Nicotenia

[desertgirl]

I am planting my teeny tiny seeds this afternoon. Anyone have any advice on what these plants like? I'm not finding too much info on the net.

 

[Reinbeau]

Nicotianas do well in sun to partial sun, some of them are quite large, so give them room - mine have naturalized in the yard, so I don't buy them anymore. Nicotiana sylvestris is a lovely plant, with white flowers that smell heavenly. What variety are you growing?

 

[vfem]

They like full sun during the day... the like acidity water.... but keeping them watered is more important. I give mine a good drench in their pots every other day. (Hotter days I'll do more) And give them room to grow... they will grow between 2' wide to 4' wide. Depends on how much room you give them to grow.

Again, they only bloom at night.... you will probably see your first blooms at the end of June-mid july if you are planting now.

Here are mine now (The buds are on them... and they are getting ready to bloom... probably tonight):

 

[desertgirl]

I ordered from the place you told me about, vfem. The variety is "Fragrant Delight". I have some good sized containers that I'll use for them. Thank you for the advice (and the pics!). I didn't realize they were so leafy-bonus!!!

 

[vfem]

VERY leafy!!!

I have the same variety.

If I get blooms this evening, I will photo them for you.

 

[desertgirl]

That would be wonderful!!!!!!! If only we had virtual smelling...

I planted the seeds in little plastic starter pots and then placed those in a caserole dish with water. I have read-somewhere-that if you start your seeds like this (they get their moisture through capillary action), that it is easier on them and gives them a more consistant moisture level.

Have you ever heard of/tried this?:coolsun

DG

 

[Reinbeau]

I grow them right in the ground, and they happily reseed themselves for me.

 

[vfem]

Yeah I heard they are good reseeders.... but I wanted them in pots on the deck so when I opened my kitchen windows in the evening the scent would come inside

 

[digitS']

That would be wonderful!!!!!!! If only we had virtual smelling...

I planted the seeds in little plastic starter pots and then placed those in a caserole dish with water. I have read-somewhere-that if you start your seeds like this (they get their moisture through capillary action), that it is easier on them and gives them a more consistant moisture level.

Have you ever heard of/tried this?:coolsun

DG

That's the best way to get water to the soil in containers. I do it right up until the time that I don't have the time to move them, one flat at a time, in and out of a basin. (Okay, sometimes it is just because I get lazy and my back hurts . . . )

I once planted an entire bed that only had full sun for a few weeks out of the growing season to Nicotiana. Some of the more "restrained" varieties don't have a lot of fragrance but they are fairly colorful plants during the daylight hours.

Since the flowers were used in bouquets, supposedly there was no reseeding. I dug the bed out completely the next year and nary a seedling showed up. In fact, it was 3 or 4 years later that a single plant, like some ghost of a nearly forgotten bed of annuals, popped up, dodged my weeding and bloomed .

One caution - don't smoke the leaves no matter what name they go by - don't, don't, don't.

Steve

 

[desertgirl]

Good advice!