Pansy Care

We all love to own flowering or ornamental plants in our house or backyard. These simply add to the beauty of the surrounding by their mere presence! However, owning them goes hand-in-hand with taking care as well. Every plant demands some care tips specific to it and you need to follow these to get good blooms all year round. Now, pansies or violas are such flowers of the flower gardens characterized by unique markings on their blooms which has made them popular over the years. They grow well in cooler as well as milder climates and hence are one of the best fall flower varieties known. And of course, they require you to take appropriate care.

Whenever we plan to raise ornamental plants, there are factors like sunlight, water, pH, fertilizers, pruning that automatically come into picture. Not all plants are accustomed to different climates and thus the need for the care. Pansies can be grown in the ground soil directly or can be potted by sowing seeds as well. So let us see the details of each of the factors as a part of the care.

Sunlight
Basically, pansies are sun-loving plants. They love medium hours of sunlight coz that's when they bloom their best. So, while planting them, make sure you allow them their freedom and ample of sunlight. While potted, keep them in the balcony where they can easily get 8 hours of sunlight.

Water
As with many other plants, pansies do not require too much water either, however, adequate is essential. You can water the plants once a week or so, but the key is to water the soil and not the plant parts. Now, it depends, if the soil gets dry, then probably you would have to water them twice or thrice per week. However, do not over slog them in water since this could lead to rotting of the roots.

Fertilizers
These plants grow excellently well when supplied with nitrogen fertilizers, preferably nitrogen nitrate. You would have to fertilize the plants once a month or so. Along with fertilizers, you could add earthworms into the soil as well. As we all know, these creatures help the soil get porous and fertile which is best for plant growth. Here, however, you would have to feed them with grounded coffee and dried eggshells regularly so that they do their best. You can maintain the acidic pH of the soil by pouring coffee solution (one parts coffee powder and 4 parts water) as an alternative to the fertilizers.

Pruning
Be it any plant, pruning is a necessity mainly because it allows the plant to grow as well as helps get rid of dead foliage and blooms. You would have to prune the plants whenever the necessity arises by cutting the dead parts. You can trim the plant to half in the summers and fall since this season is when they grow their best.

Pansy Care in Winters

What you need to do is use a liquid fertilizer instead of the granules or powder and cover the flowers with pine straw so that they are prevented from frost. Provide them as much sunlight as you can and water them often as well. Actually, pansies are available in varieties which can sustain cold climate easily and hence you need to keep in mind the aforementioned points before purchasing the seeds from the nursery.

This is all about the pansy care. As I said, if you are panning to decorate your backyard, then these are a great economical option. They come in wonderful bright hues of purple, red, white and yellow and hence a must-have for a garden.