Growing Instructions: Cosmos

10 Jan

cosmos

Cosmos are excellent flowers for attracting bees, butterflies and other insects into your garden- such as hoverflies, lacewings and parasitic wasps. These beneficial insects help your garden by eating the pests that might damage your crops, such as aphids.

Meaning of Cosmos: Love and Innocence

Best sown indoors: March - April

Best sown outdoors: May onwards

Best planted out: May onwards

Instructions

Soak the coir pellets in a bowl of water for approximately 5 minutes until they have expanded.
Remove the coir pellets from the water and then gently squeeze them to remove the excess water.
Crumble the coir pellets into the pot, gently press down the pellet until there is a 1cm gap from the top of your pot.
Now your pot is ready for you to plant your seeds. Use your finger to press down 1 cm into the soil making 2 holes. Place a seed in each hole and cover with soil.
Write the name of your plant on the flat wooden stick. Then carefully slide the stick into the soil, by the edge of your pot.
Check on your little seedlings and make sure that the soil is nice and moist. If the soil appears a little dry, offer a drink of water. Cosmos seedlings do not like lots of water -so take care not to over water when tending to these little beauties.
Once the seedlings have reached roughly 8 cm - each individual seedling will need to move to its own bigger soil filled pot.
Once your cosmos has reached about 12 cm in height, they will be ready to make their journey outside, providing the climate is the right temperature. This process is called hardening off. (See top tips).
Once your cosmos plants have hardened off, they will be ready to make their home outside.
Find a sunny spot and then dig a hole that is slightly larger than the width of your pot, place the potted plant into its new bed, pressing down gently but firmly on the soil surrounding your plant.
Plant your seedlings 30-45 cm apart.
Give your seedlings a good glug of water and make sure that the soil stays moist whilst your cosmos plants grow.