How to grow cosmos at home so they thrive

Cosmos is a perennial herbaceous plant with persistent roots. It is easy to sow and very easy to keep alive. Let's take a look together!

Scientific name: CosmosbipinnatusCav. Aliases: autumn cosmos, large cosmos. Family and genus: Asteraceae, Cosmos. Cosmos is an annual herbaceous plant. The plant height is 30-120cm, with slender upright stems and many branches, and the stems are smooth or slightly hairy. The single leaves are opposite, about lOcm long, bipinnately parted, with narrow linear lobes that are entire and toothless. The capitulum grows on a slender pedicel, terminal or axillary, with a flower stem of 5-8cm. The involucre has 2 layers, and the inner layer has a membranous margin. There is l whorl of ligulate flowers, the petal tips are toothed, there are 8 petals, in white, pink, and deep red. The tubular flowers occupying the central part of the flower disk are all yellow. The achenes have ribs, the seeds live 3-4 years, and the thousand-grain weight is 69. The flowering period is summer and autumn.

Cosmos growth habits:

Cosmos is native to Mexico and other parts of South America. It is a light-loving plant, likes light, tolerates poor soil, dislikes fertilizer, and dislikes overly fertile soil. It dislikes heat, dislikes waterlogging, is not suited to high summer temperatures, and is not cold-tolerant. It needs loose, fertile loam with good drainage.

How to grow cosmos:

Cosmos is a small flower with relatively strong vitality. It is drought-tolerant and sun-tolerant, very easy to grow, and has a high germination rate and fast growth. It is mostly propagated by sowing, and can also be propagated by cuttings. Sowing can be done by direct sowing outdoors in early spring. After the seedlings have 4 true leaves, they can be pinched back and transplanted. Set them in place in early June, with a plant spacing of about 50cm. Those sown in spring will only bloom in autumn. Softwood cuttings can also be used in early summer.

Cosmos sowing time

When flowering is needed in summer, sow from February to March in early spring. It is best to sow under conditions where both temperature and humidity can be controlled. If you plan to sow outdoors, sow in mid-April when the temperature is suitable. When the temperature is suitable, seedlings will emerge in about a week.

The sowing medium should be loose, organic-rich soil, and a certain amount of decomposed organic fertilizer should be applied before sowing. When sowing, mix the seeds evenly with a certain amount of sand, and evenly broadcast them onto the seedbed, then cover with about one cm of soil. After sowing, keep the soil moist, and maintain the temperature at about 18℃ for germination.

Cosmos seedling-stage management

When the seedlings grow 4 to 5 true leaves, they can be transplanted into nutrient pots and pinched back. During the seedling growth period, no additional topdressing is needed, so as to avoid excessive vegetative growth of branches and leaves, which would affect flowering.

Cosmos growth-period management

Cosmos plants are relatively tall, with slender weak stems and large, beautiful flowers. When exposed to wind or other severe weather, they lodge, which affects their ornamental value. Therefore, cosmos needs to be pinched back multiple times throughout its entire growth process, and watering should be reduced. Doing so not only promotes branching, but also dwarfs the plant and avoids lodging during growth.

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