How to Grow Campanula (Bellflower): Detailed Planting Methods and Precautions

The Campanula (bellflower) looks like a little bell in appearance, very cute. Because it takes a long time to bloom, you must be very patient when planting it and do a good job of sun protection so it can grow well. However, as long as you are attentive, you will certainly be able to grow beautiful Campanula to place at home for us to admire.

How to grow Campanula

Simply put, put the seeds in the soil, then add water. The water flow should not be too fast, to avoid washing the seeds away. Water every other day, with an appropriate amount of sunlight. This plant is relatively easy to keep alive, but it is recommended to plant it outdoors in the open air, because it spreads by roots, and it does better with ground energy.

Campanula planting methods and precautions

1. Planting methods for Campanula

1. Soil: The soil pH should be between 5.5-6.0, loose, nutrient-rich, easy to drain, a porous substrate, with clay accounting for 20-30%, containing iron chelate, and applying 1-1.5kg of complete balanced fertilizer per 1m3.

2. Sunlight: It likes long periods of light. With 14 hours of daily light it will naturally bloom. If you need to make it bloom earlier, you can regulate it by treating it with 4 hours of interrupted darkness for 30 days.

3. Fertilizing: Once a week, alternately apply nitrogen fertilizer and potassium balanced fertilizer at a concentration of 150-200ppm in a 1:1.5 ratio. To accelerate seedling growth, you can apply 30-50ppm calcium nitrogen fertilizer, then apply calcium fertilizer. The plant needs to be given 0.025% magnesium sulfide and iron chelate 1-2 times to ensure these trace elements. Note that no fertilizing should be done after mid-September.

4. Watering: Before the radicle emerges, ensure sufficient water and maintain a high humidity level, while keeping the soil moist as well. If possible, add a layer of coarse vermiculite on top of the newly emerged seedlings to ensure moisture does not escape. In addition, under normal circumstances, the soil can be slightly drier between waterings.

5. Temperature: The normal temperature suitable for growth is 13-18°C. In winter, in climates without frost, the temperature can be 3-5°C; when cultivating outdoors, insulation is needed. In spring, cultivate at 15-18°C for 5-9 weeks; at 13-15°C the growing period will be extended. Pruning: The plant does not need growth regulation or pinching. It may look untidy at first, but it will naturally adjust in later growth, so pruning is not necessary.

6. Pests and diseases: It is susceptible to powdery mildew, rust, and leaf spot. Spraying 50% carbendazim wettable powder diluted 1500 times can eliminate them. During the growing period, the plant will be attacked by thrips and aphids, which can be removed by spraying 40% omethoate emulsifiable concentrate diluted 1500 times.

7. Propagation: Note that the method is sowing. The small, smooth, oval seeds should be dried in advance and stored well, then sown in late winter and early spring, preferably in a warm plastic tunnel, so as to avoid the high-temperature period. The prepared sowing soil surface should be flat. After watering thoroughly, sow the seeds evenly. The soil should be thin, and the seedlings should be watered appropriately. After they develop, apply compound fertilizer. Generally, when they grow to about 10cm they can be transplanted or planted in place. Of course, they can also be sown immediately after maturing, and they will bloom the next year. If sown in autumn, the flowers usually bloom in the third year.

2. Precautions for growing Campanula

1. Patience

Campanula will not bloom until after two winters, so cultivation requires patience, especially in the hot summer weather, which can easily cause the plant to wither.

2. Sun protection

Potted Campanula cannot be placed on the shady side of high-rise buildings, to prevent exposure to the sun, and leaf spraying and cooling should be strengthened in a timely manner. Campanula is also a sun-loving plant, so it cannot be placed in a shady spot for a long time without light.

Can Campanula be placed indoors

Yes, placing it indoors is fine, because it has strong vitality and can survive as long as there is light. Moreover, placing it in the bedroom can absorb the carbon dioxide you exhale, purify the bedroom environment, and regulate even airflow, so it is very beneficial to you. Some people worry that placing plants in a room at night will affect the air. In fact, keeping a few pots of plants indoors, you cannot expect them to purify the air, nor do you need to worry about the carbon dioxide they release affecting the human body. A single potted plant simply does not have that much energy.

Plants release fresh oxygen during the day and carbon dioxide at night. For a relatively large space, producing this gas is negligible, and the impact is minimal. Opening a window and letting in fresh air is much more important than this.

What are the common Campanula varieties

1. Campanula punctata

This is a relatively common variety, distributed in Northeast China, North China, Northwest China, Southwest China, Shaanxi Province, Gansu Province, Henan Province, Hubei Province, Sichuan Province and other provinces and regions. The whole plant can be used as medicine. The flowers are terminal, drooping, with a white corolla bearing purple spots, rarely pale purple, tubular bell-shaped.

3. Campanula glomerata

It is also called lantern flower. The flowers grow in clusters, with a purple, blue-purple, or blue corolla, tubular bell-shaped, with the ends of the flowers split open. It also has good medicinal value. Campanula americana is native to moist woodlands in North America, with a taller plant form, blue to white, swaying in the wind, growing in clumps among mountain stone piles.

3. Campanula rapunculoides is a biennial herbaceous plant. This is an edible Campanula; its roots and leaves can be made into salad, and the flowers are white or purple. Although it is edible, this variety is rarely grown in China.

4. Campanula calcicola is mainly distributed in northwestern Yunnan and southwestern Sichuan in China. The root is carrot-shaped, the stems grow in clumps, and the difference is that the leaf base color is darker. It flowers before August to October.

Campanula, a plant suitable for indoor placement, not only makes the home more beautiful, but also plays a certain role in purifying the air. Today we have also learned about several common Campanula varieties. You can choose the variety you like and grow one to decorate our home and bring a different new feeling to the house.