Already in February, rhizomes, cuttings and seedlings of ornamental plants, packed in plastic blisters or bags with a bright accompanying label, appear on sale. Their variety is mesmerizing, and one wants to buy at least something. But most of them can be planted not earlier than the threat of night frosts (after June 10) or in May, but under cover. How can I save purchased rarities up to this point?
When buying, try to choose the healthiest looking plants. Inspect the root system first. Roots, root collar and sprout rudiments should not show signs of rot and other fungal diseases. If we are talking about some rarity that you want to buy despite its dubious appearance, you can clean the damaged areas at home and disinfect it with fungicides (Skor, Topaz, Horus) or a solution of brilliant green. If fresh wounds are visible on the parcels, they will need to be sprinkled with crushed charcoal, or ground cinnamon, or greased with brilliant green.
Dried cuttings will "come to life" if, before planting, they are completely immersed in water for 30 minutes, to which a growth stimulator has been added (according to the instructions). Instead of a stimulant, you can use aloe juice, which has a similar effect (10 drops per glass).
Some perennials can be stored in the vegetable compartment of the refrigerator for several weeks. True, only cuttings of perennials with dormant buds are suitable for this. Plants with strong smooth roots (hosts, daylilies), as well as with powerful rhizomes (bearded irises, badans, kupena) are best tolerated in the refrigerator. You can also save Siberian irises, astilbe, rogers, burnet, lilies of the valley, volzhanki. The roots of the cuttings intended for such storage should be wrapped in slightly moistened sphagnum moss, and then the plant should be placed in a bag with pre-made holes. Plants, especially their root system, need to be periodically examined in order to detect the disease in time. If any of them starts to grow, you will have to plant it in the ground. But, as a rule, by the end of March, almost all the cuttings put in storage wake up.
If pale sprouts are visible, it is better to plant such delenki immediately, the sprouts will turn green as they grow. Aconite, phlox, Siberian iris, hellebore, delphinium, heuchera, tiarella, echinacea, ash geranium will still have to be put into the refrigerator in pots after planting. To start the growing season, these plants need a dormant period at 3-5 ° C, the so-called "cold start". Until May, they are grown in cold conditions, and planted in the ground already grown.
Plants with an inelastic, loose root system do not store well in the refrigerator. This group includes asters, wrestlers, anemones, catchments, brunners, mountain goats, gentian, nivyaniki, primroses, swimwear, mullein. Plants of open hot and dry places of growth, for example, such as yarrow, mallow, wormwood, chrysanthemums, blueheads, mordovniks, tansy, cannot withstand the cold. They are immediately planted in containers, adding up to 20% sand to the soil, while the roots must be shortened and dipped in wood ash or crushed charcoal.
Before planting, it is necessary to remove damaged and diseased roots, slightly shorten healthy roots. After pruning, active growth of lateral roots begins, suction roots are formed on them, on which adequate nutrition and development of plants depend. It will not hurt to treat the roots with root stimulants - "Kornevin" or heteroauxin.
It is advisable to steam the soil for planting delenok, or at least spill it with a weak solution of potassium permanganate, then dry it and add wood ash or charcoal. It must be loose, lightweight, breathable and moisture-absorbing. When planting with one hand, hold the neck of the plant at the level of the upper edge of the selected planting container, and with the other hand add soil in small portions, tapping on the wall from time to time so that the earth is evenly distributed between the roots. It is not worth accepting the earth after planting so that fragile roots do not break.
Delenki do not need nutritious feeding, since they will serve to unnecessarily stimulate the growth of shoots, while our task is to "overexpose" the plants before planting in the garden.
As a rule, the main reason for the death of planting material is the unsuitable temperature of the air and soil. Room temperature stimulates rapid growth of the aerial part, while the roots have not yet had time to take root and therefore cannot sufficiently supply the leaves with nutrients and moisture. The planted plants must first be kept at 15–16 ° C, which will allow the roots to develop, and only then accustom them to higher temperatures. They are also prepared for bright light gradually, over 5-7 days.
The exact timing of planting such divisions in the garden depends on the resistance of plants to recurrent frosts. Species that are not afraid of cool-downs: irises, phloxes, primroses, chrysanthemums, daylilies, heuchera, lungwort, anemones, incense and pyrethrum - can be planted simultaneously with sowing dill, parsley and radish in open beds. But if you doubt the frost resistance of the divisions, then it is better to plant them later, when the threat of frost has passed completely.
Already in winter, gardening stores begin to sell planting material of various types for the next season. Every day store shelves are more and more filled with colorful packaging bags or boxes with a variety of planting material (bulbs, rhizomes, tubers). Showcases beckon gardeners with bright labels with photos of magnificent plants, tempting to purchase them long before planting in the garden.
Buying garden plants in winter and early spring turns into the main question for gardeners: what is the best way to preserve each specific plant before planting in the garden?
There is no unequivocal answer to this question, because too many factors influence our decision on how to deal with the purchased plant.
I will give some examples from my experience, along with tips on what can and should be done in winter and early spring with purchased garden plants.
Assessment of the quality of the plants sold
Before buying a plant, evaluate its quality. Unfortunately, sometimes already dead plants are sold; and even there are times when there is no plant in the package. Therefore, do not hesitate to ask the seller to unpack the packaging (he is obliged to do this), take the plant in your hands and examine it carefully.
If the suppliers of the planting material have correctly packed and transported it in good conditions, and the store employees have stored it correctly, then the condition of the plant at the time of purchase is satisfactory, and it has a presentation.
This means that the bulbs, corms, tubers or rhizomes lying in peat (sawdust) are strong, have a clean surface without signs of rotting and mold. All healthy divisions of perennials and some bulbs (for example, lilies) have dense living roots, sometimes already covered with newly formed small white suction roots. The shoots of high-quality roses and other shrubs are not shriveled, they have living dormant buds (they may already be swollen).
Many types of high-quality planting material, when purchased in winter and early spring, have hatched "eyes" or small sprouts.
For tubers of those plant species that can begin to germinate at home in winter, this is a clearly positive sign of awakening (for example, tuberous begonia, dahlia tuber, gloxinia).
But the sprouts that appear should not be too long, thin and stunted, which indicates overgrowth due to improper storage of the planting material.
However, for those plant species that should be stored for a long time before planting directly in the open ground of the garden, the early appearance of sprouts is a clear "minus". For example, it is bad when in winter there are arrows and root tubercles in the corms of gladioli, as well as their close "relatives": glamini, acidantera, crocosmia (montbrecia), tigridia.
When purchased in winter or spring, some plants may not yet sprout (for example, Liatris or Iris bulbs). But if they are solid, healthy bulbs of good quality, they can be bought.
In healthy divisions of rhizome perennials in the second half of winter, as a rule, sprouts are already waking up. These are daylily, monarda, dahlias, irises, astilbe, hosta, peonies, phloxes, etc.
What to do with the purchased plant
So, the desired planting material was bought and brought home.
If it's freezing outside, then it is advisable to wrap it up (at least just in a newspaper) so as not to freeze it on the way.
If the quality of the purchased plant and its packaging is excellent (moderately moist filler - peat, sawdust, shavings), then it is quite possible to continue storing the plant in favorable conditions.
It is better to store the purchased plant in a cold basement with a positive temperature close to zero. There, high-quality planting material will be perfectly stored until planting in the garden. In the absence of a basement, you can store plants at home (on a cold balcony, in the refrigerator).
Experts recommend storing plants purchased in winter and early spring before planting at a low positive temperature. Typically, the specified range is from 0 to +2 degrees.
On some packages with plants, the recommended storage temperature is + 3 ... + 5 degrees, or +7 degrees. These are the conditions that occur, for example, on refrigerator shelves. But due to the fact that the refrigerator doors are often opened, the temperature there is unstable and periodically higher than necessary, which is undesirable for stored plants.
So, it remains to place the purchased quality plants in suitable storage conditions. However, their condition should be checked periodically, since even under optimal storage conditions, plants can start growing right in the package.
My many years of experience show that in a city apartment, even if you manage to store purchased plants for some time, you soon have to plant them in pots because of the beginning of growth.
Of course, you cannot hesitate to plant purchased plants in pots, the quality of which is far from ideal. In this case, storage of plants is fraught with further deterioration of their condition. First of all, this applies to plants that were stored in a waterlogged filler, and therefore they show signs of decay.
All rotten parts and dead roots should be removed from the plant or bulb section, and all sections should be powdered with charcoal. If the coal was not procured in the fall, then you can replace it with a crushed tablet of activated carbon.
For example, in mid-February, I had to immediately plant in pots the purchased rhizomes of bearded irises, which were stored in too wet peat. Having removed the decayed remnants of last year's leaves from the cuttings, I found that the decay had also affected the top of the rhizome. I had to cut off the rotten part (to healthy tissue) and sprinkle the cut with charcoal, and also remove all rotten roots and plant the plants in individual pots for rooting.
Often, planting material packers place long plant roots horizontally in the bag.According to the law of nature, the sprouted sprouts begin to grow upward, and then it turns out that they are located perpendicular to the roots.
It is also better to plant such an affected plant in a pot immediately. It's okay that at first such sprouts will be "lying" - gradually they will align and take a normal vertical position.
It happens that the share of a purchased plant is quite large, and you want to share such a plant. For example, it is quite possible and even necessary to cut the dahlia rhizomes into divisions, which have given several sprouts.
You can cut into pieces a large begonia corm, which has given several sprouts in different parts of the tuber.
But in most plant species, it is better not to rush into division, but first to grow the purchased division. But when the plant grows up and gets stronger, then it is quite possible to divide it.
But sometimes you have to divide the acquired plant division forcibly. For example, the rhizome of the red filipendula, which I bought in February, packed in too wet peat, rotted last year's remains of the aerial part and almost all the roots.
After the purchase, the plant was urgently divided into 3 parts in order to extract all the "rot" between them. After removing the dead roots, I planted each living sprout in an individual pot. Soon, these shoots took root and acquired roots, and by the beginning of March these young plants had already released healthy and strong leaves.
Planting purchased plants in pots
If desired and there is a suitable place for keeping the plants, you can plant them in pots immediately after purchase and start growing them in the house.
For example, undersized roses - miniature, ground cover, polyanthus - are quite suitable for home cultivation. These compact roses form a compact bush and bloom in the home soon after planting.
But you need to provide favorable conditions for the rose in the house and carefully monitor that a spider mite does not appear on the plant.
Svetlana Sattarova, a reader of the Gardenia website, who lives in Yakutsk, because of the harsh climate, pre-grows her bush roses on the balcony (in buckets) all spring, and then plants them in the garden. Despite the short Yakut summer, in this way Svetlana manages to admire the full flowering of her favorites for much longer.
It is quite possible to grow clematis seedlings in containers, and after the onset of stable heat, transfer these plants to the garden.
For planting purchased plants in pots, I use a light substrate. I make it from a mixture of my garden soil and a ready-made commercial peat-based seedling substrate. I add to this mixture fresh sphagnum moss, finely chopped with scissors (it hibernates on a loggia tightly packed in a plastic bag), small expanded clay, vermiculite, hydrogel granules, pieces of charcoal. I mix the prepared substrate thoroughly and spill it with "Fitosporin", leave it in an open container to dry. After a few days, when the substrate dries up and becomes loose and moderately moist, you can plant plants in it.
I usually use peat pots or pull-out bottom pots for planting cuttings.
And it is advisable to plant a large plant in a larger container (in a pot without a drainage hole, do not forget to pour expanded clay on the bottom).
In order to then get an earthen lump out of a large pot safe and sound, you must first line the pot from the inside with a suitable material, so that its ends extend beyond the pot. For example, a piece of cellophane can be used for this purpose. When transferring to the garden, you need to grasp the ends of the cellophane, remove the earthen lump with the plant from the pot, put it in the planting hole and then gently pull out the cellophane from below.
It is even more convenient to use pieces of covering material or gauze for lining a large pot.In this case, the tissue pierced by the roots will no longer need to be separated from the earthen coma of the plant when transplanting it, but you can simply bury it (over time, the tissue will rot in the ground).
Be sure to pay attention to the recommendations for planting depth. Follow these tips when planting in pots.
For example, keep in mind that different types of lilies require different planting depths in the pot.
Therefore, when planting plants of different types in pots, you must strictly adhere to the rules and characteristics of planting this species.
For example, the root collar of conifers should never be deepened.
But for a forsythia bush, it is quite acceptable to plant a plant deeper than the level of the root collar.
The grafted roses must be planted in such a way that the grafting site is deepened into the ground by at least 3-5 cm.
Usually all rhizome perennials are planted in a pot at the level of the root collar. But there are exceptions. For example, many suppliers of planting material for bearded irises indicate on the packaging that the depth of their planting is 3-5 cm.Although in fact, the rhizome of the bearded iris cannot be deepened so deep into the ground (it will rot!), But the back of the rhizome must be left on the surface.
Conditions for keeping garden plants in the house
It is advisable to keep the plants planted in pots in a light cool window. Train pale sprouts to light gradually, avoiding direct sun exposure.
Water the plants sparingly and avoid flooding. It is useful to cover the surface of the soil in the pot with chopped sphagnum in order to restrain the intense evaporation of moisture from the soil.
In some cases, when the purchased plant has lost its roots (most or completely), it is possible to use bioregulators and growth stimulants to help it.
It is better to first place such a weak plant in a "greenhouse" - put a pot with a sick plant with a transparent plastic bag, inflate it with a "ball" and tie it on top.
But such a greenhouse needs to be ventilated often. And as soon as the diseased plant gets better and it sprouts, do not keep it in a greenhouse so that it is not pampered.
As soon as the temperature rises above freezing on our loggias, I gradually bring out my sturdy garden plants in pots there. First - for a short time on a warm day, and then I leave it longer. True, in February you have to bring the plants back into the house at night, because the temperature on the loggias drops below zero at night.
I put the hardened sun-loving garden plants in pots in the direct sun over time. I keep shade-loving plants on the northern loggia.
My winter landings
Last year, from my winter plantings, a lot of plants bloomed in the house even before they were transplanted into the garden.
For example, a rooted broom stalk bought in winter was already covered with flowers at the end of April.
In February, I planted the bulbs of low-growing lilies in pots, and they surprised us with abundant flowering on the loggia at the end of May.
The dwarf bearded iris also delighted with the May bloom.
In June, Incarvillea rhizomes planted in winter, as well as garden tradescantia, blossomed on our balcony in pots.
The blue hosta, planted in winter, had formed a huge beautiful bush by the time it was planted in the garden.
This winter, in February, I planted new varieties of low-growing lilies in pots (by the end of winter, these bulbs had sprouts about 3 cm long peeking out of the soil).
The sprouts of the purchased rhizomes of new varieties of dahlia are already growing.
New tuberous begonias, temporarily pressed into the soil of a common growing pot, are now actively developing sprouts.
I bought and planted new varieties of garden tradescantia. These wonderful plants take root very quickly and form a strong rosette of leaves, are very hardy, grow well in the house.
The undersized Volzhanka formed a lush lace bush.
Siberian and Japanese irises of various varieties have sprouted many strong shoots.
The daylily, bought with a "recumbent" pale sprout, has already straightened up and turned green.
All my garden plants bought in winter, planted in pots, successfully took root and rooted, cheerfully greeted spring (although, while on the loggias.
Even in winter, on the eve of a new summer cottage season, numerous offers of seedlings, rhizomes, a cut of various ornamental plants packed in plastic blisters or bags with a bright accompanying label appear on sale. Their variety is mesmerizing and arouses the desire to buy at least something. But most of them can be planted not earlier than the threat of night frosts has passed, or planted only with cover. How to preserve purchased plants and perennials before planting in open ground? The most patient and hardy are hosts, daylilies, astilbe, tradescantia. With backlight, they grow well in the apartment and are stored for a long time in the roots. Less resistant are badan, darmer, black cohosh, rogers, many varieties of geyher, geraniums, Japanese anemones, aconites. But if the roots are thin and small - bells, phlox, veronica - it is better to postpone the purchase.
Purchased plants must be stored at 0 + 3 ° C. The most affordable way is the vegetable compartment in the refrigerator (in the absence of a basement), the safest way is to store it in moss. In its absence, peat can be used. Another good way is to wrap the individual roots tightly in a slightly damp cloth and put everything in a plastic bag with many small holes. Once a week you need to inspect your treasures. Be sure to remember - for normal growth, plants need a cool start, changes in night and day temperatures, the main thing when planting is not to flood. When the plant grows (starting with three main leaves), it is advisable to feed it. The soil should be light, permeable, not very greasy. Watering only with settled water.
With the exception of anemones, aquilegia, aruncus, vatniks, mordovniks, sidaltia, swimsuits, the roots of the delots do not need to be disturbed and pruned. But if the roots do not fit in the container, they can be shortened a little. It is better not to touch the roots of daylilies and the host, but carefully lay them in a spiral. If the roots are dried (this applies to mountain goats, yarrow, anemones, asters, clematis, dicenters, steep, mordovniks, geraniums, lilies, lychnis, mallow, meconopsis, monard, phlox, salvia, sidalese, verbascum), you can solution, for example in potassium humate for 4-5 hours. Young plants are planted in open ground or in a pot, usually at the level of the outlet, and sometimes the eyes.
There are plants that love dry start - the minimum amount of moisture in the substrate. These are cantuses, yarrows, cottonweed, asters, cornflowers, coreopsis, mordovniks, blueheads, milkweed, gaura, gravilats, sunflowers, cniffophia, mallow, catnip, evening primrose, penstemon, zopnik, platycodon, cinquefoil, lungwort, sedum, cow. And, conversely, a wet start - a wet substrate with good drainage is loved by: aruncus, astilbe, astrantia, badan, cannes, chelone, black cohosh, horny goat weed, filipendula, irises, sloths, lobelia, buzulniki, loosestrife, mecanopsis, rhodes, forget-me-nots, basilists, tradescantia. For the rest of the plants, this is not so important. In the warmth, agapanthus, cottonweed, cannes, cosmos, dahlias, eremurus, milkweed, and incarvilegia germinate well. For others, +7 + 17 ° C is desirable, in the warmth the roots will not keep up with the sprouts. After disembarking, you need to protect the roots from the sun for a week.
Plants with hibernating leaves (geykhera, lumbago, badans), or those that begin to grow very early in the spring (phlox, delphiniums, aconites, anemones, black cohosh, corydalis, Siberian irises, peonies, primroses, trilliums) wake up at low positive temperatures (+ 2 + 10 ° C) and first grow thin suction roots under these conditions so that there is something to feed the shoots.The more the overexposure conditions are close to natural, the more hope is to preserve the plant. That is, if the phlox roots in the refrigerator wake up and shoots begin to grow, they need to be urgently planted and put in the cold. At least, if there is no balcony, where in spring there are natural temperature fluctuations, then put it in the refrigerator for the night, for the day - in some bright and, if possible, cool place. If they are planted immediately in a warm place in open ground, the roots will not grow in such conditions, the seedling will drive off the shoots, consuming supplies from the old root, the plant will be depleted and can easily die.
For many people, the process of choosing and buying a colorful bag with a tiny piece of rhizome at the end of winter opens the long-awaited summer season. When buying, try to choose the healthiest looking plants. Inspect the root system first. Roots, root collar and sprout rudiments should not show signs of rot and other fungal diseases. If we are talking about some rarity that you want to buy, despite its dubious appearance, you can clean up the damaged areas at home and disinfect it with fungicides or a solution of brilliant green. If fresh wounds are visible on the parcels, they should be sprinkled with crushed charcoal, or ground cinnamon, or greased with brilliant green. Dried cuttings will come to life if, before planting, they are immersed in water for 30 minutes, to which a growth stimulator has been added, diluted according to the instructions on the package. Instead of a stimulant, you can use aloe juice, which has a similar effect (10 drops per glass).
Some perennials can be stored in the vegetable compartment of the refrigerator for several weeks. True, only cuttings of perennials with dormant buds are suitable for this. Plants with strong smooth roots (hosts, daylilies), as well as powerful rhizomes (bearded irises, badans, kupena), are best tolerated in the refrigerator. You can also save Siberian irises, astilbe, rogers, burnet, lilies of the valley, volzhanki. The roots of the cuttings intended for such storage should be wrapped in slightly moistened sphagnum moss, and then the plant should be placed in a bag with holes. If the seedling starts to grow, it will have to be planted in the ground. As a rule, by the end of March, almost all plants laid in storage wake up.
All the plants we see in garden shops have gone through severe stress during transport and storage, and many of them come out of dormancy sooner than we need to. Only cold and darkness can restrain the active growth of plants: a refrigerator, an insulated balcony, a cellar. If the sprouts are small, you need to remove the rhizomes there until the ground is ready for planting. With a considerable length of sprouts, it is better to plant perennials in pots and place them on light, cool windowsills. Before planting, dry, broken, rotten roots are cut off, then dipped in water. The soil mixture is used the same as for growing seedlings, watered very carefully and do not feed. Planted perennials can be covered with spunbond, a covering material for plants, otherwise, with strong recurrent frosts, they freeze over and grow again for a long time - the plant receives another stress that may not survive.
If pale sprouts are visible, it is better to plant such delenki immediately, the sprouts will turn green as they grow. Aconite, phlox, Siberian iris, hellebore, delphinium, heuchera, tiarella, echinacea, ash geranium will still have to be put into the refrigerator in pots after planting. For the beginning of the growing season, these plants need a dormant period at a temperature of +3 + 5 ° C, the so-called "cold start". Until May, they are grown in cold conditions, and planted in the ground already grown. Plants with an inelastic, loose root system do not store well in the refrigerator.This group includes asters, wrestlers, anemones, catchments, brunners, mountain goats, gentian, nivyaniki, primroses, swimwear, mullein. Plants of hot and dry places of growth, for example, yarrow, mallow, wormwood, chrysanthemums, blueheads, mordovniks, tansy, cannot withstand the cold. They are immediately planted in containers, adding up to 20% sand to the soil, while the roots must be shortened and dipped in wood ash or crushed charcoal.
Before planting, it is necessary to remove damaged and diseased roots, slightly shorten the healthy roots. After pruning, active growth of lateral roots begins, suction roots are formed on them, on which proper nutrition and development of plants depend. It will not hurt to treat the roots with root stimulants. It is advisable to steam the soil for planting preserved plants, or at least spill it with a weak solution of potassium permanganate, then dry it and add wood ash or charcoal. It must be loose, lightweight, breathable and moisture-absorbing. When planting with one hand, hold the neck of the plant at the level of the upper edge of the selected planting container, and with the other hand add soil in small portions, from time to time tapping on the wall of the pot so that the earth is evenly distributed between the roots. It is not worth accepting the earth after planting so that fragile roots do not break.
The first 3-4 days after planting the delenki do not need to be watered. They have enough moisture contained in the substrate: until the absorbent roots have unfolded, excess moisture can only harm. Instead of watering, you can spray the growing shoots if you think the soil is too dry. In the future, the earth must be moistened with water at room temperature, making sure that it is moist, but not wet. Delenki do not need nutritious feeding, since they will serve to unnecessarily stimulate the growth of shoots, while our task is to "overexpose" the plants before planting in the garden. As a rule, the main reason for the death of planting material is the unsuitable temperature of the air and soil. Room temperature stimulates rapid growth of the aerial part, while the roots have not yet had time to take root and therefore cannot sufficiently supply the leaves with nutrients and moisture.
The planted plants must first be kept at a temperature of +15 + 16 ° C, which will make it possible for the roots to develop, and only then accustom them to higher temperatures. They are also prepared for bright light gradually, over 5-7 days. The exact timing of planting overexposed plants in the garden depends on the resistance of the plants to recurrent frost. Species that are not afraid of cold snaps: irises, phlox, primroses, chrysanthemums, daylilies, heuchera, lungwort, anemones, bergenia and pyrethrum - can be planted simultaneously with sowing dill, parsley and radish in open beds. But if you doubt the frost resistance of the divisions, then it is better to plant them later, when the threat of frost has passed completely.
Saplings with ACS are plants dug out of the ground with bare roots. In this form, you can buy seedlings of most deciduous shrubs and young deciduous trees.
Plants with ACS are much cheaper, about 100 rubles per seedling, i.e. 2-3 times cheaper than a potted plant. But they are not without drawbacks, the main of which are short planting times and problems with the safety of planting material. In spring, plants with oxides are planted from the moment the soil thaws until the leaves open in fruit trees (birch blooms at about the same time). This period is characterized in plants by the activation of sap flow, the enhancement of their regenerative and adaptive properties. Another problem that one has to face when planting seedlings with ACS in spring is their dehydration. You should pay attention to this, both when choosing seedlings, and when delivering, planting and further caring for them.After purchasing, seedlings with ACS must be planted immediately, or, if planting is postponed, dig in in a shaded, cool place, placing it at a slight angle, and it is important that the roots are well covered with soil or wet sawdust.
In our nursery, you can buy oks seedlings planted in bags with soil. One bag contains 25 pieces. seedlings ready for planting. This is very handy if you are going to plant a hedge.
It should be remembered that in the spring it is preferable to plant low-winter-hardy (thermophilic) plants that can freeze under severe winters, for example, apricots, cherries, plums; from ornamental varieties - weigela, action, colquicia, diervilla, stephanandra, as well as perennials blooming in late summer and autumn.
Our nursery carries out the digging of seedlings with ACS in the fall, it is in the fall that the choice of planting material is richer, and the prices are cheaper. We store unsold seedlings in burial places until spring. Therefore, if in the fall there is an opportunity to purchase rare and high-quality planting material of tree and shrub species, and on your site the planting sites have not yet been determined and planting holes have not been prepared, you can overexpose the seedlings dug in in winter, and plant them properly in spring.
In autumn, the optimal period for planting plants with ACS lasts much longer than in spring - from the beginning of mass leaf fall to the onset of frost, usually a month and a half. As a rule, during this period, most of the plants have already completed their growth, stored nutrients and prepared for winter. It is not worth delaying the timing of the autumn planting, since the plants must take root before the onset of frost.
Before planting, it is advisable to place the seedlings in a tank of water for 5-6 hours. It is very important not to let the roots dry out before planting - keep them covered until the planting hole is ready. Before planting, the damaged part of the roots is pruned, and roots that are too long are shortened. Aboveground shoots of shrubs should be cut off by a third of the height, and for autumn planting, this procedure should be postponed until next spring.
For good survival and plant nutrition, the planting hole is made much deep so that after planting the old soil track is level or slightly below the surface, and wide enough to evenly distribute the roots. At the bottom of the pit, you need to fill up a fertile soil layer in the form of a slide and, if necessary, drive in a support stake for further attaching the planted plant to it. The height of the slide is determined empirically in such a way that the root collar of the seedling is 2-3 cm above the soil level (a rail laid on the ground through the middle of the pit can serve as a reference point for the soil level). A seedling is placed on the hill, it needs to carefully spread the roots and direct them down. Fertile soil is poured into the pit in layers, with careful compaction with the foot, and then the top layer is slightly loosened. The soil around the trunk should form a low mound. A low hole is formed around the plant to retain water when watering. After planting, the trunk of the plant is tied to a support, if necessary, thereby protecting it from being swayed by the wind. The distance between the trunk and the peg should be 7-10 cm.It is better to attach the plant with ties made of natural materials (twine, strips of fabric, ropes), one at the top, and the other at a distance of 50-60 cm from the surface, the tension should be adjusted as the trunk thickens ... Then the seedling is watered abundantly. After watering and subsidence of the soil, add plant soil to the level of the existing soil. Spraying the crown helps the plant to take root faster and lay full-fledged leaf and flower buds. In order to stimulate root formation and adaptation of a plant to water during irrigation and spraying, bioregulators of plant growth (Epin, Zircon, Kornevin, etc.), microfertilizers can be added.
Choosing a quality seedling. What to look for.
The root system should be well formed and should be composed of a large number of fine suction roots (like a washcloth).
The mass of the roots should be comparable to the aboveground part. Therefore, some of the branches must be cut to reduce the load on the roots.
If the roots are dry, the plant will most likely die. Shoots must be alive. Live shoot is flexible. If you scratch the bark or break a twig, living green tissue will be visible.
The aerial part should be healthy without serious damage.
If the plant is out of dormancy, and the buds begin to bloom, then the survival rate of such seedlings will be lower, although with good care they can successfully take root.
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author Melnikova L., author's photo
Perennial roots in bags (open-root, OCS) can be purchased in all garden stores from mid-winter. For us - gardeners living in regions with harsh winters - spring is still far away, but we really want to buy new plants to decorate the garden!
How to choose the right planting material for perennials with ACS and keep the plants until spring?
I will talk about this in this article in great detail, my advice is based on my own experience. How different types of perennials with ACS are stored until spring
Different types of perennial ornamental plants have different degrees of root keeping.
The most dormant species of perennials , the roots of which are very easy to bring without loss from winter to planting in the garden: hosts, daylilies, peonies, bearded irises, astilbe, all types of perennial plants with a "carrot" root (perennial poppies and gypsophila, platycodons, sidalcea, incarvilles, etc. ).
For perennials with medium keeping roots , in which there are storage losses, but not very large: phloxes, geykhera and geyherellas, Siberian and Japanese irises, badans, buzulniks, dicenter, tradescantia, etc.
In the photo: gorgeous pink bleeding center; Heycherella "Brass Laten"
Problematic perennials that are difficult to "hold out" before planting in the garden (therefore, it is better to buy their roots closer to spring and use the N2 storage method described below, or buy them only with a closed root system: Gaillardia, Rudbeckia and Echinacea, bells, geleniums, delphiniums , aconites, gravilates, daisies, primroses, etc.
In the photo: panicled phlox "Apple Blossom", host "Mama Mia"
The first way to store perennials with ACS
The first way to store perennials with ACS is the most convenient.
Since the exposed roots of perennials are usually stored at a low positive temperature (from 0 to +5 degrees), a regular refrigerator or cold cellar is suitable for storing them.
We place the roots of perennials in a breathing container and fill them with peat from a store bag (it is there with the correct humidity).
As a container for storing perennial roots, you can use standard seedling pots, perforated bags, bags cut from spandbod.
During storage of perennials, I regularly check the condition of the roots and control the moisture content of the peat.
The root must remain firm and dry - the peat is easily shaken off it. In this case, the peat should be slightly damp (but not wet!), Without traces of mold.
In cases of long-term storage of roots, the replacement of old, dried peat with fresh, slightly damp peat is encouraged.
Since the roots of perennials stored in the cool need a cold start, they are planted in open ground immediately as soon as the ground thaws (it will not warm up, but it will thaw - to such an extent that it will be possible to dig it!).
The second way to store perennials with ACS
The second method of storing perennials with ACS is more complicated than the first method. It is used in the absence of a cellar and space in the refrigerator, as well as for “nursing” perennial species that are difficult to take root.
This method of storing perennials before spring planting in the garden is possible only if there is a glazed loggia or an unheated terrace.
Prepared and processed perennials (how to prepare and process the roots will be written below) I plant them in containers and put them on an unheated loggia (terrace), where the temperature is always above zero.
The moisture content of the substrate for the second method of storing plants should be minimal. If you use a store-bought ready-made peat soil, then you do not need to water the pots when planting perennials. Next, we monitor the temperature on the loggia and the humidity of the substrate.
Let me emphasize that active root formation in perennials occurs at a temperature of + 14 ... + 18 degrees.
If the temperature on the glazed loggia is below this range, it means that the seedlings will either be in hibernation or will slowly take root. This is normal, it is better than keeping garden perennials at elevated temperatures!
Excessive soil moisture at this stage of storing perennials can simply rot the roots.
If the temperature of the maintenance of garden perennials is above +20 degrees, then they will begin to actively grow shoots to the detriment of rooting. But this is very bad! Young perennial seedlings must be saved from the heat! Additional watering will not help here.
If it gets hot on the loggia on sunny days, then it is necessary to ventilate the loggia during the day. It is necessary to hide young plants from direct sunlight.
If the leaves of perennial seedlings begin to hang and wither from high temperatures on the loggia, then be sure to place such a seedling in a mini-greenhouse (cover the pot with a plastic bag).
Hardening of perennial seedlings and preparation for planting in open ground
As soon as the threat of recurrent night frosts has passed, I take out the perennial seedlings to the dacha. But I do not immediately plant them in the ground, so as not to damage the young, fragile roots.
I put pots with perennial seedlings in a penumbra. Or you can dig containers with plants directly into the open ground.
It is possible to transplant young plants from containers into the garden only when the earthen lump is braided with roots (at least partially).
Often it is necessary to keep young perennial seedlings in containers until autumn, and in autumn to plant them in a permanent place.
It is convenient to use plastic transparent bottles as containers for growing perennial seedlings. At the same time, it is important: drainage holes in the side and in the bottom of the plastic bottle must be made in sufficient quantity so that there is no stagnation of water in the bottle. Through the walls of the transparent bottle, you can see when the plant's root system finally grows.
The third way of storing perennials with ACS
The third way of storing perennials with ACS is used in the absence of loggias, terraces, cellars ...
I myself have not used this method, but I logically understand that it should work.
Each garden has a secluded place where the snow does not melt for a very long time in spring. For example, this is the north side of any building or fence. This is the place that can be used as a cellar!
Take some breathable container with a lid (for example, a cardboard shoe box or a plastic box in a mesh), fill it with peat mixed with perennial roots (the roots must be freed from plastic packaging!).
If it is necessary to preserve the name of the perennial variety, then a reliable name tag should be attached to the root. Or you need to pack the roots, each variety separately, in spunbod bags, and then put them in a common box and bury them at the bottom of a snowdrift.
Top and sides of the container with perennial roots should be covered with as much snow as possible. This snowdrift should be the last to melt on your site!
As soon as most of the ground thaws, you need to dig a box of snow, process the roots and plant them in open ground.
How to choose perennial roots by appearance
It is important to learn how to choose high-quality roots of perennial garden plants in appearance.
A non-dried, dense, healthy perennial root with visible buds on it - swollen or barely hatched is considered good. Very long and thin shoots are undesirable.
There should be no moldy and soft, wet areas on the root of the perennial.
When there is not much to choose from, then according to the saying "Of two evils choose the lesser", when evaluating the roots of perennials, one should be guided by the rules:
- the dried root of a perennial is always better than a weeping root, because a dry root can be watered and reanimated, and a weeping root usually rots;
- it is better to buy one thick perennial root with one fatty bud, than a "loofah" from a heap of tangled thin roots with small buds (this is often the case with bells and phlox divisions);
- it is better if even on a very good perennial root there are no more than three awakened buds (for comparison: how many kittens it is easier for a cat to feed, 1-3 or 7-10), and if there are a lot of young shoots on the root, then the thinnest ones are needed immediately delete;
- it is better to buy an awakened perennial root with thin long shoots than a root without visible buds.
How to prepare the roots of perennials for planting
Now we will consider the technology of preparing the roots of perennials for planting.
We examine the purchased perennial root ...
If the root system looks like an unkempt beard - long and shaggy, and the roots are thin at the ends, then before planting the plant, it is necessary to cut off half of such a "beard" from the roots.
If the perennial division has few roots, and they are not very long, then we simply cut the ends - this stimulates new root formation in the plant.
It is advisable to treat the roots of perennials with any antifungal drug according to the instructions (Maxim, Previkur, etc.).
Be sure to treat the roots of perennials with a suitable biostimulant drug that promotes rooting (Kornevin, Zircon, etc.).
After all these preparatory procedures, the perennial root can be planted - in open ground or in a container.
Lyubov Melnikova
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