Chrysanthemum is deservedly considered the queen of autumn. Its flowering begins at a time when other varieties of garden crops are at the end of flowering or are already in dormant mode. Novice growers are often interested in how to preserve chrysanthemums in the winter without digging. People with experience in caring for these flowers believe that it does not always make sense to dig out chrysanthemums from the ground. Some varieties can provide the necessary shelter and leave them to winter in the garden.
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Preparing plants for wintering
The preparation of plants for wintering in each region begins differently. In the suburbs, they begin such work in late August. In the southern regions, shelters of thermophilic plants begin to worry in the beginning or middle of autumn. At this time, gardeners cut the stems, apply fertilizer to the ground and begin winter shelter.
At the end of the summer season, fertilizer should be applied under the bush. The recommended feeding composition is complex with a higher content of phosphorus and a lower concentration of potassium. Such an agronomic operation will provide the plant root system with complete nutrition and increase its cold resistance.
You may be interested in:Autumn pruning
All plants (wintering in the ground and dug) are subject to autumn pruning. The procedure is started after a seasonal drop in temperature. Do not be too zealous and cut off the shoots under the root. Above ground stems must be at least 10 cm long.
Florists are not unanimous in their opinion on whether to dig out all the chrysanthemums for the winter. Some believe that all plants should be dug up due to the fact that they can suffer from both frost and prolonged thaw. And others prefer to rely on the climatic conditions of the region in which the plants are grown.
You may be interested in:What varieties should be dug up
Mandatory extraction from the soil are subject to Multiflora chrysanthemums, large-flowered and branch varieties. It is noted that plants with large inflorescences do not tolerate wintering in the ground. They are removed from the earth after the onset of cold weather and sent for storage in a dry basement.
Indian varieties especially need gentle wintering:
- Golden Orpheus;
- Helene and others
Similar plants can be transplanted into greenhouses, insulated loggias or greenhouses.
Popular varieties of small-flowered chrysanthemums are:
- Oak;
- Red Moscow;
- Purple Haze;
- Everest;
- Korean;
- Malchish-Kibalchish;
- Chamomile, etc.
In all regions with a warm climate, they can be left for wintering in the ground, after taking care of shelter without the risk of freezing.
You may be interested in:To come to the right decision, to dig out or leave chrysanthemums in the ground, you need after familiarizing yourself with useful information. The climatic conditions of the region should be taken into account. It is known that under a layer of snow all plants, even in severe winters, are perfectly preserved. But if the cold season passes without snow and with severe frosts, then chrysanthemums from such conditions can not stand and die. The same damage to the roots will be caused by the frequent alternation of thaw and frost, prolonged rainfall.
The second important factor to consider is the chrysanthemum variety. For the midland and Moscow region, Korean hybrid varieties are preferred. When acquiring a plant you like, it is important not to make a mistake and buy a garden, not an indoor flower.
The planting of newly acquired bushes should begin no later than the end of August to give the chrysanthemum time for full rooting. Phosphate fertilizers are added to the planting pit, and nitrogen will be required by the plant in the spring. They use potash fertilizers during the warm season for plentiful flowering.
Care for dwarf varieties
Compared to traditional varieties of chrysanthemums, their dwarf gather have been bred recently. Their mission is to decorate balconies, loggias, mixborders and even apartments. Residents of the southern regions are not too concerned about sheltering the spherical varieties of these plants for the winter. It is enough to cover them with spruce branches - and the shelter is ready.
In harsh climate such chrysanthemums are to be dug up. Rhizomes should be removed from the soil after the ground part has dried. After easy cleansing from the soil, the roots of chrysanthemums are laid out in the shade for drying. After removing dead fragments, the roots are placed in containers with sawdust or straw and sent to a dry basement.
Some gardeners do things differently. Immediately after extracting the plant from the soil, shoots are cut off, after leaving 10 cm of the stem, and the rhizome is placed in a flower pot with peat. At the bottom of the container lay a drainage layer of foam fragments. It is recommended to moisten the roots, and treat the stems with an insecticide. This measure will protect the plant from aphids and other pests in the next season. This is how chrysanthemums are stored in the winter in the basement until spring.
In most cases, dwarf chrysanthemums are grown indoors. But the southern regions allow you to plant them in flower beds and not take them out for the winter. At room content of dwarf plants, the ground part is cut off in autumn, the length of the remaining shoots is only 10 cm. The container is transferred to a dry room with an ambient temperature of +8 ° С. Humidify the plants is not more than 1 time per month. Do not forget to sign the name of the variety on the containers.
Shelter organization
Cover the plants should be phased. Initially, they perform trimming, and then do the hilling. When hilling, the presence of pits and grooves in which excess moisture can subsequently accumulate should be excluded.
Florists should grow bushes in the ground so that they are completely covered. In severe climatic conditions, it is additionally recommended to cover the bushes of chrysanthemums with lapnik or sawdust. But it is worth starting the second protective layer after the established frosty weather.
As a shelter for wintering bushes of plants, bricks, sheets of slate or other improvised material are used. Around the rhizomes, protective walls are laid out of bricks and covered with a sheet of slate on top of them.Build shelters from special agricultural or improvised material. The roof can be used breathable agronomic material lutrasil or spandbond. With this design, ventilation and protection against heavy rainfall will be provided.
Almost always you need to shelter chrysanthemums for the winter, but not too warm. A big mistake of gardeners is an unnecessarily large layer of shelter, under which the plant roars. Those who do not want to risk rare varieties separate a small fragment of the root from the mother plant and store it in the basement. The main plant is covered, and left to winter in the ground.
The simplified shelter procedure is as follows:
- The ground part of the chrysanthemum is cut off, shoots of 15-20 cm remain.
- The bush is piled up with soil or peat.
- A layer of foliage and spruce branches is laid.
In addition to the method of mulching, you can save chrysanthemums in winter without digging using another method - planting in a trench. To implement this method of wintering, it is necessary to build a recess up to 50 cm high. The deepening is created on a hill, and its bottom is insulated with needles or spruce branches. The roots of chrysanthemums are placed tightly to each other and slightly sprinkled with peat. Then the plants are covered layer by layer with polyethylene, boards and slate sheets.
Not everyone has the ability to keep plants in a dark room. Florists, deprived of utility rooms, have to leave them on the street. In order for wintering of chrysanthemums in the open field to go without problems, you need to listen to the practical advice of specialists.
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