Echinacea - planting and care in the open field, photo of flowers

What is Echinacea? Planting and caring for her in the open field, photos, as well as methods of breeding, reproduction of echinacea will be described in this article. If you want to combine business with pleasure, be sure to plant a beautiful Echinacea on your plot. About this representative of the Astrov family there is good fame, and she is quite deserved. Echinacea has long been successfully used in folk and official medicine, and bright large buds, something similar to colorful daisies, adorn our gardens and flower beds.

Echinacea - a perennial flower: it is unpretentious, easy to grow, has a good survival rate in a new place. The plant is easily propagated by dividing the bush or sowing seeds. For planting echinacea is better to choose sunny places, but, as practice shows, in the penumbra, she also feels good.

Echinacea, photo:

There are no special requirements for the type of soil either, the only exception is light sandy. If you have a soil with high acidity on the site, then before planting this flower it is recommended to preliminarily add lime. The most common type of Echinacea is Echinácea purpúrea - Echinacea purpurea, which in 1753 was first described by Karl Linna, world-famous botanist. Later, much later, scientists ranked Echinacea as a separate genus and identified 10 species. All of them have external similarities and they can often be confused. However, it is Echinácea purpúrea that is most often used for the treatment, the creation of medicines, the decoration of garden plots, flower beds.

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Echinacea - planting and care

The planting process itself can be carried out either in the fall or in the spring. Hybrid cultivars multiply mainly by dividing( vegetatively) - this method, as well as the generative( seeds), will be discussed a little later. So, for planting seedlings, you will have to dig up small holes, 5-7 cm deep. The distance between them should be about 25-30 cm. If you plant delenki, see that the depth of the hole is a little wider and deeper than the root system of the plant. You can simply deepen the seedling into the soil and gently compress the earth around it, you can also pre-place the compost in the hole, and then the plant itself. After planting the bushes should be watered.

If the echinanacea flower was purchased in a store, in a container or in a pot, the planting pit should be sufficiently deep and wide( approximately 40 cm).Experienced gardeners recommend mixing in equal parts compost, garden soil and river sand, this mixture should be filled up by about 1/3 of the hole. Further, the echinacea is carefully removed from the pot by transshipment, together with the earthy lump is placed in an already prepared hole. It is recommended that the seedling be immersed in the soil to the depth at which it was located in the container.

Keep in mind that only in the second year of life will your Echinacea bloom. Growing and caring for it should be in regular generous watering( preferably in the evening).Cleaning weeds, loosening the soil - self-evident garden care. As for fertilizer application, Echinacea can do very well without them. However, if you want to feed your favorite flower, it is better to start this business from the second year of his life. Usually, echinacea flowers are fed with wood ash and rotted compost mixed in equal parts. It is better to do this in spring or autumn, after the plant has faded. You can also use various complex additives for flowering plants, such as Agricola.

It is better to cut off faded buds immediately, unless, of course, you intend to collect seeds from them. With the onset of autumn, approximately in the last days of October, the ground part of the plant should be cut off, covered with compost and dry foliage. Do not forget that Echinacea purpurea can freeze in the event that winter will be snowless. That is why mulching foliage or spruce branches is welcome. As for the collection of seed, it is necessary to collect it only after full maturation of the flowers. Their darkened middle points are an indicator of maturity. Remove the seeds from the center of the bud, remove flower residues, transfer them to a glass container or a cloth bag. Remember that the seeds lose their germination very quickly, so it’s not worth tightening up with the sowing of new Echinacea herds.

Echinacea, photo of flowers:

Speaking about caring for a plant, you can not ignore the topic of pests and diseases. Echinacea has a fairly good immunity, but sometimes it happens. The cause of the disease can be improper care or even weather conditions. Heat and high humidity( frequent rains), as well as temperature drops can provoke the appearance of ash( powdery mildew).This disease can occur from oversaturation of the plant with nitrogen supplements. In this case, the good old Bordeaux liquid will come to the rescue. If your Echinacea flower was affected by a fungus, then remove all infected fragments as soon as possible.

At an early stage, the problem is easier to cope with, but in a state of neglect, in order to save the plant, you will have to resort to treatment with fungicides( for example, Fundazol, Topaz).It is better to completely remove all infected plants from the site, and process the soil after them with a strong solution of potassium permanganate. Echinacea flowers do not overlook insect parasites. If you can collect individual representatives with your hands, such as slugs, then against the rest it is best to use proven tools - Actellic, Karbofos.

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How to propagate echinacea?

As mentioned above, this plant multiplies seeds and dividing the bush. The division is considered the most convenient and efficient method, which is best done in spring( April) or in autumn, when leaves fall from trees. The seed method is rather long-lasting, but it is optimally suited for flower growers living in cold regions. When seeding in the tank, you will have to transplant Echinacea into the open ground. Now let's take a closer look at these two ways.

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Reproduction of echinacea by dividing

To do this, you should choose healthy bushes that have already turned at least 4 years old. The plant must be carefully removed from the ground, making sure that the root system is not damaged. Next, divide the roots in such a way that on each delenka there are 3 or 4 renewal buds. It is not necessary to disassemble the rhizome into many small fragments, it is enough to select 3 high-quality delenka with strong roots. After this, it is recommended to place the plants in Kornevin's solution( for two hours), and then plant them in the soil as described above. When planting, make sure that the root neck is above the ground level. The upper part of the Echinacea is better to cut, so that it directed all its forces to rooting.

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Echinacea - growing from

seeds To collect seed, also try to select the healthiest and strongest bushes. Seeds can be sown directly in the ground with the onset of spring( April), when you are sure that there will be no more frosts. After this, it is enough to sprinkle them lightly with soil and wait for seedlings that will not slow down even at a temperature of +13 ºC.This method is best suited to those who live in the warm regions of our country. Do not regret the seeds when planting, in any case, then you can always thin out too thick shoots. In other cases, it is better to use the seedling method, pre-sow the seeds in containers.

When to plant Echinacea seeds? The best time for this is February or the first days of March. In containers, appropriate soil is poured in advance, grooves are made into which the seeds are laid down to a depth of no more than 0.5 cm. About 2 cm should remain between the seeds. From above you must carefully sprinkle them with the thinnest layer of river sand or the same soil in whichwere planted. After that you should water your “flower garden” with water from a spray bottle( room temperature).Next, the container must be moved to a room where the temperature varies between +14. . + 18ºC.At night, it is better to cover it with glass or food film, but in the morning you will have to remove the protection. In such circumstances, it can take a month and a half before sprouting Echinacea purpurea. Growing by container method always takes a long time, and this is normal.

Do not forget to periodically moisten the earth and, eventually, your efforts will be justified. Having spiked, the seedlings begin to grow rather quickly, as if it compensates for the long weeks of calm in the seedling stage. Keep it away from direct sunlight, but keep it in the light.

When can I transfer Echinacea? The strengthened seedlings are planted in the open ground after May 10-15 and are surrounded by their standard care. Be prepared for the fact that in the first year they will not please you with flowers, but only grow foliage and reach 20 cm in height. But next year you will be able to admire the bright fragrant buds and collect a supply of medicinal raw materials from his own bushes.

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Echinacea - varieties, photos

Today there are many excellent hybrids of Echinacea purpurea. All of them are highly decorative, are honey plants and compete with each other in beauty. Echinacea differ in color, shape of buds, height of stems, but at the same time they are all similar to each other. It is rather difficult to single out some special varieties, and it is even more difficult to describe all the available ones. Below I will present photos of those varieties with which I happened to meet.

Variety Supreme Cantaloupe:

Variety White Swan:

Variety Magnus:

Variety Hot Papaya:

Variety Secret Passion:

Variety Cranberry:

Variety Cranberry Cupcake:

Echinacea Crusberry:

Variety of Caneberry Varieties:

Variety of Cranberry:

Variety of Cranberry Cupcake:

features of your landscape design, and if necessary - hide its flaws. From mid-summer to the end of September, you will be given the beauty and aroma of an attractive and not capricious Echinacea. Planting and care in the open field, photos of flowers, the nuances of cultivation are now known to you. Do not waste time, stock up with seeds or delenki.

And let you succeed!

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