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A Detailed Guide to the Planting Methods and Key Techniques for Baby's Breath

Growing Techniques By Emily Carter 0 views
Flowering Plants

Baby's breath, also known as baby's breath gypsophila and double-flowered baby's breath, belongs to the carnation family (Caryophyllaceae) and the genus Gypsophila. Because its flowers are small, light-colored, and fluffy with a three-dimensional look, it has an elegant and delicate character that gives a hazy impression, and the floral cluster produces an excellent mass effect. It is an important filler flower material and one of the most popular cut flowers today. Although it is expensive, it sells very well.

Planting Methods


  1. Planting time and temperature: Generally, the temperature for baby's breath should not be too low; 10 to 25 degrees is better. So we can sow in September each year, and the flowering period will be relatively long. Sowing in April is also possible.

  2. Before sowing, we need to prepare loose soil. The soil should be watered thoroughly and left until it settles. After it settles, sow the seeds, then add a layer of soil to cover the seeds.

  3. Watering: During the seedling stage, water less. You can use a spray bottle filled with some water and spray a little every day; twice is enough. This can prevent baby's breath from becoming leggy.

  4. Repotting: Wait until the baby's breath seedlings gradually grow larger, at about four or five leaves, then we can repot them. Do not plant too many in one pot. If you plant four or five in one pot, then prepare a pot with a diameter of 10 cm.

  5. Pinching: When the leaves grow to about 8, we should stop letting it grow taller and pinch it in time. This allows the plant to grow more side buds, and it will bloom more when it flowers later.

  6. As baby's breath grows taller, we should often add some soil to the pot to prevent it from becoming leggy (a leggy baby's breath will be very thin and long, unattractive, and will fall over).


  7. In addition, baby's breath usually does not need fertilizing. We can put some leaves in as fertilizer.

    However, baby's breath is prone to aphids. If aphids appear, we can ask the flower seller; they will prepare aphid medicine for you, and you just spray it when you get back.


Field planting: Plant 2,000 to 2,500 plants per mu (1 mu = 667 sq m), using double-row planting, with a row spacing of 50 cm and a plant spacing of 35 cm to 50 cm. Before field planting, irrigate thoroughly, then choose a cloudy day for planting, and water thoroughly after planting. Field planting time: When cultivated as cut flowers, if produced in a greenhouse, it can be planted in summer, autumn, or even early spring. In this way, flowers can be harvested from early autumn until early summer. After harvesting the flowers, the plants should be dug up in June to July, then cold-stored until August to September, and then replanted.

Fertilizer and water management: Baby's breath likes fertilizer but dislikes water. After field planting, topdress in stages, mainly with nitrogen fertilizer in the early stage and mainly with phosphorus and potassium fertilizer in the later stage. Water management must be strictly controlled; if too wet, growth becomes weak, and waterlogging will cause root rot and death. When the plant grows to 30 cm, watering should be controlled, especially during the bud stage, which requires even more care, and the flowering period should also be on the drier side. In rainy areas, a shed should be built to keep off the rain.
Pest and disease control: Stem rot and stunting disease are fatal diseases of baby's breath. Before field planting, the soil should be disinfected with formaldehyde solution. Pests are mainly mites and aphids, which can be sprayed with 1000-fold dicofol solution and 1500-fold fenvalerate solution.


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