Snapdragon is a very fragrant perennial plant native to the Mediterranean. Its colorful flowers resemble wide open mouths. Snapdragons should be sown indoors and then planted just before the last frosts arrive. They grow best in cold regions and tend to wither in heat.
Steps
Part 1 of 2: Seeding
Step 1. Buy the seeds
Once grown, snapdragons resemble large spikes full of colorful flowers. Different varieties produce flowers of different colors, so choose the one that best suits the hues of your garden. Here are some possible choices.
- Rocket Variety: Produces one meter tall plants with red, pink, yellow, purple and white flowers.
- Sonnet Variety: Plants are half a meter tall and have red, yellow, red, purple and white flowers.
- Liberty variety: produces plants about 75 cm tall, with red, yellow, pink, purple, white and other flowers.
Step 2. Plant the seeds indoors 6-8 weeks before the last colds arrive
Snapdragons grow more easily when planted in early spring. Prepare pots by making a specific substrate for planting (instead of using traditional soil). Spread the seeds on the surface of the substrate and press lightly. Keep the jars near a window so they stay in the sun and warm. Make sure the earth is always moist.
- If you don't want to sow indoors, you can do it outdoors, but in late fall. Press the seeds into the potting soil. With any luck they should sprout in early spring.
- If you want, you can skip this step and buy the seedlings directly from a nursery.
Step 3. Take care of the seedlings until they are ready to be planted
Keep the seedlings warm and water them properly for 6-8 months before the last colds. When the seeds sprout and the seedlings develop the first leaflets, the plants are ready to be planted outdoors.
- Keep the seedlings at a temperature between 15 and 20 ° C.
- Seedlings should take between 10 and 14 days to sprout.
Step 4. Peel off the ends of the stems with your fingers when the seedlings have six leaves
Detaching the apex of the stems causes the plants to produce more flowers. You can also do this with store-bought seedlings. Make sure the plants have developed six leaves before doing this, otherwise they may not be strong enough to withstand the trauma.
Part 2 of 2: Home and Plant Care
Step 1. Prepare the soil for planting
Snapdragons grow well in early spring when temperatures are still low. You will therefore have to prepare the ground for planting before the last cold of the year. Plants need a lot of sun and grow best in soil with a neutral pH, between 6, 2 and 7. Use organic material (such as leaf mulch, for example), so that snapdragons produce flowers that they remain beautiful for a long time.
- To add organic material to the soil, remove six inches of earth and fill the hole with the new material, then mix it all up.
- Make sure the soil drainage is good. Adding some organic material will help drainage. Water should be absorbed immediately; if it collects in a puddle, it mixes the soil with other organic material.
Step 2. Plant the seedlings during the period of the last cold
Snapdragons can withstand a couple of frosts, so you can afford not to be too punctual.
Step 3. Space the seedlings about 6 inches apart
The distance depends on the variety of the plant. Water snapdragons immediately after planting them.
Step 4. Only water the soil when it is dry
Giving too much water could promote mold growth, so make sure the soil is slightly dry before watering the plants. When giving water, pour it to the sides of the plant, not directly from above.
- The weight of the water could damage the flowers, so it is best to water the plant at the base.
- Give the water early in the morning, instead of doing it in the evening. This way it will be completely absorbed by the earth before night comes and you will not run the risk of the plant rotting.
Step 5. Remove the withered flowers
When a flower begins to wilt, remove it from the stem. This will encourage more flowers to form and keep the plant healthy.
Step 6. Mulch the base of the plant when it gets hot
Use organic material to cover the root area. This will help keep the roots cool as the first heat arrives and should help the plant survive longer.
Step 7. Collect the seeds
Over time, pods filled with seeds should form at the base of the stems. Attach paper bags to the plant so that the pods fall into them. You can dry the seeds and use them the following year.
- As an alternative, you can let the seeds fall to the ground instead of collecting them. If snapdragons are grown in the right environment, the seeds should germinate the next year without any kind of intervention on your part.
- If you are not interested in harvesting the seeds, cut the plants at the height of the flower before the arrival of the summer heat.
Step 8. Remove diseased leaves
If you notice mold or rot in the plant, cut off any affected flowers or leaves. You should also take care to remove the diseased leaves that have fallen on the ground.
Watering snapdragons in the morning and spacing them properly usually helps prevent disease. In many cases it is easier to prevent mold than to fight it
Advice
- Grow plants in containers during the winter.
- Before purchasing seedlings, check that they are healthy and have not yet started flowering. Planting is more traumatic for flowering plants.
Warnings
- Snapdragons can't stand prolonged heat; they can tolerate the cold well, as long as it is not excessive.
- Don't be in too much of a hurry to cut your plants off at the end of the season. Snapdragons can bloom again in the fall, as long as it's not too hot. In some areas they even bloom in winter.
