Annie's Annuals: Classification & Cultivation

Ornamental gardening is a gift of horticulture science. Its importance for mankind is well known. Pure air is the life of humans and all living beings found on earth, plants found in the plant kingdom are the basis for pure air. It is a bitter truth that flowers lead to mental development and awaken the sense of beauty in humans. Apart from this, the knowledge of "Satyam Shivam Sundaram" is also gained. In today's busy life, mental peace can be achieved by growing different types of flowers in a flower garden. These plants can be easily grown in flower beds, pots, verandahs, baskets and windows, because their roots go to a lesser depth.

"Annual or seasonal flowering plants are those that complete their life cycle in one year or one season." Most of these plants complete their entire life in just 3 to 6 months.

Seasonal flowers have their own distinct characteristics. Flowers blooming in every season are required in the garden. Usually, the beauty and decoration of gardening is maintained by seasonal flowers. Seasonal flowering plants can be grown at low cost and with less labor. Their actual flowering time is only a few weeks. Another characteristic of these is that flowers bloom at the same time in plants of one type of flower, whose collective effect looks very pleasing. Seasonal flowers attract not only humans but also honey bees, insects, butterflies and bumblebees. Seasonal flowers are also grown in homes for home decoration, the trend of which is gradually increasing. There are some seasonal flowers which keep blooming for a longer time.

Objective - Seasonal plants are grown to fulfill various purposes, which are mentioned below -

Annie's Annuals & Perennials

1. For planting in beds - They are grown collectively in beds, so that they can present a very beautiful scenery. Sometimes they are also grown for sale in the market or for seed production. Mainly the following plants are grown -

Aster

Barbena

Phlox

Nasturtium

Salvia

Sweet William

Zinnia

2. For growing in pots - The following plants are grown in pots-

Aster

Pansy

Zinnia

Nastersium

Cock's Comb

Phlox

Nemasia

Candytuft

Stock

Tagetes

Carnation

Verbena

Petunia

Brachycom

Portulaca

Calendula

Antirrhinum

3. For planting in rock gardens - The following plants are grown for planting in rock gardens-

Ageratum

Dimorphothica

Lineria

Nustersium

Iberium

Dianthus

Sweet allysum

Godetia

Verbena

Zinnia

Portulaca

4. Plants for planting on the sides of roads or paths, to surround the strips, beds-

Ageratum

Dwarf Marigoed

Candytuft

Sweet allysum

Dahlia

Cock's comb

Torenia

Phlox

Brachycom

Nemesia

Sun flower

Petunia

5. Plants for hanging baskets-

Sweet allysum

Petunia

Portulaca

Lobelia

Verbena

Nastersium

Torentia

Grasilis

6. Plants for covering trellis and climbing pillars-

Sweet pea

Morning glory

Cobia scandens

Long Nasturtium

Meenalobata

7. Plants for beauty through leaves-

Amaranthus

Cock's comb

Verbena

Kochia

8. Plants to be planted in the empty spaces of the shrub belt-

Sunflower

Tall amaranthus

Lark spur

Hollyhock

Nicotiana

Cosmos

9. Plants to plant as fence-

Hollyhock

Lark spur

Nicotiana

Chrysanthemum

Sweet Pea

Tall Amaranthus

Cosmos

Dahlia

Sun flower

Tagetes

Spider

10. Plants for fragrance-

Sweet Pea

Wall flower

Nicotiana

Petunia

Verbena

Sweet Sultan

Phlox

Nasturtium

Stock

Mignoneta

11. Ground cover plants-

Sweet allysum

Portulaca

Verbena

Pansy

12. Plants for dried cut flowers-

Aster

Dahlia

Corn flower

Helichrysum

Stock

Sweet william

Carnation

Sweet Pea

Acroclinum

Arctotis

Sweet Sultan

Annie's Annuals

Classification of Annuals

Annual plants are classified into the following three categories according to their flowering time:

1. Rainy Season Annuals – The seeds of these plants are sown in the nursery in April-May and their seedlings are planted in beds or pots in June-July. These plants have the ability to tolerate heavy rainfall and flowers bloom on them in the rainy season.

2. Winter Season Annuals – The seeds of these plants are sown in the nursery in August-September. The prepared plants are planted in pots or beds in the last week of October. Flowers bloom on them from January to March.

3. Summer Season Annuals – The seeds of these plants are sown in the nursery in December-January. The prepared plants are planted in beds or pots in February-March. Flowers bloom on them from April to June.

For detailed information about the above three types of seasonal flowers, please see the table.

Cultivation of Annuals

Nursery – Their seeds are very small, which are sown in the nursery and after taking property care of them the plants are prepared.

Selection of land and its preparation - Selection of land for growing annual plants is a very important task. For this, it is best to select such land which has sufficient amount of organic matter, has proper facilities of irrigation and drainage and sandy loam land is considered the best. There should not be a hard layer under the land otherwise it will have an adverse effect on the proper development and growth of the plants, due to which the size of flowers, yield etc. will be adversely affected. Beds should be made at such a place where sunlight can reach well and remains for a longer time.

After selecting the land for the nursery, dig that land to a depth of about 30 cm and remove the remains of the previous crop, pebbles, stones etc. from it. At this time, spread 25-30 quintals of cow dung or compost manure on the soil in 1000 square meter area and mix it well. Raised beds should be made about 15 cm above the ground, so that rain or excess irrigation water does not stagnate in them. The size of the beds can be kept 3.2x0.6 meters. A 30 cm wide drain is kept between two drains. In the rainy season, the nursery has to be taken care of more than in other seasons.

Sowing seeds - We have already given information about when to sow seeds in the nursery under the heading of classification. Level the beds. Make deep rows at a distance of 15 cm in these beds and sow seeds at a distance of 1 cm in them. After sowing the seeds, cover them with a light layer of soil. Water should be given from the sprinkler in the morning and evening.

Apart from beds, seeds are also sown in pots, wooden boxes, earthen pots, which are of different sizes and types. Seeds are sown in these after filling them with a mixture of soil and manure. Then they should be watered like the seeds sown in beds.

If the plants grown in beds and pots are attacked by any kind of insects, then in that case 0.2 percent insecticide called Thiodan should be sprayed on the leaves. When the plants become about 15 cm tall, then they should be considered suitable for transplanting.

The seeds of some plants like Zinnia, Cosmos, Marigold etc. are sown directly in strips or beds. After sowing the seeds in the beds, they should be covered with a layer of sieved manure or sand mixture and pressed by hand, then dry grass or leaves should be spread on those beds so that the moisture is protected and the seeds do not get spoiled. When the seeds germinate, the dense plants should be uprooted and thinned out so that other plants can grow well. Take adequate care of irrigation, weeding and plant protection of these plants.

Annie's Annuals and Perennials

Transplantation - When the plants are ready in the nursery, then they are planted in beds, pots etc. They should be planted in the beds at a prescribed distance, which we have mentioned in Table 1. If these plants are being used for Herbaceous Border, then in that case dwarf plants should be planted first, then medium height plants and finally the tallest plants. Irrigation should be done immediately after planting the plants, so that the plants can get established well. The distance between planting the plants is shown in the following table-

Plant variety	Height (meters)	Planting spacing (meters)
Tall Plants	0.75 or more	0.45-0.50
Medium Plants	0.30-0.75	0.35-0.45
Small Plants	Less than 0.30	0.15-0.30

After Care - One should not be satisfied with preparing saplings of one-year old plants and planting them, rather their care after planting is a very important and necessary task, by paying attention to which beautiful flowers of desired size and shape can be obtained. Detailed information about care is given below-

Irrigation - It is necessary to irrigate one-year old plants at the right time. If they are not watered on time, their proper growth is not possible. Generally, their irrigation depends on the type of land, climate and the plants being grown. Sandy land requires more irrigation than loamy land. Generally, irrigation is not required during rainy season. If there is no rain for a long time, then in that situation, irrigation should be done as per requirement. Autumn seasonal flowers require more irrigation than summer flowers. In summer season, watering is required at an interval of 4-5 days, whereas in autumn season, it is required at an interval of 8-10 days.

Weed control - Various types of weeds grow along with annual plants, which keep taking moisture and nutrients from the soil, which adversely affects both the development and growth of the plants. Therefore, to prevent them, it becomes necessary to keep removing the weeds with the help of a hoe. While weeding, keep in mind that the hoe should not be used too deep, otherwise there is a risk of cutting the roots.

Manure and fertilizers - For proper growth of plants, it is necessary to give adequate amount of nutrients to the plants. The appropriate amount of nutrients depends on the soil, climate and type of plants. A mixture of the following fertilizers is suitable -

Urea - 100 kg

Single super phosphate - 200 kg

Muriate of potash - 75 kg

Annie's Annuals Owner

Generally, 10 kg of the above fertilizers should be mixed well in the soil at the rate of 1000 square meters. Before applying the fertilizers, it must be kept in mind that there should be sufficient moisture in the soil.

Liquid fertilizer - Tests show that liquid fertilizer plays an important role in the proper growth of plants and production of high quality flowers. If a mixture of cow dung manure and water is mixed with a small amount of nitrogenous fertilizer (ammonium sulphate) then it gives good results. Liquid fertilizer should be given 2-3 times at an interval of one week.

Plant protection measures - Annual plants are attacked by many types of insects and diseases, which adversely affects the proper growth and flower production of the plants. Therefore, it is essential to adopt proper plant protection measures for their proper and timely prevention.

Diseases- Many diseases attack annual plants, of which fungus, canker, leaf spot disease, viral disease are the main ones, which harm the plants at various stages. For their prevention, use lime, sulphur mixture, Dithane M-45 etc.

Insects- Many types of insects attack annual plants, which include weevil, saw fly, white grub, beetle, moth, caterpillars. For their prevention, DDT, Paris green, tobacco decoction etc. can be used.

Flower Diseases And Their Diagnosis

Diseases - Damping off, Top rot, Flower blight, Stem / Foot / Collar rot, Dry rot, Charcoal rot, Powdery mildew, Downy mildew rust, Core rot, Corm / Scale rhizome / Rhizome tuber rot, Top decay, Twig blight, Leaf spot / Spot/Gall, Blight, Canker, Scab, Wilt and Root rot.

Pathogens - Sclerotium Rhizoctonia & Phytophthora, Rhizopus, Choneophora phytophthora, Sclerotinia, Pythium phytophthora, Phoma, Sclerotium, Sphaerudica, Erysiphe idium, Laveillula, Pseudopernospora, Pernospora, Puccinia, Urosypsis Coleosporius, Batrytis, Aspergillus, Rhizopus Furaegium, Collitotrichum, Phomapsis, Coniathyrum, Diplodia, Hendersinula, Alternaria, Septoria Cercospora, Diplocarpon, Colletotrichum.

Hosts - Flowers Pea, Taraka, Carnation, Chrysanthemum, Salvia, Gulmehdi, Kelly, Cosmos, Kochia and other annual plants, Sunflower, Dahlia, Hibiscus, Candytuft, Coleus, Marigold, Phlox, Larkspur. Verbena, Rose, Hollyhock, Harsingar, Jasmine, Zinnia, Poppy, Hop, Iris, Jasmine, Snapdragon, Justicia, Gladiolus, Narcissus, Tulip, Daffodil. Ipomea Magnolia, Ixora, Clerodendron, Croton, Bougainvillea, Cornflower, Cassia, Azalea, Pansy, Petunia.

Treatment - Plant the plants far apart. Do not give excess water to the plants. Treat the soil with a solution of Formalin. Treat the seeds with Agrosan GN before sowing. Spray the solution of Dithane M-45. Spray dithiocarbamate. Spray a solution of Karathane or Benlate. Sprinkle sulphur powder. Soak for some time in 1% solution of Areofunzin. Always cut and burn the diseased branches. Apply fungicide paste on the cut parts. Spray captan or difolate. Treat the soil with a solution of formalin before planting the saplings. Grow resistant varieties.

Seed Collection of Annuals - Collecting seeds from flowers of annual plants is a technical work, which requires many precautions. While selecting flowers for seeds, it is very important to keep the following things in mind -