tablets absorb all the water and swell, the remaining water must be drained.
- Using a wet toothpick, place one or two seeds of escholia in each peat tablet.
- Sprinkle with a millimeter layer of sifted peat.
- Moisten the soil from above with a spray gun.
- Cover the container with cling film or glass and place in a warm, bright place, hidden from direct sunlight.
Before the first shoots appear, the tank must be ventilated and moistened in time, preventing the soil from drying out. Within two weeks, the seeds will germinate. And after another 20 days, you can make complex fertilizer in a weak concentration to feed the sprouts.
2-3 weeks before planting seedlings in an open area, a hardening procedure is necessary. First, you can leave the seedlings for several minutes under an open window. In the future, it must be taken out onto the balcony, gradually increasing the time spent in the fresh air from 30 minutes to 4 hours.
Outdoor transplant and care
Transplantation of eschscholzia into the open space is made with the arrival of warm weather. The optimum air temperature is considered to be 18-22 ° C above zero.
Preparing the land before planting seedlings is no different from that before sowing seeds immediately into the ground. Further it is necessary:
- Make holes up to 20 cm deep, keeping the gap between them at 30 cm.
- Trying not to damage the earthen lump, plant the seedlings in the holes.
- Fill the voids with earth and compact the soil around the seedling.
- Water the seedlings with a watering can.
To ensure the well-being of young plants and stimulate abundant flowering, you need to follow some simple recommendations for care:
- Watering. Eshsholtzia is resistant to moisture. Watering it is necessary only in the case of dry summers and then not more often than twice a month.
- Top dressing. The introduction of a complex fertilizer rich in potassium, phosphorus and nitrogen is carried out twice - during the transplanting of seedlings to the site and a month after that. With the advent of the first buds, the procedure is not worth it.
- Loosening. Eschscholzia is in urgent need of regular loosening of the soil, since the low air permeability of the soil leads to the death of the plant.
Growing eschscholtsia from seeds is a simple and very interesting task, so even a beginner gardener can cope with it. Especially problems will not deliver sowing seeds directly to the open ground. Growing seedlings will require more effort, but following all the recommendations will necessarily lead to a positive result.
