Echinacea is a real find for the gardener, as it has many useful properties. It is a medicinal plant that is widely used in medicine, and protects against colds. If you plant echinacea next to vegetable crops, it will attract bees to them and contribute to pollination.

 This is a tall plant with a straight stem and a rough surface, which grows up to 1.5 m in height, with green leaves. The root system is strong, branched, so that echinacea can grow in one place for about 10 years. The flowers of the plant resemble a large chamomile – the center is convex, spherical or cone-shaped with stiff bristles. Thanks to this feature, the culture got its name – in Greek, echinacea means "hedgehog". After the petals fall off, the flower resembles a hedgehog.

 The plant is capricious and undemanding, but the gardener still needs to fulfill some conditions so that the beautiful echinacea lives on his site. Echinacea can be grown both with seedlings and by sowing seeds in an open area – the plant takes root well in both cases, but each option has its own characteristics and rules.

 In the open ground, the culture is sown in spring or autumn, but the second option is more preferable, since the seed material has a hard shell, which needs time to soften. The place for planting should be well lit – in the shade or partial shade, the culture grows very poorly, and may even die. Echinacea is undemanding to the composition of the soil, but "does not like" light sandy soils, and feels best on slightly alkaline or neutral soils without excessive moisture. In too acidic soil, it is better to first add lime, and fertilize sandstones with humus and fertile land from another site. Despite the unpretentiousness of echinacea, the place for its cultivation should be chosen carefully, since the plant will live there for at least 5 years.

 The algorithm of actions is as follows:

 -dig up the soil, level it, make grooves 1-2 cm deep at a distance of 20-25 cm, then sow seeds as rarely as possible;

 -as soon as the first sprouts appear, they need to be thinned to an interval of 7-8 cm, after they grow up, repeat the procedure, leaving a distance of 10-15 cm. Adult bushes should be placed at intervals of 25-30 cm for dwarf varieties and 40-50 cm for tall plants.

In the first year of echinacea's life, only the root system develops, and flowering begins only the next year.

 To grow seedlings, you should prepare a nutritious mixture of fertile soil, sand and compost (ratio 2:1:1) or take ready-made store soil. It should not contain peat, because the presence of peat slows down the already slow germination of seeds. It is better to disinfect the soil by steaming it well in the oven. Any suitable boxes or pots can be used as containers, the only condition is that they must have holes for the outflow of liquid so that moisture does not stagnate at the roots. The optimal temperature conditions for growing echinacea are 15-18 ° C, but the culture grows well at higher temperatures.

 Step-by-step instructions for sowing echinacea on seedlings:

 1. Put expanded clay or other drainage on the bottom of the selected containers, fill them with a substrate

 2. Before sowing, it is better to soak the seeds in a stimulant preparation or just in warm water. They should be wrapped in a damp cotton flap, put on a plate and make sure that the fabric is constantly moistened. This stage can be skipped and seeds can be planted immediately in the ground, but the procedure significantly accelerates the growth

of 3.Since echinacea seeds germinate unfriendly, it is better to plant them as they are pecking. In the ground, make grooves 7-10 mm deep, lay the seeds that have hatched, lightly cover with a substrate, spray with a spray gun and cover with glass or film

 4. As soon as the first sprouts appear, the film should be removed and put the containers in a well-lit place

 You can expect the first shoots in 35-40 days. Caring for seedlings is simple – it needs to be watered regularly as the soil surface dries, and before planting on the street, begin to harden. To do this, the containers are taken out into the air, first for 10-15 minutes, gradually prolonging the time spent outside.

 Since echinacea seedlings are very tender, it is better to plant them in an open place when the threat of a significant decrease in temperatures is left behind. On the selected site, you should dig holes with a diameter slightly larger than an earthen lump, the distance between them is at least 30-40 cm. At the bottom of each of them, put a handful of compost mixed with a pinch of wood ash, transfer the seedlings there, trying not to shake the earth off the roots and not damage them. After that, cover the young plants with earth and water them abundantly.

 Echinacea does not require special care, but it is also impossible to leave the plantings unattended, otherwise they will lose their decorative appearance and may die:

 -Watering the plantings should be moderate, but regularly, preferably in the evening. Short-term drought plants tolerate normally, but with a prolonged absence of watering, they will dry up. Excessive watering is also harmful to echinacea – when moisture stagnates, the petals will be too pale and will fall off quickly;

 -In the area where the crop grows, it is necessary to regularly remove weeds and loosen the soil after each watering to improve its air permeability;  -It is necessary to feed the plants twice a season, starting from the second year of life. In spring, mixtures with nitrogen content are introduced into the soil, and during the appearance of the first buds – potassium and phosphorus. Mineral fertilizers can be replaced with rotted compost mixed with wood ash;

 -To stimulate flowering, dried inflorescences need to be cut to the first leaf. If you need to collect seeds for subsequent sowing, you should leave a few of the largest flowers on the bush;

 -Once every 3-4 years, it is recommended to rejuvenate the echinacea by dividing the bush – dig out the plant, divide the root so that there are several buds on each part, and plant them.

 Echinacea is not only a flower that will decorate your garden plot, but also a miraculous medicinal plant that contains many useful substances. If you spend a little time growing and caring for the crop, it will please the eye for several years and protect against diseases.