- Favor or sow directly
- Sow the seeds - this is important to remember
- Prick out the young plants and plant them out
Summer asters are not perennial, but only annual and therefore have to be sown anew every year. There are many mistakes that can be made. Read below how to do it correctly!
Summer asters can be sown indoors as early as the end of February
Favor or sow directly
Since the summer aster is not hardy, it should only be sown outdoors after the ice saints, around mid/end of May. If you have a greenhouse or cold frame, you can sow them there as early as April. A preculture at home is possible from the end of February/beginning of March.
Sow the seeds - this is important to remember
The elongated, smooth and greyish to brownish colored seeds of the summer aster are sown either in pots or in beds. How to start pre-culture in pots:
- Fill pots with nutrient-poor seed soil
- Sow 2 to 3 seeds per pot
- Sow seeds 5 to 10mm deep
- moisten and keep moderately moist
- put in a bright place
If you sow the seeds in the bed, you should put 2 grains per planting hole. They come a maximum of 1 cm deep into the ground. If necessary, you can also carefully rake them into the ground. Irrigation is essential at first.
germination temperature and germination time
If the temperature is between 18 and 21 °C, the seeds germinate quickly. The first leaves can be seen within 2 weeks. If the temperatures are lower - between 10 and 15 °C - it will take longer to germinate, but you will get stronger plants.
Prick out the young plants and plant them out
As soon as the first 4 leaves have formed, it is time to prick out the young plants - if necessary. They are separated at a distance of 25 cm. With a pre-culture, plant the young plants outside from mid-May.
A sunny and airy location would be ideal for the summer asters. They bloom there from July. In addition, the soil should be highly permeable, rich in nutrients and have a neutral to slightly alkaline pH value in order to achieve fast and healthy growth.
tips
Since summer asters are prone to fungal diseases, you should use fresh seed soil for sowing and, if necessary, sterilize it beforehand.