Baby's Breath Seed Planting Method and Flowering Time Explained

Baby's breath (Gypsophila) is a very popular flower. So how do you plant baby's breath seeds, and when does baby's breath bloom? The flowering period of baby's breath is from June to August, and it usually blooms around June.

How to plant baby's breath flower seeds:

Baby's breath is a temperate-climate flower. Its seeds germinate at about 20°C and need more than 10 days to sprout. A typical home growing environment cannot control temperature and humidity, so the success rate is not high. In the commercial trade, baby's breath is also grown in professional seedling nurseries before the seedlings are sold to ordinary flower growers, precisely because its germination technique and environment require fairly precise environmental control to succeed.

It grows best when planted in slightly alkaline soil with good drainage, and the seeds' optimum germination temperature is 20-25 degrees. Baby's breath seeds need light to germinate, so you can simply scatter them directly, or cover them with just a little soil.

1. Soak the seeds in clean water for 4-8 hr, then let them dry, mix them with sand, and sow.

2. Water the seedbed thoroughly, then sow, and cover with a growing medium; do not water again before sprouting.

3. After sprouting, just keep the soil surface slightly moist.

4. Sunlight requirements: long daylight hours produce more flowers. A long photoperiod makes it flower earlier and produces larger blooms.

5. Light intensity requirements: in summer give baby's breath 80-24K lux of illumination, and in winter 58K.

6. Soil condition requirements: slightly alkaline calcareous soil or gravelly loam is best.

7. Water requirements: the seedling stage needs more water. After pinching, it still needs plenty of water and nutrients. When the petals emerge, water should be reduced somewhat.

First plant the seeds in peat soil. When the seedlings have grown to five to six cm, transplant them to their final spot. When they reach over ten cm, pinch them. After side shoots appear, use bamboo as a support; once they reach a certain height, tie a string first, and when they grow a bit taller, tie another string, continuing until they bloom. If you don't mind baby's breath growing as a creeping plant, you can just leave it alone after pinching and let it grow naturally.

As for fertilizer, baby's breath needs a great deal of fertilizer in the early stages of growth. When loosening the soil, first mix in some base fertilizer to let it grow lushly. During the flowering period, supplement phosphorus and potassium fertilizer in appropriate amounts as needed, and it will grow very well.