Learning how to plant celosia might be an excellent idea for passionate plant parents like yourself. Celosia’s unique flowers add flair to any garden.
If you are looking for a flowering plant that lasts up to a month, celosia is an excellent choice with its stunning shapes and colors. Celosia is a perennial plant native to North Africa and is related to amaranth.
Even under the summer sun, it remains undaunted to produce bountiful blooms for your garden. In winter, you can even dry some of its bright flowers for intricate dried flower arrangements.
Celosia Varieties
There are several varieties of celosia, but the three most common are cockscomb celosia (aka cristatas), Celosia Plumosa, and Celosia spicata, or wheat celosia.
Cockscomb Celosia is the type with crests of blooms that somehow looked wrinkled. You can find them in red, pink, magenta, orange, yellow, and a combination of these colors.
Celosia Plumosa is known for its soft feathery flowers in various hues, such as red, pink, magenta, yellow, and orange.
Wheat Celosia is as its name suggests, looks like wheat. It can self-sow in the right growing conditions and blooms in colors or red-purple and pink.
How to Plant Celosia from Seeds
You can grow celosia from seeds, no matter the variety. You can directly sow the seeds in your garden after the last frost, barely covering them. It will start to germinate within a week or two after the soil reaches 60-degree Fahrenheit.
While it is fine to grow celosia using other methods, planting from seeds is the preferred way. This is because the flowering plant doesn’t transplant well. It seems that celosia doesn’t like its roots getting disturbed.
How to plant celosia from seeds indoors
You may also grow celosia from seeds indoors. But in that case, it is advisable to grow them in individual pots. If not, biodegradable pots that you can plant into the garden directly is a better option.
This will allow you to plant your celosia seedlings without disturbing their roots. The advice is to sow the seed in a container before your last frost, around 6 to 8 weeks. Make sure to keep the seedlings covered with a heat mat set at 70 to 75-degrees.
In this condition, your celosia will start to germinate within 1 to 2 weeks. When it finally does, you can begin transplanting it into your garden two weeks after the last frost. Since you are using a biodegradable pot, you can plant it directly.
Celosia Growing Tips
The most important tip about growing celosia is making sure it gets full sun. This blooming plant is tropical, after all. It needs its daily sun for a minimum of 6 to 8 hours to ensure it grows healthy.
One should also keep in mind that celosia must have well-drained soil. It does love moist soil, but it can be susceptible to root rot and can die if you overwater it. A raised bed is not required for celosia, but it’s a good option.
In case your soil has a lot of clay, you can add nutrients and drainage to it by mixing compost. Celosia needs to be watered well when planted, but not so much unless your area experiences an unusual drought.
Fertilizer is also not required, but you can add time-release fertilizer the first time you plant them. The only ever time it really needs extra help is when your plant isn’t doing well. In that case, using a specially formulated fertilizer for flowers is ideal.
Why Should You Plant Your Celosia and Other Plants in a Mini Greenhouse?
There are several reasons why you should try planting your celosias and other plants in a mini greenhouse, and here are some of them:
Mini greenhouses are portable and easy to customize
Mini greenhouses have a standard of 6 feet, but there are smaller options as well. This gives you the freedom to use it where and how you want to. These greenhouses are portably and easy to assemble, perfect for beginners. You can place them in areas that get maximum sunlight and transfer them throughout the day.
Prevent pests and other animals
Moles, squirrels, birds, deer, as well as insects and pests would love to eat and attack your plants. Keeping your plants in an enclosed space keeps them safe from harmful insects and animals. Additionally, you also reduce the need for chemicals and pesticides to ward off these critters.
Control the overall growing environment
One of the most notable benefits of greenhouses is that you have the ability to control the overall growing environment. With the help of heating and cooling systems, grow lights, fans, irrigation systems, and other greenhouse equipment, you’ll be able to adjust the temperature, humidity, and heat in your greenhouse. This means you’ll be able to plant warm or cold season plants regardless of the weather or season.
The Bottom Line on How to Plant Celosia
As you can see, learning how to plant celosia is not difficult at all. Although spicata grows tall, cristatas and plumosa celosias are shorter and stockier. It makes them great container plants that you can have in your garden or indoors.