How do you grow cosmos so they look graceful and elegant?

The cosmos sounds like a very beautiful plant just from its name. It originated in Mexico and other parts of South America. It likes warm and cool climates, dislikes extreme heat, and cannot tolerate cold; it is a sun-loving heliophyte. Its optimum growing temperature is 10C-25C, and it flowers under short-day conditions. So then what is the method for growing cosmos? Let the Tutuliu editors take everyone through it below

1. Propagation by sowing

1. In a greenhouse it can be sown in autumn, winter, or early spring, and the optimum germination temperature is 18C-25C. It can be sown directly, and after the seedlings are established they can be thinned and transplanted. It can also be raised as seedlings first and then planted out in flower beds. Spring sowing should not be too late, to avoid the summer heat making flowering difficult. From sowing to flowering takes about 40-50 days. This plant has a high seed-setting rate, and once the seeds mature, the fruits scatter around very easily and reproduce on their own.

2. In areas with a warm climate, the flowering period can run from late autumn to spring. This plant can also be propagated by cuttings, usually by taking healthy branches in early summer. Double-flowered varieties have a poor seed-setting rate, so cuttings can be used more often for propagation. Because the stems are not sturdy enough, plants easily lodge after strong wind and rain, so supports can be set up to prevent lodging. Pinching in late spring and early summer encourages more branching, controls plant height, and is also a very good measure for keeping plants compact and sturdy to prevent lodging.

2. Fertilizing and spraying

Cosmos is a short-day flower, so when sown in spring it flowers relatively late, grows taller, has a fuller plant shape, and has strong vegetative growth, but is prone to lodging. To solve this problem, when the new shoots reach 3 cm after pinching, spray paclobutrazol for the first time at 300 mg per liter, then spray once every 7-10 days for 3 consecutive sprays, which can produce an obvious dwarfing effect.

3. Planting density

Because autumn sowing is generally done in August, which is a hot and rainy season, pests and diseases will create a certain degree of difficulty for the subsequent cultivation and management. Therefore, the sowing density of cosmos must not be too high, and thinning should be done in time to improve ventilation and light penetration. In addition, insecticides and fungicides can be sprayed regularly; 70% chlorothalonil at 800 times mixed with Nongdile at 1000 times for spray application, once every 15 days, can provide a good preventive effect. Because vegetative growth in autumn is shorter and flowering is earlier, it generally flowers 1 month after sowing, but its growth vigor is poorer and the plant shape is thinner and weaker, so before flowering as much compound fertilizer as possible should be applied to help the plants grow.

4. Proper pruning

After full bloom, cosmos is generally more than 1 m tall, and its side branches sprout strongly, making it very easy for the lower part to become bare due to poor ventilation and light penetration. After setting seed, the upper part becomes top-heavy, making lodging very likely. After lodging it not only loses ornamental value but also very easily rots. To solve this contradiction, pruning is often adopted, that is, cutting off the upper part 10 cm above the ground, watering thoroughly once, and preferably covering with a shade net, then removing it after new shoots sprout; as long as water and fertilizer management is strengthened, in just over a month it will again be full of flowers and leaves.

All right, the above is the cosmos growing method brought to you by the Tutuliu editors. We hope everyone likes it. See you next time.