When you plant wildflower seeds in the spring, you may not be able to distinguish between the wildflowers and the weed that grow up along with them. When you first start to plant wildflower seeds, the first sprouts will look very similarly to one another. Due to this similarity, gardeners may end up in a situation in which they have pulled up the wildflower that they had intended to grow.
In order to avoid this scenario, gardeners must learn to identify the different seedlings that can emerge from wildflower seeds. The first leaf that will emerge from the wildflower seedling are called cotyledons. The cotyledons will be similar between the different species of wildflower.
How to Tell Wildflower Seedlings from Weeds
Cotyledons serve as a means of providing food for the emerging wildflower seedling. The cotyledons will appear smoothly in shape and they will be generic-looking leaves. Due to the fact that the cotyledon is similar between the various type of wildflower seeds, it is not a means of identifying the type of wildflower that is growing.
However, the shape of the cotyledon can vary between species, with some species having narrow cotyledons while others have broad cotyledons. The true leaves that emerge from the wildflower seedling after the cotyledon have performed their function can help to identify the type of wildflower. The true leaves will match the shape of the mature wildflower plants.
For instance, wildflower seeds like cosmos will have fine and threadlike true leaves, while poppies will have deeply lobed and blue green true leaves. Sunflower seedlings will have true leaves that feel rough to the touch and have serrated edges, while lupines will have true leaves that resemble spread fingers. These true leaves will emerge after the seedling’s cotyledon phase.
Gardeners should wait for the true leaves to grow before beginning to weed the garden area. Some weeds will grow up alongside the wildflowers, as well. Some of these weed may be difficult to distinguish from the wildflowers.
For instance, chickweed has tiny notched heart shaped leaves, while dandelions have jagged leaves that grow close to the ground. However, by comparing the leaves of the young seedlings to those of the weeds, the weeds can be distinguished from the wildflower seedlings. Additionally, many gardeners may make the mistake of weeding their garden plot too early.
Therefore, it is better for them to allow the wildflower seedlings to grow until the true leaves has emerged, as these can aid in the identification of the various types of wildflower. The growth of wildflowers follow a specific growth rhythm. The growth rhythm begins when the wildflower seed cracks open and a root start to grow into the soil.
The growth rhythm begins with the development of cotyledon leaves and continues to the development of true leaves to the establishment of the vegetative growth stage of the wildflower. Most wildflower species will establish their first true leaves in the range of 14 to 21 days after being sown into the soil, at which point they will begin to exhibit vegetative growth. However, the rate at which these stages are reached may vary between species of wildflowers.
For instance, poppies will grow relatively quickly if they are planted into dry soil, while species like lupines will exhibit slower rate of growth if their deep roots have not been pre-treated with specific chemical to ensure that the lupine roots can penetrate the soil more easily. Additionally, the soil temperature can also impact the growth of these young wildflower plants; warmer soil temperatures between 65 and 75 degrees Fahrenheit will encourage the wildflower seeds to germinate and grow at a faster rate, while cold soil temperatures will slow their growth. In order to ensure that the wildflower seeds successfully germinate and grow into young seedlings, certain technique should be used when sowing the wildflower seeds.
Proper sowing techniques ensure the wildflower seeds have the best chance of germinating, sprouting, and growing into mature plants. For instance, the depth to which the wildflower seeds are sown into the soil should be only a minimal amount of soil, between 1/8 and 1/4 inch in thickness. Additionally, wildflower species that contain taproots, like poppies and larkspur, should be planted directly into the ground after the spring frost period.
If these plants are transplanted while they are young seedlings, their deep taproots may get snapped. Additionally, the wildflower seeds should be spaced 6 to 24 inches apart from one another, depending upon the size of the mature wildflower plants. Finally, thinned seedling should be snipped to ensure that each planted area contains enough room for each emerged seedling to develop without competing with others for the same amount of growing area.
Beyond these proper sowing techniques, there are various potential trouble that could affect the growth of wildflower seedlings. Monitoring the seedlings will allow the caretaker to treat these issue early. For instance, damping off is a problem that occurs when the wildflower seedling stems topple over due to the soil containing too much water.
Additionally, leggy seedlings are another problem, which indicate that the young wildflower plants are exposed to too little bright light; exposing them to brighter lights or lamps will reverse the effect of this problem. Additionally, if there are no sprouts emerging from the wildflower seeds, it is likely that the seeds need to be checked for their ability to germinate, or that they need to undergo a stratification period prior to sowing them into the soil. Finally, young wildflower seedlings should be thinned to ensure that only one strong plant emerges in each area of the garden; young seedlings that are started indoors may also need to be hardened off over the course of one week prior to being transplanted into the ground outside of the greenhouse or home.