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Planting perennials, the florist can for a few years forget about the seeds, seedlings and care of small seedlings that require special attention and care. Already in the second year, perennial flowers on the flowerbed are the first to unfold the leaves in spring, the first to open the coronets and become the decoration of the garden until the frosts. Their life in one place lasts more than one year, and, it would seem, does not require the participation of a person. But to get full return from any, even the most unprincipled culture without regular and attentive care will not work.
Like all plants, perennial flowers need watering and fertilizing. They can be thwarted by weeds, pests and diseases. And in the autumn it's worth taking care that green pets are protected from the coming winter frosts.
Irrigation of perennial flowers
With water, plants receive all the nutrients for growth and flowering, so the flowers are watered abundantly and regularly, a special paying attention to this issue, on hot, dry summer days, as well as in the period of active growth, that is, in spring and during flowering.
Make sure the need for watering can be checked by checking the condition of the soil on the flowerbed at a depth of 5-10 cm, that is, where the bulk of the moisture absorbing roots are located. The periodicity with which perennials should be watered, and the amount of water per square meter depends on the planted crops and the type of soil.
On average, per square meter of a flower garden, the florist pours 20 liters of constant, warm moisture:
- If the flower garden is in the shade, it is moistened much less often than the one that is broken into the sun.
- On sandy soils, water is kept worse than on loam or chernozem, so perennials on sand prefer to drink more.
- Planting in the area of perennials with a rod root system, for example, delphiniums, poppies, lupines or aquilegia, obliges the flower grower to pour out more moisture for these flowers than for plants of rudbeckia, koreopsis, phlox or cirrus carnations.
More than the rest of the regularity and quality of watering depend young, not yet wintering plants with a weak root system, as well as luxuriantly flowering specimens, spending all their energy on maintaining colors and buds.
Watering flowers are carried out early in the morning or in the evening, when the sun is not so active as to leave traces of burns on the wet foliage. If the weather is overcast, there are no restrictions for watering.
Weeding and loosening of soil under perennial flowers
In order for the flowers to get all the moisture, the roots breathed and did not experience a food shortage because of the abundance of competitors nearby, the soil under the plants must be loosened and weeded. The complexity of this procedure is associated with a high risk of damage to flowers by a chopper or other mechanical tool. A similar situation is not excluded even with the use of chemical means to combat unwanted tenants of the flowerbed.
Therefore, the weeding of group plantings of overgrown perennial crops is carried out manually. The work is rather laborious, and experienced flower growers prefer the intervals between the colors to thickly mulch. For this purpose, and fit shredded grass, and crumb of coniferous bark, small pebbles or expanded clay. Recent materials, in addition to restraining the growth of weeds and protecting moisture, create an additional, decorative effect and can be used as an independent decoration of the garden.
Rules of fertilization perennials
The life of perennials in one place leads to a natural depletion of the soil. Therefore, such plants need competent support with the help of mineral and organic fertilizers:
- The first period of fertilization of perennial crops occurs immediately after the melting of snow.
- Then plants fertilize when buds appear, during flowering and the field of it.
- The last time the organics are brought in the last days of July, and from the second half of September this withdrawal is completely stopped.
The introduction of organic improves the quality of the soil and provides the plants with food, but this happens slowly.
That the flowers do not feel the deficit necessary for the development of "food the entire flowerbed area, not occupied In spring and autumn, plants are covered with a layer of well-permeated purified from foreign inclusions humus. Mineral fertilizing is convenient to do with granular mixtures, which dry up under the crops and penetrate the soil with irrigation water.
At the same time, in the first half of the growing season, flowers need more nitrogen fertilizing, and near the end of the season, phosphorus and potassium prevail in fertilizers.
Pruning and garter flowering perennials
To ensure the decorations of flowerbeds with perennials in a number of cases, plants must be tied up and pruned. In the pillars need tall species with large inflorescences, which under their own weight fall apart on the sides of the center of the rosette and lose shape. Therefore, such flowers are tied up as they grow, and the faded or dried shoots are cut out in time.
For climbing crops, it is necessary to equip trellises or arches that are able to withstand the weight of the plant and ensure its growth during the summer.
The goal of trimming perennials is not only the maintenance of their sanitary condition, but also, if possible, the extension of flowering. This method is effective against mallow, lupines and other species, tying many seeds and spending energy on their maturing.
Crop perennial flowers can be in spring or autumn. Specific dates are chosen depending on the timing of flowering of a particular culture. Often pruning is combined by transplanting and dividing adult plants.
Preparation of perennials for winter
Later in the fall, perennials prepare for wintering. To do this, cut out all the dry parts, cover the soil with mulch or other insulating materials, make shelters for large specimens or dig out the most thermophilic species for storage in the basement or in the home conditions.
If necessary, flower beds in winter are additionally thrown with snow, which creates a powerful air cushion and actively protects perennials from freezing.
