home / Window/ Indoor cineraria: growing from seeds, photo, description. Beautiful cineraria: cultivation and care

Indoor cineraria: growing from seeds, photo, description. Beautiful cineraria: cultivation and care

This plant usually decorates flower beds, contrasting well with almost any flowers. It turns out that such beauty can be grown on an ordinary windowsill. Flowers that are mercilessly pruned from garden specimens will come in handy in the room. It's about about cineraria silver or seaside.

Jacobaea maritima belongs to the large family Asteraceae and has many species

This plant has many names: silver cineraria, seaside Jacobea, ashy ragwort. But most gardeners simply call it cineraria. Jacobaea maritima belongs to the large Asteraceae family and has many species. In my homeland, in the Mediterranean, she is evergreen shrub or semi-shrub, reaching a height of 60 cm, in our flower beds the plant is much more modest - most often no higher than 25 cm. But one thing remains unchanged - the stunning beauty of the completely pubescent leaves of an amazing silver color. Simple, heavily dissected, they are very decorative.

Cineraria blooms with not very decorative basket-shaped flowers that have a mustard yellow color. They are similar to daisies not only in appearance, but also in structure: fairly long marginal reed flowers and low, tightly fitted tubular flowers that make up the middle. The diameter of the flowers is about 1.5 cm. But plants are not valued for them, so in the garden the flower stalks are cut off so that the plant does not lose its decorative appearance. But If you give the cineraria the opportunity to bloom, it will produce seeds - cylindrical achenes.

Cineraria blooms with not very decorative basket flowers that have a mustard yellow color.

Don't hesitate to try this one garden beauty taste - the stems and leaves contain an alkaloid, which is a powerful muscle relaxant that acts like the poison curare.

The plant is quite unpretentious. In the Mediterranean, it can tolerate not only heat and drought, but even strong winds from the sea, carrying a lot sea salt. And here excess moisture to its detriment, so you shouldn’t get carried away with watering. When planting, you need to provide good drainage so that the water does not stagnate. The most comfortable place for the growth of cineraria - partial shade, there it will fully reveal its potential and achieve maximum decorativeness.

In its homeland, cineraria is a perennial; in our gardens it grows as an annual, since it cannot survive a harsh winter. But you can transplant the plant into a pot and move it into the room. There it will feel comfortable and decorate the windowsill throughout the long winter. Or you can do it easier and grow it from seeds in room conditions.

Basic principles of growing indoor cineraria (video)

Growing indoor cineraria from seeds

You can sow it at any time.

Algorithm for growing silver cineraria from seeds:

the growing tray should not be deeper than 7 cm; holes must be made in it for water drainage;
soil – clayey humus;
seeds are sown superficially, lightly sprinkled with fine white sand, you can not sprinkle them at all or cover the soil thin paper, which should be moistened and kept moist until the seeds germinate; there is no need to remove the paper, sprouted seedlings will easily break through it;
the soil is moistened from a spray bottle, the container is covered with glass or plastic bag, which needs to be removed briefly every day for ventilation.
keep the container in diffused light, monitoring the moisture content of the surface layer;
germination lasts about 3 weeks, in the indoor species the seedlings are usually uneven, in the silver cineraria the first plants appear within a week, they sprout much more quickly;
after emergence of seedlings, the shelter is removed;
grown seedlings are thinned out, leaving the strongest ones at a distance of 2.5 cm;
After the formation of a pair of true leaves, the plants are planted in pots.

You can sow cineraria at any time

Planting silver cineraria at home

You can replant a plant from the garden late autumn, or you can grow it from seeds, following the instructions given. The requirements for growing conditions for silver cineraria will be the same in both cases.

Requirements for planting soil and pot

This plant has a fairly voluminous root system, That's why the size of the pot should not be small, this is especially true for adult specimens. Drain hole must be in the pot, since ashy ragwort does not tolerate soaking of the roots. But even if you have a sufficiently large pot, it will not be possible to grow silver cineraria at home for more than one winter - the roots grow too much. The same thing happens with bloody ragwort, but for a different reason - it blooms in indoor conditions for only one season.

Despite the fact that the plant is a perennial, it is practically impossible to force it to produce flower stalks again.

Cineraria has a fairly voluminous root system, so the size of the pot should not be small

The soil for ashy ragwort must satisfy the following conditions:

light and nutritious;
well aerated;
easily allows moisture to pass through;
have a neutral or slightly acidic reaction.

When and how to plant indoor cineraria correctly

It all depends on when you want to receive flowering plant, since the leaves will be decorative at any time. If, for example, you want the flowering to begin by Valentine's Day, sowing should be done in late August - early September. Between germination and the beginning of flowering, 5-6 months usually pass. But this is for indoor species. In order for silver cineraria to decorate flower beds in the summer, it must be sown in early April. True, in this case it will not have time to bloom in the garden.

When planting in a pot, you need to provide drainage; a small layer of expanded clay or pieces of old pots is enough. Sprinkle a little soil on top and install the plant, carefully straightening the roots. There should be no bent roots. Sprinkle soil against the walls of the pot. The planted plant is watered.

How to grow cineraria from seeds (video)

Caring for silver cineraria at home

This flower is not considered whimsical, but there are some peculiarities in caring for it.

Temperature, humidity and lighting

Despite southern origin, high temperatures This plant doesn't like it. It is the discrepancy between the temperature in the room and the requirements of the plant that explains many failures in breeding silver ragwort. The same can be said about indoor cineraria. For its successful existence, it requires an even cooler room. Important not only comply temperature regime within the range of 15 to 20 degrees, but also make sure that there are no temperature fluctuations.

Silver ragwort does not tolerate excessive soil moisture, but it likes moist air. At the same time, it is undesirable to spray it, like all pubescent plants. But you can do it differently. Place pebbles at the bottom of a wide tray and add water. Pots with cineraria are placed on top of the pebbles so that their bottoms are on the pebbles but do not touch the water.

Silver ragwort cannot tolerate excessive soil moisture, but it likes moist air

Direct Sun rays I don't like this flower. He is most comfortable on the windowsill of a window oriented east or west. Northeast and northwest orientations are also acceptable. If there is enough light coming into the window, you can even place it on the north window.

Important! Soil moisture should be moderate but constant. It is regulated correct mode glaze.

Frequency and rules for watering home cineraria

Ashy ragwort should not be watered too often, but quite abundantly. Make sure that the water in the pot does not stagnate - this is detrimental to the plant. For irrigation, you should use well-settled water with a temperature of at least 20 degrees. Water should not get on the leaves of the plant.

Cineraria does not like direct sunlight

Feeding silver cineraria at home

The closed volume of the pot makes regular feeding of the plant mandatory. You need to feed every 2-3 weeks, choosing mineral fertilizers with a low nitrogen content. The plant needs it only in the initial period, when silver cineraria increases its leaf mass.

Disease prevention and pest protection

Most often, yellowing and falling leaves are explained by errors in care. It is enough to eliminate them and the plant will return to normal. But the ashen ragwort also has its own diseases and pests.

In open ground, this plant can be attacked aphid. You can fight it with any insecticide or treat the bushes with nettle infusion. In indoor conditions, spider mites can be a nuisance. The solution helps in the fight against it laundry soap or any acaricide approved for use in the room.

Keeping them in a damp, unventilated area can cause mycosis and late blight in cineraria.

How to care for blooming cineraria

During the flowering period, any plant requires special care. Unscheduled feeding will be required. This will prolong flowering. But watering should be slightly limited during this time. It is very good to trim off already faded inflorescences; flowering will last longer.

There are quite a few varieties of silver cineraria. The most decorative are the following.

Cirrus– has leaves that are not completely dissected, uncharacteristic for the species, but this does not reduce the decorativeness of the plant; height up to 45 cm;
Silver dust– has beautiful velvety, heavily dissected leaves of a silvery color; height no more than 25 cm.

There are other representatives of the genus ragus or Jacobea that do well in the room.

How to take cineraria cuttings (video)

Don't ignore this beauty ornamental plant. Plant it in the garden in a flower bed or in an apartment in flower pot. It will be in place everywhere.

Attention, TODAY only!

Cineraria is a plant of the Aster family of the genus Raspberry. There are annual and perennial species, the plant can be herbaceous or bushy. The Canary Islands (Spain) are considered its homeland. Currently, there are many varieties of cineraria, adapted to a colder climate than it is on the paradise islands. Grown indoors hybrid varieties, blooming from November to March and having a beautiful bright color.

How to care for different varieties of cineraria

Cineraria looks incredibly impressive in mixborders and flower beds.

Cineraria maritima
Seaside cineraria (Cineraria maritima) is known to many as a low-growing silver-gray plant with carved feathery leaves, which decorate the rims of flower beds and frame outdoor flower arrangements.

In the Mediterranean, the homeland of this cineraria variety, it is grown as a biennial. But the plant does not tolerate frost well, so in temperate climates it grows until October, and then it is dug up and thrown away. On the Mediterranean coast, in the second year it produces a yellow inflorescence of coltsfoot or dandelion. They do not represent any aesthetic value, therefore only non-flowering Cineraria maritima is used in floriculture. If you cover it with fallen leaves in the fall, the plant will survive the winter well, and from early spring it will delight you with frosty silver carved leaves. Features of caring for seaside cineraria are as follows:

The plant loves the sun, because its homeland is sunny Italy, but it does not grow well in the shade. Plant in open, well-lit areas.
Does not require frequent watering and tolerates drought easily. It is quite possible to water just once when planting, this will be enough.
Grows well on light, loose soils, not necessarily nutritious.
Cineraria seaside is grown with seeds as an annual, but can be covered for the winter annual plant. In the spring, the leaves are removed, frozen shoots are cut off, and in the summer, the formed inflorescences are removed.

Bloody Cineraria (Senecio cruentus) is a bush-like plant with oval leaves and many variegated daisy-like inflorescences. Senecio cruentus has various varieties, varying in size and method of care.

The Grandiflora variety has petals with a white base and a bright colored edge. The plant reaches a height of 45 cm, so it needs support.
The Stellata variety has many star-shaped inflorescences forming a spreading crown. The plant has a tall trunk, over 70 cm. This variety support is also needed when growing.
The Multiflora Nana variety has a compact shape and a low stem up to 40 cm. It does not need support.

Cineraria bloody is most often used as a potted plant. Caring for it is as follows:

monitor the room temperature, it should not exceed 18 degrees
the flower pot should be placed on a well-lit and ventilated windowsill
avoid drafts
watering is carried out as the top layer of soil dries out
Fertilize flowering plants every 2 weeks
leaves are sprayed into hot weather from a spray bottle
faded flowers are removed
During flowering, the plant is removed to a cool place, perhaps in the hallway.

Cineraria graceful
Cineraria elegans grows wild in African countries. The leaves and stems are covered with sticky hairs, reaches a height of 60 cm, and is highly branched. Inflorescences by appearance resemble chamomile flowers of bright exotic colors. In temperate climates, cineraria graceful has also taken root and is loved by gardeners for its unpretentiousness and attractive appearance. It does not bloom as luxuriantly as bloody cineraria, but is not as demanding on growing conditions. The Ligulosus variety is a hybrid; double inflorescences are painted in all shades of the rainbow. The Nanus variety does not grow higher than 25 cm, and is more used as a potted home crop. Care for cineraria elegans as follows:

Cineraria graceful loves sunlight and warmth, so it is placed on well-warmed windowsills or in open sunny areas of the garden.
It is enough to immediately plant the plant in a rich organic fertilizers soil, and you don’t need to think about periodic fertilizing.
Take care of good drainage, Cineraria graceata does not like stagnant water.
The outdoor plant does not tolerate frost, even if covered with leaves or spruce paws.
Limit watering; the plant gets enough natural rainfall. Water only when there is drought.

Hybrid cineraria (Cineraria hybrids) resembles a violet bush in appearance. The leaves, rough and cut along the edges, are 15-20 cm long, the entire bush is covered with many buds and basket-shaped flowers with a diameter of 5 cm, reminiscent of daisies. The color of the flowers can be two-color or one-color (blue, light blue, pink color). Hybrid cineraria is native to the Canary Islands, where the plant grows in cool mountain forests. In temperate climates it is grown in greenhouses. The plant reaches a height of 30-35 cm. The most common varieties of hybrid cineraria are:

Variety Sympathy, the most high grade, reaching a height of 70 cm with a flower diameter of 8 cm.
The Double variety has a two-color color, has a height of 35-60 cm and a flower diameter of 5 cm.

Caring for hybrid cineraria has its own characteristics:

place the flower pot on a windowsill facing north
Does not tolerate bright sunlight and direct rays well
buds are laid at a temperature of 10C, and the pots are placed on the balcony during this period
when flowering occurs, the pot is moved into the room
water the plant a lot and often on hot summer days
place the pots in a tray and pour water into it
spray the leaves with water from a spray bottle
the plant especially needs feeding, which should be done every week

What fertilizers should you feed cineraria?

Fertilizer "Agricola for indoor, garden flowers and alpine slides» suitable for feeding both indoor and garden varieties cineraria. Available in the form of sticks stuck into the ground. Under the influence of moisture contained in the soil, the plant is nourished with macro- and microelements. The sticks protect the roots from rot and harmful insects. The drug is convenient if you can only get out to the dacha on weekends.

Fertilizer "Agricola-Aqua for indoor plants» is added to water and used for root feeding. It is a growth stimulator that saturates the soil useful substances. Promotes flowering, stimulates plant immunity.

The plant growth regulator “Rostmoment for flowers” is an absolutely natural product produced on the basis of yeast. Makes the plant more resistant to unfavorable conditions(drought, frost), reduces stress during transplantation, prolongs the flowering period and enhances the brightness of the color.

Liquid fertilizer "Peat Oxidate for Flowers" contains a 4% concentrate of peat, rich in amino acids and nutrients. The drug is safe for humans, flora and fauna, and is completely non-toxic. Dissolves in water and is applied under the root. Promotes growth and flowering, increases disease resistance and tolerance to adverse conditions.

Cineraria - very beautiful plant. It can be grown both in the country and at home. Choose a variety for yourself, taking into account the capabilities and characteristics of care. If you follow the rules, the plant will delight you with bright colors. abundant flowering long years.

Silver cineraria certainly deserves recognition due to its original appearance and delicacy of leaves. It’s not for nothing that this plant is loved not only by amateur flower growers, but also by landscape designers. Despite its unusual nature, growing this indoor flower from seeds does not present any difficulty and is quite doable at home on your own.

Cineraria is in demand in floriculture for single planting and for background compositions. If you want to grow this flower in the garden or flowerbed, you can safely start selecting planting material.

The seeds of this plant can be found almost in every flower shop. Preparations must be made in advance, since planting is permissible with the arrival of spring.

Cineraria: growing from seeds

Grow indoor flower possible from seeds. Their sown in several ways. Any of them will give a high percentage of germination, since the seeds of silver cineraria are very hardy.

The first type of sowing requires planting seedlings in a moistened substrate. It is also worth remembering that the seeds are not pressed into the soil. Seedlings are obtained in a container covered with film.
The second type is similar to the previous one, but planting is carried out in a moist substrate and the seeds are sprinkled with sand. The container should be covered with a transparent film.
The third type of growing seedlings occurs by planting seeds on the surface of the substrate and covering them with thin moistened paper. In this case, seed germination is stimulated by a layer of paper, which the sprouts easily break through during germination.

Any method of growing indoor cineraria brings good results. It is worth remembering that whatever method is chosen, the capacity is always covered with film or glass, in order to create greenhouse conditions.

Rules for sowing

The most good timing The time for sowing seedlings is the beginning of April. Despite small size seeds, they are quite convenient to plant and place in the right order.

After choosing convenient way for growing seedlings, it is necessary prepare a container for planting and substrate. The most suitable soil will be light, neutral soil, which needs to be compacted before planting. When selecting a container, you should remember that the seedlings will be replanted in the future. Therefore, a wide container is perfect.

The container with seeds must be covered, as described earlier. Next, the greenhouse is placed in a well-lit place, for example, a windowsill. Comfortable temperature for seed germination not lower than twenty degrees.

After the sprouts acquire the first leaves, you can transplant them into individual containers. IN open land seedlings are planted after establishing positive temperatures. By this time, the seedlings are already quite strong.

Silver cineraria is usually planted at a distance of twenty centimeters from each other. Usually about twenty-five centimeters are left between rows of plants. However, if you want to get a “carpet” of these colors, the interval is noticeably reduced.

It is also possible to grow cineraria by sowing seeds directly into open ground. Typically, this type of sowing is used when it is not possible to prepare seedlings in advance. It is best to do this in mid-May. However, it is worth remembering that the seeds will take longer to germinate and flowering will also begin later.

Caring for seedlings in open soil

The cineraria seaside flower is quite resistant to light frosts, but in order to avoid negative results, it is better to cover seedlings planted in open ground with insulating material. IN further cultivation and caring for this plant require compliance with the simplest rules - weed and water.

Although cineraria is drought-resistant, it is better to water regularly, in small quantities daily. You should constantly ensure that the soil is constantly slightly moist, but there is no stagnation of water.

It is best to feed cineraria during its flowering period. When deposited at this time mineral fertilizers, growing these plants will bring good results.

It is worth remembering that it is Cineraria Silver that loves places with big amount sunlight. Other representatives of this culture prefer partial shade, or diffuse light. If you follow all the rules for growing a flower when caring for a plant, you can grow a beautiful, healthy plant.

Besides silver cineraria, There are many other types:

Subject to simple rules on cultivation and care, cineraria maritima begins to bloom 80–90 days after planting the seeds.

Many flower growers, wanting to refine and decorate their personal plot, they choose this particular flower. After all, cineraria, thanks to its unusual appearance, has earned enormous popularity not only among flower lovers, but also among professional landscape designers. The plant can be used both for single plantings and for creating flower arrangements.

Description of cineraria

Cineraria flower - blooming herbaceous plant semi-shrub type, belonging to the Asteraceae family. Its homeland is the tropical forests of Africa and Madagascar. In total, there are about 1,300 varieties of this plant in nature, which differ from each other in appearance to such an extent that it is sometimes very difficult to determine their relationship.

There are decorative flowering and decorative deciduous varieties. Cineraria can be either single or biennial plant, the height of which reaches 30−90 cm.

Despite the scary name, bloody cineraria is cute indoor garden plant with a cheerful scattering of bright inflorescences. It can be purchased as an adult, but growing from seeds is of particular interest, since in this case interesting intervarietal hybrids can be obtained. This article talks about various aspects of caring for cineraria at home. Look at the photos of cheerful colored “daisies”, find the most beautiful one among them and try to grow the same one in your home.

Cineraria: origin and varieties

Cineraria species are botanical, which means that their many funny flowers are actually inflorescences. The marginal flowers, having long fused corollas, appear to be petals. The small inner flowers form a fluffy center.

Travelers brought cineraria from the Canary Islands. In culture it can be seen almost everywhere, and as an option for framing flower beds open ground, and as a beautiful flowering indoor perennial. True, it is possible to keep it from death for at least 2-3 years only by the most experienced flower growers. In most cases, a plant grown from seeds lives for about one and a half years and dries out after the first flowering.

Cineraria attracts with its abundant flowering. In most varieties, the baskets fit so tightly to each other that they seem to be one continuous hat, often two-colored. Among the most popular varietal groups:

Stellata are the most tall varieties with a shoot length of up to 70 and even higher cm; inflorescences are relatively small, no more than 4 cm in diameter; the marginal flowers are narrow, like the rays of blue stars;
Grandiflora - owners of the largest inflorescences, up to 8 cm in diameter;
Sympathy – distinctive feature is the two-coloredness of the marginal flowers; as a rule, their lower part is white, and their upper part is colored blue, purple or red.

Cineraria in open ground

In addition to bloody cineraria, cineraria primortica is often used in floriculture. The latter is valued for its gray, distinctly shaggy leaves, as if cast from silver, and its featureless yellow inflorescences are mercilessly cut out.

Caring for potted cineraria

The flower's main requirement is watering: it rots when there is too much water and quickly withers when there is not enough water. It should be watered systematically and abundantly. To prevent the top layer of soil from drying out, it can either be covered with a small layer of fine expanded clay or periodically loosened.

The culture does not like drafts, direct sun and excess fertilizer. In the house it is placed a meter from any window except the northern one, or on the windowsill when lung condition shading with translucent fabric or blinds. During the budding period, cineraria is lightly fed complex fertilizer. If you plan to keep the plant as an annual, then you no longer need to feed it.

Advice. Carefully remove all dried leaves - this will not only preserve the aesthetics of the plant, but will also extend the flowering period by a week or two.

Collecting seeds and determining the sowing time

Beautifully flowering species of cineraria, including the bloody one, reproduce exclusively by seed method. Seeds can be obtained in two ways: purchased or collected in a flower bed. In the second case, they wait until the inflorescences wither and shake out the seeds into a paper bag. Then they are laid out in a thin layer on paper, which will absorb moisture, and after drying, they are ground to separate them from debris.

The sowing time is determined based on when exactly you want to get the bloody cineraria blooming in all its splendor. The period of preparation of a plant for flowering is 8-9 months. To decorate garden flower beds in August-September, seedlings begin to be prepared in December. If you plan to keep it as potted plant in winter, sowing begins in April-May.

Attention! Cineraria seeds germinate quickly, but remain viable for no more than three years.

Cineraria from seeds - long and exciting

The main condition for growth healthy seedlings bloody cineraria - coolness. She likes the air temperature not to rise above 20 degrees. For sowing, take an ordinary seedling box, fill it loosely with fertile soil, moisten it, press down the grooves with the edge of a ruler and scatter the seeds into them. Then, using the same ruler, carefully level the soil. The box must be covered with glass and ventilated periodically.

Cineraria shoots will appear in two weeks. When the first true leaf unfolds, the seedlings dive so that there is now at least 5 cm of distance between them. If possible, the temperature is lowered to 10-12 degrees. This cooling stimulates the plant to form abundant flower buds.

After waiting until the leaves of neighboring plants close in rows, the seedlings are placed in pots, deepening the petioles lower leaves, or start decorating flower beds with cineraria.

Attention! Avoid sudden temperature changes - cineraria will respond with elongated shoots and weak flowering.

From whom to protect cineraria

First of all, against fungal diseases. Cool at high humidity air - very suitable conditions For powdery mildew, black leg and various rots. The following methods are used for prevention:

disinfect the soil before planting a plant with a pink solution of potassium permanganate;
carefully monitor the amount of irrigation water in the pot;
drain excess water from the pan;
do not allow waterlogging;
ventilate the room.

Of the sucking arthropods on cineraria, you can find aphids, spider mite, thrips. Treatments with Actellik are effective against them in the dose and frequency indicated on the drug label.

Bloody Cineraria is good because it can brighten up the most dull winter months, when you really want to see bright colors among cloudy days. Carefully monitor the soil moisture, cut out wilted leaves and inflorescences, protect the beauty from drafts - and a dense bouquet of shining flowers will lift your spirits every morning.