Gaura plants are very easy to care for.If you want to keep gaura as a permanent addition to your garden, you need to pick a perennial variety.
Step 1: The seeds can be sown indoors.
You should start the seeds indoors five to nine weeks before you plan to transfer them to the outdoor garden.The seeds should be sown five to six weeks before the last frost.The seeds for perennial varieties should be sown eight to nine weeks before the last frost.It's important that the spot you choose can keep a temperature between 70 and 75 degrees.
Step 2: The trays need to be filled with soil.
The starter tray should be filled with sterile potting soil.It is possible to use specially blended "seed starting" soil for even better results.
Step 3: The seeds should be put into the soil.
Press one seed into each compartment with your fingers.The seeds should be covered with a loose layer of soil.Don't plant the seeds too deep.The soil covering the seeds should be no deeper than the seed itself.
Step 4: The seeds should be kept warm and moist.
The seed tray needs to be placed in a warm, sunny location to keep the soil moist.The soil should not be drenched.Puddles can form on the surface of the soil.You can reduce the watering schedule once the seeds grow.The soil needs between 1 to 2 inches of water to keep it moist.
Step 5: You can transplant in the spring.
After the threat of frost has passed in the spring, transplant gaura seedlings to an outdoor location.If you choose to purchase an established gaura seedling or plant from a garden nursery instead of growing one from seed, the same guidelines still apply.After the threat of frost passes in the spring or at the beginning of autumn, many perennial varieties of gaura can be planted.In the spring, annual varieties must be planted.
Step 6: There is a sunny spot.
Gaura can tolerate spots that receive partial sun and light shade, but it does best when planted in areas with full sun.
Step 7: There is plenty of drainage.
A spot with well-draining soil is what you must choose.If your garden is filled with heavy soil, you need to amend it.You will need to amend the soil to a depth between 1 and 2 feet.Light organic matter can be spread over the top of the planting area.To dig the Additive down into the soil, use a shovel.The soil and organic material should be mixed evenly.When the soil is finished, it should look a lot looser.The soil should be neutral with a pH between 5.5 and 7.2.
Step 8: The hole should be twice as wide as the container.
To dig a planting hole, use a shovel or trowel.The planting hole should be twice as wide as the container.The planting hole should be about the same depth as the container.Plants should not be planted too deep.Beneath the surface of the soil is where the root mass should be.
Step 9: Water the plant.
Give the soil a thorough watering before you remove the seedling.It is easier to move when the soil is watered.
Step 10: The container needs to be moved to the planting hole.
Take the seedling out of the container and put it in the planting hole.Place the plant at the base of the main stem above the soil and root mass.The container should be inverted until it is tipped downward.You can squeeze the sides of the container with your other hand, or you can use the handle of your trowel or shovel.The plant should be loosened and freed from its container.The removed mass can be grabbed on either side.Carefully place the plant in the planting hole.Continue to hold it above the root mass with one hand.
Step 11: The soil should be packed around it.
You can fill the rest of the planting hole with your hands.Once the plant is stable, let go of it and use both hands to pat the soil down.The soil around the plant should be loose but still packed well to hold it in place.To help settle the soil, give the entire planting site a thorough watering.
Step 12: The gaura plants are close together.
Gaura can be planted in nearby clusters or around other perennial shrubs.The small varieties should be 20 to 30 cm apart.Large varieties should be 50 to 90 cm apart.The roots and stems of the gaura can become leggy if they are not close together.
Step 13: Water during dry periods.
You may need to water Gaura during periods of severe dry weather since the plant thrives best in moist soil.During the first growing season, the plant should be watered regularly.Make sure that it gets a minimum of 1 inch of water a week.Thorough watering during the first season will help establish the plant.You don't need to be as strict about your watering schedule after the second season.When the leaves of the gaura shrub seem to be weak and you have gone more than a week without any rain, don't worry about watering the plant.
Step 14: You shouldfertilize in the spring.
All-purpose general plant fertilization can be applied to the soil at the beginning of spring.It's a good idea to look for afertilizer that has equal parts nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium.The best amount and application method can be determined by following the instructions on the label.Fertilization can give the gaura a boost, but these plants are usually hardy enough on their own and may thrive even without it.
Step 15: Deadhead the flowers.
Cut away spent flower spikes after the petals have dropped if you want to keep the flowers alive.It is possible to prolong the plant's bloom period.
Step 16: mulch can be applied in the fall or winter
If you live in an area that gets a lot of frost over the winter, you should spread 2 inches of wood chip mulch around the base of the plant and the surrounding soil.The mulch protects the root of the plant from the cold.If the above-ground portion of the plant is frozen, it can weaken and die.
Step 17: The plant needs to be cut back each year.
In the second year of growth, you should cut the gaura plant in half.If the plant has been damaged by a winter frost, you can cut it back to 8 to 10 inches (20 to 30 cm) tall.The plant should be established by the middle of the growing season.The shrub will become bushy and full if the plant is cut back.The plant can grow tall if you don't cut it back.After the threat of frost has passed for the season, cut the plant back in mid to late spring.The bloom period can be delayed if the plant is cut back too early.
Step 18: It's a good idea to watch out for disease.
There are a few diseases that have been known to strike the plant, but Gaura has no problems with insects or diseases.When gaura is grown in heavy soils with poor drainage, root rot is the most common.The next most common diseases are Rust, cercospora leaf spot, septoria leaf Spot, downy mildew, and powdery mildew.If any of these forms on your plant, you should treat it with a fungicide.
Step 19: The plant should be allowed to self-sow.
If you want to fill your garden with more gaura, the easiest way is to let the shrub do the work.The flower spikes should produce seed, and the seed should not be interfered with.
Step 20: The overgrown gaura should be divided.
The gaura shrub can be divided into separate clusters if it gets too large.You can use the clusters to grow other gaura shrubs.For the best results, do this in the spring.When you transplant gaura clusters, treat them like plants.Water the plant the day before you plan to divide it.Keep as much of the tap root intact as possible.Use a sterile knife to divide the joined rhizomes if you can't untangle the roots with your fingers.Each cluster should have three to five healthy shoots from the separated plant.The established gaura should be replanted as soon as possible.