Aster (Callistephus chinensis) with large showy blooms in a mix of 6 colors are great for container, gardening, as well as borders and flower gardens. Excellent cut flowers.

They will bloom from summer until the first hard frost in the fall. Deadheading helps to keep the plant tidy and promotes continuous blooming.

Asters are very attractive to pollinators: bees and butterflies.

PLANT INFORMATION:

PLANTING GUIDE:

1. ✅ China Aster are summer season annuals. They grow up well in many climate environments. However, they can not endure frost or drought. Planting seeds indoors 6 weeks prior to the last frost, plus watering them effectively promote long-lasting blossoms and strong healthy plants.
2. ✅ Set up 3-inch seedling pots inside a drip tray. Load each pot with potting mix up to within 1/2 inch of the pot rim. Add in 1 inch of water to the drip tray, and let the soil in the pots to soak up the water until the soil surface area gets damp, after that empty virtually any remaining water from the tray.
3. ✅ Sow 2-3 aster seeds in each pot, planting them on the top of the soil surface. Cover the seeds with a 1/4-inch layer of moist soil.
4. ✅ Cover the pots with a layer of clear plastic wrap, which preserves moisture till the seeds sprout. Set up the tray of pots in a 70-75 Fahrenheit place that gets indirect light from sun. Asters will germinate in the dark, but they germinate quicker with some light.
5. ✅ Take out the plastic wrap when sprouts come out. Move the pots to a spot that gets a minimum of 6 hrs of direct sun light; water the seedlings when the soil surface area dries out. Once the plants produce their 2nd set of leaves, thin the seedlings to ensure that only one aster remains in each pot.
6. ✅ Incorporate a 2-inch garden compost layer into the top of 8 inches soil, in a well-draining outdoor bed that gets 6 hours of direct sun light daily. Transplant the asters into the bed at the very same depth they were in their pots, spacing them 8 to 10 inches apart.
7. ✅ Water aster plants deeply one or two times a week, giving approx 1 inch of moist each time, make sure that the top 6 inches of soil do not dry. Spread out a 2-inch layer of mulch over the bed to support preserve the soil humidity.
8. ✅ Cut off spent blooms, and get rid of any plants that seem unhealthy to avoid the spread of diseases. Spritz the asters with an insecticidal soap if leafhoppers, mites or aphids end up being an issue. Leafhoppers can spread out the aster yellows infection, so they need timely control.
9. ✅ Spray a fungicide, such as one that have mancozeb incorporated, to deal with any sort of fungal development on aster. Avoid overhead watering and wetting leaves, which can lead to stem rot and wilt. Treating seedlings with an iprodione spray helps prevent stem rot.Just follow all package precautions and application instructions when using disease treatments.