Maned barley: variety description and characteristics, planting and care rules

Maned barley is becoming more and more popular among gardeners. It is undemanding to growing conditions and has excellent decorative properties. That is why culture is often used in landscape design. In order for a cereal plant to look aesthetically pleasing and develop well, it is important to consider the basic recommendations for growing it. At the same time, it is necessary to properly carry out planting work and provide the plant with quality care.

Description and characteristics of the plant

Under natural conditions, maned barley, or Hordeum Jubatum, grows in the Far East and Eastern Siberia.However, it is quite acceptable to grow it in different climatic zones. The plant is considered very unpretentious. It easily tolerates frost, extreme heat, drought, excess rainfall.

The plant appeared as a result of idioadaptation. It has not very long leaves measuring 3-8 centimeters. Moreover, their width does not exceed 0.5 centimeters. Roots are short. The height of the stems reaches 50 centimeters.

Spikelets collected in 3 pieces. Each of them has a large number of fluffy hair-like awns, the length of which is 7.5 centimeters. Thanks to this, the plant resembles a fluffy caterpillar, an elongated dandelion or a horse's mane.

After the end of flowering, elongated grains appear on the ears, in the center of which there are grooves. They differ in very small sizes. Therefore, maned barley is not grown for agricultural purposes. It is most often used in landscape design.

Culture blooms from July to September. Therefore, designers combine it with other ornamental plants, forming spectacular compositions. In addition, you can create beautiful dry bouquets from spikelets.

History of Appearance

In nature, the culture is found in the steppe regions of northeast Asia. It can also be seen in the pastures of North America. The scientific name of the cereal received in 1954. It was given to the plant by Carl Linnaeus.

With the advent of new railroad tracks, the plant has become widespread. Maned barley spread throughout Russia in the second half of the twentieth century. Today the culture is growing along the railroads of the Volga-Don region and Eastern Siberia.

Pros and cons

The benefits of the plant include the following:

• decorative appearance;
• undemanding to growing conditions;
• strong immunity.

At the same time, the culture has some disadvantages:

• animal toxicity;
• rapid spread across the site.

Economic purpose and application

Maned barley has only decorative properties. It is used for landscaping parks, squares, gardens. Also, the culture is perfect for creating floral arrangements, acting as a dried flower.

At the same time, the plant is characterized by rapid growth, because some gardeners perceive it as a weed. It is also worth considering that this type of barley is harmful to animals. If grass gets into livestock feed, there is a risk of irritation of the digestive organs and even the appearance of ulcers.

When does it bloom?

Barley starts flowering in July. At this time, spike-shaped inflorescences appear on the bushes, which are slightly bent in the stem. Young spikelets have a silvery-green color. They turn straw yellow over time.

Barley bloom lasts 2 months. At the same time, seeds appear on the bushes in September. When dry, the plant retains its decorative effect until frost.

The use of maned barley in landscape design

Maned barley is often used to decorate flower beds and flower beds. Such barley looks especially beautiful in rocky gardens and rock gardens. It can also be planted on lawns, combining with other plants. This barley can fill the voids between crops that quickly fade in the spring.

Suitable partners for plants:

• other ornamental cereals - in particular switchgrass;
• light-loving annual plants - for example, openwork bent grass, pennisetum;
• perennials with silver foliage - lavender, sage;
• bright plants - marigolds, calendula.

In addition, the plant can be used for sodding beds. It also looks good when cut. With the help of barley, you can make bouquets and various decorative compositions from dried flowers.For this, it is recommended to prepare the cereal in advance - collect it in early June and dry it in bunches. If you do this later, the ears may crumble.

Boarding rules

The plant is considered to be very resistant to various temperature fluctuations. It easily withstands frost. Also, the culture is considered very undemanding to watering. Drought does not cause much damage to cereals. However, there are a number of rules that must be followed.

Date and place for polls

Barley seeds are best planted in steady warm weather. However, do not do it in the heat. Of course, landing times vary by region. In the open field in the Moscow region, barley begins to be grown later than in the south. However, on average, planting dates are in April or at the end of August. In the first case, it will be possible to get an ornamental plant in July, in the second - in June next year.

The place for growing a plant must meet the following requirements:

1. Plenty of sunshine. The plant is considered photophilous. In the shade, it also grows well, but may lose its decorative effect.
2. Moderate humidity. An excess amount of moisture negatively affects the development of maned barley. Therefore, it is not worth planting a plant in the lowlands.
3. Light ground structure. Too heavy soil hardly passes air and accumulates moisture well. This can lead to the death of culture. Therefore, planting it in heavy and dense soil is not recommended. If there are no alternatives, barley can also be grown in sand. The best options are alkaline and slightly acidic soil.

Preparation of seeds and soil

To achieve fast and friendly shoots, you need to stratify the seeds. To do this, it is recommended to do the following:

1. Pour some peat into the bottom of a small container.
2. Place seeds on top.
3. Slightly moisten the soil.
4. Wrap with foil and make a few holes in it with a needle. Thanks to this, it will be possible to ensure the flow of air to the planting material.
5. For 2 months, remove the seeds in the vegetable compartment of the refrigerator. After the specified time, maned barley can be planted.

The only option for propagation of culture is the seed method. If re-planting is planned later, it is recommended to prepare the seeds in advance. For growing seedlings, planting work is recommended to be planned for the first half of September. In winter, the sprouts should be placed in a warm place.

To prepare the soil for planting maned barley, it is recommended to do the following:

• carefully dig up the beds;
• remove all weeds;
• make compost and organic fertilizers that contain a lot of potassium and phosphorus.

Growing seedlings and planting seedlings

The seedling method is used if you want to achieve earlier flowering of barley. Thanks to this, the process will start 1 month earlier. It is recommended to plant seeds in mid-March. To do this, it is recommended to do the following:

1. Fill seedling containers with a special substrate. To do this, it is recommended to mix humus, peat and sand in a ratio of 2:1:1.
2. Place the seeds on the surface of the soil, press them a little into the soil and sprinkle with peat.
3. Moisten the soil from the sprayer.
4. Water the beds as the topsoil dries.
5. When the fourth true leaf appears on the seedling, move it to separate containers.
6. Keep plants on a warm windowsill until May 10th. Then the bushes can be moved to open ground. When landing in a permanent place, it is important to avoid damaging fragile roots.

For seeds to germinate well, they need to provide suitable conditions:

• temperature should be +14-16 degrees;
• air humidity should be maintained at 65%;
• lighting should be diffused.

To plant seedlings and achieve earlier flowering, barley can be planted in March in a greenhouse. In this case, the bushes will quickly begin to grow. As a result, flowering will begin in April.

Specific care

In order for a plant to grow and develop normally, it needs proper care. Timely moistening of the soil is of great importance. It is important to remember the sense of proportion. The soil should not dry out, however, stagnant moisture should be avoided.

In order for the plant to retain its decorative properties, it needs to be fed regularly. At the same time, it is recommended to apply fertilizers no more than 1 time during the season. Before fertilizing, the soil must be well weeded.

To prevent barley from covering the entire plot, it is recommended to periodically thin out the beds. In this case, you must first collect the seeds.

The plant has strong immunity. However, sometimes it is affected by gray rot.Infected plants must be separated from he althy ones. In this case, the infected fragments must be removed. Fungicides are used to treat pathologies. The most effective drugs include Horus, Topaz, Fundazol.

Maned barley is a popular plant with excellent decorative properties. In order for a culture to grow and develop normally, it needs to provide full and high-quality care.

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