In general, baby’s breath plants require relatively little upkeep. They will essentially take care of themselves if you plant them in a location with enough sunshine and sufficient soil drainage. Normally, you just need to feed once a year and water during dry seasons. When your plants reach maturity, you may need to provide them support, such as garden stakes, to keep the delicate stems from toppling over. Moreover, you might proactively plant stakes that baby’s breath can grow around.
Light
Full daylight, which is defined as at least six hours of direct sunshine on most days, is ideal for baby’s breath plant growth. They will, however, put up with a little shade, especially from the sweltering afternoon sun. Yet excessive shade will cause lanky plants and poor flowering.
Soil
As long as the soil has sufficient drainage, baby’s breath plants can flourish in a variety of soil types. Wet clay soil does not operate as well as sandy soil. Baby’s breath should therefore be planted in raised garden beds or containers if your soil is heavy. In addition, these plants prefer a slightly alkaline soil pH, so if your soil is acidic, you should add some garden lime to make it more alkaline.
Water
Baby’s breath requires little water and does well on arid soil. For young plants, maintain a moderately wet soil. In most cases, you won’t need to water established plants unless there is a prolonged drought. Overwatering can destroy a plant by causing root rot.
Temperature and Humidity
Within its growing zones, the baby’s breath can withstand a variety of temperature ranges. Some species can withstand colder temperatures than others. These plants favor arid conditions over humid ones. So, it’s crucial to ensure that your plant has great soil drainage and isn’t sitting in constant moisture if you have excessive humidity levels.
Fertilizer
These plants don’t require frequent feedings, and too much fertilizer can result in sluggish growth. Put some compost into the planting site each spring to encourage strong growth and many blooms.
Pruning Baby’s Breath
By taking the spent blooms back to where the next spray is developing, these plants can be deadheaded. After the initial bloom, they can also gain from modest pruning to keep their shape and, perhaps, encourage additional blooms.
Cut the perennial baby’s breath stems after the second bloom, in the fall, to about an inch above the ground, for overwintering. In the spring, the plant will grow once more.
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