Growing Bidens from Seed

 

The Bidens plants are actually prolific flowering plants with yellow or orange daisy-like blooms; some of the newer bidens flower varieties have pink, gold, and white blossoms. These bidens flower varieties are also commonly called tickseed sunflowers, Spanish needles, and beggarticks. These particular varieties thrive in rich soil with sufficient drainage and they require full sun. They also tolerate drought and heat relatively well. The Bidens flowers are perennial plants in warmer climates. In northern climates with freezing temperatures the plants are annuals and will need replanting each year.

 

Bidens plants Info

The botanical name: The botanical name is Bidens spp.

The common name: The common names are black-jack, Bidens, burr marigolds, beggarticks, Spanish needles, stickseeds, cobbler's pegs, tickseeds, and tickseed sunflowers.

The family name: The plant belongs to Asteraceae family.

The plant type:   Annual, perennial

The mature size: The mature size is 6-12 in. tall, 1-3 ft. wide

The sun exposure: The plant prefers full sun.

The soil type: Well-drained soil.

The soil pH: This should be  slightly acidic to neutral.

Blooming time:  The blooming time is summer.

The flower color: Gold, yellow, white, orange, pink

USDA hardiness zones: eight to eleven

The native area: South America, Asia, North America, Africa, Europe

 

Bidens Flower Care

The following are the main care requirements for growing bidens:

Make sure you plant in rich soil with good drainage.

The plant grows best in neutral to slightly acidic soil.

The plant also requires full sun.

The plant will not require deadheading to produce new blooms.

You can feed the plant monthly with a general-purpose fertilizer.

 

Bidens Flower Varieties

Actually there are more than two hundred species of bidens with native varieties in Mexico, Hawaii, and Europe. In the United States the plants have native species in every state except Wyoming.

If you come across wild-growing bidens plants, you will recognize the plants for the tiny, sticky seeds that cling to your clothing or in your dog's fur. The good news is that most commercially available bidens plants have been cultivated to avoid the sticky seed problem. The following are few of them:

Bidens alba variety: Actually this particular bidens plant variety features white petals and a bright yellow center. Also it is sometimes referred to as beggarticks or Spanish needles.

Bidens' Campfire Burst' variety: The Bidens' Campfire Burst' is hard to miss, thanks to the brightly-hued flowers crowning each of the plant. The tri-colored petals are shaded inward from a deep red to blazing orange and zippy yellow. They actually flower abundantly from the summer into the fall and are a great colorful addition to any landscape design.

Bidens ferulifolia' Golden Nugget' variety: This variety is with a yellow petals that resemble a star and an orange center, the Golden Nugget variety is one of the most eye-catching bidens plants. This variety is a native of Mexico and is also called the Apache beggartick or fern-leaved beggartick, courtesy of its fine, soft foliage.

 

How to Prune Bidens

Bidens plants are actually easy to maintain. Bidens plants don’t need to be pruned or deadheaded. However, if the plant becomes too large, you might prune the plant back in favorable growing conditions. Also, pinching or cutting back the Bidens plants can make it denser and also encourage new blooms.

 

Growing Bidens from Seed

To actually propagate bidens by seed, sow the bidens seeds at the end of winter or the beginning of spring. If you are sowing them directly outdoors wait until after the last frost when temperatures reach at least the 60 degree Fahrenheit.

Surface sow seeds, only pressing them into the soil. Make sure you keep the soil moist.

Place the seed tray in a sunny location and also maintain a temperature of at least sixty-five degrees Fahrenheit.

Germination takes about seven to twenty days.