Tips for growing nasturtium (how to care for and grow nasturtium)

Basic growth habits of nasturtium

Nasturtium is both an ornamental plant and an edible Chinese herbal medicine. It is rumored to have the effect of clearing away heat and detoxifying. It has a wide variety of varieties, with flowers mainly in red, orange, yellow and spots. The flowers are small and delicate with a fragrance.

Nasturtium prefers a warm, humid and sunny environment. It is not drought-tolerant and should not be overexposed in the summer. The winter temperature needs to be kept above 10°C. In northern regions, it needs to be brought indoors for the winter before the frost and placed on a windowsill with scattered sunlight for maintenance.

How to care for nasturtium:

1. Planting time

Potted nasturtiums are generally available from March to June. If you purchase seeds, you need to choose the appropriate time period for sowing based on your regional environment and ornamental needs.

The best temperature for sowing and seedling raising is 15-25℃, and the cultivation medium should be loose, fertile and well-ventilated.

2. Fertilization

Whether it is a potted nasturtium or one that is propagated by sowing, it is not advisable to apply too much nitrogen fertilizer during the seedling stage, so as to avoid the plant growing leaves wildly without blooming.

For seed-propagated seedlings, when the plant height reaches about 15 cm, it can be appropriately pinched to break the apical dominance and promote branching.

   If the height of the potted nasturtium you purchased directly exceeds 30 cm and the initial flowers have not yet appeared, in addition to increasing the light and applying phosphorus and potassium fertilizers, you can also consider using paclobutrazol to dwarf it.

3. Ventilation environment

Nasturtium is a semi-climbing flower. When the plant height reaches about 20 cm, a support frame can be installed or a hanging pot can be used to create a height difference to allow it to grow in a hanging pot.

After the nasturtium blooms out of the pot, its leaves become lush and it is necessary to clean up the dead leaves from time to time and trim the remaining flowers appropriately to maintain good ventilation.

Moreover, it has a certain phototropism. During daily care, you can consciously rotate the direction of the flowerpot to help avoid skewed growth and maintain a good plant shape.

4. Reasonable watering

Although the name of nasturtium contains the word "drought", it is actually not drought-resistant, especially in summer. Otherwise, the leaves will easily wilt, and it is also not resistant to exposure to the sun.

In addition to keeping the potting soil slightly moist in summer, it is more suitable to place it in a cool and ventilated place for maintenance. In other seasons, it can be kept in full sunlight to prevent excessive growth.