Content

• Steps
• Tips
• Warnings
• What do you need

Poppies are versatile, bewitching to the eye, flowers that have several varieties - from the large and bold Oriental Poppy, whose height reaches 1 m 20 cm, to the modest Alpine Poppy, not exceeding 25 cm. Poppies are strong, unpretentious plants that can cope with drought and will thrive in any soil with good drainage.

Steps

1. 1 Prepare the soil for planting poppies. Choose a location where the poppies will be exposed to the sun for most of the day. If you live in hot climates, choose a place where the plants will be sheltered from the intense midday heat. Finding a place with good drainage is very important - poppies will start to rot in wet ground, especially during the winter months.
2. 2 Prepare the ground with a shovel, garden fork, or motorized cultivator. Work with 6-10 cm of manure or compost if the soil is poor or poorly draining.
3. 3 Place the poppy seeds in a small container, like a pill bottle. Add a teaspoon of sand or sugar to each bag of seeds to distribute them evenly when planting. The poppy seeds are very small and the sand / sugar will help you distribute them evenly throughout the planting area.
4. 4 Use a stick or hoe to make a shallow groove in the soil. Spread the seeds evenly over the entire groove and then cover them with a light sprinkle of earth. Don't bury the seeds too deep - a thick layer of soil will hide them from the sun's rays and prevent tiny poppy sprouts from breaking through to the surface.
5. 5 After planting, water the freshly planted seeds with water. Use a hose with a nozzle (spray nozzle) or a watering can to prevent the poppy seeds from being washed away when watering. While the seeds are germinating (this will take 10-15 days), keep the soil slightly moist. After sprouting, water the poppies only in hot weather.
6. 6 When the plants grow to 3-6 cm, thin them out by cutting out the weaker shoots at the very base with garden shears, leaving 15-25 cm between the plant. Do not pull them out - this will damage the root system of neighboring plants that you want to keep.
7. 7 Fertilize the poppies once a month during the growing season. Use universal fertilizers in granules or in solution, apply them according to the recommendations on the package.
8. 8 Control grass growth by spreading 6-8 cm of organic mulch around the plant. Mulch, like bark chips, will add beauty to your flower bed and keep the soil hydrated.
9. 9 Cut off blooming and dying flowers. By removing dead buds, you stimulate the plant to bloom all summer.

Tips

• Poppies add beautiful colors to the garden when planted in a large group.

Warnings

• Mulch will also protect them from unexpected frosts.
• Don't try replanting poppies.
• Slugs can feed on your seeds. You can avoid this by covering the seeds with plastic cups, thus creating a mini greenhouse until the sprouts emerge from the ground.
• Beware of birds that may eat the seeds before they germinate.
• Just make a few cuts towards the top edge of the walls. Turn the glass over, and place a load on top, such as a pebble.
• You need to land after the last expected frost; however, you should do it in early spring - poppies prefer to germinate at temperatures between 4 and 15 degrees.

What do you need

• Shovel, pitchfork or motor cultivator
• Manure or compost
• Poppy seeds
• Tablet bottle or other small container
• Sand
• Stick or hoe
• Garden hose with nozzle (spray nozzle) or watering can
• Universal fertilizers in granules or solution
• Organic mulch