Freesia: planting and care in the open field, how to grow and store

Freesia is a spectacular corm plant. She is quite whimsical, so she is rarely seen in garden plots. To grow an ornamental bush, you need to know how to properly plant and care for freesia in the open field. You can grow it not only in the garden, but also on the balcony or loggia - like a potted plant.

Description and characteristics of freesia

Freesia is a corm plant with oblong, narrow leaves and a branched inflorescence consisting of 3-6 flowers. The plant is described as follows:

• bush height varies, depending on the variety, from 20 to 70 centimeters;
• leaves, on average, are 15-20 centimeters long;
• narrow funnel-shaped inflorescences reach a length of 3-5 centimeters.

The bulb is planted in open ground in spring, dug out when autumn comes. Freesia blooms from the second decade of August until the onset of cold weather. The inflorescences have a varied palette, thin out the light aroma of citrus. The flower is used as a flower bed decoration, as a cut plant, and also grown as a mix in pots, being planted in several pieces in one container.

Types and varieties of plants

The flower belongs to the genus of corm plants of the iris family, and has 16 species. 3 types of freesia are adapted for growing in the garden and in containers:

• broken;
• hybrid;
• Armstrong.

The height of the plants varies, as does the color of the petals. It comes in blue, pink, red, yellow, white, purple. The most popular varieties are:

1. Fractured freesia varieties Alba. Her bush reaches 40 centimeters, the flowers are large, have a white color.
2. Freesia hybrid variety Red Lion. Decorative high (up to 1 meter) bushes give bright scarlet inflorescences with double, large petals.
3. Freesia hybrid Vinita gold. This is a plant with yellow-orange inflorescences. The hybrid variety is tall.
4. Freesia Armstrong varieties Cardinal. The name of the plant with a red inflorescence was associated with the color of the mantle of Cardinal Richelieu.
5. Freesia hybrid Double mix. The bushes are low, up to 30 centimeters. Double suitable for growing in a pot.

Pay attention! Tall varieties of freesia need support.

Nuances of growing freesia outdoors

When growing freesia in a greenhouse, bulbs can be planted at any time. They are planted outdoors when spring comes and there is no danger of frost returning.

Choosing a planting site and soil preparation

Freesia blooms with daylight hours lasting 12-14 hours. But the place where the bushes will grow is selected with a little shading and protection from drafts. The soil should be light, fertile. Heavy soil is diluted with peat, sand and humus. Soil preparation is done 2 weeks before planting.

Selection of Bulbs

The bulbs that have passed through special storage are ready for planting. Small tubers will not show flowering, they need to be planted separately to grow the bulb.Planting material must be he althy, without spots on it. If there is slight decay, but it is a pity to throw away the bulb, the affected parts must be cut out and the sections treated with an antifungal drug.

Warming up

Freesia comes from the tropics, so it needs to create a natural aura. Corms are placed in a bag, which is kept in a warm room. When the germs of the roots begin to appear, the temperature is reduced.

Processing

Before planting, the tubers are soaked in a disinfectant solution. To do this, use potassium permanganate or other, more aggressive, chemicals. Planting material is placed in a disinfectant for 30-60 minutes, then washed and dried. The bottom of the bulbs can be processed in a growth stimulator (Epin, Kornevin) for rapid root formation.

Forcing

In order for corms to take root faster in open ground, they must first be planted in a box or in individual containers.You can plant them in peat pots, then when transplanted to the site, the roots will not be injured, the plants will quickly adapt to the open area. Containers with seedlings are placed in a bright room, seedlings are watered as necessary.

Landing

Bulbs should be planted in prepared, loose soil. The depth of planting depends on the structure of the soil: the denser and heavier it is, the closer the tubers are planted to the surface. The depth range of their embedding is from 6 to 15 centimeters, the distance between the bushes is 3-6 centimeters. Then the bed with plants is watered, sprinkled with mulching material to preserve moisture in the soil.

Features of growing at home

In room conditions, the flower is planted in late winter or early spring. A month before planting, the bulbs begin to prepare. To do this, they are transferred from a warm room to a cooler one, the air temperature in which is kept at about 13 ° C. Then follow these steps:

1. Choose a pot that must have drainage holes.
2. Put expanded clay, small pebbles or broken shards on the bottom.
3. Pour a substrate for bulbous plants on top or prepared it yourself - from sod and leaf soil, humus, peat.
4. Plant several plants in a pot (you can use a variety of colors).
5. Put the container in a cool place.
6. When sprouts appear, move the pot to a warm, bright room, and water the seedlings for the first time.

Light should fall on freesia within 14 hours, therefore, with a lack of lighting, you need to create an additional source of it. In the future, you need to take care of the plants: water, feed, remove dust from the leaves with a soft cloth. After flowering, the inflorescences are cut off, otherwise they will build up seeds, taking away strength from the bulb.

Additional information. Growing a flower by a certain date is called forcing. For example, if you need to get flowering bushes in March, start growing in early November.

Further plant care

In order for freesia to grow decorative, and also to grow seed material, it needs constant home care throughout the season.

Organization of watering

Freesia needs abundant watering during the entire period of active growth and flowering. The soil should be kept moist, but not wet all the time. After the plant has faded, watering is reduced, then completely stopped. The soil is moistened in the evening, but on condition that the ground part should have time to dry out before dark.

Loosening and weeding

After watering, a crust forms, preventing air from reaching the roots of the plant.To break it, you need to loosen the soil after each moistening. Loosening and weeding help retain moisture around the root system, and also inhibit the growth of weeds. The procedure is especially important at the beginning of the vegetative development of freesia.

Fertilization

In order for the green part of the plantations to grow he althy, and the flowers to be bright and spectacular, it is necessary to regularly feed. As soon as the sprouts hatch, the soil is spilled with a fertilizer solution of the following composition:

• 20 grams of ammonium nitrate;
• 10 liters of water.

The next feeding is done in 15 days. For this, a mixture of the following components is used:

• 40 grams of superphosphate;
• 20 grams of potassium s alt;
• 10 liters of water.

Before watering the soil with fertilizer, it must be moistened with plain water.

Cutting

After the freesia has faded, the leaves and stems are not immediately removed. Through them, photosynthesis is carried out, which contributes to the strengthening of the bulb. Cut the leaves only after they are completely dry. Disinfected tools are used for this.

Preparing for winter

When the ground part is completely dry, start digging up the bulbs. The earth, old scales and roots are cleaned from them, after which they are dipped in a weak solution of potassium permanganate. The disinfected bulbs are dried in a warm, ventilated place, then sorted. The incised and rotten seed material is thrown away, the rest is stored for storage.

Treatment and prevention of diseases

When planting freesia in contaminated land, as well as with improper care, plants are affected by pathogens. To avoid this, you need to follow these recommendations:

• before planting the bulbs, dip for 30 minutes in a weak solution of potassium permanganate;
• water plants with warm water no later than 5 pm;
• avoid stagnant water in the soil;
• keep the distance between the bushes so that they can be ventilated;
• before storing the bulbs, hold them in a solution of an antifungal drug or potassium permanganate.

Freesia infected with a fungus must be dug out of the flower garden and burned.

Do I need pest protection?

Freesia can be chosen by pests such as spider mites, aphids, thrips. When the bushes are affected by harmful insects, the leaves curl, specks appear on them. The decorativeness of plants is lost, so they must be sprayed.To do this, use various insecticides: they will help keep the bushes he althy.

Reproduction methods

Reproduction of freesia occurs by seeds and bulbs. To grow it from seed, follow these steps:

1. Soak the seed for 8-10 hours in water.
2. Put drainage at the bottom of the planting box, a substrate for bulbous plants on top.
3. Lay out the seeds, which are covered with a layer of soil no more than 1 centimeter.
4. Cover the top of the box with plastic wrap or glass to create greenhouse conditions.

The mini-greenhouse needs to be ventilated every day, if necessary, moisten the soil with water from a spray bottle. Soon the first sprouts will appear, after which the seedlings are transplanted into a larger container.

Adult bulb, as it grows, begins to form babies around itself, which are separated from it and sent to grow in a bowl or on a plot. Care for them is the same as for adult bulbs. They will begin to bloom only next season.

Advice! In order for the seeds to germinate faster, the box with the seedlings must be covered with a film.

Storage of freesia bulbs

You can store the bulbs until spring by placing them in dry peat or in hanging nets. In the room where the wintering of the seed material is carried out, the air should warm up to 20 ° C at a humidity of 70-80%. If it is too dry, then a container of water is placed in front of the nets with bulbs. Throughout the winter, they need to be inspected, rotten ones removed, otherwise they can infect all the seed material.

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