Aster - secrets of growing from seeds, planting and caring for a flower

Asters are the favorite flowers of many summer residents and gardeners around the world. This unpretentious, beautiful flower blooms when all other plants are already withering. You can enjoy the bright and lush buds until the coldest weather, and even a novice gardener can grow it.

When the aster blooms, the garden is transformed beyond recognition

Aster varieties

Among the varieties of asters there are perennial and annual species. Varietal diversity allows you to create a beautiful flower garden in your personal plot.

Perennial

According to the flowering period, asters can be divided into early flowering and late flowering, blooming closer to autumn. Among perennials, the following varieties are most popular:

• New Belgian . Can grow up to 1.5 m in height. The bush of this variety is loose and easily falls apart. The flowering period begins in August and continues until the first snow falls.
• New England . An even, slender bush that does not need garters can grow up to 1.5 m in height. Large semi-double inflorescences appear in September and decorate the plant until the first frost. The buds with a reddish or yellow center are colored white, pink, lilac and violet.
• Alpine . An early flowering species with compact size. The shrub does not exceed 30 cm in height. In May it becomes covered with single inflorescences.
• Shrub . Grows no more than 60 cm. Stems are heavily leafy. Among other fall-blooming varieties, bush asters are the first to bloom.
• Italian . Great for rose gardens and rockeries. It grows no more than 70 cm in height. The inflorescences are large, up to 5 cm in diameter, and bloom in June-July.

There are many types and varieties of aster, each beautiful and unusual in its own way.

Perennial asters can be grown in one place for 6 years . Caring for them is very simple and boils down to timely watering, loosening the soil and removing weeds. Despite the ease of care, many gardeners prefer to grow annuals, since perennial varieties do not have such variety and lush buds.

Annuals

The classification of annual asters is very diverse. It has about 4,000 varieties, differing in flowering time, bush height, shape, size and color of buds.

Classification and types of flower:

Tubular inflorescences look very delicate and unusual . Flowers with a yellow center are densely covered with tube-shaped petals.

Reed annual asters are distinguished by lush spherical flowers . Petals sticking out in different directions give the inflorescences a shaggy appearance. According to the principle of structure, inflorescences can be curly, spherical, imbricated, hemispherical and needle-shaped.

The flowers of transitional varieties of asters consist of 1-2 rows of reed flowers , and the middle is filled with tubular flowers. Based on their structure, simple, semi-double and coronal inflorescences are distinguished.

Simple asters consist of a yellow center , densely strewn with short tubular petals and framed by straight reed petals, arranged in 1-2 rows.

Semi-double varieties are distinguished by voluminous flowers , with a clearly visible center and reed petals sticking out in different directions.

The crown varieties of asters have lush, pom-pom-like inflorescences with a barely noticeable core. Such flowers look very beautiful both in flower beds and on balconies and terraces.

Aster is an unpretentious plant; even novice gardeners can grow it in the garden without fear.

It’s easy to get lost in the variety of types and varieties of asters. When choosing seeds in a store, it is important to pay attention not only to the size and color of the inflorescences, but also to the flowering time and the size of the bush itself.

general description

In the wild, annual asters grow in China, Mongolia and the Far Eastern regions of Russia. The translation of the name callistephus sounds like “beautiful wreath.”

Wild representatives had small inflorescences, but thanks to the efforts of breeders, a huge number of varieties with large flowers were bred. Most of them have double forms, different from their wild relatives, which are more similar to a daisy flower.

The root system is powerful and fibrous, so the crop is not afraid of strong winds. The ground part bushes almost close to the ground, forming a branched bush with stems covered with foliage of light or dark green color, and sometimes with a red tint. At the bottom of the stems there are more leaves and they are larger, and towards the top they become smaller.

The petals form an inflorescence in the form of a basket. Flowering continues from mid-summer until the first frost, but over time the inflorescences become smaller and smaller. After flowering, fruits remain on the plant in the form of achenes, which ripen within a month and a half and can spread by self-sowing if they are not removed from the bush.

Seed selection

When choosing which of the many varieties of asters to plant on your site, you must take into account the plants with which the flower will be “adjacent.” Then it will be easier to decide on the color and size of the flower.

Low-growing varieties are usually planted in the foreground, and tall asters can be planted in the background or in the center of a flowerbed open on all sides. When combining plants, it is advisable to achieve a harmonious picture so that the asters and the entire flowering area do not stand out from the overall design.

Asters planted along the fence will look very nice at the dacha

Aster seeds

To grow aster, purchase seed material not only from foreign companies. Domestic seeds are more reliable (for example, they are more resistant to fusarium) and are designed for our climatic conditions.

Don't buy seeds at the first store you come across. Some unscrupulous sellers offer expired or incorrect seeds for sale. Sometimes purchased in huge quantities, they do not have time to sell in the first year or two. It is hardly possible to achieve good germination from such seed.

Remember

You need to buy seeds only in specialized stores! No sales at markets, megamarkets and temporary tents at bus stops!

When purchasing bags of seeds, check the expiration date. If sprouts do not appear, try buying seed from another store and planting again. The beautiful appearance of aster flowers depends on planting and care.

Seed preparation

Before sowing, asters are soaked or germinated. Germination is carried out a week before planting. To do this, the seeds are wrapped in soft cloth or gauze soaked in weak potassium permanganate. The fabric must be periodically moistened so that the seeds do not dry out, and after a week it must be placed in a plastic bag. In a few days, the seeds will hatch and can be planted in the soil.

Soaking is the fastest and easiest method of pre-sowing treatment. To do this, the seeds are soaked in a light manganese solution for 10-13 hours and then they can be planted in the ground.

By paying due attention to the aster seeds, during the season it will delight you with abundant flowering

To make future asters more resistant to disease, you can pre-treat the seeds with a solution of succinic acid or epin, according to the instructions on the package.

Planting a flower for seedlings depending on the region

Growing regions also play an important role in sowing dates. So the same varieties in different regions are sown at different times.

• In the central part of Russia, it is better to sow seeds for seedlings in the first or second ten days of April.
• For the southern regions, it is recommended to sow at the end of March. Some varieties can be planted as seedlings as early as February.
• In the Northern regions, where climatic conditions are more severe, it is better to sow from late April to early May. It is recommended to sow early flowering varieties.

ATTENTION! If you decide to get seedlings earlier and plant them in February, prepare a phytolamp for additional illumination of the crops.

Growing aster seeds for seedlings

Since the growing season for asters is quite long, it is better to grow these flowers through seedlings. It is important to take into account the characteristics of the selected variety. Some early flowering asters in warm regions with long summers can actually be sown directly into open ground, but for the middle zone and northern regions it is better to take care of the seedlings first.

At home, aster seeds germinate better, and seedlings appear quickly. This way you can guarantee that every planted seed will sprout and soon turn into a beautiful flower.

The process of growing an aster from a seed

Asters, when to plant?

The time for planting an aster depends on the variety and type of plant. Typically, asters begin to be sown as seedlings in March-April. Early-flowering varieties with a growing season of about 90 days can be sown in April-May, and late-flowering varieties in March. It is important to take into account the peculiarities of the climate in the spring, so that by the time the most favorable weather for planting sets in, the seedlings are already strong enough and ready to move to their permanent place of residence.

The soil

Asters are quite demanding on the composition of the soil. Light, loose soil that allows water and air to pass through well is suitable for them. You can purchase a ready-made mixture in the store or take fresh from the site. The ideal option would be a soil mixture composed of turf soil, peat and coarse sand in a ratio of 3/1/1 . The prepared substrate is sifted and poured with boiling water or heated in the oven; you can also treat it with a strong solution of potassium permanganate.

At the germination stage, seeds are not fertilized with organic fertilizers. Organic matter can negatively affect the condition of seedlings, therefore, in the early stages of planting asters, nutritional compositions are not used. Asters react especially poorly to fresh mullein, so it is not recommended to use it.

Sowing seeds

Seeds are sown immediately in separate cups or in a common wide container. The pots for sowing are chosen to be shallow, approximately 5-7 cm high.

Sequence of sowing aster seeds for seedlings:

• The dishes for sowing are filled with soil mixture, the soil is well moistened (the main thing is not to overdo it).
• Using a toothpick, match or thin stick, make small holes or grooves no more than 5 mm deep.
• The seeds are placed in the depressions and sprinkled with sand. The dishes are covered with film or glass and placed in a well-lit and warm place.

Sowing aster seeds for seedlings

Temperature and humidity

For successful germination, aster seeds need a lot of heat and moisture. After planting, it is important to maintain the temperature at 20-22 degrees and, as the substrate dries out, spray it with water from a spray bottle. The film or glass must be removed every day for 5-10 minutes to prevent condensation from accumulating.

If everything is done correctly, then within 7-10 days seedlings will appear on the soil surface. When all or most of the seeds have sprouted, the film is removed and the room temperature is set at 15-17 degrees. It is important to water the emerging sprouts in a timely manner , preventing the substrate from drying out, but it is important not to overdo it with watering, as this can cause various diseases that affect the seedlings.

If you maintain the correct temperature conditions, aster seedlings will be of excellent quality.

Picking

After the seedlings have formed 3-4 leaves, they can be planted in separate pots or cups. To do this, the dishes are filled with soil mixture, which is mixed with mineral fertilizers. At this stage, young asters require nitrogen, potassium and phosphorus.

Seedlings dive in the following sequence:

• Water the seedlings well to make it easier to remove the sprouts along with a lump of earth without damaging the delicate roots.
• Make small depressions in the prepared planting soil and moisten the soil well.
• The seedlings are placed in depressions, leaving about 1 cm between the leaves and the soil surface; it is important to deepen the root collar a little so that fragile plants are not washed out during watering.
• The plantings are sprinkled with earth and watered again, but avoiding moisture getting on the leaves.
• Cups with seedlings are placed in a well-lit place, but protected from direct sunlight. The temperature should be approximately 18-20 degrees.

When the plantings take root, the seedlings can begin to be hardened off by gradually lowering the temperature and leaving them in the open air overnight. Before transplanting into open ground, adult seedlings can be placed on the balcony if it is not so cold outside.

At night, you can use a fluorescent lamp, which will allow you to maintain an optimal microclimate all day long.

Growing asters from seeds at home: recommendations

Planting seeds is slightly different from the seedling method. But there are also aspects that remain unchanged - soil cultivation. It is advisable to disinfect the soil in any case.

• Seeds are not germinated for sowing! Otherwise, they may freeze. If you want to stimulate growth with drugs or disinfect seeds (this is never superfluous), be sure to dry them well.
• In spring, seeds are sown to a depth of 3-4 cm, and in autumn this value is halved. The distance between them should be at least 1.5 cm. Be sure to cover with film until the first sprouts appear.
• Please note that in the future the sprouts will thin out. For low-growing varieties, it is enough to leave 10 cm between the bushes, and for tall varieties - at least 25 cm. This process should be done when the first real leaves appear. You leave only the strongest representatives.
• But there is no need to throw away excess seedlings. Asters tolerate transplantation well. Therefore, you can expand the area of ​​the flower bed.
• It is advisable not only to sow the seeds dry, but also to choose the same weather. The land is not watered. In the spring, when the temperature has risen a little, you can water the sown crop a little.
• Be sure to mulch with peat or other materials such as bark, sawdust or hay. This will protect the seeds from freezing. And after the winter period, it will not wash them away with melted snow and will not allow the ground to form an icy crust. The mulch layer should be at least 2.5-3 cm.

Astra "Edelweiss"

• It is noted that when sowing using the seed method, natural selection occurs. Therefore, the “surviving” sprouts after frosts become more resilient against various ailments and pests in comparison with their seedling “brothers”.
• But keep in mind that to form beautiful and large buds, seed asters also need useful elements. Therefore, fertilize after the arrival of warmth, before the ovary and after picking flowers.

Transplanting aster into open ground

Grown seedlings with 7-8 leaves and a stem height of about 7 cm can already be transplanted to a permanent place in the flowerbed. It's better to do this early in the morning or late in the evening, while it's not too hot.

1. Boarding time . Seedlings are moved to open ground in April-June. Asters can easily withstand slight cold snaps down to -2 degrees, so you don’t have to be afraid of being slightly wrong with the period.
2. Location and lighting . Asters require a lot of light, so choose their planting location on the sunny side. You can place plantings near buildings or fences, as well as near other green spaces, to protect the plants from direct light. Unrooted seedlings must be specially shaded.
3. Planting in open ground . It is advisable to prepare the area for planting asters in advance by digging it up with compost or humus in the fall. In the spring, the site is dug up again and enriched with superphosphate, ammonium sulfate and potassium salt. If the soil is already sufficiently fertile, then fertilization is not required. Asters grow best in light, neutral soil.

Planting seedlings in a flower bed is carried out as follows:

• The area prepared for planting is weeded and loosened 4-6 cm deep.
• Make shallow furrows and water them.
• The plants are removed from the cups and, together with a lump of earth, planted at a distance of at least 20 cm from each other; it is better to maintain about 50 cm between the rows.
• The seedlings are covered with dry soil and watered after 2 days. 2 weeks after transplanting to the flowerbed, the flowers can be fed with nitrogen fertilizers.

Asters tolerate picks and transplants well, so they easily take root in a new place

Varieties and hybrids

Flower growers have more than 4 thousand varieties and hybrids at their disposal, but not all of them are suitable for growing in open ground at home. Some require special conditions and are too complex to care for successfully at home. For this reason, the attention of flower growers is focused on varieties that are simple and unpretentious.

These varieties include about 400 species of callistephus, and their number is growing every year. Varieties differ in the size and size of the petals, the color of the inflorescences, etc.

According to the shape and structure of the flower, annual asters are divided into the following groups:

• simple - “Margarita”;
• crowns - “Princess”, “Fantasy”;
• pompoms – “Snowball”, “Summer”;
• semi-double – “Queen Victoria”, “Contact”;
• curly - “Queen of the Market”, “World of Dreams”;
• ray – “Radio”, “Artistic”;
• spherical - “Snow White”, “Silver Miracle”;
• tiled - “Victoria”, “Krallen”.

They also differ in the height of the bush. The choice of planting site and location of the plant, which is located in the front strip or serves as a background for smaller specimens, often depends on this parameter:

• dwarf, up to 25 cm – “Gnome”, Ballad”, “Pinocchio”, “Snow Pearl”;
• border, 25-40 cm - “Ribbon”, “Silver Miracle”, “Feuerkugel”, “Border Baby”, “Snow Pearl”;
• medium, 40-65 cm – “Dragon”, “Eurasia”, “Crimson Ball”, Rita”, “Isadora”, Spectacular”, “Eurasia”;
• tall, 65-80 cm – “Katyusha”, “Madeline”, “Cloud”, “Nata”, “Krallen”, “King’s Peony”, “Pink Crystal”;
• gigantic, 80-120 cm – “Matador”, “Royal size”, “Apolonia”, “Dfinch”, “Cut”, “Titanic”.

Tall and giant varieties are most often grown for cutting.

When choosing a specific variety, you should take into account the shape of the bush. According to this parameter, bushes can be:

• pyramidal - “Smile”, “Suliko”, “Queen in Blue”, “Ambria”, “Tourmaline”, “Black Priest”;
• columnar - “Daria”, “Cypress”, “Rocket”, “Crimson Ball”;
• oval - “Waldersee”, “Snowfall”, “Ruddy Sun”, “Heart of a Beauty”;
• spreading - “Tanechkin Bouquet”, “Fantasy”, “Valley”;
• wide, dense – “Sadness of Autumn”, “Smile”, “Dawn”.

Another parameter by which a variety of annual aster is selected for cultivation is flowering time.

Callistephus are:

• early (bloom from July, since 70-100 days pass from sowing to flowering) - “Salome Brick-red”, “Kirkvel”, “Odarka”, “Sasha”, “Roksolana”, “Midi”;
• medium (they look decorative from August, since after sowing it takes 100-120 days for the buds to open) - “Crimson”, “French Heart”, “Samantha”, “Red Glow”, “Mephistopheles”;
• late (bloom at the end of August on the 120-130th day from the moment of sowing) - “Tsarina”, “Ada Ballard”, “October”, “Everest”, “Anastasia”, “Isadora”.

Planting without seedlings

Asters planted immediately in open ground acquire immunity to diseases and temperature changes. Of course, at home you can guarantee almost complete germination of seeds, but flowers grown immediately on the plot no longer need replanting or picking.

Usually, in order to get flowering bushes as early as July, early varieties are sown in March. It is important that the air temperature is not lower than 10 degrees Celsius. Late-flowering varieties are sown in April-May. Plants grown using the seedless method bloom a little later than those planted as seedlings.

Seedless method of growing aster:

1. Step one . The seeds are sown in furrows no more than 4 cm deep, watered and sprinkled with soil. Before the first shoots appear, crops can be covered with mulch or non-woven material to protect them from dry and cool weather.
2. Step two . After the crops grow and have 2 true leaves, the plants are thinned out, leaving a distance of 10-15 cm between them. Excess seedlings can be transplanted to another place or disposed of.

Beauty aster

Advantages of growing from seedlings

Aster seedlings from seeds are distinguished by natural immunity, compared to those plants that are sown directly in open ground. This method of growing flowers allows you to obtain viable specimens that have accumulated strength for further flowering. The gardener has the opportunity to control the seedlings and apply fertilizing as soon as the first signs of nutrient deficiency appear.

Advantages:

1. Asters, by the time they are sowed in the flowerbed, will have become stronger. This will minimize the risks of various diseases.
2. The seedlings will not be damaged by insects, which are especially active in the spring and damage succulent seedlings.
3. Plants will not feel the effects of return frosts.

Aster seedlings are hardened and are able to withstand adverse street conditions. These flowers are not afraid of temperature fluctuations from hot to cold. Perennials overwinter without loss if the gardener has properly prepared them for the onset of frost.

Aster (lat. Aster) is a herbaceous flowering plant, has more than two hundred species

Aster care

Caring for asters is not difficult. Basic care comes down to watering, loosening the soil and removing weeds, as well as applying fertilizers at different stages of flower growth. After flowering, the buds are immediately removed so that the plants do not waste energy feeding the seeds.

1. Watering . If the flowerbed with asters is located in a well-lit place, then you should take care of frequent and abundant watering so as not to suppress the plants. It is important to know that these flowers tolerate drought better than waterlogging, so water them as the substrate dries, spending about 1.5-2 buckets of water per 1 sq.m of soil.
2. Loosening and weeding . After each rain and watering, the soil around the asters must be loosened to a depth of 4-6 cm, so the roots will receive more oxygen. Along with loosening, all weeds are immediately removed. To speed up root growth, before branching begins, the bushes are hilled to a height of 6-8 cm.
3. Feeding . After transplanting the asters to a permanent place, fertilizer is applied 3 times. The first feeding is carried out 14 days after transplantation. Then, per 1 sq.m of soil, 50 g of superphosphate, 20 g of ammonium nitrate and 10 g of potassium sulfate are consumed.

Important! The second feeding is carried out at the moment of bud setting with potassium sulfate and superphosphate (50 g of each substance per 1 sq.m of soil). At the beginning of flowering, the second feeding is repeated.

Graceful aster with bright, light pink inflorescence

Care

The annual aster does not require much time to care for. The main thing is to carry out basic agrotechnical measures, such as watering, loosening, timely application of fertilizers and pinching.

Watering

For callistephus, both prolonged drying out and strong overwatering are equally destructive, so you need to choose the optimal watering regime. If the summer is not dry, then natural precipitation may be sufficient. But in case of drought, you should water the bushes once every two weeks so that the soil gets wet to a sufficient depth.

Fertilizer

After rooting, fertilizing begins with nitrogen complexes aimed at increasing green mass. From the moment the buds are laid, a complete mineral complex is used, and after the first flowers open, they switch to phosphorus-potassium compositions.

For this crop, it is safest to use complex mineral fertilizers that do not provoke fusarium, while fresh organic matter should be avoided. The presence of chlorine in fertilizers is also unacceptable.

Fertilizers are applied to the aster once every two weeks, and after the last flowers open, fertilizing is stopped.

Disease Prevention

Aster is one of the plants with an increased risk of fungal damage. To prevent the disease, which quickly spreads through neighboring bushes, the beds are periodically watered with a weak solution of potassium permanganate. This simple measure allows you to stop the development of pathogens in the soil that can cause the death of the flower.

Preparing aster for winter

After the asters fade, they are dug up and burned. At the same time, various diseases, fungi and pests are destroyed. In perennial varieties, all dry stems are cut off, and the bush is covered with dry leaves or peat. The cover is removed in the spring and then the plants will actively begin to grow.

Seeds of the varieties you like can be collected and sown immediately in open ground for the winter, but in a different area. In this case, planting material is planted in small furrows and covered with peat. Seeds overwintered in this way will begin to sprout, and the plants will be more resistant to the vagaries of the weather and various diseases.

Seeds can be harvested when the inflorescences are already fading and their center is darkening, then a white fluff appears on the surface. The inflorescences are picked and placed in paper bags where they will dry. If you do not plan to plant for the winter, then the seeds can be stored for no more than 2 years and planted next spring. It is better to sign the package with planting material so as not to forget the name of the plant and its variety.

Many varieties of aster bloom until late autumn, and sometimes even until winter

Is it necessary to grow asters through seedlings?

First, a few important points:

• from the moment of planting to the flowering of the aster, it takes from 80 to 130 days,
• Aster seeds have rather poor germination.

Based on this, planting seedlings is a more reasonable way to grow them.

Low-growing varieties can be sown directly into the ground, while tall varieties are best grown through seedlings.

Also, many gardeners practice sowing aster in open ground under a film (in April, depending on the region). According to reviews, this method will give good germination, but it will require planting overgrown bushes. In a similar way, you can grow asters in a greenhouse. In both cases, the seedlings turn out stronger than homemade ones.

When to plant asters in a greenhouse?

You can plant asters in a greenhouse from mid-April, but you should focus on the temperature - it should be more than 8ºC

If you plan to collect your own seeds, then you should not delay planting asters, since when sowing at a late date, it is almost impossible to wait for them to ripen.

Rare and expensive seeds are necessarily planted for seedlings.

Planting in open ground before winter

Asters planted in open ground before winter bloom longer and hardly get sick.

• In autumn - from November (when frosty weather sets in in your region).
• In winter – December-February. Do not forget to prepare the beds in advance; sowing is carried out in frozen soil.

Diseases and pests of aster (names, how to fight)

As with most annuals, it is better to prevent asters from being damaged by diseases and harmful insects than to try to get rid of them later. Often infection occurs when the rules of plant care and planting are violated.

Diseases

The most common problem with asters is fusarium. The plant affected by this disease begins to turn yellow and wither. In order to avoid disease, you should not plant asters in the same place. It is best to alternate plants in the flowerbed and after the last planting of the aster, wait at least 5 years. The greatest risk of contracting fusarium is in flowers planted in places where potatoes, tomatoes and other nightshades previously grew. In case of damage, diseased plants are dug up and burned.

Blackleg is a fungal disease that leads to rotting of the root collar and base of the stem. The affected seedling turns black and dies. If blackleg is detected, diseased plants are dug up and disposed of, and the area is disinfected with a 1% solution of potassium permanganate.

Rust manifests itself as darkening of the lower part of the leaf blades, which soon wither and dry out. It may appear if coniferous crops grow next to asters. To prevent and treat rust, use a 1% solution of Bordeaux mixture, which is used to treat plants. When powdery mildew appears, asters are treated with foundationazole.

With aster your garden will sparkle with magical colors

Pests

The main pests that can cause trouble for a gardener are: spider mites, arable slugs, armyworms, meadow bugs, bud aphids, slobbering pennies and common earwigs.

To avoid the appearance and spread of insects, in the winter it is necessary to remove all annual asters by the roots and prune all perennial asters. Chemicals will help get rid of aster pests on your site .

If arable slugs are detected, you must first collect the pests and then treat them with Metaldehyde. Treatment with phosphamide, carbaphos and pyrethrum will help against spider mites, cutworms, meadow bugs and slobbering pennies, and use foundationazole against earwigs.

Despite the fact that asters are almost never used in flower shops to decorate bouquets, cut flowers retain their freshness for at least two weeks. A variety of colors and shapes of annual asters will decorate any bouquet or flower bed. Following simple tips and recommendations, growing this beautiful flower will not be difficult.

Author of the article: Lastovskaya Lyudmila Viktorovna

Tags: perennials

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What varieties of asters are grown from seeds?

Aster varieties differ from each other in the flowering period, the number of inflorescences and branching, height, degree of doubleness of the corolla, flower diameter, shape of inflorescences and petals, and color.

Almost all varieties are suitable for growing from seeds, subject to the rules of agricultural technology.

• Teiza's stars are low-growing bushes covered with needle-shaped inflorescences, the diameter of which is no more than 6 cm. The variety is rich in a variety of colors.
• Erfur dwarf - is a low pyramidal bush. Large inflorescences can be semi-double or double, which usually have classic colors.
• Duchess is a tall peony-like variety. It usually blooms in August and September. The flowers are large, up to 10 cm in diameter. They are distinguished by a rich palette of colors.
• Unicum - refers to needle-shaped asters. This variety stands out among others for its exquisite delicate aroma emitted by multi-colored buds.

Also available for growing from seeds are Mom’s Bouquet, Tower, Royal Peony, Novelty, Gremlin and others.

Features of aster

Aster is a rhizomatous representative of the flora with simple foliage. The inflorescences of this plant resemble a basket in shape. Their petals are painted in different colors, they have different sizes, and their shape, due to their elongation, is similar to a tongue. Those petals that are located closer to the center of the bud are shorter and have a yellow color. And those that grow on the sides are longer and their color can be very different - red, purple, green, pink and crimson. Most varieties have double-type inflorescences.

Spring sowing

Deadlines

In the central zone, aster is sown in open ground in late April - early May . A more accurate guide will be weather conditions and soil conditions. Areas with light soil located on the south side will warm up faster and you can start sowing there in the last ten days of April. The loams will be ready later and the seeds will germinate faster if you sow them in early May.

Choosing a landing site

For planting, choose sunny places; asters do not bloom well in deep shade . It is not recommended to grow them in one place constantly due to the accumulation of pathogens in the soil. Plants should be returned to their original flowerbed after 3–4 years. Asters grow well in the ground after marigolds, calendula, zinnias, nasturtiums, petunias, lupines, and sweet peas.

Just like other cultivated plants, asters love fertile, well-drained soils with a neutral or slightly alkaline reaction. Asters will not take root in heavy and damp soils; the roots of the plants will rot.

Light loams and sandstones on the southwestern side will be ideal for asters. If the site has clay soil, then its structure is improved with the help of river sand, rotted sawdust, and compost.

It is better to prepare a plot for a flower garden in the fall . First, the soil is dug up to the depth of a spade bayonet, and organic matter is added - mature compost or humus. Acidic soils are additionally limed in the fall. To do this, add fluffed lime at the rate of 400 g per 1 sq. m. m.

In the spring, 1–2 weeks before planting seeds in open ground, the soil that has settled over the winter is deeply loosened, mineral fertilizers are added - 10 g of superphosphate and 8 g of sulfate salt per 1 square meter. m and level it with a rake.

If the area for planting was not prepared in the fall, then pre-sowing treatment in the spring is carried out a month before planting . The soil is also enriched with garden compost or humus - 0.5 buckets per 1 square meter. m. Add 200–400 g of wood ash per 1 sq. m. m. or 10 g of superphosphate and potassium magnesia for each square. m.

Sowing seeds

For successful cultivation, not only the soil is prepared, but also the seeds. This will protect against fungal infections. First you need to make sure they are fresh. If you plan to plant store-bought seeds, check the expiration date on the packages; your own planting material should be collected no later than 2–3 years before planting. Their seeds ripen 1.5–2 months after the start of flowering and are collected from faded dry baskets.

The seeds are soaked in a solution of potassium permanganate, a chemical fungicide, or the drug “Fitosporin”. They are placed in gauze and left in the liquid for 2 hours. Then the seeds are laid out on paper and dried. Planting material is processed on the day of sowing or the day before. Seeds prepared in this way are not stored for a long time.

If there is no time to soak the seeds, then the soil must be disinfected with such solutions before planting.

The soil in the planting area is loosened, and grooves 1.5–2 cm deep are cut in the bed . The distance between the rows should be 15–20 cm. The soil in the rows is shed with water and, after absorbing the moisture, the seeds are evenly laid out in the grooves. The optimal distance between them is 1 cm.

Then the crops are sprinkled with a layer of soil or sand and the surface is lightly pressed down so that the seeds come into contact with the ground. If the weather is windy and dry, then the beds can be additionally mulched on top with a layer of humus or compost 1–2 cm thick.

Landing shelter

The bed with crops is covered with spunbond in 2 layers. After the seedlings appear on warm and windless days, the covering material is removed to harden the plants. The protection is completely removed by the end of May.

Timing of emergence

Despite the fact that aster seeds have a dense shell, at the optimal temperature they swell and germinate quickly. If the air has warmed up to 18–25°C, the first shoots will appear in a week . Then the seedlings develop slowly; 30 days pass until the third true leaf grows. Subsequently, each new leaf is formed within a week. After 4–5 leaves grow, inflorescences begin to form. But they begin to care for plants immediately after germination.

Care

Caring for asters in the open ground

When 2-3 true leaves grow, the seedlings are thinned out , leaving a distance of 12-15 cm between the bushes. Excess plants do not have to be destroyed, they can be planted in another place - decorate garden paths, front garden. After 7–10 days, if necessary, taking into account the growth of the bushes, thinning is carried out a second time.

Asters are demanding of moisture, but do not tolerate waterlogging. Excess moisture leads to an outbreak of disease. Due to lack of water, especially in hot weather, small inflorescences form and their decorative value decreases. In dry weather, plants need to be watered infrequently, but abundantly . For 1 sq. m of adult plantings consume up to 20–25 liters of water. If the summer turns out to be dry, the soil around the bushes is mulched with dry grass and rotted sawdust to retain moisture between waterings and reduce its evaporation.

As soon as the top layer of soil dries out after watering or precipitation, the soil is loosened to a depth of 1–2 cm to improve aeration, oxygen access and at the same time get rid of weeds. There is no need to loosen the soil too deeply, since the root system of asters is located superficially. Weeds are removed not only from flower beds, but also from roadsides and between rows.

Asters have a powerful root system and for its enhanced development it is useful to hill up the bushes . The procedure is carried out before branching begins; the height of the soil layer during hilling should be 6–7 cm. For tall varieties, hilling must be carried out.

Fertilizing promotes the formation of strong shoots, green leaves, lush and long flowering. Organic matter and mineral fertilizers are used for nutrition. When determining the regularity and volume of nutrient solutions, you need to take into account the amount of fertilizer already applied to the soil before sowing. First of all, this applies to organic matter: mullein, infusions of fermented grass. They are rich in nitrogen, the excess of which leads to increased growth of foliage to the detriment of flowering.

It is recommended to feed asters for the first time after thinning. During this period, on poor and light soils, you can use a mullein solution (at a concentration of 1:10), urea (1 tbsp. L per 10 L of water). Before planting inflorescences, asters are fed with a solution of superphosphate (2 tbsp. L per 10 L of water). Plants respond well to ash fertilizers.

It is recommended to protect powerful and tall bushes from wind and heavy rain . To prevent the plants from losing their decorative appearance and falling apart, a rope or thin wire is stretched in the rows. Some varieties are pinched to enhance lateral branching.

Errors in care can lead to diseases . The most common disease among asters is fusarium . Spores of a fungus living in the soil penetrate the plant tissue and cause its death. First, the leaves turn yellow, dark streaks appear on the stems, and then these parts darken, mainly on one side of the bush, and wither. Asters are also affected by jaundice, rust, and powdery mildew . At the first signs of disease, the affected specimens are disposed of or the plantings are treated with fungicides.

Brief description of cultivation

• The aster flower should be sown in open ground in the first month of spring or before the onset of winter. Seeds for seedlings are planted in the second half of March, and the seedlings themselves are moved into the ground with the onset of April or May.
• The flowering period occurs in summer and autumn.
• For good plant development, it is recommended to select an area that is well lit or slightly shaded.
• Suitable soil is considered to be loamy soil, the composition of which contains nutrients. The top 20 cm layer must be cultivated.
• The plant must be watered in moderation. When the hot period comes, the procedure is performed less frequently, but more abundantly.
• Astra needs feeding three times a season. It is recommended to do this the first time 7 days after the sprouts appear, the second time during the formation of flowers, the third time at the beginning of flowering.
• Aster propagation is carried out using different methods. It depends on what species the variety belongs to - perennial or annual. The first species can be propagated only by seeds, and the second by cuttings or dividing the bush.
• As for pests, the flower can be affected by insects such as spider mites, root-knot and leaf nematodes, and slobbering pennies.
• The plant can get powdery mildew, ring spot, gray mold, viral jaundice, and verticillium wilt.

Sowing before winter

Deadlines

Sowing asters before winter

Aster seeds are frost-resistant, well protected by the shell and remain viable during winter sowing, so this method is suitable for the Middle Zone. It has been noticed that plants sown before winter are less likely to suffer from fusarium compared to spring plantings and flowers grown through seedlings. In addition, the seedlings that appear in the spring are not afraid of return frosts and will bloom 2 weeks earlier than with other planting methods .

The first winter sowings are carried out at the end of October - mid-November , when the heat has already passed, cold autumn weather has set in and the surface of the earth is slightly frozen. In such conditions, the seeds will not have time to germinate and will survive the winter safely.

You can sow asters later - in December , even if snow has already fallen at that time.

How does boarding proceed?

In September, the area allocated for planting is dug up and a bed is formed . 3 kg of compost or humus per 1 square meter is added to the soil. m., for loosening - peat or river sand and 1 tbsp. l superphosphate and potassium sulfate.

Mark grooves 2 cm deep. To prevent wind and rain from disturbing the markings, cover the bed with covering material until sowing.

After the air temperature drops and the top layer of soil freezes at the end of October or early November, the seeds are laid out in furrows . When planting in autumn, more seeds are placed in the rows, taking into account the fact that some of them, the weakest ones, will not sprout in the spring. The seeds are sprinkled with dry crumbly soil on top and lightly compacted on top.

When planting late - in December, when the snow cover reaches 10-15 cm, the seeds are scattered directly onto the snow in a predetermined place. They are sprinkled with snow on top to prevent birds from pecking them. In the spring, with precipitation, the seeds will fall into the ground to the required depth. With this extreme method, only strong seeds will sprout.

How to cover crops for the winter

Cover the bed with winter crops with film and press it tightly on the sides. Instead of film, the soil can be covered with peat or a mixture of peat and compost 5–6 cm thick.

The bed with asters is left in this form until spring. The film cover is removed from the beds at the end of April, replacing it with breathable material. When the threat of return frosts has passed, protective shelter for asters will no longer be needed.

Timing of emergence

Shoots will appear in the spring - at the end of April after thawing and warming of the soil and air. Grown seedlings are thinned out or planted in a permanent place.

Asters are indispensable in landscaping garden plots. Each season you can create a variety of flower arrangements with them. A valuable property of asters is their unpretentiousness and flowering until frost. They last in bouquets for 14 days and, compared to other autumn flowers, are easier and cheaper to grow.

You will learn more about planting asters and other flowers in the ground from the video.

How to care for aster seedlings

Care should begin immediately after sowing the seeds. Sufficient attention and correct agricultural technology guarantees the receipt of strong and healthy planting material.

Aster care immediately after sowing until seedlings emerge

Immediately after sowing, the dishes are placed in a bright, warm room. Watering is carried out as needed, but it is important to ensure that the soil does not become waterlogged or dry out.

Caring for the aster after the entrances appear

After the first shoots appear, all the same cultivation procedures are carried out as previously. Feeding and picking are added to them.

After picking, feed with complex fertilizers. Seedlings dive after 2-3 leaves have formed.

How to care for aster seedlings

The first shoots at home begin to appear within a week. After this, the container is opened and moved to a room with a temperature of +15 +18°C.

Watering

Watering is carried out only when the top layer of soil dries out. It is recommended to water with settled water at room temperature.

Top dressing

Seedlings are fed once after picking. This is usually done a week after diving in the morning, using complex fertilizers. After feeding, water.

Temperature

The temperature regime after the appearance of the first shoots gradually decreases from +20°C to +18°C. This helps the plant to form a strong root system and not stretch out.