Liatris: planting and care in the open field, growing and propagating at home

When growing lyatris, planting and care in the open field matter. To grow a strong and viable plant, it is recommended to choose the right time for planting the crop and prepare the soil in the garden. Equally important is the systematic watering and application of the necessary fertilizers. As a result, you can get a beautiful and flowering plant that will become a real decoration of the flower bed.

Features of liatris

Liatris, or Liatris, is a member of the Compositae family. Its height can be from 50 centimeters to 2 meters - it all depends on the type of crop.

Liatris is a real decoration of alpine slides and mixborders. The culture is also planted in separate flower beds. The plant has candle-shaped buds that can be cut to form beautiful bouquets.

Types and varieties of crops

There are several popular types of plants, each of which is characterized by certain features.

The spikelet or spikelet liatris is very popular. This species is also called Liatris spicata. In height, it reaches 80 centimeters. Its stems densely cover the leaves, and the inflorescences can have different shades:

• Spikata - different lilac-purple flowers, and the length of the peduncle is approximately 35 centimeters;
• Kobold - has purple-pink inflorescences and reaches 40 centimeters in height;
• Flamingo - distinguished by pink flowers;
• Bengal fire - has purple-red flowers and reaches a height of 35 centimeters;
• Picador - different pink flowers and has a height of 60 centimeters.

Another popular species is membranous liatris. It has broad leaves. The height of the bush reaches 1 meter. This species includes the following varieties:

• Alba - has white inflorescences;
• September glory - considered a tall variety with rich pink flowers.

Rough Liatris is the tallest specimen of this family. It grows up to 2 meters. The plant has small purple flowers. They form fluffy panicles.

The specifics of growing a bush

To get a strong and viable plant, it should be properly planted. To do this, it is recommended to follow some rules.

What time to plant

The planting time depends on the breeding technique. The seed is usually planted in a greenhouse or directly in open soil. It is recommended to do this at the end of March. You can also perform the procedure in the first half of April. When the seedlings sprout, they are grown until mid-autumn. Then it is recommended to dig up the tubers and store them directly with the ground for the winter. In the middle of spring, the crop is planted on the site.

Place to land

Culture likes sunny, well-lit areas. If you plant liatris in a shady place, it will grow poorly and may even die.

Equally important is the composition of the soil. It must have sufficient friability. You should not plant a crop in places where groundwater is located. It is also recommended to avoid clay soils - they are too heavy for the plant. In low places, culture will develop too slowly.

It is worth considering that the plant can get wet during the snowmelt. To avoid such consequences, the culture is planted on a hill that has well-drained soil. At the same time, melt water should be removed from the site.

How to land in open ground

Tubers can be deepened by 3-10 centimeters - it all depends on the variety. Between plants leave a distance of 15-20 centimeters. After that, the breast should be watered and mulched with humus.

Recommendations for caring for liatris

To grow a crop successfully, it should be carefully maintained. To do this, it is recommended to follow certain rules.

Water and fertilize

Liatris is considered a moisture-loving crop, but it can survive a slight drought. Waterlogging the beds is strictly prohibited. Excess water will cause root rot.

The volume of water depends on the degree of growth of the bush. Usually a bucket of water is sufficient. It is recommended to pour it while the earth absorbs moisture. Experts advise watering more often, but in small portions. This will help avoid injury to the plant.

Feeding the crop with mineral fertilizers is worth three times during the season. The dosage of the product can be found on the packaging. With a loss of foliage brightness, it is recommended to apply nitrogen fertilizers. For 1 square meter take 20 grams of the drug.

It is worth feeding the culture in the evening or after rain. It is important to ensure that fertilizer does not fall on all parts of the plant. At different stages of the life of a culture, the need for trace elements is different. Therefore, fertilizers are applied only after rooting and at the time of the beginning of growth.

Shrubs should be spudded periodically and add a small amount of fresh soil to them. This is due to the close location of the roots to the surface of the soil. When watering or raining, the roots and tubers are exposed.

Safe wintering plants

After the end of the flowering of the crop and the fall of the leaves, it is recommended to cut off the ground part. After the beds, it is worth mulching with peat, compost, dry leaves and spruce branches. Mulch layer - 10-15 centimeters.

It is forbidden to use straw as mulch. Rodents start up in this material, which damage the roots of the plant in winter. In the absence of severe frosts, liatris may well survive the winter without shelter.

Plant transplant

Replant the plant in the fall. This procedure is recommended to be combined with tuber division. This manipulation is carried out every 3-4 years. To do this, you need to dig out the lyatris, carefully divide the bush. As a result, all fragments must have a root neck. It is important that it contains tubers.

After the formed elements are planted in the holes. In this case, a distance of 25-40 centimeters must be observed.The tubers are deepened into the soil by 8-15 centimeters. The third part of the hole should be covered with humus. After that, it is supplemented with garden soil and rammed. Then the beds are recommended to be watered and mulched with humus.

Pests and diseases of lyatris

Liatris is disease resistant. Dangerous insects that can damage the crop include bears and snails. To deal with them, you should use the folk way.

To do this, it is recommended to take a bottle and fill it with 100 milliliters of beer. Then dig into the ground at an angle of 45 degrees. As a result, the neck should be a few centimeters below the ground - in a small depression.

The aroma of beer will attract pests, so they will fall into the trap. The only difficulty with this method is the need to constantly change the beer in the bait.

Overwetting the soil leads to rotting of the crop. In this case, all rotting areas should be cut off, and then treated with a fungicide. If the groundwater is close or the composition of the soil is not suitable, the site for the plant should be changed.

Breeding methods

At home, liatris can be propagated in different ways:

1. Seeds. They can be sown in the first half of spring. Seeds of culture differ in frost resistance. Before planting, the material should be left in a solution of humate. This must be done for 8-10 hours. Then dig the soil with the addition of humus. 1 bucket of this substance is applied per 1 square meter of soil. Then the seeds should be poured into the grooves and covered with earth. The planting depth is 1-1.5 centimeters. With this method of cultivation, liatris will acquire the necessary power only for 2-3 years.
2. Tubers. If there is a plant older than 3 years, it is permissible to take tubers from the roots. They should be 2 centimeters in diameter. Planting material should be placed in a hole measuring 8-12 centimeters. Previously, it is recommended to cover it with humus by a third.Before planting, inspect the tubers and find recesses in them. This part should be on top. The first shoots will come out of it. This will happen 1 month after planting.
3. Division. The shrub can be propagated by division. To do this, fresh shoots should be separated from an adult plant. They need to be taken with part of the root system. They must have a strong root collar and tubers. Prepared shoots are planted in holes, keeping a distance of 25-40 centimeters. It is allowed to transplant the culture in early spring or late autumn. Manipulation is performed at intervals of 3-4 years.

To grow powerful and viable plants from seeds, experts advise planting crops in greenhouses.

Landscape use

Liatris is often used in landscape design. This crop combines well with plants that love loose soil and lots of sun. Shrub looks great with wildflowers.

To create a harmonious composition, it is important to choose the right neighbors. To do this, it is worth considering the shade, flowering time, height of crops. White or purple liatris is in perfect harmony with the daylily. It is advisable to choose red-orange tones. Also, yellow evening primrose will organically fit into the composition.

If you plan to set up a large-scale flower garden, you should combine white liatris and yellow monards. They may also be red. To create a rockery, you should use the Kobold variety. In height, it does not exceed 40 centimeters and has bright purple-purple inflorescences. They will certainly attract attention.

Liatris is planted in flowerbeds in the area of house adjoining buildings. Also, flowers are often used by florists in the formation of wedding bouquets. Liatris goes well with flowers such as lupins, violets, irises. It can also be combined with carnation, daylily, delphinium.

Liatris is a beautiful plant that is easy to care for and resistant to pests and diseases. To grow a viable culture, you need to strictly follow the basic rules. The plant should be provided with competent watering and fertilization.

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