Updated at: 13-05-2022 - By: Sienna Lewis

Annual vinca can be grown from seeds or cuttings, and each method has its advantages and disadvantages. The greenhouse, on the other hand, is essential for the propagation and emergence of seedlings. Annual vincas are reasonably easy to propagate, but their development is more assured if the environment is consistent and provides the best circumstances for growth. Remember this.

Vinca minor and Vinca major are not the same as annual vincas, which are closely related to periwinkles. Prior to growing them, it is essential to keep this in mind to distinguish between the two periwinkle varieties.

How To Propagate Annual Vinca For Beginners

Seeds

Step #1. Collecting seeds

Annual vinca seed pods can be harvested before they split apart and the blossoms begin to droop and fade. When the pods turn yellowish-brown instead of green, that means you can remove it with a pin. After that, place the seedpods in a paper bag and place it in a warm and dry spot to aid in drying.

How To Propagate Annual Vinca. Best Guide - Krostrade

Step #2. Drying seeds

Some gardeners also lay the pods in a shallow, open container and put it in direct sunlight. If you choose the former method, an excellent tip to hasten the process is by shaking the paper bag every day. Once the pods are dried, gently open them to collect the vinca seeds.

Plant the pods in a shallow planter and place it in full sunshine for some gardeners. You can speed things up by shaking the paper bag daily if you use the first method. To collect the seeds, gently open the dried pods.

Step #3. Planting seeds

After the risk of frost has passed, the best time to plant annual vinca seeds is. Planting annual vinca seeds in cold weather will result in failure. To be on the safe side, plant seeds in a greenhouse three to four months before the last date of frost.

Place a damp newspaper on top of the seeds to keep them in complete darkness, which will aid in germination. The best germination conditions can be achieved by setting the greenhouse temperature to 80°F.

Within two to nine days, the seeds should be able to receive sunshine and maintain a temperature of 75°F.

Annual Vinca Care

Vinca plants should not be planted too soon in the spring. As hot summer annuals, plants that are transplanted too early into a cold, wet soil will do poorly. Vincas can be planted at the same time as tomato transplants: when the nighttime temperature is 60 degrees Fahrenheit or below. Full sun is ideal, although little afternoon shadow is acceptable, especially in hot southern areas.

Annual vinca thrives in full sun and sandy loam soil. Despite its drought resistance, it performs best when water is soaked in rather than sprayed from above on a weekly basis. They are self-cleaning and self-flowering, so no deadheading is required. 3 Vincas

You don’t have to worry much about illness or insects with this easy-to-grow annual. Stem rot and leaf spots can occur in soils with poor drainage. Insects such as slugs and snails may also eat the leaves. 3

Light

The annual vinca thrives in direct sunlight. It can withstand some shade, but too much shade can make it lanky.

Soil

Vincas necessitate a soil with good drainage. 3 Plant vincas on raised beds or pots with a well-draining potting mix if you have thick soil.

Water

Watering too frequently is a common mistake with annual vinca. As soon as the earth seems dry to the touch, water the plants. A moderate weekly watering schedule is excellent, but if your garden receives regular rainfall, there is no need to water at all. This is a drought-tolerant plant. 3

Temperature and Humidity

Annual vinca suffers from a typical blunder: overwatering. As soon as the top one-inch of soil feels dry, water. A moderate weekly watering schedule is excellent, but if your garden receives regular rainfall, there is no need to water at all. This is a drought-tolerant plant.

Annual Vinca Care: How to Grow and Must-Knows | Better Homes & Gardens

Types of Annual Vinca

The most popular annual vinca types are:

  • The ‘Cooler’ series is an excellent option for gardeners who experience cool summer temperatures.
  • Heatwave series: Plants grow very compactly.
  • Use in containers and hanging baskets from the ‘Mediterranean’ series, which trail to a height of 2 feet.
  • Pacifica series: A promising start.
  • New to the vinca world, the vinca variety ‘Soiree Double White’ produces blooms with two petals, giving it a rich, lush appearance.
  • The flowers of the ‘Stardust series’ have a white starburst in the middle. “Stardust Orchid” is an All-America Selections winner.

Propagating Annual Vinca

Taking cuttings in the early fall is an easy way to multiply this plant. They should be rooted in water during the winter months. To prepare them for spring planting, place the rooted cuttings in potting soil in the late winter and let them grow into nursery plants.

How to Grow Annual Vinca From Seeds

Compared to older varieties, the modern vincas are more easier to grow from seed than the older ones. Start seeds inside 12 to 16 weeks before your average last frost date to get the best results. Provide a germination temperature of 75 degrees Fahrenheit by covering the seeds and, if required, using additional heat to keep the seeds completely dark. Prior to planting in the garden, allow seedlings to harden off for a week to ten days.

Potting and Repotting Annual Vinca

Vincas are known for their rapid growth. Fill in any empty sunny spots in your garden border where your perennials haven’t yet matured with a six-pack of vinca plants. Even while trailing annual vincas, such as the ‘Cora Cascade’ variety, don’t leave much of an imprint in the soil, they offer a splash of color to walkways and spindly shrubs.

Bring out the contrasting eye of the vinca flower by pairing them with a flower that matches the flower’s eye. For example, you can plant white vincas with a burgundy eye alongside burgundy zinnias, or pair peach vincas with a red eye with dramatic wine-hued celosia plants.

To bring out the vinca’s eye-catching contrast, use a flower that has an eye color that contrasts with the vinca’s. Vincas with burgundy eyes go well with zinnias in the same color family, while peach vincas with a red eye go well with dramatic wine-hued celosias.

How to Get Vinca to Bloom

It’s best to choose another flower that has an eye color like the vinca’s to bring out its striking contrast. Vincas with burgundy eyes go well with zinnias in the same color family, while peach vincas with a red eye look great with celosias in the same color family.

  1. Sunlight. Tweak it a bit if your vinca isn’t flowering.
  2. Water. Take a look at how well water drains from the soil. As a general rule, do not water Vinca unless the soil is dry.

You don’t have to worry about deadheading vinca if you take care of these two things.

Common Problems with Annual Vinca

Brown Spot on Leaves

A number of fungal diseases can infect vinca, making it susceptible to it as an annual, including leaf spot, botrytis blight, and root rot. Dampness and a lack of ventilation are the primary causes of these issues. Thinning the plants and using a fungicide are the only solutions to this problem. To do this, just remove all of the diseased leaves with a sharp garden shear.

Yellow, Wilted Leaves

Overwatering might cause yellowing and wilting of your annual vinca’s leaves. What do you notice about the soil? Too much moisture in the soil can cause yellowing and wilting of the leaves, but this is an easy fix.

Cuttings

You probably have an idea of how to start vinca from cuttings. As mentioned earlier, annual vinca ( Catharanthus roseus) or Madagascar periwinkle is not the same as Vinca minor and Vinca major. Annual periwinkle is easier to maintain without the need for deadheading, and it works well as a bedding plant.

Step #1. Taking cuttings

Cuttings of vinca can be used to start a new plant. Catharanthus roseus, more often known as annual vinca or Madagascar periwinkle, is distinct from Vinca minor and Vinca major, as previously stated. Annual periwinkle is easy to care for because it doesn’t need to be deadheaded, and it’s a good choice for a flowerbed.

Step #2. Preparing cuttings

Keep only the uppermost leaves when propagating plants from stolons, just as you would when propagating other plants from stolons. Hormone rooting powder can be applied prior to planting, and this will aid rooted. Then, place the cuttings in the greenhouse, which should be kept at a high humidity and temperature.

Step #3. Rooting and transplanting

Maintain a greenhouse temperature of 72 to 75 degrees Fahrenheit with partial shade to assist the cuttings grow and root. After that, you can gradually acclimate them to light before re-potting them in a larger container with potting medium.

Some gardeners also root the vinca cuttings over the winter in water, and once rooted, plant them in potting soil in late winter. They can stay indoors as nursery plants before transplanting in their permanent locations in spring.

Pin on propigateing plants

Growing Annual Vinca

Some gardeners choose to root vinca cuttings in water during the winter and then plant them in potting soil in the fall. Before being moved to their permanent placements in the spring, they can be kept indoors as nursery plants.

Vinca cuttings can also be rooted in water over the winter and planted in potting soil in late winter by certain gardeners. They can be kept as nursery plants indoors until spring, when they will be moved to their permanent locations.

Conclusion

Vinca cuttings can also be rooted in water over the winter and then planted in potting soil in late winter by some gardeners, as well. Preparation for spring planting can be accomplished by keeping them in a nursery inside.

Annual vincas can be propagated from seed or cuttings, but the greenhouse approach is preferable. Indoors, where the environment is more stable, you can keep seeds germinating optimally and cuttings rooted more easily. In either case, it is important to avoid planting during the harsh winter months because annual vincas are not tough enough.

FAQ

Are annual vinca easy to care for?

Yes! In contrast to other perennials, annual vinca is a cinch to maintain.

How fast does annual vinca grow?

Quickly. By the middle of the summer, annual vinca seedlings will be fully grown.

What’s the difference between annual vinca and vinca minor?

Unlike impatiens, the annual vinca is a tall, erect plant with pink, white, or red flowers. Vinca minor, popularly known as periwinkle, has dark foliage and pale purple blooms.