Many amateurs, growing annual asters, have come across this fact. Instead of terry plants depicted on the seed bag, semi-double and sometimes simple chamomile-like asters grew. Why don't the asters match the bag?
What you need to know about annual aster seeds?
Seed production is a very expensive and time consuming process. The stronger the doubleness of the inflorescences, the lower the productivity of the cultivated variety and the higher the cost of seeds. This means that a bag of double asters cannot be cheap. A large number of seeds cannot lie in it, and packaging of 0.5-1 g should be alarming when buying varieties with densely double inflorescences.
It happens that unscrupulous business sellers engage in forgery, give out semi-double varieties, sometimes even similar in color, for double or thick double aster varieties. Sometimes the seeds are mixed with cheaper, degenerating varieties.
What are annual asters?
Asters can be simple, semi-double, double and double-double. In terry asters, during flowering, the yellow disc is covered with reed petals, the inflorescence has a loose airy appearance. When such varieties wither, the tubular flowers become visible. Dense double asters, even at the time of complete dissolution, have a dense basket, their tubular flowers are not visible.
What factors reduce the degree of terry aster?
- Planting overgrown seedlings, late sowing seeds in the ground.
- Very dense soil, no loosening.
- Lack of water, especially during the period of growth and set of buds.
- Lack of balanced nutrition, excess nitrogen fertilization.
- Weeds.
- Diseases.
What determines the degree of doubleness of the inflorescences of an annual aster?
Growing plants in unfavorable conditions can reduce the degree of terry in the plants by one notch. So from terry asters, semi-double asters can grow, and not simple, like chamomile. Of the densely doubled varieties - terry, but not chamomile. If this happened, then these are not errors of cultivation agrotechnics, but a discrepancy between the varietal qualities of the seeds.
The size and color does not match the image on the bag.
Low agricultural technology, weather conditions, diseases, pests affect the size, number and diameter of inflorescences. Only by providing proper care, from germination to flowering, the variety will fully show all its best qualities.
The discrepancy between the color shade and the image on the aster package is explained by the following. Firms use a publicity stunt and make the bags more saturated in color than they actually are.
