Content of the article:
Aquilegia refers to the buttercup plants. It can grow for several years in one place and not lose its decorative properties. It is widely used in landscape design when creating flowering compositions. In order for aquilegia to grow well and delight in its flowering, you must follow the simple rules of planting and subsequent care.
Breeding Techniques
Diluting aquilegia on your plot is easy. It multiplies in one of the following ways:
- Seeds. After the end of flowering, seed boxes form on the plant. Their contents are dried and stratified at a temperature of +5 degrees. When growing aquilegia from seed, it is important when they are planted. It is best to do this in early spring right in the ground. If frost often occurs in your area, it is better to resort to a seedling method of growing. To obtain early shoots can be carried out planting aquilegia before winter.
- division of the bush. The root system of aquilegia is fragile and easy to damage. Therefore, the division of the bush is carried out only in exceptional cases. This method can only propagate plants that have reached the age of three years. Dig the root system in early spring or late autumn. After that, the roots are washed with water and cut off all the shoots. The root system is cut in half so that there are healthy kidneys on both sides. Places of cuts are necessarily sprinkled with finely ground charcoal. Take root such seedlings will be long and difficult.
- Cutting. It is necessary to harvest cuttings in early spring before buds begin to open. It is recommended that cutting sites be treated with a root formation stimulator and planted in pots filled with soil. Rooting will take about three weeks.
The easiest and fastest way is seed reproduction. Such planting aquilegia allows you to get strong healthy plants without much effort.
The choice of location and rules for planting
The beauty and richness of flowering will largely depend on the quality of the soil and the correctness of the choice of location of the flower bed. The plant feels better in light penumbra. It is recommended to plant it near shrubs or small trees with sparse crown. In the shadow of aquilegia will lose its brightness, the flowers will be smaller.
The soil should be loose. It must contain a sufficient amount of nutrients. The plant does not tolerate stagnant moisture at the roots. Therefore, before planting, it is necessary to organize the drainage layer.
Planting and caring for aquilegia in open field will be easier if the distance between plants is maintained correctly. About 40 cm should remain between them. Up to 10 plants can be placed in one square place of soil.
If you sow seeds directly in open ground, then they need to be ground up to a depth of about half a centimeter. Seedlings are planted in small holes. They are recommended to be powdered with ash and fertilized with humus.
Features of care
Planting and caring for aquilegia does not require special skills. Just follow a few simple recommendations:
- Plant tolerates moisture deficiency. But you can not completely deprive him of water. Watering should be moderate as the soil dries out.
- Weed and weed regularly and loosen the soil around the plants.
- Aquilegia loves well-fertilized soil. Spray a small amount of compost from time to time. Mineral fertilizers are recommended to be applied no more than twice per season. A good result gives an annual update of the soil. To do this, remove the top layer of the old soil and pour in a new one.
- If you plan to collect seeds, wrap them with gauze before the boxes open. This will help prevent self-seeding.
- Preparing for winter aquilegia in the fall is pruning. The stems are cut at the level of basal leaves. This will allow the plant to better winter and not lose its properties. To warm the top sprinkled with a mixture of peat and sand.
- The transplant of aquilegia is held every five years in the fall. Often this is not worth it, because the plant is poorly acclimatized. Dig the whole bush together with the ground, cut off all the shoots. Remove damaged roots. You can simultaneously carry out the division of the bush. Drop off to a new place. Healthy shoots can be used to make compost.
Compliance with the rules of planting and caring for flowers Aquilegia in a photo can be easily found on the Internet today. Observing them, you get a beautiful healthy flower bed, which will delight you with bloom all summer.
Pest and disease control
Improper planting and care for aquilegia leads to the appearance of diseases, whose photos are often scary. Among the most common problems are:
- Mealy dew. With this disease, the leaves turn brown and curl into tubes. Over time, they completely die off and disappear. You can deal with the problem with a solution of urea. They sprayed the plant in the late evening, when the sun had already gone down. Some growers use green soap for this purpose. You can use and specialized chemicals.
- Gray rot. To cope with this problem is impossible. An infected plant must be completely excavated and burned.
- Rust. The fight against this disease is carried out with the use of specialized drugs. One of the best is considered "Topaz".It must be applied in strict accordance with the instructions.
- Pest Control. The most common are spider mites, aphids, nematodes, scoops. Chemical agents are used to combat them. Good result gives the drug "Actellic" and "Malathion".It is not always possible for the nematode to win, it is necessary to change the site. On the affected land, it will be possible to plant plants that are resistant to the nematode, for example, a ray, garlic or cereals.
Even an inexperienced florist will be able to cope with growing aquilegia. It is enough to strictly adhere to all the rules of care.
