Verbena Growing Conditions

2024 Author: Sebastian Paterson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-16 13:47

Read the previous part. ← Types and varieties of verbena

Verbena growing conditions

Verbena does not tolerate excess moisture, therefore, its watering is limited, preventing overmoistening of the soil. She does not like organic fertilizers, which acidify the soil, and verbena does not grow well on acidic soils.

Only on very poor soils are plants fed with flower fertilizers. Some varieties require additional iron-containing feeding. To get compact bushy plants, pinching is done. Regular removal of wilted buds will promote a lush bloom.

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Here, in Kazakhstan, summer is dry and hot, so I plant vervain so that it is in the sun only in the morning. If the climate is more humid, then the verbena should be planted in the sunniest place.

Reproduction of verbena

Verbena I propagate by seeds and green cuttings. I sow its seeds for seedlings in early March. Sowing earlier requires additional lighting. Before sowing, I soak the verbena seeds for 2 hours in warm water, after which I keep them in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. Then I sow the seeds on the surface of a loose substrate, slightly compact, moisten them with a spray bottle and put the boxes in a warm place (+ 20 … + 25 ° C).

Since verbena seeds need darkness for germination, I cover the box with a dark film on top. Depending on the variety, it rises in 8-15 days. As soon as the seeds hatch, I rearrange them to the brightest place and cover with glass or transparent film. Excessive moisture can affect the seedlings with a "black leg", so I ventilate the seedlings and gradually accustom them to air. As soon as the first two true leaves appear on the verbena, I make a pick into the cups.

I plant the verbena in a permanent place in the garden, when the threat of frost passes, at a distance of 20-25 cm from each other, I pinch the tops. You can plant the plant in flower beds and flowerpots. In this case, the flowerpots should be wide and shallow, since the verbena root system is superficial. It blooms in 3-3.5 months after sowing.

Plants can also be obtained by cuttings. To do this, I cut apical cuttings about 8-10 cm long with a sharp blade from strong specimens, process them in the root and plant them in flower pots with a loose substrate or in a greenhouse. Cover the pots with cuttings with foil. After 3-4 weeks, a powerful root system is formed on each cutting.

In the fall, I dig up the most beautiful specimens of verbena, transplant them into flower pots and store them until spring in a cellar or in a cool, frost-free room, where the temperature is not lower than + 5 ° C. In the spring, planted in the ground, such plants bloom earlier, and they are convenient to use for cuttings. Different varieties of verbena can be pollinated. This must be taken into account in seed production.

The use of verbena in gardening

Verbena hybrid is used in flower beds, ridges and borders. It can be used to decorate flower beds and flower beds. It is also suitable for growing, both in the open field and indoors: on a veranda or balcony in pots, hanging flowerpots. It goes well with marigolds, chamomile, rudbeckia, delphiniums. Verbena looks great with roses.

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Pests and diseases

Verbena hybrid is usually resistant to fungal diseases, but in a rainy summer it can be affected by powdery mildew, rust and aphids. In dry hot weather, verbena is damaged by spider mites.

Collection and processing of raw materials. Using vervain

In medicine, as a medicinal raw material, the entire aerial part of vervain officinalis (stems, leaves, flowers) is used, but sometimes roots are also used. The raw materials are collected during the flowering of plants and dried in the air or in a special dryer at a temperature of + 50 … + 60 ° C. The roots of the plant are harvested in autumn, dried also in the open air or in a dryer at a temperature not exceeding + 30 ° C. In cooking, verbena flowers and leaves are used exclusively for making fragrant tea and decoction, and the roots are used to flavor pickled cucumbers. Dry verbena leaves are added to fillings for meat or fish.

In cosmetics, verbena extracts are used to prepare lotions and ointments, which serve as a wonderful remedy for eliminating irritations and redness of the skin and in the form of rinses to strengthen hair.

Tatyana Lybina, gardener

Zhezkazgan, Republic of Kazakhstan

Photo by the author