Sow Seeds Directly Outdoors
These small plants do best when the seeds are sown directly outdoors, but you can always start them indoors as well. Most greenhouses also sell these plants already started if you simply cannot wait for your seeds to sprout. Ageratum is an annual plant, so you’ll need to plant new seeds every year.
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Full to Partial Sun is Preferred
Ageratum will grow in an area that is often shaded, but the plants don’t get quite as large. These little plants are native to South and Central America, so they really like the sunshine.
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Fertilize Only Twice
Since these compact plants are annuals, there’s no need to worry about fertilizing them all year long. You’ll want to fertilize them when they are first planted or first begin to emerge from the seeds. Once you see that the ageratum is about to bloom, then this would be a great time to apply the second dose of fertilizer.
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Use Sevin to Get Rid of Mites
Mites are the most common pest of an ageratum plant. These tiny little bugs can be gotten rid of rather quickly with a single dusting of Sevin. Spraying on an insecticidal soap is another option. Thankfully, ageratum plants rarely have problems with fungus or diseases of any kind.
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Make Sure the Water is Warm
Ageratum plants like to be warm and it’s best to use warm water as well. Set a bucket of water outside in full sun in the early morning and it should be nice and warm by the late afternoon. If you don’t want to wait all day for the water to be warmed by the sunshine, then you can get warm water from the tap, but make sure it isn’t too hot.
Ageratum is the perfect size of plant to add to a garden that needs small plants to fill in the gaps. They come in hues of blue, purple, and pink and they add just enough color to brighten up a drab herb garden or monochromatic flower garden. Do you plan on growing ageratum every year or is it a new type of annual you are looking into?
Top Photo Credit: Vietnam Plants / Cây cỏ Vietnam
