When and how to plant salvia seeds for seedlings in 2022

Creating a beautiful flower garden is a real art! After all, you need to choose a successful and harmonious composition and choose suitable plants. By the way, regarding the latter, you can use salvia for a beautiful flower bed. The plant has recently gained well-deserved popularity. It decorates gardens, dachas, areas of private houses, as well as city streets and flower beds. If you are interested in this crop, then you can grow salvia from seeds and, when the time comes, plant it in open ground.

general information

The name salvia, which is unfamiliar to some people, also has another, popular name - sage. It is believed that sage is a medicinal plant, and salvia is an ornamental plant. Although experts say that in fact there is no difference between them. The plant can be either annual or perennial. In both the first and second cases, sowing and growing seedlings is possible.

Now there are about 900 species of plants. But the most popular species are: Salvia sparkling or Sage brilliant, as well as Salvia officinalis.

Sage was originally used for medicinal purposes. It is especially effective against inflammatory diseases, and also has a generally beneficial effect on the body. In addition, sage is successfully used in cosmetology.

Thanks to the efforts of breeders, the plant is now highly decorative; every gardener and vegetable gardener can choose salvia with suitable parameters and colors. The height of the plant can vary from approximately 25 to 80 centimeters. Now there is decorative sage in beautiful white, red, pink, lilac, and blue colors.

The photo shows bright and beautiful salvia flowers:

With this plant you can create interesting and beautiful compositions by planting salvia of different colors in the flowerbed. The plant looks great in flower pots, ordinary flower beds, rock gardens, and stone flower beds.

Growing a plant from seeds is not a complicated process, and planting and caring for seedlings is not much different from sowing seeds of any other crop and requires a lot of effort.

Brief description of the plant itself

Salvia is a representative of the same genus of herbs and shrubs of the Lamiaceae family, and is widespread in all parts of the New and Old Worlds. Many species and varieties are perennials; in the climatic zone of Russia they are grown mainly as annuals.

The bush is branched, with erect, tetrahedral shoots up to 1.2-1.5 m high. The leaf blades are pinnate or simple, from light green to bluish, in shades. Complex paniculate or spike-shaped inflorescences, up to 20 cm long, consisting of many small white, pink, red or purple buds, bloom from mid-June until the arrival of cold weather.

When to plant salvia seeds for seedlings

The timing of sowing salvia seedlings depends on the specific plant variety. Therefore, when purchasing seeds, you need to carefully study the packaging; it should contain specific information: when is the best time to sow seeds for seedlings, when to plant grown plants in open ground. And based on the manufacturer’s recommendations, you need to choose the optimal time for the procedure.

As a rule, the time for planting decorative sage seeds is at the end of February-March , and they are ready for planting in open ground in about three months. But it all depends on the specific variety!

It is necessary to take into account the weather and climatic features of different regions, for example, in the South you can sow as early as mid-February, in the middle zone (including the Moscow region) and in the Volga region the optimal planting time is in early and mid-March, in the Leningrad region, Siberia, In the Urals, it is better to plant the crop at the end of March.

By the way, a very good solution is to plant salvia seeds for seedlings according to the Lunar calendar 2022:

Favorable days: in January: 1, 10, 11, 15, 16, 19, 20;
in February: 7, 8, 12, 13, 14, 15;
in March: 10, 11, 15, 20, 21, 24, 25.

Unfavorable days: in January: 2, 18th;
in February: 1, 16;
in March: 2, 16, 17, 18, 31.

Methods for propagating perennial salvia

There are 4 ways to propagate perennial sage:

seeds;
cuttings;
layering;
dividing the bush.

The first method involves growing seedlings. Seeds are planted at the end of February, seedlings are obtained within 2.5 months, and at the end of May or early June they are transferred to the ground.

Cuttings of perennial sage begin in the first half of summer. Semi-lignified cuttings are cut from the stems and planted in a container with a mixture of garden soil, perlite and sand (2:1:1), moistened well, and covered with a jar. They are grown for two months, then transferred to open ground (in the south) or left for the winter in a heated room (in other regions).

Propagation by layering is an even easier way to propagate perennial sage. In June, several branches are carefully tilted and pinned to the surface, sprinkled with soil. After 1.5 months, roots form. The cuttings can be separated from the mother bush to be transplanted to a permanent place.

Only mature bushes over 3 years old can be divided. The procedure begins in late August - early September. A perennial sage bush is dug up and several sections with 2–3 or more healthy shoots are cut with a sharp knife. They are transplanted into containers and put away for the winter in a warm room or left in the ground and mulched (in the south).

Read more Salvia brilliantis (sparkling sage): description, photo of flowers, sowing, care

In most regions of Russia, sage is often obtained by growing from seeds

Step-by-step guide to planting salvia seedlings

Planting seeds for seedlings is a complex undertaking that requires high-quality implementation of all stages: selection of seed, planting container, preparation of seeds and soil, and direct sowing using the correct technology and scheme. This step-by-step guide will help you plant salvia at home as efficiently as possible:

Seed selection and preparation

The choice of planting material must be taken responsibly. Poor quality seeds or expired material are unlikely to produce healthy seedlings.

It is recommended to buy seeds in specialized stores, points of sale and online stores that have a good reputation and have positive reviews from real customers.

The package with seeds must indicate all the necessary information : expiration date, information about the variety, dates of sowing, planting, flowering, etc. (a good example is in the photo below).

Before sowing, it is recommended to disinfect the seeds . To do this, place them in a fabric bag or gauze and immerse them in a pink solution of potassium permanganate for 15 minutes. And then rinse in running water and dry.

Important! If you buy pelleted seeds (that is, in a special shell), then there is no need to prepare them; they are already completely ready for sowing.

Soil preparation

You can either buy soil for sowing seeds and growing salvia seedlings at a store specializing in gardening supplies, or prepare it yourself at home. The main thing is that it is light, fertile and neutral soil with a pH of 6-6.5 . It is in this soil that the seedlings will be most comfortable.

You can prepare a soil mixture at home by mixing forest soil, lowland peat and clean river sand in a 1:1:1 ratio.

You can also make another soil mixture: 2 parts leaf soil, 2 parts peat, 1 part coarse sand.

If you do not have the opportunity to prepare a substrate, then you can buy universal soil for flower seedlings . But you should add a little sand there to improve the structure.

Selecting a landing container

Various containers can be used as a planting container for sowing seedlings; each gardener chooses the appropriate option depending on capabilities and preferences.

Flower seeds can be planted at home in:

peat cups;
plastic cups;
plastic cassettes;
box (it can be made of plastic or wood).

Important! No matter what kind of planting container you have, it should have drainage holes that will protect the plants from dangerous stagnation of moisture.

Salvia seed sowing scheme

The technology for sowing plant seeds is very simple; even a novice and inexperienced gardener can cope with the task. If you are one of them or are encountering this crop for the first time, then a step-by-step scheme for planting salvia seedlings will come to your aid:

First of all, it is recommended to pour a drainage layer on the bottom, the thickness of the layer is one centimeter; you can use, for example, expanded clay.
Fill the planting container with soil; there should be a gap of 2-3 centimeters between the edges of the container and the ground.
Then you need to water the substrate thoroughly.
Now you need to sow the seeds, and since they are very small, for convenience and uniform distribution you can mix them with coarse river sand and scatter them over the surface of the soil.
There is no need to cover the seeds with soil, just gently and very slightly press them into the soil with your palm.
Spray the crops with settled water from a spray bottle.
Cover the planting box with glass or film to create a mini-greenhouse.

If you want to sow seeds in peat tablets , you can do that too. For planting, you need to prepare peat products - put them in a container, fill them with warm water, let them swell for 30 minutes, then transfer the seeds to the middle of the peat tablet (preferably 2-3 seeds at once, so that you can then select the strongest sprout). The container with tablets must also be covered with a lid, glass or film.

With proper sowing of seeds and subsequent care, the first shoots will appear in about 7 days. But most likely, not all the seedlings will sprout at the first stage, but there is nothing strange or dangerous in this, the rest of the seedlings will “catch up” to the leaders in about one or two weeks.

Planting and caring for salvia

Urban landscaping cannot do without salvia for many reasons:

Salvia blooms continuously throughout the warm period until frost.
This beautiful ornamental plant does not grow and holds the created composition well.
Gas pollution from transport does not affect the decorative appearance of the plant.
By choosing different shades of inflorescences you can create any composition.

But gardeners love the plant no less, who begin to sow salvia at home when winter is just in full swing. In addition to the victorious scarlet color, salvia panicles amaze with a variety of tones. You can make a multi-level planting, selecting salvia according to the height of the bushes. But the main step in obtaining long-term flowering will be growing salvia seedlings.

How to care for salvia seedlings after planting

High-quality and complete care is extremely important both before emergence and after. In the first case, it will help the seeds to germinate safely in the ground, and in the second, it will help to grow normal, strong and healthy seedlings. So, you need to care for salvia as follows:

Maintain optimal temperature . Immediately after sowing the seeds, you need to move the box to a room where the temperature is stably maintained at 22-25 degrees Celsius.
Monitor the optimal humidity until seedlings emerge - that is, ventilate the mini-greenhouse daily, removing the glass or film for a short time (about 20 minutes). In this case, you need to wipe the covering material with a rag to remove condensation and avoid excessive moisture.
Immediately after the first shoots appear, you need to remove the lid or glass ; they will no longer be useful.
Full lighting is extremely important for young plants. As soon as the seedlings appear, it is necessary to move the crops to a windowsill well lit by the sun (preferably southern or southwestern). The optimal length of daylight is at least 12 hours, so if necessary, you need to add additional lighting with lamps.

Don't forget about regular watering , which young plants so need. Before emergence, you need to spray the soil with a spray bottle. After the shoots appear, you can water from a small watering can or other vessel, but do it carefully; when watering, the water should not get on the plant! You need to water as the soil dries out (approximately once every three to five days), and clean, settled water at room temperature should be used! And remember that you should not allow the soil to dry out or become waterlogged (there is a risk of blackleg).
Fertilizers are very useful . For example, you can use fertilizer “Fertika”, “Agricola”. It is recommended to feed the seedlings only twice: the first time - two weeks after picking, and the second time seven days after the first feeding.

How and when to plant salvia seedlings

Picking seedlings is the process of transplanting seedlings from a common container or small individual containers into larger individual containers with a new soil mixture.

The optimal timing for picking seedlings is determined by the appearance of the plant - it should form two true leaves . As a rule, this moment occurs 1.5 months after planting the seeds.

It is recommended to plant salvia seedlings according to the following scheme:

Pre-prepare planting plastic or peat cups (depth about 15-20 centimeters, diameter about 10 centimeters) and soil (use the same soil as for sowing seeds).
Fill new containers with soil and make a small depression in the middle.
Water the salvia seedlings thoroughly and allow the water to soak in.
Now you should carefully remove the seedling from the soil; this is best done with a plastic spoon or small spatula. Weak and frail seedlings need to be discarded; they should not be transplanted to a new place.
Plant the seedling in a hole in a new container up to the cotyledon leaves.
Carefully water the plant in its new location.

If necessary, picking, for example, the new container turned out to be too small for the plant, should be repeated at the moment when the plant is in the phase of 4 true leaves.

Care after picking

Features of caring for salvia seedlings after picking are that the plants need to be shaded and protected from direct sunlight for three days . You can cover the window with newspaper or some other material.

After picking, it is necessary to ensure a temperature of 18-20°C . At the same time, the temperature should not be allowed to be higher.

Watering is also carried out as the soil surface dries, approximately once or twice a week. The plant should not be overwatered, as it does not like excess moisture.

It is recommended to pinch the top ; manipulation will help make the plant lush, but flowering will begin with a delay of about 7-14 days. You can pinch at the moment when three pairs of true leaves are formed.

If necessary, after picking, you need to add soil so that the plants are immersed in the ground up to the cotyledon leaves.

Sage and salvia - what's the difference?

Salvia also has another name - sage. The same medicinal sage, the tincture of which we are used to gargling with, and the beautifully flowering bush are two types of the same plant. In Europe, all types of salvia (Latin salvus - “to be healthy”) are called sage; in our country, a division is accepted: ornamental bushes used in landscape design are called salvia. A spicy medicinal plant used in medicine is called sage.

But ornamental plants can also be different: some varieties live only for a season, others are planted before winter and enjoy the lush colors in the summer, while others in warm climates are able to grow and please the eye for several years. By nature, all salvia flowers are perennials, but they are not able to withstand severe frosts and often freeze in winters with little snow, so most often the flower is grown as an annual or biennial. All types of salvia flowers can be divided into three groups:

American - heat-loving plant varieties are usually annuals and grow only in warm climates.

Mediterranean - varieties of medium winter hardiness. The bushes of the plant can survive not very harsh winters, but during snowless and light snowy winters they often die.

Winter-hardy varieties - they are grown in temperate climates. A large group includes biennial varieties that are unpretentious in choosing a planting site and require little shelter for the winter.

There are a lot of varieties of salvia - more than 900. For decorative purposes, two types are most often used for landscape design:

shiny;
sparkling.

The plant reaches a height of 25-80 centimeters and has different color options. For two-year cultivation, salvia flowers are planted as seedlings in the fall, and they are covered for the winter.

Annuals have a short lifespan, so salvia is often grown as seedlings, taking care of its planting in early spring. So, with the end of spring frosts, seedlings can be planted in flower beds and garden beds.

How and when to plant seedlings in open ground

Probably, many gardeners have a burning question - when can they plant seedlings in open ground? You can plant it in a permanent place at the beginning of summer, but you must be absolutely sure that there will be no more cold snaps at night.

When choosing a place to plant salvia, keep in mind that it prefers loose, light and fertile soil . It is also worth planting decorative sage in a sunny place , although the plant can be grown normally in partial shade.

When planting seedlings in a flowerbed, it is necessary to maintain the optimal distance between plants - 20-30 centimeters.

Advice! If the soil in your garden is clay or loamy, then it is recommended to fertilize the intended place for planting seedlings with lowland peat (about three buckets per flower bed). It is recommended to add humus to heavy soil.

Caring for salvia in open ground is not at all difficult. After planting, it needs to be watered approximately once every ten days. During the flowering period, the frequency of watering must be reduced. It is recommended to promptly remove weeds, loosen the flowerbed after watering, and apply complex mineral fertilizer during the formation of buds.

Plant pests and diseases

Salvia is not affected by fungal diseases. Therefore, you will only have to fight the insects that have colonized the plant. Pests include whiteflies and thrips. Therefore, salvia plantings should be kept away from vegetables, since the whitefly will subsequently settle on them. In addition, sage can be colonized by aphids and spider mites. The decorative quality of plants suffers. Therefore, strong preparations are used, which are best not used on vegetables during the fruiting period.

Snails and slugs love to feed on the tender foliage of salvia. If they are present in the garden, then it will be beneficial not only for the flowers to catch them. The classic method of bark and slate traps placed under bushes will help. But even the neighbor’s shellfish can crawl into containers with beer and fermented fruit juice.