Verbena is a great choice for your balcony

Verbena is a flower that loves the sun and it is available in many different colors. It blooms from summer to autumn (until October, depending on the weather) and this makes it a great plant for your balcony. There are several local names for this plant, but the name verbena prevails). It has a very special and beautiful aroma. Let us tell you what you need to know to grow verbena successfully.

Moisture and nutrients are very important

First, you should choose a spot which gets sunshine all day long. You have to pay attention to two things the plant needs: proper moisture and nutrients. A great idea is to plant verbena in a self-watering flowerpot or box, to make sure that the plant has enough moisture all the time. However, as with all technology you should check the self-watering box regularly. You may start fertilizing as early as two weeks after planting. Use fertilizer for balcony flowers and fertilize every week.

Pinching supports growth

If you want to have rich plant and inflorescence after planting, pinch off half of its shoots on each plant. When the plant branches out, pinch off the remaining shoots as well. You don’t have to remove faded flowers – the plant can handle them even though they will not fall off by themselves. The good thing is that faded flowers don’t ruin the beauty of the plant because the plan has usually many leaves that cover them.

Photo: Pixabay

Powdery mildew: the most common problem of verbena

Powdery mildew is a disease that manifests itself by turning the lower part of leaves, brown, by drying and by creating bare stems. Verbena is very susceptible to this disease. In Europe we use a chemical called Previcur S07SL to treat the soil during planting. Later you can use regular chemicals against this disease in a spray bottle for example .

Growing – from seeds and cuttings

Verbena can be grown from seed but it is much easier to grow it from cuttings. Split shoots with a length of 15 centimeters and remove the lower leaves (we leave 6 to 8 leaves on one cutting), and put them in water. When the cutting shows roots, plant them in a substrate made of perlite, sand and peat. Verbena may also be propagated by layering. Cover the center of a new shoot with soil and after eight weeks you can separate the shoot with roots and plant it separately. If you grow from seeds, you should plant in early spring.

Preview photo: Pixabay