How to Plant and Care for Baby's Breath Seeds? Flower Meaning and a Bouquet Price Explained

Baby's breath, formerly named: Gypsophila paniculata, also known as: panicled gypsophila, paniculate gypsophila, gypsophila, baby's breath. It is mostly planted on sand dunes and farmland. So how is it planted and cared for? What is its flower meaning, and how much does a bouquet generally sell for on the market? According to the Changsha flower, bird and fish market, on the market, baby's breath is mainly sold as seeds and bouquets, with potted plants being relatively rare. Depending on quantity and how rare the variety is, prices generally range from 200 yuan to 400 yuan. Seeds are about 50 seeds for 6 yuan, and good varieties cost 30-60 yuan. Dried flowers are relatively cheaper; in some places, baby's breath alone, without packaging, is just four or five yuan.

How to plant baby's breath?

1. Choose soft soil, first soak the soil thoroughly, then after it has settled, scatter the seeds, cover with a thin layer of soil; sunlight and temperature are essential. The watering principle is to water only after the soil has dried out; after the seedling stage, reduce the amount of watering. As baby's breath grows, it will become leggy, so you need to keep adding soil to stabilize it, and it should not be too densely planted.

2. Because baby's breath is quite afraid of heat throughout its growing period, and the most suitable temperature for sowing is 15-20°C, it is usually sown after mid-to-late September: first disinfect the substrate used for sowing. The best method is to put it in a pot and heat it by stirring, to sterilize it at high temperature. (It is recommended to use special sowing peat for sowing.)

3. Points to note when sowing:

1. First moisten the peat soil, then sow.

2. Avoid light, and cover with soil (just enough to cover the seeds).

3. Cover with plastic wrap, and poke some small holes in the wrap with a toothpick.

4. Place in a shaded, light-avoiding spot, and be sure to maintain ventilation.

4. Baby's breath dies easily when repotted, but if transplanted with soil, it survives more easily; after transplanting, water very carefully and do not knock over the seedlings.

5. About 20-35 days after planting, lateral buds begin to sprout from the lower part of the plant. At this time, you can keep 3-4 pairs of leaves at the bottom and pinch off the main growing tip to let the side branches grow, so as to obtain a high yield. Generally keep 6-8 side branches per plant. Most varieties need 70-90 days from pinching to flowering. You can also skip pinching, but the yield will be lower.

6. Note: fertilize once every half month, and later increase phosphorus and potassium fertilizer, and encourage more branching; it may fall over, so set up stakes.

How to care for baby's breath?

1. Appropriate watering:

Do not water baby's breath too frequently every day; water when the surface of the potting soil turns pale. In summer at high temperatures, water generally twice a day; in winter at low temperatures, about once every 8 days. In short, water an appropriate amount whenever it looks dry.

2. Place it in a suitable spot:

It is best to place baby's breath in a spot with plenty of sunlight, such as on a windowsill, balcony, or the steps of a small courtyard, because baby's breath likes sun and only blooms abundantly in a sunny environment.

3. Prune according to growth conditions:

As long as baby's breath gets plenty of sunlight, its growth is very pleasing; often cut off the poor branches and leaves, and it will grow new ones. The more branches and leaves we cut off, the fuller the new leaves that grow out will be.

4. Suitable sunlight and fertilizing:

Baby's breath not only grows especially well in plenty of sunlight and has a longer flowering period, but it also loses a lot of nutrients, so you need to fertilize it within a certain period.

5. Growing temperature:

Baby's breath generally grows poorly in summer; its most suitable growing temperature is around 20°C. If the baby's breath we buy has yellow leaves, this only shows that before we bought it, it was placed too densely or had poor ventilation and watering.

6. Fertilizing:

Baby's breath can be given compound fertilizer, or nutrient solution specially used for flowers and plants, or farmyard manure. If growing it outdoors, use farmyard manure; this cannot be done indoors, as it will have an odor. For growing flowers indoors, it is generally better to use nutrient solution. Do not apply too much fertilizer at once, as that will burn the plant; an appropriate amount is best, applying once about every 10 days, and water an appropriate amount after fertilizing.

What is the flower meaning of baby's breath?

Baby's breath is a flower loved by people of elegant taste, and it has always carried the meaning of "pure, far-reaching, and romantic."

1. Baby's breath flower meaning: care, longing, purity, true love, a pure heart, joy, concern, purity, watching over love, and the love of being willing to play a supporting role.

2. Paired flower meanings

Pairing red roses with baby's breath expresses “single-minded devotion”;

Pairing carnations with baby's breath expresses “kindness and warmth”;

Pairing gladiolus with baby's breath expresses "wishing you great prospects”;

Pairing sea lavender with baby's breath expresses “friendship forever.”