All who have a personal plot are constantly looking for new flowers. We propose to pay attention to brahikomu - an interesting plant that requires minimal maintenance and at the same time pleases with its color for a long time, however, so far it has enjoyed little popularity.
Description and photo
Brahicom It belongs to the Aster family and is a one-year drought-resistant plant, whose birthplace is Australia. Because of this, this flower feels great in hot regions, where it can grow for several years in a row. However, it still has a drawback: brachikoma does not tolerate cold, and, therefore, for full-grown cultivation, you will have to spend enough power on the seeds and seedlings.
As well as brachikome, the Astrov family includes: dahlia, rudbeckia, osteospermum, doronicum, cineraria, gelenium, ageratum, helihrisum, mordovnik.
This flower blooms long and rich. Pretty fluffy bushes that grow from one stem, up to 100 flowers. The height of the bush is small, a maximum of 30 cm. The flowering time is quite long - from July to September. Depending on the selected grade, your plot will be decorated with flowers of different shades. Photos of brachicome flowers can be seen further in this article. 
Did you know? The name "brahikoma" in Greek: "brachys" is short and "come" is hair. Such an unusual name of the plant was due to the small "pinch" on the seed. In Australia and Germany, brahikomy is called blue forget-me-not
Popular varieties
The genus of brachicome is 50 types of flowers. However, experienced gardeners love the brakhik iberysilist, as all other varieties are based on it. Today such varieties are known:
- "Blu Star";
- "Bravo Mixed";
- "Summer Skies";
- "Purple Splendour";
- "Waltz".
Growing conditions
In order for the flowers of brachicomes to delight you with their beauty for as long as possible, it is important to properly grow and then you can tell everyone from your garden with bright photos.
Important! If you pinch the top of the seedling when it reaches 5 cm in height, you can create a full-blown ball out of the plant due to the high branching of the bush.
Lighting and location
The landing site should be located in the southern part, where there is a lot of light and heat. However, this must also be controlled so that the heat of the day does not harm the plant.
Soil type
Any light soil suitable for growing can be rich in nutrients. To improve the soil for planting experts recommend taking a mixture consisting of humus, leaf soil and sand. It will be useful drainage, consisting of rubble. 
Growing brachicome from seed
Seeds for subsequent sowing are harvested in September, their germination persists up to 3 years. Most often spend growing new flowers from seed varieties "Brakhikom iberislist". These plants bloom for a long time, and care for them while you need a minimum. Consider what you need for the proper cultivation of these flowers.
Did you know? If you sow brachicome seeds in the fall and create ideal conditions for the plant, it will bloom in winter and will delight the owners of greenhouses and winter gardens.
Preparation of tank, substrate, seed
Brahikomu begin to grow at the end of winter. The seeds are quite small, but very vigorous and at the same time do not require special treatment and preparation. The only thing that needs to be done is to mix planting material with sand before sowing. Brahikom loves light fertile lands with a slightly acid reaction, but the substrate can be easily prepared by yourself. The ideal would be a mixture of leaf earth, sand, humus and sod in a ratio of 1: 1: 2: 3. For germination, seeds are placed in special containers. For this fit the usual containers. The land is mandatory pre-moistened. 
Sowing and caring for seedlings
With proper planting of seeds, flowering occurs on average after 75 days. Knowing the basic rules of growing brachicomes from seeds, many will ask when exactly and how to properly plant them in seedlings. Seeds are sown at the end of March in a specially prepared soil mixture, which is pre-watered with a light solution of potassium permanganate. The boxes are covered and put in a warm place. Shoots appear after a week. All the time it is recommended to maintain a temperature of about 20 ° C, to provide watering and ventilation. All this is carried out until the appearance of 3 true leaves.
The next stage of care is diving. If you wish to skip this stage, then it is recommended to sow seeds in peat pots of 3 pieces each. If the seeds are sown in bulk, then at this stage they are transplanted into deeper containers at a distance of 5 cm from each other. It is necessary to replant carefully, taking out plants so that there is a lump of earth on the roots. Subsequent care is to moderate watering with any sprayer.
Transplantation in open ground
In the open ground seedlings are planted in late May, at a distance of more than 15 cm from each other. It is important to ensure that the roots are preserved basal ball. After planting, the ground is compacted and watered. 
Important! If you have not collected the seeds in time, do not worry. Brahicom reproduces well with self-sowing, as a result of which the number of new flowers will increase next year. This must be remembered if next year you want to transplant these flowers to another place in the garden.
Other breeding methods
In addition to the seeds of brachikomea propagated by cuttings. To save a favorite specimen, in order to increase the number of these flowers in their area, the uterine plant is transferred to the premises for the winter, while cutting off all the shoots by half. For wintering it is recommended to choose a bright, but cool place where the plant is occasionally watered. In the spring the plant is cut into cuttings and rooted in a light substrate. In May, all rooted plants are planted in open ground or special containers in which they will grow.
Proper care
Now you know when and how to sow the seeds, and then consider what kind of care will be needed for brachicome after planting. Brahikom - unpretentious plant that does not need special care. However, some conditions must be met in order for the plant to fully develop and bloom, as in the photo. 
Watering
They begin to moisturize the soil in the first hours after planting, but in this matter it is important not to overdo it — the flower is more likely to suffer from a slight drought than to an excess of moisture.
Plants such as euphorbia, poinsettia, sunflower, streptocarpus, host, argirantemum are also unstable to excess moisture.
Top dressing
Brahikom does not need constant feeding. For the entire season, it is enough to add 3 times any complex fertilizer for plants that bloom. It will be useful to sprinkle ashes around the bushes.
Forming a bush
The bush is formed by pinching the top, which will result in increased branching and the appearance of a large number of inflorescences. 
Plant Diseases and Pests
Despite the fact that brachycom is a fairly unpretentious plant, it still sometimes undergoes attacks of certain diseases and pests:
Rotting stem and root. The cause of the disease can be excessive watering. To get rid of this problem, it is worth transplanting the plant, ensuring good drainage and be sure to remove all damaged stems.
Snail attack. These mollusks damage leaflets, which leads to the death of the plant. You can get rid of them by picking them up or spraying a bush with special repellents that can be purchased at flower shops.
Whitefly defeat. Parasites leave their secretions on the leaves of plants, which eat away at their surface, and the larvae feed on juices. The fight takes place with the help of chemicals.
Now you know all about flowers such as brachicome. You learned about planting and subsequent care of these flowers in the open field, considered interesting photos that are proposed in our article. The choice is yours - plant or not these flowers on your plot or balcony. 
