Heather: planting and care in the open field, reproduction and preparation for winter with a photo

Some people decorate their gardens and summer cottages with heather. This is a herbaceous and perennial plant, the flowers of which can turn white or purple during flowering. Before planting a plant, you should familiarize yourself with the recommendations for planting heather in the open field and caring for the planted bushes.

Popular heather varieties

The plant is divided into several large groups that differ in the height of the bushes:

Large ones. This is a tall coniferous heather that grows up to 70-80 centimeters in height. Large bushes are used to create flower arrangements in which tall and short flowers are adjacent to each other.The most popular large varieties are Allegro and Long White.
Mid-sized. An ordinary shrub, the height of which does not exceed forty centimeters. Medium-sized seedlings are used in the design of a monochrome garden. Most often, Aurea, Boskop and Carmen are planted in the garden.
Dwarf. A low-growing flower that grows only up to 25-30 centimeters. Popular dwarf flowers are Silver Knight and Red Star.

Heather in garden design

People who grow heather in the country often use it to decorate the garden. Experts recommend planting it in shaded and dark parts of the site, as its flowers can lighten them. In this case, it is necessary to plant them not one at a time, but immediately 10-15 pieces. Many consider the creation of a heather garden to be the most successful design solution. At the same time, not only heather bushes, but also Erics are planted on the site. Despite the fact that these plants bloom at different times, they are perfectly combined with each other.

Conditions for growing a crop in an open area

In order to grow heather, you need to familiarize yourself with the optimal conditions for its cultivation.

Lighting and site selection

Before planting heather in the garden, you will have to find a suitable place for its cultivation. Many people think that this plant is unpretentious in care and therefore grows anywhere, but this is not so. The flower is undemanding to lighting, and therefore it can be planted in a shaded area, which is not always lit by the sun. When choosing a suitable place in the garden, pay attention to how it is blown by the wind.

The site must be reliably protected from wind gusts so that the seedlings do not break from strong winds.

Optimal temperature

The plant has poor frost resistance and therefore it is better to figure out in advance the optimal temperatures for growing it. People who have been breeding heather for many years recommend growing it in winter at temperatures around 5-10 degrees Celsius.

To protect the bushes from hypothermia, soil mulching is carried out at the end of autumn.

The optimal temperature in summer is considered to be those that do not exceed twenty degrees above zero. It is contraindicated to grow flowers near heat sources, as hot and dry air adversely affects growth and flowering.

Humidity

In order for the planted heather to grow and develop well, it is necessary to monitor the level of humidity. In this case, special attention is paid to soil moisture. This is a moisture-loving plant that needs to be watered frequently. If the soil is too dry, the bush will begin to dry. You also need to monitor the humidity of the air. It is known that dry air adversely affects the growth of the flower. Therefore, care must be taken to ensure that the degree of humidity is 80-90%.

Suitable soil

Experts advise planting heather in soils with a high level of acidity. If the acidity is too high, it is reduced with citric acid, peat or sulfur. Do not grow bushes in alkaline soil, as they will quickly die.

Growth and development of heather is facilitated by micronutrients that must be contained in the soil. In order for the planted bushes to grow better, sand with peat and sawdust are added to the ground. Also, under each plant, you can add 60-70 grams of sulfur, which accelerates the growth of heather.

The best and worst neighbors

People who have never grown heather are interested in what plants it is better to plant with. All varieties of northern orchids are considered good neighbors. If planted together with heather bushes, their flowering will begin a few weeks earlier than usual. And they will bloom for 5-8 days longer. They can also be planted near lung gentian, which bloom in early summer. Such flowers are considered tall, and therefore they should grow behind the heather.

Poor neighbors are vegetable crops that consume a lot of nutrients and slow down the growth of flowers.

Methods of planting and propagation of crops

There are four methods of flower reproduction, the features of which must be familiarized in advance.

Bends

Many gardeners decide to plant heather with taps. To do this, you need to dig a shallow hole near one of the bushes, then free one of the lower branches from the leaves and dig it into the hole.

You can fix the twig with an ordinary wire or a strong metal pin. The upper part of the branch must be lifted and tied to the support.

When the shoot is dug into the ground, it must be poured with warm water. After a few weeks, the branch will be fully rooted and can be cut from the parent plant and replanted.

Tip cuttings

Another common propagation method is planting top cuttings. They are cut from old and already stiff branches of the plant in the twentieth of August.For planting, branches are cut off on which there are no flowering shoots. Cut branches must be planted in containers with soil mixture prepared from soil and peat. After planting, they are carefully watered and fed with superphosphate and urea.

Seedlings

Some flower growers prefer to propagate heather with rooted seedlings. This is done in the spring, but sometimes they are planted in early autumn. For planting, you need to buy seedlings in specialized stores that sell flowers. Before planting, all seedlings must straighten the roots so that they are not collected in a lump.

If this is not done, the planted seedlings will not be accepted well and will die. The plant should be planted in a shallow hole 10-12 centimeters wide. First, warm water is poured into it, after which the plant is planted.

Division of rhizomes

This method of propagation of seedlings is done at the end of summer, two weeks before the beginning of September. First you need to carefully dig a bush and remove it from the ground. Then, all the drying shoots are cut out from the dug out plant and the rhizomes are divided into parts. Divided roots are planted in dug holes and watered with water.

Optimal timing for planting and planting crops

Before planting flowers, you will have to figure out the optimal timing for planting them in the garden. Experts recommend doing sowing in the spring, when the air warms up to 10-15 degrees. Therefore, most flower growers plant heather in the second half of April or May. Some decide to plant in the fall. The most suitable time for this is October and the end of September.

Caring for heather according to season

For heather to grow well and bloom for a long time, it must be properly looked after.

Water and loosen the soil

This is a moisture-loving flower that needs abundant watering. If you do not regularly moisten the soil, heather bushes will develop poorly. To moisten the soil, it is necessary to use acidified warm water. Therefore, before watering, it is mixed with citric acid or apple cider vinegar.

In spring, flowers are watered at least once every 7-10 days. In the hot summer, the procedure is carried out every three days.

Fertilization

For abundant flowering and improving the development of seedlings, special fertilizers are added to the soil. It is not necessary to feed heather very often, once a season is enough. The best food for a flower is a nutrient solution made from bird droppings diluted in water. It should be used at the end of May or June. It is necessary to water the bushes carefully so that the feeding liquid does not accidentally fall on the surface of the leaves.

Diseases and pests: prevention and treatment

Heath bushes are known for their resistance to common fungal and viral diseases. However, despite this, sometimes they can get sick. Most often this happens due to improper care of the bushes or planting in contaminated soil. To treat and prevent the development of diseases, seedlings must be periodically treated with fungicides and chemicals.

Pruning and transplanting

To prevent premature aging of the shrub, it is necessary to cut it periodically. The procedure is carried out in September or October, when flowering completely ends. All leafy shoots of the plant are pruned. First of all, shoots are removed on which yellow leaves appear. You also need to cut stems that are longer than ten centimeters.

Replant heather seedlings to another place every five years.

Heather after flowering: how to care

When the plant has faded, care must be taken that it has enough nutrients for the winter. To do this, the bushes are fed with organic and mineral feeding compounds. The plant is fed with manure, peat and a solution made from bird droppings and leaf humus. Also, potassium-containing and nitrogen-containing fertilizers must be added to the soil.

The nuances of preparing a plant for winter depending on the regions

In order for the plant to endure the winter normally, it is necessary to prepare it for wintering in advance.

In the Urals and Siberia

People who grow heather in Siberia and the Urals must prepare it for winter frosts. Preparations begin in early autumn before the extreme cold sets in.

If the preparations are made too late, the plant will not survive the winter.

To ensure that wintering goes without problems, the soil surface near the bushes is covered with pine branches and sawdust.

In the middle lane and Moscow region

The climatic conditions of the Moscow region and the middle lane are ideal for heather seedlings. However, even when growing flowers in these regions, it is necessary to prepare them for wintering. Before frost, they are covered with dried grass, fallen leaves or tree branches.

In the Volga region

Saplings grown in the Volga region also need to be covered for additional frost protection. You can cover them with plastic wrap, dry branches, hay, straw or leaves.

Mistakes and problems in growing heather

People who have never planted heather before can make mistakes when growing it. A common mistake that many people encounter is planting flowers in the wrong soil.Because of this, seedlings develop slowly and rarely bloom. Also, beginners often take care of seedlings incorrectly, rarely water them and practically do not feed them. All this negatively affects the growth and flowering of the crop.

Conclusion

To decorate a summer cottage or garden, some plant a plant such as heather. Before planting a flower, you need to understand the features of popular varieties, as well as learn how to properly plant it and care for the planted shrubs.