When choosing how to complement your front garden, you must have repeatedly come across such a flower as ageratum It is great for a variety of flower beds or for curbing. His rich blue palette of colors will not leave indifferent any gardener. The plant migrated to us from warm India, so the Ageratum does not live in our latitudes for more than one year. Despite this, it is very easy to cultivate it, it is not so whimsical in the care, and its beauty will force you to plant an ageratum again and again on your flower bed. How to plant a flower and how to care for it, we will describe in detail in this article.
Ageratum: description of the plant
Ageratum - interesting flower that came to us from India, but also found in different parts of America. It is a small shrub or grassy plants. Flower height rarely reaches more than half a meter. In total, the ageratum has about 60 species. The plant may be dwarfed, erect, or spreading. The flowers look like small pompons, of all shades of blue, sometimes pinkish or white.
The flowers collected in dense inflorescences a little more than a centimeter in diameter emit a delicious aroma. Abundant flowering begins in early summer and lasts until the frost. Ageratum fructifies in September, and more than five thousand seeds can be contained in one oblong seed. Annual plants are also selected for the partnership in the flowerbed.
Important! Ageratum leaves contain substances that cause irritation of the mucous membrane or even an allergic reaction.
How to grow ageratum: features of planting a flower
Ageratum flower is not so difficult to plant and care in the open field. The most important point of landing is the absence of spring frosts. Ageratum is unpretentious to the conditions of the soil, but it needs the constant sunlight. It is necessary to land at a distance of at least 15 cm from each other.
How to choose a place for planting ageratum
To place agrantum planting need to approach responsibly. For a heat-loving flower, choose a place with lighter and non-acidic soil. The site should be without drafts and must be well lit. Ageratum does not tolerate even a fine blackout. Because of this, the stems will go up, the leaves will begin to thin, and flowering takes place almost unnoticed. Therefore, even when grown in pots, it is necessary to give the maximum amount of light.
Did you know? Staying ageratum in the shade should not exceed two hours a day.
Soil for planting
Ageratum is not particularly whimsical to the soil conditions. For him, the usual nutrient soil with low acidity is enough. The land should not be very rich, otherwise all growth will go to the leaves, and you will not wait for a beautiful and dense flowering. Also avoid planting in damp and stony ground, as you may later encounter root diseases. When planting, the ageratum does not need drainage, and the earth does not need additional fertilizer. The main thing is that the earth was not heavy, without stagnation of moisture, then the ageratum flowers after planting will not require special care.
How to plant ageratum, flower reproduction
Plant an ageratum is not such a difficult thing. Before planting an ageratum, one should pick a sunny place for it and prepare the ground. If the ground is loose enough, slightly loosen it with a pitchfork. If the soil is dense, then, of course, you need to dig it. The flower is cultivated by the seed method or by cutting. If you decide to ageratum to grow from seed, the question arises, when to plant? The same question may arise with grafting. In any case, both methods will require a little preparation.
Did you know? The name of the flower sounds on the Greek ageratos, which means "eternal" because of the long preservation of the pure species.
Planting Ageratum seeds
Most often, the flower propagates with seeds, so for those who want to grow this flower in their area, you should know how to grow ageratum from seeds. Begin to plant ageratum in early March. For the growth of sprouts prepare a special substrate and containers. 
To prepare the substrate, take equal parts sand, peat and humus. The container can serve as a wooden box or any other container. Sowing the seeds, sprinkle them with the same substrate, moisten the soil (always from the sprayer) and cover with a film. Moisten the substrate as it dries. The first shoots usually appear after 10 days. After their appearance, you can remove the film. The ideal temperature for ageratum is 20-23 ° C. Do not forget about enough sun.
Fertilize flowers preferably once a week with complex fertilizer. At will sprouts can be dived into separate pots before planting them into the ground. It is necessary to plant a flower at the end of May, when night frosts will pass.
Reproduction ageratum cuttings
When propagating by cuttings before the onset of cold weather, it is necessary to extract the plants together with the earthy clod and place them in free pots. The entire cold period should be kept at room temperature as close to the light source as possible. Moderate watering and monthly mineral fertilizing will help the ageratum survive the winter. Somewhere in mid-April, cuttings up to 15 cm long are cut from a plant. Sections of young shoots are processed with a growth accelerator and placed in a loose, nutritious soil.
After watering, the cuttings are covered with foil and placed in a lighted place with a temperature not exceeding 21 ° C. After a few weeks, the stalk will take root, and in a month there will be the first shoots. When to plant seedlings of flowers agratum? The cuttings are planted, as in the case of the seeds, as soon as the frost passes.
Features of seed reproduction and grafting, how best to propagate ageratum
In our territories, the most often propagated ageratum is the method of planting seeds. It is simpler than grafting, and moreover, a single flower can produce thousands of seeds that remain viable for two to three years. Propagation by seeds makes it possible to get different shades every year, and grafting enables you to achieve permanent undersized bushes. If the ageratum is grown from seed at home, it is recommended to water the flower only in the morning. Two weeks before transplanting in open ground, take young sprouts to fresh air for hardening. When planting, do not deepen the seedlings deeper than they were in the substrate. Do not fertilize seedlings with fresh manure, this can affect the flowering of ageratum and its growth.
Did you know? In winter, in the open field, the plant dies, but it is necessary to remove flower remains in spring.
How to care for the ageratum in open ground
After the ageratum was planted in open ground, the question arises how to care for it. Actually, caring for a plant is not very different from other residents of the garden. Ageratum needs abundant, but moderate watering. Most often water the flower as the soil dries. After a rain or the next watering it is necessary to loosen the soil and remove all weeds. Feed the ageratum, planted in the ground, you need no more than once every three weeks. Also, the flower responds very well to pruning, after which it blooms more actively. Also after pruning, the ageratum can actively rise in height.
Watering features
Thanks to its roots, the ageratum endures drought. Watering likes abundant, but not frequent. Excessive moisture in the soil can lead to rotting of the roots and other flower diseases. Watering is best done in the morning.
How to feed ageratum
Ageratum is not exacting at cultivation in an open ground and in leaving. This also applies to plant nutrition. Do not use clean manure for fertilizer. You can add a mullein infusion to water for irrigation. Also beware of standard fertilizers such as peat, humus and others. They can cause abundant leaf growth, and flowering will be dull and weak. It is best to use special mineral blends for annuals, which can be bought at any garden store. Feed in no more than once every three weeks.
Did you know? To continue the kind of ageratum seeds, collect them in September.
Care of ageratum: how to prune a plant
Ageratum responds very well to trimming. For more abundant flowering it is necessary to prune the flowering inflorescences in time. If plants begin to reach up (this may be due to shading), you can cut off the upper parts of the shoots. This will provide a more dense growth of shrubs. Also, about once a month, you can spend rejuvenating pruning, through which you can give the bushes a variety of forms.
Pinching ageratum
For a more dense tillering, the ageratum flowers are pinched. When the sprouts begin to reach up, they trim the upper parts of the shoots. A very important point: at least 4-6 leaves should remain on the shoot for good growth. Such a procedure will provide abundant growth of new bushes and prolong the ageratum of flowering.
Major diseases and pests of ageratum
Unfortunately, the beauty of ageratum attracts not only gardeners, but also a variety of pests. Also prone to flower and various ailments. Due to the fact that the ageratum is too sensitive to soil moisture and air, the most annoying infection for it is root rot. It can only be dealt with by removal, but much easier to warn. Also, the flower is prone to cucumber mosaic, many types of nematodes, spider mites, aphids and whiteflies. To combat illnesses, immediately remove the damaged leaves and treat the plants with insecticides or herbs decoction.
