May is the right time in central Russia to sow cornflower seeds in open ground. These are unpretentious plants, sowing does not take much time, the flowers themselves do not require special care, but they are always pleasing to the eye.
Sowing preparation
Select a sunny location for sowing. Loosen the soil and lightly moisten. If the soil is sandy, per 1 sq. m flower beds, add 1–2 kg of humus, 50–100 g of wood ash and 1 tablespoon of nitroammophoska.
Throw the seeds into the ground, sprinkle with soil 0.5-1 cm and water again. You can cover the bed with foil or spunbond to keep the soil moist. This will speed up the process of seed germination, writes Country House portal.
plant care
Shoots will appear in 7-14 days. They will need to be thinned out in a couple of weeks. Leave a distance of 10–20 cm between plants.
Cornflowers are drought tolerant and do not like waterlogging. Weeding and loosening are necessary only at the initial stage. Tall plants can be tied with a rope so that they do not die from rain and wind.
Cornflowers also need top dressing before flowering or at its very beginning. Use complex mineral fertilizers (nitroammophoska) or organic (chicken manure or mullein).
