How to sow lisianthus

Variety selection

There are many varieties of lisianthus, which can be roughly divided into early-maturing, medium-maturing and late-maturing varieties. The suitable cultivation period for early-maturing varieties is March, August and September, the suitable cultivation period for medium-maturing varieties is March, July and August, and the suitable cultivation period for late-maturing varieties is from March to July. The seedling period is usually two months.

Therefore, sowing should be done about two months in advance before transplanting, depending on the variety.

Preparation before sowing

The substrate should be slightly alkaline, with a pH value of 6-6.5. You can use peat plus some vermiculite and perlite, add some carbendazim and stir, then disinfect the substrate to prevent the growth of bacteria.

Before sowing, water the substrate thoroughly to keep it moist.

Sowing method

After preparing the substrate, sprinkle the seeds evenly on the surface of the soil without covering it with soil. Then spray some diluted carbendazim solution to improve the adhesion and antibacterial properties of the seeds.

Maintain light and keep the temperature at around 20℃-25℃. Also pay attention to keeping the substrate moist during the seedling stage.

Generally, seedlings will emerge after two weeks. After emergence, move the lisianthus to a ventilated place and lower the temperature to about 15℃. Note that the daytime temperature should not exceed 25℃ and the night temperature should not be lower than 5℃. At this time, you can apply 100-150ppm of nitrogen fertilizer.

Transplanting after sowing

The seedlings can be transplanted when they grow two pairs of true leaves. Do not damage the roots when transplanting. Low temperature, dryness, insufficient light, excessive nitrogen fertilizer, etc. can easily cause flower bud abortion.

Do not plant too deep when transplanting to avoid stem rot. Keep the temperature between 13℃ and 23℃. Water thoroughly after transplanting, but reduce the watering frequency in the later stage. Generally, the ratio of watering on sunny days is: morning: daytime: night = 2:2:1. Do not suddenly reduce watering when the temperature is high.