GROWING SNAPDRAGON

Snapdragon is a valuable commercial cut flowers and among the best garden plant for sunny borders. Individual flowers of snapdragon has five lobes, which are divided into equal upper and lower jaws, a slight pinch at the side of flowers will activate the opening of the dragon jaws. Some hybrids were developed with double, opened, round, bell-shaped, and azalea-shaped-double flowers.

CLASSIFICATIONS OF SNAPDRAGON / Antirrhinum majus / Scrophulariaceae

Perennial but usually treated as annual
Single flowered-some popular varieties are: Pocket, Topper, Double supreme, Cinderella, Coronette, Minaret, Princes white, Purple eyes, Sprite, Tahiti, Dwarf bedding floral, Carpet, Kim, Kolibri, Royal carpet
Double flowered-some popular varieties of double flowered snapdragons are: Bright butterfly, wedding bells, Little darling, Liberty bells, Pixie.
Azalea-flowered-some popular varieties are: Madam butterfly, sweetheart.

HOW TO PLANT AND CARE FOR SNAPDRAGON:

Amend the soil to be planted with snapdragon by digging and mixing in organic mix prepared from the ratios below. Snapdragon may be planted out in early fall in mild-winter areas and spring in colder-winter areas, from started plants that were started by nursery or from seedling flats that were sowed around late summer in mild areas and early spring in colder-winter areas. Water immediately after planting. Day after planting, make a small hole 1” deep beside the plant and put a dozen of earthworms. Cover the earthworms with soil.

HOW TO DO ORGANIC MIX FOR SNAPDRAGON:

50%  peat moss.
30%part other organic material such as earthworm castings, compost. Leaf mold or Nitrogen stabilized bark.
20% part builders’ sand

HOW TO DO CONTAINER CULTURE OR POT CULTURE FOR SNAPDRAGON WITH THE USE OF EARTHWORMS:

snapdragon make good container plants too. After preparing the organic potting mix, Fill a large enough pot 1/3 full of the potting mix and place the snapdragon plant in the pot, cover with the organic mix above to cover roots and water immediately, move this pot to a shaded area.  Dig a small ½ inch hole beside the plant the next day and put a dozen live earthworms into it, then cover the earthworm with soil.

HOW TO FIX PEST AND PROBLEMS OF SNAPDRAGON:

One common problem of snapdragon is rust, this is also a common problem of hollyhocks, lawn, and roses. A few preventive measures are use rust-resistant variety of snapdragon: Keep plant regularly watered but avoid watering overhead. Best time to water is in the morning and on sunny days so that by night fall the water on the leaves will have dried up already. Feed organic fertilizer regularly, and avoid planting snapdragon on the same location as the previous year’s planting location.  

HOW TO PROPAGATE SNAPDRAGON:

Sowing seeds in seedling flats may propagate snapdragon. Many suppliers seal seeds in plastic-lined foil pouches to maintain freshness. Tear open these pockets and tip the seeds into your hand, tap them off with a finger of the other hand on the seedling flats. Use a chopstick to press gently the seeds into flat and cover with a tiny amount of seedling medium. Cover the seedling flat with glass or plastics.