Cochia summer cypress plant. Kochia summer cypress growing from seed. Kochia growing from seeds
Kochia (Kochia) or summer cypress is a fast-growing ornamental leafy plant from the Amaranth family of the Marev subfamily. The genus combines drought-resistant semi-shrub and herbaceous xerophyte plants.
Kohiya got its name in honor of the director of the botanical garden in Erlangen (Germany) Elangen Koch.
Among the people, the plant is known under the names of summer cypress, bassia, summer cyprus, izen, prutnyak, broom grass.
This plant is native to China. Cochia is cultivated in East Asia, Europe, Africa, North America, Japan and Australia.
Kochia is an annual or perennial ornamental plant with a lush, developed crown. The plant forms and takes shape in early June. It retains its appearance until the onset of frost. Height 60-150 centimeters.
Kohiya consists of an upright lignified stem and a large number of branched thin shoots. Young branches are formed along the entire length of the shoots.
The leaves are entire, thin, linear, petiolate, soft, similar in appearance to cypress needles. The leaves are covered with a short edging, often lanceolate, rarely filiform.
On a young kochia, the leaves are dark green or light green; closer to autumn, the foliage becomes yellow, orange, raspberry or pink shade. The root is taproot, goes into the ground up to 3 meters deep.
Kochia changes color in autumn The flowers are inconspicuous, paniculate or spike-shaped, very small, collected in inflorescences and hidden in the axils of the apical leaves. Kochia blooms from July to September.
After pollination, miniature nuts are formed in place of flowers.
In each nut, seeds ripen, which retain their germination for 2 years. If the seeds are not collected, they crumble to the ground and sprout in the spring.
Fresh kochia leaves are added to soups. The plant is used in medicine. Cochia helps with eczema, erysipelas, skin inflammation, rheumatism, edema, gonorrhea. It has diuretic, laxative, diaphoretic, cardiotonic, bactericidal and tonic properties.
In addition, livestock and silkworm caterpillars are not averse to feasting on Kochia. Some farms specifically grow this crop for these purposes.
Dried bushes can be used in the form of a broom (broom).
Species and varieties with photos
In nature, there are about 80 types of cochia. In ornamental horticulture, only a small part (about 10) is grown.
Cochia broom (paniculata) is a low, spherical plant. In autumn, the shrub becomes reddish-burgundy. The plant withstands light frosts and retains its decorative appearance until late autumn.
Cochia broom green lace Perennial kochia is a strongly branching at the beginning and spread along the ground semi-shrub with a height of 10-50 centimeters.
One of the best varieties perennial kochia is creeping kochia.
The shape of the plant depends on the place of growth. Shoots creep along the ground, rise at the ends. The length of the stems is 70 centimeters.
Creeping Kochia - Kochia prostrata At first they are covered with weak or dense pubescence, the ends of the stems are almost bare, reddish in color. Leaves filiform or linear. Silky, fluffy or smooth to the touch.
Flowers are collected in spike-shaped inflorescences of 3 pieces.
Kochia woollyflower- an annual semi-shrub, 78-80 centimeters high. The stems are yellowish-green or reddish, covered with short curly hairs.
Woolly flowered Kochia - Kochia laniflora Kochia densely flowered- strongly branched annual. Height 130 centimeters. The branches are slightly directed upwards, arranged horizontally.
Flowers around the base are surrounded by long white hairs.
Kochia densely flowered - Kochia densiflora - an elongated-oval, slender plant, up to 100 centimeters high, 50-70 centimeters wide. The leaves are pubescent, narrow, light green in spring, burgundy in autumn. The flowers are small, collected in green balls.
Kochia Childs is a compact spherical bush, 40-50 centimeters high.
Branching shoots, strongly leafy. The leaves are light green. The color does not change throughout the year.
Based on these species, several beautiful ornamental varieties were bred:
Nephritis is a fast growing plant, reaching 100 centimeters in height. Suitable for curly haircuts. 
- a neat rounded shape, grows up to 70-100 centimeters in height. In summer, the leaves are emerald green, and in autumn they turn burgundy. The variety is suitable for sculptural haircuts. 
In addition to them, very beautiful varieties can be distinguished: Acapulco Silver, Cochia Cypress, Flame, Green Lace, Shilzi, the Royal Castle and others.
Growing cochia through seedlings is considered the most effective way. In regions with a cool climate, this plant is grown from seedlings, in the south, kochia can be grown from seedlings or sown directly into the ground.
For sowing at home, you need to take seedling boxes, containers or pots, fertile soil and quality seeds. The earth can be collected from the garden, humus, sand and peat are added to it. Kokhiya is unpretentious, the main requirements for the earth are moisture permeability, friability. The soil should be slightly acidic or neutral.
After growing seedlings, they need to be seated in separate pots. Seating can be done in one or 2 stages. That is, diving in a container of several pieces, and then seating in separate containers. Or transplant one plant per pot.
When planting in a peat pot, seedlings are planted in open ground along with it, peat in this case plays the role of additional nutrition for the flower.
Sowing seeds for is done in late March or early April.
Seeds are sown on the surface of the soil and do not go deep.
If there is a dense layer of earth on top of the seeds, the crops may not sprout.
When buying seeds, you need to pay attention to the expiration date, otherwise you can not wait for seedlings.
Land and seed preparation
Cochia seeds are quite small and do not require special preparation.
To accelerate growth, they can be treated with any growth stimulants (Epin, Energen, Heteroauxin).
Before sowing, the soil must be calcined in the oven at a temperature of about 110 degrees for 25 minutes. The soil after calcination is treated with a solution of fungicides or a weak solution of potassium permanganate.
Land for planting should be moist, but not wet.
Small grooves are made on the surface of the earth. Seeds are carefully scattered, pressed to the ground and watered from a spray bottle.
The boxes are covered with glass, film or a transparent lid and placed in a bright place away from any heating devices. The temperature in the room should be 18-20 degrees. Watering is done with a spray gun, in the morning or in the evening, daily. The first shoots appear after 7-10 days.
When 3 main leaves appear, kochia seedlings need to be picked in pots or cups. In a container with a diameter of 10 centimeters, 3 sprouts can be planted. With such a planting, before planting in the ground, one more transplant is made into separate pots in seedlings.
The plant is light-loving and, with a lack of lighting, stretches and weakens. For additional lighting, a phytolamp is placed at a short distance from the plants. Daylight hours together with supplementary lighting should be at least 12 hours.
With excess moisture, a black leg may appear. Sick seedlings should be removed immediately. The soil is dried with charcoal, calcined sand or perlite. During watering, potassium permanganate or any antifungal drugs are added. Watering is carried out along the edges of the pot, without touching the plants.
Kohiya does not tolerate cold and shade. When choosing a place, you need to consider that the site should be bright and warm. In partial shade, the bush turns out to be more compact and low. A lowland or an area with a close occurrence of groundwater is not suitable for planting cochia.
The plant is not demanding on the soil, but the best option considered fertile land with a neutral or slightly acidic reaction.
The soil should easily pass air and water to the roots. The semi-shrub does not need frequent watering and easily tolerates drought.
After spring frosts pass, you can start planting plants in a permanent place. The gap between the bushes should be at least 30-45 centimeters. Seedlings by the time of transplantation should get stronger and grow up to 15 centimeters.
Plants need to be transplanted along with an earthen clod. Pits for planting should correspond to the volume of the pot. The recesses are well spilled with warm water. The plant with the earth rolls over into the hole and is compressed by the earth.
If the seedlings were planted in peat pots, the plants are planted directly in them. Bushes quickly take root in new places and begin to grow.
Cochia seeds can be sown directly into the ground. Sowing is done both in autumn and spring. In spring, seeds are sown in mid-May. When sowing earlier, cover material should be used to protect from the cold.
For faster germination, the seeds are soaked for several days in warm water or treated with a growth stimulator. The site is dug up and loosened. A mixture of sand and peat crumbles. This mixture allows the seeds to germinate faster.
Seeds are distributed over the soil and lightly pressed with the palm of your hand.
Sprouted seeds grow faster. After a week, shoots appear. Weak shoots are removed.
When sown in autumn before winter, the seeds are sown along with sand and peat in slightly frozen ground. Seeds are not afraid of the cold, and in the spring they sprout together.
When the bushes grow, they can be seated. Between each bush, the distance should be at least 30-40 centimeters, denser cultivation leads to poor development of bushes and a rapid release of flowers.
These methods of growing cochia are less effective than the seedling method and are used only in regions with a warm climate.
Kochia can reproduce on its own.
In order for self-seeding to occur, several bushes are left in the soil until spring. During the first warm days, young shoots will appear that look like Christmas trees.
Kochia care includes watering, loosening, weeding, top dressing and pruning.
Watering is carried out using a watering can. The plant is drought tolerant. You need to water in dry weather, if the leaves of the flowers begin to fall down.
Loosening and weeding of weeds is carried out several times per season. The soil should not be crusted.
For active growth, kochia requires regular top dressing. The first fertilization is carried out 2 weeks after planting the bushes in the ground. After that, top dressing is done once a month.
For top dressing, organic matter or complex mineral fertilizers. You can use mullein, ash. After shearing, for a quick restoration of the bush, extraordinary fertilizing with nitrogen-containing fertilizers is carried out.
Pruning of plants is carried out 1-2 times a month.
Kochia is quite resistant to diseases and pests. With prolonged rains, rot can develop. When rot appears, diseased bushes are removed, and healthy plants are watered with potassium permanganate.
Sometimes a spider mite may appear on the bushes. The mite damages the greenery of the plant. To combat the pest, special protective agents are used (Bitoxibacillin, Neoron, Akarin) or a decoction of ceclamen tubers, a soap solution.
Bushes easily tolerate a haircut and retain their shape for a long time.
With the help of sharp scissors and secateurs, plants take the form of a pyramid, ball, oval, rectangle, matryoshka, column, or any other shape. When planting a group of bushes, you can create a semblance of a vase; tall bright flowers are planted in the middle for this.
When landing along the tracks, you can arrange a neat sheared curb. To create miniature bushes, the tops are pinched at the stage of early development of the bushes.
After any haircut, plants need top dressing with water-soluble nitrogen fertilizers.
Tall bushes are used for decoration various buildings, gazebos, in the form of hedges.
Kohiya can be planted in a single copy among ground cover plants or on a lawn, in the form of a tapeworm.
Can be planted in groups in a mixborder, in a flower bed. Kohiya goes well with roses, marigolds, asters and many other flowers. 
These lush, slender bushes make it possible to decorate any site. They are used to decorate flower beds, borders, fences.
They look great in rock gardens, rockeries, topiaries, near fountains and next to large stones.
Kochia (border shrub): video
Unpretentiousness and ease of care make kochia practically perfect plant in the garden.
Kohiya is a magnificent ornamental plant that has spread throughout the world from China and got its name from a German biologist with the surname Koch. At first glance it seems that this shrub belongs to coniferous trees, among the people he was even nicknamed "annual cypress". However, upon closer examination, it becomes clear that its thin leaves are actually tender and soft. Kochia is grown as a decorative element in various compositions.
The plant is valued not only for ornamental appearance, but also for the fact that it is not afraid of a haircut. By planting it on your or personal plot, you can test your artistic talent by giving kochia unusual intricate shapes. The plant is one of the unpretentious, so everyone can grow it on their site. The only way to reproduce cochia - growing from seeds. When to plant seeds in open ground and in a greenhouse for seedlings, as well as the main points of planting and care - all this will be discussed below.
Planting cochia seeds in open ground
In order for the seeds of kochia to sprout well, and the young sprouts to subsequently develop successfully, it is important to know when, in what soil and how to sow. Although the annual cypress is not particularly demanding, in some conditions it will not be able to develop properly.
When to plant kochia
This decorative representative of the flora does not tolerate frost well, so it can be planted in open ground only when the air temperature becomes stable positive. Even more than that - the thermometer at night should not fall below + 10ᵒС. Therefore, even in a warm spring, in order to avoid the risk, kochia is planted only in May.
Landing site preparation
The natural habitat for kochia is the steppe and semi-desert. This should be taken into account when choosing a place for her in her country or backyard territory. The plant will not like a poorly lit piece of land. Kochia will delight the eye growing in non-acidic, well-draining soil. Before making seeds, the ground can be fertilized, loosened and moistened.
Planting seeds
To have good germination of kochia seeds, it is important to make sure that they are no more than two years old. Landing is best done in the early morning, evening or in the middle of a cloudy day. Seeds are not densely scattered in the selected area and sprinkled a little with sand or fine soil, after which they are gently moistened. Planted seeds are covered with non-woven material on top until the air is finally warmed up. The weakest sprouts are subsequently removed, leaving a distance of 20-30 cm between them, for decorative borders - 10-15 cm.
Kochia loves space Growing kochia seedlings
Most often, cochia is propagated by pre-growing seedlings from seeds in a greenhouse. For the success of this undertaking, the following guidelines must be carefully adhered to.
The necessary conditions
Best time start growing seedlings of cochia - March-April. This should not be done before, because due to lack of sunlight, the seedlings will be too thin and long. You can plant seeds in a mixture of fine peat, sand and humus, or from ordinary garden soil with humus. The substrate is disinfected by heating in the oven or by treating it with a special agent.
Kochia likes light and non-sour How to plant kochia seeds
Immediately before sowing, the prepared substrate is slightly tamped and thoroughly moistened. Next, sparsely scatter kochia seeds over its surface and sprinkle them with a small amount of sand or simply press them a little deeper. After that, they are sprayed with a spray bottle. In conclusion, the container is covered with lutrasil or other material that transmits light and air.
Conditions for growing seedlings
Shelter is removed from the sprouts that have risen on the 7-10th day. So that they are not exposed to dangerous diseases, watering should be regular, but moderate, and it is better to lower the air temperature in the room by a few degrees. If some seedlings have been exposed to the disease, they must be urgently removed, and the soil should be neutralized with a solution of potassium permanganate or other suitable substance.
Cochia seedling picking
After the appearance of three leaves, groups of two or three shoots can be transplanted into separate containers, the diameter of which should not exceed 10 cm. After that, the plant needs the same moderate watering and sunlight. A week after the dive, it is advisable to feed the seedlings, and in the future, do this every two weeks. In order to plant seedlings in open ground, it is better to wait for stable heat. Most likely, it will be the second half of May. The main thing for growing beautiful and lush bushes is good lighting and moderate watering. Immediately after disembarkation and a month later, it is desirable to carry out top dressing.
Growing kochia is not as difficult as it may seem. Unfortunately, she does not tolerate frost, so the only way to decorate your site with such an exotic beauty as kochia every year is to grow from seeds. When it is best to plant this plant and how to do it correctly, we examined in detail. Now it remains only to apply.
Kochia is a very beautiful, lush, magnificent and, of course, spectacular plant with unusual decorative foliage. Flower growers love this charming plant for the originality of the form, as well as for the ability, depending on the imagination, to change this form.
The birthplace of kochia is China, but today the plant is widespread throughout the world, it grows in Europe and Asia, in America, Australia and Japan.
Wilhelm Daniel Koch was the director of the botanical garden in the city of Erlangen for a long time, it was in honor of this German professor of botany that this plant was named Kochia. In the scientific literature, kochia is called bassia, and among the people - "annual cypress" and "summer cypress" - for the clear shape of the bush, which resembles a cypress. True, one more name was attached to the plant among the people - “broom grass”, since it is from kochia that beautiful brooms are obtained.
Kochia is a densely branched, fast-growing annual, reaching 1 m in height. Despite the fact that the small flowers of kochia are rather inconspicuous, the plant itself is very decorative. Thanks to the many small, narrow, lettuce-colored leaves, the cochia really resembles a small cypress. Both with narrow thin leaves and the shape of a kochia bush, it is very similar to representatives of conifers, but it is worth touching it, and you will understand that, apart from external resemblance, there is nothing in common between them. By the way, the decorative foliage of kochia has one more feature - in autumn it turns into a bright red-carmine color, which makes it even more decorative.
Growing kochia is a very exciting and completely easy process. The only sad thing is that the plant is completely unstable to temperature extremes, so even the very short first autumn frosts can completely destroy it. But on the other hand, kokhiya is resistant to drought and can easily survive the lack of water.
Cochia is propagated by sowing seeds, most often directly into the ground, which can be produced from early May until mid-summer. If you want to get seedlings of cochia, you can start sowing its seeds in greenhouses as early as April. By the way, kochia reproduces well by self-sowing, and its seeds remain viable for no more than 2 years, keep this in mind.
Light is very important for the germination of seeds of a plant, therefore, when sowing, do not cover them with earth - just press lightly into the ground.
Cochia seedlings tolerate slight frosts normally, but if you are growing a seedling plant, you can transplant it into open ground only when the threat of frost has completely passed.
Planting kochia
Kochia loves freedom very much, so it is necessary to plant a plant at a distance of about 30 cm from each other. In case of too dense planting, the plant can “revenge”, that is, instead of a chic bush, you will get a half-dried broom with completely ugly foliage.
Kochia is a very unpretentious plant, but it is better to plant it in sunny place, on fertilized garden soils. But often flooded and acidic soils, cochia does not tolerate.
Kochia care
During the growing season, kochia needs frequent loosening and weeding. In addition, it must be fed 2 times with complete mineral - 10 days after planting the plant in the ground and again a month later.
During the period of intensive plant growth and after cutting the bushes, nitrogen fertilizers are needed. Kochia is also extremely responsive to the introduction of various liquids.
Caring for kochia consists not only in timely feeding, but also in cutting the plant, which can be done every 2 weeks, forming bushes in the form of a ball, egg, pyramid, cube, column - everything that is enough for your imagination. Kochia tolerates pruning well.
Kochia pests
by the most dangerous pest cochia is, in the event of the appearance of which the plant must be immediately treated with a special preparation, for example, Neoron - dilute 1 ml in 1 liter of water. After 15 days, it is desirable to repeat the treatment.
Types of cochia
Kochia - Kochia - a genus that combines both perennial and annual plants, numbering over 80 species belonging to the haze family. The most popular and decorative species in cultural floriculture today is the broom kochia (Kochia scoparia). It comes in two varieties - Kochia trichophylla (hairy kochia) and Kochia scoparia var. childsii (Childs cochia). Despite the fact that the plants are very similar, their main difference is that the hairy kochia changes the color of the leaves from green to red-carmine in autumn. But Childs' kochia remains green throughout the garden season.
There are a few more less decorative species cochia.
Creeping kochia is a rather squat subshrub, the stems of which are very branched at the base.
Woollyflowered Kochia is annual plant, reaching a height of 80 cm. The stems of woolly-flowered kochia are yellowish-green or slightly reddish, completely covered with small curly hairs.
Kochia densely flowered is also an annual, strongly branching plant from the base, reaching a height of 130 cm. Its branches are located almost horizontally, they are only slightly directed upwards. The flowers of the plant are surrounded at the base by whole bunches of white long hairs, which is why the plant is white-haired.
The genus Cochia or brassia (Bassia) has about 80 dozen species belonging to the amaranth family, but only one of them has gained fame and popularity as a garden crop with high decorative qualities - coronal cochia (Bassia scoparia).
A native culture of the warm regions of Europe and Asia. Planting and caring for kochia open field do not present any difficulty, and high decorativeness allows the plant to be used in any garden styles.
The aerial part of the bush consists of numerous, branched stems with narrow needle-like leaves covered with hairs, like shoots.
In favorable climatic and soil conditions the bush reaches a height of more than a meter. In June, inconspicuous flowers appear in the axils of the leaves, forming inflorescences at the top of the shoot.
After flowering, small seed pods ripen. One plant produces thousands of seeds, which, after ripening, germinate very easily by self-sowing, giving dozens of seedlings near the plant.
Varieties
Two forms of coronal kochia are grown in gardens.
Hairy brassia (Bassia scoparia var. trichophylla). Most loved and in demand in garden design. With the advent of autumn, the green color of the plant acquires all shades of fiery, burgundy, pink, orange and even purple, becoming bright accent autumn garden.
In Japan, during this period, a real natural show of summer cypress begins, the color of which comes to see from all over the world.
Childs cochia (Bassia scoparia var. childsii) unlike the previous variety, it remains green throughout the season.
Cochia care in the open field
Summer cypress feels best in a sunny place, but can tolerate some shading. The plant does not tolerate cold winds, but if the site itself is open to winds, you can protect the bush by making the landing more dense.
Light, non-acid nutrient soils fertilized with humus are optimal for this crop. When caring for kochia, do not forget about frequent watering, because with a lack of moisture, the leaves immediately begin to wither and lose their attractive appearance.
However, it is important to avoid stagnant water, which is detrimental to the root system. In order for the summer cypress to maintain a bright color of leaves and look healthy, it is advisable to feed it once a week with liquid fertilizer, for example, azofoska or around plantings.
Kohiya easily tolerates pruning, which can be carried out with ordinary garden shears, even without having special skills in creating curly garden forms. To keep the bush compact, just pinch the top.
And having ventured into a thorough haircut, you can give this pliable plant any topiary shape or make a low hedge out of plantings.
Growing cochia from seeds and planting in the ground
Summer cypress is easily propagated by seeds. You can sow them in open ground in autumn or early May, when the threat of the last frost blows.
In the case of seedling cultivation, sowing is carried out in March in a mixture of universal soil and vermiculite. It is preferable to sow a small amount of seeds in one pot, slightly pressing them into the soil. The optimum temperature for germination is 16°C. During the growth process, it is necessary to monitor the moderate moisture content of the substrate.
Seedlings can be seen after ten days. Although at first the seedlings grow slowly, by the time they are transplanted to a permanent place, they reach considerable sizes. Picking seedlings is relevant when the seedlings reach 10-15 cm.
Planting cochia in open ground is carried out after the last frost, however, if the cold returns unexpectedly, young plants can be covered with paper caps or agrofiber. The distance between individual specimens is not less than half a meter.
Summer cypress actively self-seeding. Having allowed nature to reproduce on its own, one should only monitor the planting density, protect them from frost and thin out the seedlings so that they do not crowd each other.
The use of the kochia plant in landscape design and beyond
Surprisingly, initially attractive plant used only for the manufacture of brooms. Now, having appreciated this culture, gardeners fully complement its various compositions with bright greenery until the very frost.
Culture effectively stands out against the background of green puddles, and looks like an elegant border. It will also favorably decorate a rockery, flower bed, front garden, mixborder and any other flower garden.
It can be used for landscaping both as a separate plant and as an appropriate accent in a group planting. The plant looks spectacular in composition with silver cineraria, lobularia, begonia, salvia, low roses. In addition, dried shoots are actively used by florists to create winter bouquets with dried flowers.
However, landscape design is not the only area of application of this culture. The above-ground part of the summer cypress is famous in traditional medicine, helping with diseases of the urinary system, erysipelas of the skin, eczema, edema and rheumatism.
In China, for medical and cosmetic purposes, its leaves and fruits become an ingredient in the preparation of ointments for diseases of the skin and nails.
It is also used in cooking. Mistresses often add it to soups, not to mention the use as feed for livestock and silkworm caterpillars.
Kochia summer cypress is a curious plant, which is an annual subshrub, which belongs to the Marev family of plants. The origin of kochia is the south of Europe, the south and north of America, the west of Asia. The plant is found in the wild in Australia. The kochia bush develops quickly, reaches a meter, the leaves have unusual, similar to cypress needles. For these leaves and for general form narrow pyramidal crown, which stretches upwards, kochia is called cypress, and summer, because letnik grows one season.
Cochia Benefits
Kochia came to the culture of gardening a long time ago - back in 1629. But in our gardens for a long time did not take root. The fact is that growing kochia is not an easy task. It is quite capricious, it needs to be grown from seeds annually and it is better to do it with seedlings, and then plant tender seedlings in the ground. Not all gardeners want to mess with this plant, many prefer flowers with more decorative qualities.
But cochia has a number of advantages.
- The emerald green of summer cypress effectively complements the composition of flowering plants.
- Kochia really wins against the background of stones in rockeries and decorates the alpine slides.
- Cochia makes elegant borders.
- She willingly lends herself to a haircut. Even a novice designer can build topiary from kochia with simple scissors.
- Kochia looks great in solitary plantings.
How to grow kochia
This green plant is not grown in pots or containers. This is a decorative inhabitant of open ground. Annual cypress can be grown by sowing seeds directly to the habitat. But it is usually not recommended to sow cochia directly into the ground. It is better to first grow seedlings, and then plant them on a well-lit sunbeams a windswept place.
Important! Kochia can tolerate light shading, it will not grow in strong shade. The bush is formed stunted and ugly. If planting in a place where the wind blows, the plants will most likely die. The way out is to plant kochia in a dense row so that the bushes support each other, protecting them from drafts.
Growing seedlings
This method guarantees the production of healthy seedlings of the plant. Seeds of cochia summer cypress are sown for seedlings at the end of the first spring month. Sowing is carried out in small containers.
Wash containers before planting hot water with soap, treat with a solution of potassium permanganate or other antiseptics.
You also need to disinfect the soil - steam it, spill it with a hot solution of potassium permanganate or fungicides. The soil must be carefully prepared.
The soil is needed loose, fine-grained, moisture-permeable, aerated and always new, which has not been used before. Sand is mixed in half with peat or perlite is added.
Important! Cochia seedlings more often than other plants suffer from a black leg, so it is necessary to carry out disinfecting measures for containers and soil.
Video - How to grow cochia from seeds
Cultivation by sowing in the ground
Kochia summer cypress does not tolerate acidic soils. Either the ground should be deoxidized before sowing (for example, sprinkled with dolomite flour or ash), or neutral soil should be added directly to the flower bed or in the hole when sowing seedlings. Humus soils are quite suitable, you should not just add poorly rotted manure for planting cochia.
The plant loves water, but does not tolerate stagnant moisture. Especially young specimens, which are easily affected by the blackleg. Kochia needs well-drained soil.
In open soil, summer cypress seeds are sown in late spring. Frost must pass. In warm areas, you can start sowing the plant in early May. Seeds are spread over the top of the soil. The most suitable temperature for seedlings in the open air is + 16 ° C ... + 18 ° С.
Seedlings will appear for quite a long time - about 12-14 days. At night, it is good to cover the crops with spanbond. At the beginning of the growing season, summer cypress grows slowly and looks rather stunted. In open ground, grown seedlings must be thinned out, removing the weak ones and leaving a distance of no more than 35 cm between the bushes.
Kochia care
The plant does not need specific care. He needs increased watering, plenty of sunlight and constant protection from pests. Kochia also needs to be trimmed regularly.
Watering
Summer cypress loves water. It is necessary to water the kochia often, otherwise the leaves will fade, begin to fade, and the plant will lose its attractiveness. But the lack of moisture is just as bad as its excess. Therefore, when watering kochia, the following rule must be observed. The plant itself will tell you when it is time to water it. A little leaves are wilted, a portion of moisture enters. Under the root, abundantly, into the hole, until the entire soil near the roots is thoroughly wet. From a light fine "rain" in the summer, kochia will also not refuse. The main thing is not to do this on a hot afternoon - it is better to water in the evening or in the morning so as not to burn the leaves.
top dressing
Frequent top dressing of kochia will not hurt. Liquid fertilizer for deciduous plants in the mineral complex once every 10 days - this is the minimum for her. The shrub has abundant foliage that needs to be well nourished. If the kochia lacks nutrition, its leaves are faded, looking sick and drooping. The tips of the leaves may wither and turn yellow.
pruning
Trimming kochia is an easy and pleasant task. From it you can form a short compact bush with a crown growing in breadth. To do this, you need to pinch the apical shoots, preventing them from growing in height. The plant will lose its resemblance to cypress, but will not lose its decorative effect. On kohiya it is good to train in the art of topiary. It can be given any geometric and arbitrary shape with a single wave of scissors. Cochia bushes look great in the form of a ball, cube, rectangle, square.
Pests
Summer cypress has many pests. They like the succulent foliage of the plant in all growing seasons. The main danger is the spider mite. This pest is capable of completely destroying kochia plantings. Therefore, when signs are found, it is immediately necessary to treat with insecticides.
Five mistakes when growing summer cypress
| № | Problem | Cause |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | The seeds didn't sprout | This often happens, especially when sprouting summer cypress from store-bought seeds. The fact is that the germination of seeds of summer cypress is very short - only a year. If they are not sown the next season after harvest, the seeds can be thrown away - it is useless to wait for seedlings from them. Therefore, when purchasing seed material, it is necessary to pay attention to the date of its packaging and expiration date. |
| 2 | Seeds germinate poorly | Seeds can germinate poorly even if the conditions necessary for their germination are not met. Cochia summer cypress seeds, unlike many other plants, need light to germinate. They can not be placed after sowing seedlings in a dark and even shaded place. |
| 3 | Shoots are not friendly | Seeds do not need to be buried deep in the soil. They are sown on the surface, but they must be lightly sprinkled with sand mixed with soil. Open, such as petunia, crops should not be left |
| 4 | Seedlings are rare | Boxes with cochia crops or crops in the open field should be covered. But they are covered not with film, plexiglass and glass, like other plants, but with thin tissue paper, spunbond, lutrasil, and other covering material that “breathes”. Otherwise, the seeds will suffocate and not sprout. |
| 5 | Seedlings are not uniform | For successful shoots, it is necessary to strictly observe the temperature in the room not lower than + 18 ° C and not higher than + 20 ° C. As soon as shoots appear, without reducing the illumination, the temperature must be reduced to + 15 ° C and kept at this level, plus or minus one degree, before picking seedlings |
This plant is so beloved today in landscape design, traditionally previously grown and used to make brooms. Especially the technical grade broom kochia, from which the selection variety of kochia called "Summer Cyprus" originated.
It is still used today by florists to create creative dry bouquets, even wedding arrangements for the bride.
