What is the general price of blue salvia?
Blue salvia is a plant species that likes to grow in groups and often prefers to grow in clusters; a mass of blue salvia looks very beautiful, and being in a sea of purple-blue flowers gives a particularly romantic and dreamy feeling. Placed indoors as a potted plant, it can also add splendor to the scenery of the living room and bedroom. Now let us take a look at how much blue salvia costs!
How much does blue salvia cost?
Blue salvia seeds are not expensive, but the price difference is fairly large. Cheap blue salvia seeds cost only 1.5 yuan per gram, while expensive ones sell for more than 10 yuan per gram. Seedlings cost about 0.5 to 1.8 yuan per plant, so friends need to make their choice based on their own judgment and value for money.
Flowering time of blue salvia
The flowering period of blue salvia is generally from spring to summer, roughly May to October. It usually blooms 70 to 100 days after sowing. It has long spike-shaped inflorescences with many densely packed flowers, and a tubular bell-shaped calyx. The flower colors include powder blue or powder purple, and the flowers are about 12 cm long. It is mostly used for flower beds, flower borders, mass planting, cut flowers, potted flowers, and so on. After flowering, removing the inflorescence still allows it to send out new shoots and continue blooming.
How to grow blue salvia
1. Sowing and propagation: Blue salvia has about 920 seeds per gram. Generally, 200- or 288-cell plug trays are chosen for sowing, and the medium is best imported seedling peat moss and sterilized domestic seedling peat moss. After sowing, a thin layer of vermiculite needs to be covered on the surface, then covered with plastic film. The suitable temperature for seed germination is 20 to 23 degrees Celsius, and the germination period is generally 5 to 8 days.
2. Management during the sprouting stage: During the germination stage, blue salvia will continue to root, stems will appear, and the cotyledons will have unfolded. At this time, appropriate humidity needs to be maintained and excessive moisture prevented. For fertilizer, a water-soluble fertilizer of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium is generally used, with a ratio of 20:10:20. After growing for a while longer, the roots will insert into the holes of the plug tray and several true leaves will appear. At this time, the fertilizer concentration should be increased and humidity and temperature should be well controlled to prevent the seedlings from becoming leggy at this stage.
3. Temperature conditions: When the blue salvia plant has 2 to 3 true leaves, it can begin to be transplanted into pots. Generally, 12 to 13 cm pots are chosen for transplanting. The substrate needs loose, well-aerated garden soil plus organic fertilizer and compound fertilizer. After the potted plants are moved into the courtyard, the temperature will drop to 18 degrees, and after a month it may drop to 15 degrees. Note that if the temperature is below 15 degrees, the leaves will turn yellow or fall off, and if it is above 30 degrees, the plant may stop growing.
4. Reasonable fertilization: During the growing period, blue salvia needs ammonium sulfate diluted 1500 times to change the leaf color, and the effect is quite good. Remember not to apply urea at low temperatures. Continuous fertilization can keep the plant's root system strong and the branches and leaves lush. It likes to grow in places with ample sunlight. Generally, a compound fertilizer containing calcium and magnesium is applied once every half month. In hot summer, appropriate shading is needed, and during the seedling stage, light should be increased.
5. Pest and disease control: Common pests of blue salvia include whiteflies, aphids, and so on, and common diseases include downy mildew, leaf spot, and so on, which need active control. Usually, spray 700 times carbendazim or chlorothalonil once every 7 to 10 days for sterilization, and spray 2000 times decis or 1000 times dichlorvos once every 10 to 15 days for pest control.