Planting Cosmea properly
Plant your own or pre-purchased decorative baskets in the bed in May at the earliest, when belated ground frosts are no longer to be expected. Choose a sunny, warm and sheltered location. Support options should be available for majestic varieties with a height of up to 200 cm. How to plant Cosmea perfectly:
- Dig small pits at a distance of 35-40 cm in the loose, humus-rich soil
- Place a potted jewelry basket in the middle of each
- Fill up with unfertilized substrate to just below the first leaves
- Do not press the soil too hard with your hands and water
also read
- How to plant the jewelry basket correctly - the best tips and tricks
- When does the Cosmea bloom?
- Is the Cosmea Poisonous?
Cosmea bipinnata do not develop their full flower potential in heavily pre-fertilized soil. The modest demands on the nutrient supply are covered by a thin layer of compost, which is then spread over the root disc.
Care tips
The decorative basket unfolds its picturesque floral flowers tirelessly when it is given this care program:
- Water regularly and generously in the first days and weeks
- In the further course of the process, do not water Cosmea until the soil has dried well
- Spread a mulch layer of compost in the bed and fertilize liquid fertilizer in the pot every 3-4 weeks
- Cut off the withered flower stems to the next bud
In September, leave the wilted flowers on your ornamental basket until the seeds are ripe. In this way, the annual flowers independently care for the next generation. Before the first frost, cut the plant close to the ground in order to leave the roots in the ground as a foodstuff for earthworms and colleagues.
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Which location is suitable?
The decorative basket presents itself as the floral embodiment of a sun worshiper. Therefore assign the flower a sunny, warm and sheltered location. A loose, humus-rich and well-drained soil offers Cosmea bipinnata ideal framework conditions.
What soil does the plant need?
The jewelry basket makes modest demands on the soil. The soil should be well drained, humus and not too rich in nutrients. A first-class drainage is particularly relevant, because the summer flower does not like waterlogging. Where the soil does not meet the ideal conditions, soil additives provide compensation. Too dense, loamy soil is loosened up with sand, fine grit or leafy soil. Sandy-dry earth immediately takes on a more stable consistency after adding bark humus or compost.
What is the best time to plant?
Since decorative baskets cannot stand the cold, the planting time for early flowers begins in early / mid-May. As long as late ground frost is to be expected, the plants should not be placed in the bed. So that vigorous young plants start the season with a vital growth advantage, we recommend cultivation by sowing from mid-March.
When is the flowering time?
In a sunny, warm location, the decorative basket keeps its floral promise and blooms tirelessly from May to October. Specimens sown directly in the bed start their flower festival in July. In beautiful white, pink-red and yellow color nuances, the single or double cupped flowers shine in competition with the sun. However, the flower festival will not succeed without your help. Cut off wilted flowers consistently and promptly, create space for continuous re-flowering.
Cut Cosmea properly
Lush flowering decorative baskets are ideal as cut flowers. Cut the prettiest stems in the morning when the flowers have just opened. Regularly trim off withered flower stems to just above the next bud. This careful measure is rewarded with a continuous flow of flowers and a well-groomed appearance. Do not wait until the seeds start to form, as this process costs the annual Cosmea unnecessarily much effort. If self-sowing is desired, leave the flowers on the plant from September until the first frost. Only then do you cut off the above-ground parts of the plant close to the ground. Ideally, the delicate roots remain in the ground as food for busy soil organisms.
Pour Cosmea
The jewelry basket can cope with short-term drought without permanent damage. However, this stress should be the exception. With a regular supply of water, you significantly support the vitality and flowering ability of Cosmea. If the soil dries on the surface 1-2 cm deep, it is watered. Avoid sprinkling the delicate cupped flowers and filigree foliage overhead. Instead, apply normal tap water directly to the root disc in the early morning or in the evening
Fertilize Cosmea properly
With regard to the supply of nutrients, the jewelry basket proves to be an ascetic. His desire for a rather poor soil already indicates that the application of fertilizer rarely comes into focus. In the bed, a thin layer of compost mulch covers the nutrient requirements. If Cosmea thrives in the tub or balcony box, apply a liquid fertilizer for flowering plants every 3-4 weeks from May to September.
Pests
As if voracious nudibranchs envied us the culinary enjoyment of the edible Cosmea flowers, the pests of the flower constantly attack. Therefore, keep an eye on the threat as part of the planting. Ideally, you should plant individual young plants with a snail collar. Small and large groups of jewelry baskets are protected by a snail fence. Moving barriers made of sharp materials such as chippings or shards of pottery have also proven to keep the insatiable snails away. Sprinkle a ring of coffee grounds or ground coffee around the summer flowers because caffeine is toxic to the pests. If the infestation pressure is high, set up crack traps with slug pellets. These specially designed traps preventthat the harmless shell snails do not fall victim to the poison. The ultimate slug killer is as effective as it is cute. If you have Indian runner ducks in your garden, you no longer have to worry about bald ornamental baskets and other ornamental plants.
Overwinter
Native to the tropical and warm regions of the world such as Mexico, Guatemala or Costa Rica, Cosmos bipinnatus are not frost-resistant. If the temperatures fall below 12-15 degrees Celsius in autumn, the summer blooms will inevitably come to an end. So that the garden doesn't have to do without the decorative decorative baskets next year, leave the withered flowers on the plant for self-sowing from September. You can choose to collect the dark seed pods, store them in a dry container and, from March onwards, bring in the next Cosmea generation behind glass.
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Propagate Cosmea
In autumn, wait for the seed pods to turn dark when ripe. Snap off the Achaeans with your fingers to dry them in the airy place for a few days. Keep the seeds in the airtight, dark screw-top jar in the cool cellar until next spring. This is how propagation succeeds by sowing on the windowsill:
- In the beginning / middle of March, fill a seed tray with peat sand or commercially available seed compost
- Mix the tiny seeds with bird sand and sow thinly
- Sieve the seeds 1-2 cm high with substrate or vermiculite and press on
- Moisten with a fine shower head, put a plastic bag over it and place it on the partially shaded windowsill
- At a warm 18-20 degrees Celsius, do not let the substrate dry out and ventilate the hood daily
As soon as the first germ layers sprout, the plastic cover has done its job and is removed. Then select the strongest seedlings with at least 2 pairs of leaves to prick out in individual pots. Keep the soil slightly moist and do not apply fertilizer. By the middle of May, your pupils have developed into sturdy decorative baskets that can be used in beds or pots.
Cosmea in a pot
In the pot and flower box (€ 13.18 at Amazon *), decorative baskets transform the balcony and terrace into a colorful summer fairy tale. In order for the Cosmea permanent bloomers to last from May to October, choose a high-quality potting soil with a low proportion of peat. The addition of sand, lava granulate (€ 10.95 at Amazon *) or expanded clay (€ 17.50 at Amazon *) prevents waterlogging, as does a pottery shard over the water drain. How to care for the annual flower in the planter with expertise:
- If the surface of the substrate dries, it is poured moderately
- Pour the coaster after 10 minutes at the latest
- Apply liquid fertilizer to the pre-fertilized substrate from July to September every 3-4 weeks
Cut off dead flowers regularly to make room for re-flowering. If the annual summer flowers have lost their beauty in late autumn, the plant parts can be disposed of on the compost.
Is Cosmea Poisonous?
The jewelry basket is not poisonous. Plant the opulent composites in your family garden without hesitation. The pretty bowl blossoms are not only a feast for the eyes, they are also ideal for use in creative kitchens. As an edible decoration, the Cosmea flowers give hot and cold dishes a special kick.
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Nice varieties
- Daydream: Enchanting play of colors in delicate white-pink nuances from June to September; Growth height 100-120 cm
- Pink Popsocks: Neat jewelery basket with pink pompom flowers; Growth height 60-70 cm
- Gazebo: The colorful Cosmea sets itself in scene with dark red flowers, decorated with a yellow throat; Growth height 75 cm
- Double Click: Premium variety with lush, double flowers in white, red and pink; ideal for the vase; Growth height up to 120 cm
- Sonata White: scores with early flowering, compact, steadfast growth and pure white flowers; Height 50-60 cm
- Candy Stripes: The permanent bloomer inspires with white, red-bordered flowers; Height 90-100 cm
- Discount gold: wonderful yellow-orange mixture for the brightly colored flowerbed; Height 50-60 cm
