Caring for ornamental tobacco properly is not a great art in itself. There are just a few key points to keep your plants vigorous.
Ornamental tobacco (Nicotiana sanderae) is a popular plant that can be planted both in beds and on balconies. In a flower bed, however, the ornamental tobacco can develop its flowers better. It is generally known for its beautiful, bright flowers and its enormous flowering power. The ornamental tobacco is also available in different colors, so you can admire white, pink or pink flowers from May to October. Thanks to the high luminosity of the flowers, you can also see the ornamental tobacco from a distance. The star-shaped flowers and the lanceolate leaves are also typical. It grows to a maximum of 40 centimeters and requires relatively little care.
By the way:
Ornamental tobacco is not suitable for the production of tobacco. This is an ornamental plant only.
The right location
The ornamental tobacco is planted in May. You should keep a distance of 40 centimeters between the plants. The plant generally likes it warm and sunny. The ornamental tobacco therefore needs a sunny or semi-shady location. The more sun the plant can enjoy, the more beautiful its flowers will be. In addition, the flowers stay open longer when the sun shines directly on the plant.
Ornamental tobacco likes it moist, but not wet. The soil should therefore be well watered, but you must avoid waterlogging at all costs. You can do this with the help of garden compost. If you use compost or stable manure, you are guaranteed that the soil can retain moisture for a long time. If you keep the ornamental tobacco in flower boxes, it is also important to ensure that there is always enough moisture. The decorative tobacco on the terrace is a particular pleasure, because it not only looks beautiful, but also spreads a wonderful scent.
Ornamental tobacco and other plants
The pretty ornamental plant, which belongs to the nightshade family, feels very comfortable in company. It doesn't matter whether you place the decorative tobacco in the flower bed, on the balcony or on the terracekeep. The plant goes with many different flowers, so you can plant it as a focal point in the garden bed, but also as a background plant in window boxes.
Propagation of ornamental tobacco
If you want to increase the ornamental tobacco, this can be done without much effort. Proceed as follows:
❶ When the plant has finished flowering, you can remove the matured seeds. Then store them in a dark, dry place from October to March.
❷ In March you can then put the seeds in a flower pot. You must not cover the seeds with soil, because they germinate in the light. They need daylight to germinate.
❸ After about three weeks the young plants have taken root and can be transplanted into their own pots.
❹ You can plant the ornamental tobacco outside after May.
Pour ornamental tobacco properly
Ornamental tobacco is a summer plant that needs a lot of water. Daily watering is therefore the be-all and end-all of care. Sometimes ornamental tobacco needs to be watered more than once a day. This is very important, especially on hot summer days. The ornamental tobacco always needs a moist soil, so you should make sure that the soil never dries out completely. However, this is not so easy, because you also have to avoid waterlogging.
You should generally water the plant from below. The leaves should not get any water, otherwise diseases could develop that would kill the plant.
How to properly fertilize ornamental tobacco
If you place the plants in the flower bed in May, you can use a slow-release fertilizer straight away. However, ornamental tobacco has high demands in terms of nutrient requirements. Regular fertilizing is therefore just as important as daily water.
In the flower bed you should work with a liquid compound fertilizer every week. The plants in the flower box, on the other hand, are a bit more demanding. Here you can help out with fertilizer sticks. Just change them every three months. However, you should also use a commercially available liquid fertilizer.
Regardless of which fertilizer you want to use: You should never use fertilizer on a dry surface. The soil must always be wet, otherwise the roots may burn and the plant may die.
How to cut back ornamental tobacco
Ornamental tobacco is a flower that basically only lives for one year. The summer plant blooms from May to October and then dies back. You can then remove the entire plant from the bed. There is a typical pruningtherefore not. Nevertheless, you should make sure that you regularly remove withered flowers. If you want to grow seeds yourself, you can leave some dead flowers in place. These form a large number of seeds, but this can lead to a cessation of flowering, because as long as there are withered flowers on the plant, no new flowers will be reproduced.
If you want to create a bushier growth, you can prune the shoots a little. This ensures rapid growth. The ornamental plant becomes more floriferous and the new shoots grow back more, which in turn leads to a broad growth of the plant.
This is how decorative tobacco overwinters without damage
In good conditions, the ornamental tobacco can also be overwintered indoors. To do this, dig up the plant in autumn and place it in a pot. The ornamental plant can then overwinter in a semi-dark place at about 10-15 °C. Watering should be greatly reduced during this time so that the plant does not continue to bloom and can hibernate. However, you must ensure that you fertilize regularly.
Overwintering ornamental tobacco indoors is relatively difficult, which is why many hobby gardeners let the plant fade in October and buy new plants again in May. On the other hand, taking the seeds and growing plants yourself in March is very easy and is also done by many hobby gardeners.