When to sow sweet alyssum? Flowerbed decorative flower care methods

Sweet alyssum (Lobularia maritima) is short and much branched, blooming in a mass of white and giving off waves of delicate fragrance that attract large numbers of bees. Its small flowers cluster densely into ball shapes and come in white, light purple, deep purple, purple-red and other colors; there are also large-flowered varieties as well as white-edged and variegated-leaf foliage varieties, with a slight fragrance. It is an excellent flower for rock gardens, an excellent edging material for flowerbeds and flower borders, and also very good for potted display. When to sow sweet alyssum? How to care for it?

I. When to sow sweet alyssum?

The sowing season for sweet alyssum seeds differs between north and south. In northern regions, sowing is generally done in a greenhouse around March in spring, with the temperature kept at around 20°C. After sowing, emergence takes only a very short time, just 5 days, and once 3-5 true leaves have grown the seedlings can be potted and planted out. In North China and southern regions, by contrast, seeds are often sown in autumn, roughly between August and September, and after sowing a cold frame is used to protect them through winter.

II. How to care for sweet alyssum?

1. Soil

When growing small white flowers at home, most are grown in pots. There are many ways to mix the soil: garden soil plus stove ash, garden soil plus ceramsite plus coarse sand, or grass ash plus stove ash plus ceramsite, and so on. Try to improve the soil's drainage capacity without harming the root system's ability to breathe. Once the nutrient soil is ready, the plant can go into the pot. Be sure to water immediately after potting and place it somewhere without strong light, so the plant can adapt to the environment faster.

2. Potting

There is a proper way to pot sweet alyssum seedlings; you cannot just stick them in casually. First place the seedling into a flowerpot with bottom soil, then cover the surrounding area with a layer of coarse granular soil, which provides maximum drainage, then cover with a layer of soil with base fertilizer mixed in. Its height should not reach the seedling's new leaves and should be a little lower than the rim of the pot. The fertilizer must be mixed thoroughly with the soil so that it does not concentrate in one spot; if it directly touches the seedling's roots, it may very likely burn the seedling and affect its growth.

3. Pinching

Before the flowering season arrives, there is one step that is very important: pinching off the leaf tips at the top. Generally this needs to be done twice: the first time to make the plant grow more side branches, and the second time to make the plant produce more flowers. About half a month after transplanting, the plant will have grown into a well-formed seedling, and this is the best time for the first pinching. How much of the top growth to remove depends on the plant's specific growth situation.

Generally, just leave three to five leaves and remove the rest; later you will notice that the plant sprouts some side branches and its shape becomes rounder and fuller. But to let the plant bloom more abundantly during the flowering season, at this point you must stop the growth of the branches. Removing the branches is the same operation as the first time, only the purpose it serves is different.