Pushkin planting and care in the open field in the Urals

varieties ❀ planting ❀ care

 

Pushkinia (Latin Puschkinia) belongs to the genus of the subfamily Hyacinths of the Asparagus family, although some experts prefer to include it in the Liliaceae family. Sometimes Pushkinia is called dwarf hyacinth, since hyacinths and Pushkinia are the closest relatives and have great similarities. The genus Pushkin has two species and several varieties that grow in nature on stony wet slopes, as well as among shrubs and on mountain meadows in the Caucasus, Asia Minor and Western Asia.

     

The Pushkinia plant is one of the most attractive spring primroses with a height of 15 to 20 cm. It is a herbaceous plant, ephemeroid, with ovoid bulbs in brown and thin outer scales. Pushkinia leaves are linear-belt-shaped, dark green in color, located at the base of the stem in the amount of 2-3 pieces. Pale blue or white bell-shaped flowers, collected in racemose inflorescences and differing in a weak, but not very pleasant aroma, sometimes appear on peduncles a few days later than leaves. The fruit of Pushkinia is a juicy box with round changes of light brown color.

Pushkinia is a long-awaited spring flower; despite its small size, it has one more advantage - high decorativeness. It looks great in rockeries, in small backyard gardens in combination with other primroses or perennials.

 

 

Pushkin open ground landing

 

When to plant a cannon

Growing Pushkinia from seeds will be time consuming, since the first flowers on a plant from seeds appear only four years after sowing. Only the germination of seeds takes at least a month. However, the generative way of growing Pushkinia is just as reliable as the vegetative one. Sowing seeds of Pushkinia is carried out immediately after collection, in June, or in autumn, from mid-September to the twenties of October, but in this case they will have to be stored before sowing in the refrigerator, reliably protected from drying out.

How to plant Pushkinia in the ground When sowing in open ground in winter, Pushkinia seeds undergo natural stratification during the winter, which in the future has a beneficial effect on their health and development. However, before sowing, you need to prepare the site: make good drainage, if necessary, loosen too dense soil with peat, sand and leaf humus. The site itself may be sunny or in light shade. Sowing is carried out to a depth of at least 5 cm, the site is then mulched with peat for the winter.

 

 

Pushkinia care in the open field

 

Pushkin care, like caring for other garden flowers, includes:
✔ Regular watering
✔ Weeding
✔ Loosening the site
✔ Top dressing with fertilizers
✔ Removal of wilted inflorescences

In order to make your work easier and save time, mulch the area with peat peat. In all these types of work, it is very important to observe regularity and methodicality, because if you neglect, for example, weeding a plot with a pusher, then aggressive weeds will easily clog the fragile little pusher.

In early spring, even in the snow, Pushkinia is fed with a complete mineral fertilizer, for example, nitrophosphate, spreading it evenly over the site in an amount of 50-60 g per m² (this is about two handfuls). In April, when the seedlings are already clearly visible, and the ground has thawed, loosen the aisles.

In a dry spring, plantings need watering, but the need for moisture in Pushkinia is especially strong during the rapid growth of leaves. In the summer months, despite the fact that the Pushkinia has already faded, it is necessary to keep the area clean by immediately removing weeds and loosening the aisles. If you find sick or yellowed specimens on the site, immediately dig them up and burn them without regret.

In the fall, when the bulbs of Pushkinia are planted, and the seeds are sown in the ground, a period of dormancy begins for the plant. In order for the Pushkinia to winter calmly, the site is mulched with a layer of humus 2-3 cm thick or a layer of peat 5-7 cm thick.And there is no need to rush to remove the mulch: in spring and summer, it will protect the Pushkinia from drying out and young weeds.

 

 

Pushkin breeding

 

Planting and caring for the Pushkinia flower also provides for the timely transplantation of the plant, since in 4-5 years an adult bulb grows a whole nest of 5-7 children of different ages, which becomes cramped, and the decorativeness of the plant suffers from this. The transplantation of Pushkinia is accompanied by dividing its bulb - a vegetative method of reproduction, which, along with the seed method described by us in the previous sections, propagates Pushkinia. The nest of bulbs is removed from the ground, separated from the mother's bulb of the babies, sent for storage and in the fall seated at a distance of at least 10 cm from each other. The onion is divided every five to six years.

In this matter, it is important to dig up the bulb on time, since if this is done too early, the unripe bulbs will be poorly stored, and if it is too late, the babies easily break off from the mother bulb in the process of removing them from the soil, often go unnoticed in the soil and clog the area ... The sign by which it is determined that it is time to dig up the bulbs is the drying out of the Pushkinia leaves. Remove the bulbs from the ground, dry them in the shade, clean them of soil and old roots, separate the children, sort them by size: small bulbs are planted on a training bed for growing, and large ones are suitable for planting in the ground or for forcing at home. Sorted planting material is stored until planting in a cool room with good ventilation in slightly damp sawdust or peat.

Pushkinia planting in the ground is carried out in the fall. The bulbs, depending on the size, are buried by 5-7 cm, keeping a distance of 10 cm between them.

Pushkinia reproduces well by self-seeding, and if you take control of this process, you will not need to fiddle with seed reproduction.

 

 

Forcing Pushkinia

 

Pushkinia lends itself well to forcing and can bloom in the winter on your windowsill. To do this, several bulbs of Pushkinia are planted in November in a pot with a diameter of 13-15 cm and a height of about 7 cm, filled with an earthen mixture consisting of two parts of sod land, one part of river sand and one part of leaf humus. The pot is kept for 2-2.5 months in a dark basement with a temperature of no higher than 10 ºC and an air humidity of 85-90%, and after this period it is transferred to a bright room with an air temperature of no higher than 15 ºC and watering begins.

Pushkinia will bloom in 2-3 weeks. Take your time to discard the Pushkinia bulb after it has bloomed: there is an article on our website that describes how to care for the bulbs used for forcing after flowering. With proper care, this bulb can bloom more than once.

 

 

Pushkin's diseases and pests

 

Pushkinia suffers from common bulbous and small-bulbous diseases, for example from gray rotcaused by the fungus Botrytis and manifests itself as brown spots on the ground parts of the plant. The danger of the disease is that Botrytis is omnivorous, it easily migrates from one plant to another. As a preventive measure for the disease, when watering, avoid getting water on the leaves, do not abuse nitrogen fertilizers, and immediately remove the affected parts of the plant. The fungus is destroyed at the beginning of the intervention by treating the cannon with Topaz, Champion, Cuproxat or Bordeaux liquid. In case of severe defeat, they use Previkur, Skor, Fundazol.

An equally dangerous disease is bulb rotcaused by various fungi. Affected plants turn yellow at the base of the leaves, the infection penetrates the bulbs, reddish-brown spots appear on them, as a result, the bulbs die. The infection can persist in the ground. Timely treatment with copper-containing preparations will save Pushkin. Before planting, carefully inspect the bulbs and in no case plant suspicious specimens in the ground.

Achelenhoides - a disease that causes browning of the scales of the bulbs, which is why they rot in rings, necrotic spots of a light brown color appear on the surface, at the very bottom, the plants begin to lag behind in development and lose their decorative effect. Damaged bulbs are to be destroyed, and the rest are soaked in hot water (43ºC) before planting.

From pests Dangerous for Pushkin mice, which are scared away by poisonous baits spread around the site, and root meadow mites, gnawing the bottoms of the bulbs, penetrating deep into and feeding on the inner scales, causing the bulbs to dry out or rot. As a preventive measure, before planting, the bulbs are treated with insecticides, which subsequently, when a danger arises, treat the plants on the site.

 

 

Pushkin species and varieties

 

Pushkinia hyacinthus (Puschkinia hyacinthoides)

Grows in nature on the slopes of the mountains of Northern Iran and Eastern Transcaucasia. This is a charming small plant with linear fleshy leaves up to 15 cm long and about 1 cm wide.The bulbs in plants of this species reach 2 cm in diameter.Strong peduncles up to 15 cm high bear dense oval inflorescences of 12-30 drooping pale blue, almost white flowers up to 1.5 cm in diameter with a bright blue stripe along the back of the petals. One adult bulb produces up to 4 peduncles. Pushkinia hyacinth blooms from 10 days to three weeks.

 

Pushkinia scilloides

grows in meadows, forest edges among shrubs in the mountains of the Caucasus, Turkey, Iran and Lebanon. This is a small plant with two basal dark green narrow-linear fleshy leaves 12-15 cm long, which are formed simultaneously with peduncles reaching 20 cm in height. On the peduncles, fragrant bell-shaped pale blue flowers with a diameter of 1.5-2 cm with a blue stripe in the center of each part of the perianth are revealed. The flowers are collected in a small-flowered racemose inflorescence up to 12 cm long. It blooms from May for three weeks.

There is a widely known variety of Pushkinia proleskovid, which is called Pushkinia Lebanotica, or Pushkinia Lebanese. This variety differs from the main species in larger flowers with two-toothed crown lobes. Planting and caring for the Lebanese cannon is carried out in the same order as planting and caring for the main species, the pristine cannon.

 

Where to buy Pushkinia bulbs

 

The Scientific and Production Association "Sady Rossii" has been introducing the latest achievements in the selection of vegetable, fruit, berry and ornamental crops into the wide practice of amateur gardening for 30 years. In the work of the association, the most modern technologies are used, a unique laboratory for microclonal reproduction of plants has been created. The main tasks of NPO Sady Rossii is to provide gardeners with high-quality planting material for popular varieties of various garden plants and novelties of world selection. Delivery of planting material (seeds, onions, seedlings) is carried out by Russian post. We are waiting for you for shopping: NPO Sady Rossii

The plant Pushkinia (Puschkinia) is a representative of the genus of the subfamily hyacinths, of the asparagus family, but in some sources such a flower is included in the lily family. This flower was named after Musin-Pushkin, who was a Russian mineralogist and chemist, as well as a member of the Royal Society of London, it was he who first collected data from the flora on Ararat. Pushkinia is still sometimes called the dwarf hyacinth, because these plants are very similar in appearance, as they are the closest relatives. This genus unites only 2 species and several varieties. In nature, they can be found in Asia Minor and Asia Minor, as well as in the Caucasus, while Pushkinia prefers to grow in mountain meadows, among bushes and on damp rocky slopes.

Features of Pushkin

Pushkinia is one of the most spectacular spring primroses. The height of the bush varies from 15 to 20 centimeters. Such a herbaceous plant is an ephemeroid, its ovoid bulbs cover thin outer scales of brown color. At the base of the stem there are 2 or 3 dark green leaf plates of a belt-like linear shape. The racemose inflorescences consist of bell-shaped flowers of white or light blue color, which have an unobtrusive unpleasant aroma. Flowering in some cases begins several days after the appearance of leaf blades. The fruit is a juicy box, inside of which are pale brown seeds that are round in shape.

Despite the fact that this plant can hardly be called large, it has a very high decorative effect. Pushkinia looks good in rockeries, as well as in small backyard gardens, planted with other primroses or perennials.

Planting Pushkinia in open ground

What time to sow

If you decide to grow such a primrose from seeds, then you should be patient. The fact is that when propagated by the seed method, Pushkin begins to bloom only in the fourth year of life. Even the first seedlings appear about 30 days after sowing. But the vegetative breeding method is also ineffective. Seeds are sown in open soil immediately after harvest, and this time, as a rule, falls in June. Also, sowing can be done from the second half of September to the twenties of October, but in this case, freshly harvested seeds will need to be placed on the refrigerator shelf before sowing, and care should be taken to ensure that they do not dry out.

Seeding features

If the seeds are sown over the winter, then they will be able to undergo a full-fledged natural stratification, and this has a very good effect on the growth, development and health of the plant. But before you start sowing, you need to prepare the site. To do this, care must be taken to ensure that there is good drainage, in the event that the soil is too dense, sand, peat or leaf humus are added to it to loosen it. For sowing, you can choose a well-lit or slightly shaded area. It is necessary to deepen the seeds into the soil by at least 5 centimeters, then for the winter the surface of the site should be covered with a layer of mulch (peat).

Pushkin care in the garden

You need to take care of Pushkinia in the same way as for other flowers growing in the garden. So, it needs to be systematically watered, loosened the surface of the soil, remove weeds, feed it in time, and also remove the inflorescences that have begun to wither in a timely manner. To significantly reduce the number of watering, weeding and loosening, it is necessary to cover the surface of the site with a layer of mulch (peat). In order for these flowers to develop normally and have a very effective appearance, you need to take care of them correctly and systematically, for example, if you do not remove the weed in time, it will quickly "crush" the fragile little push.

Top dressing is done in early spring. To do this, use a complete mineral fertilizer (for example, nitrophoska), which is evenly distributed over the surface of the site, taking from 50 to 60 grams of substance per 1 square meter (about a couple of handfuls). In this case, top dressing must be done even if there is snow. After the soil thaws in April and shoots appear, it will be necessary to loosen the aisles.

If the spring is dry, then pushkinia will need to be watered, while it should be borne in mind that it especially needs watering during the period of intensive growth of leaf plates. In summer, it is imperative to carry out timely weeding and loosening of row spacings. In the event that the bush has turned yellow earlier than it should be, or it is affected by a disease, it must be dug up and must be destroyed.

It is quite simple to grow Pushkinia, while it will certainly give you a lot of pleasure during flowering in the spring.

Reproduction of Pushkinia

Growing Pushkin, one must remember that it needs systematic transplants. The fact is that an adult bulb grows up about 5-7 children of various ages within 4–5 years. These plants become very crowded, from which their decorative effect is significantly reduced. During transplantation, the children must be separated from the mother's bulb. Thus, there is a vegetative reproduction of Pushkinia. How to propagate it in a generative (seed) way is described above. The nest of bulbs must be dug up and the babies must be separated from the parent bulb. Then they are removed for storage, and with the onset of the autumn period they are planted in a permanent place, while a distance of at least 10 centimeters must be kept between the bulbs. Experts recommend dividing the bulbs once every 5 or 6 years.

It should be remembered that it is necessary to dig up the bulbs on time. Bulbs dug out ahead of schedule are very poorly stored. If they are removed from the soil later than the due date, then most of the children will remain in the ground, since at this time they are extremely easily broken off from the mother's bulb. The time when you should start digging a bush is determined by the state of its leaves. As soon as they dry up, you should start transplanting and dividing. The bulbs must be removed from the soil and put in the shade to dry, and then the remnants of the earth and old roots must be removed from them. Separated babies should be sorted by size. Large bulbs can be planted permanently in open soil or used for forcing indoors. Small bulbs need to be planted in a training bed. All sorted bulbs should be placed in slightly damp sawdust or peat and stored in a well-ventilated cool room. There they should be stored until planting.

Pushkinia is planted in open ground in the autumn. The planting depth depends on the size of the bulb and can vary from 5 to 7 centimeters, while a distance of at least 10 centimeters must be maintained between the holes.

Such a flower is able to reproduce well enough by self-seeding. This method of reproduction of Pushkinia is an excellent alternative to seed, the main thing is that one must not forget to control this process.

Pests and diseases

This plant can suffer from those diseases that affect small-bulb and bulbous plants. For example, if spots of brown color appear on the ground parts of the bush, this means that it is affected by gray rot, the causative agent of which is the fungus Botrytis. This is a rather dangerous disease, because this fungus is omnivorous, and it can quickly infect other plants. As a preventive measure, experts recommend, watering the bush, to try to prevent the liquid from falling on the surface of the foliage, not to overfeed the gun with nitrogen, and also to dig up and destroy the affected specimens as soon as possible. At the initial stage of the development of the disease, such means as: Champion, Bordeaux liquid, Topaz or Cuproxat are used to destroy it. If the specimen is very badly affected, then Skor, Previkur or Fundazol are used to process it.

It is also quite dangerous that the plant is damaged by bulb rot, while the causative agent of such diseases is a variety of fungi. In infected bushes, the base of the leaf plates turns yellow, then the disease penetrates into the bulb itself, from which specks of a brownish-red color are formed on its surface. This leads to the death of the bulb. This infection can persist in the soil for a long time. In order to save the plant, it must be treated in a timely manner with a product containing copper. Before planting an onion, it must be carefully examined, if it raises the slightest doubt, then it is better to destroy it.

Pushkinia is also susceptible to a disease such as achelenchoides. Because of it, the scales of the onions turn brown, ring rot appears. Also, near the bottom on the surface of the bulb, pale brown necrotic specks are formed. In the affected bush, there is a lag in development and a loss of decorative appearance. All diseased bulbs must be burned, and before planting healthy ones, they are immersed for a while in slightly hot (about 43 degrees) water.

The bulbs of the plant are capable of damaging the mice, in order to drive them away, bait with poison is laid out on the site. Also, the danger for such a flower is represented by root meadow mites, which penetrate into the bulbs, gnawing their bottom. They eat up the inner scales, which causes the bulbs to rot or dry out. For preventive purposes, the bulbs should be treated with insecticidal preparations before planting. If there is a serious risk of infection, then the pushkin is treated with the same drugs on the site.

Pushkinia after flowering

In autumn, after sowing seeds or planting bulbs in open soil, a dormant period is observed in Pushkinia. At this time, the plant should be prepared for wintering; for this, the site is covered with humus (layer thickness from 20 to 30 mm) or peat (layer thickness from 50 to 70 mm). In spring or summer time, it is not necessary to remove mulch from the site, because it protects the plants from the rapid growth of weeds and from drying out.

Forcing Pushkin

Pushkinia is perfect for forcing indoors, and its beautiful flowers can be seen already in winter. Several bulbs are selected for distillation. They are planted in November in a pot with a diameter of 13 to 15 centimeters and a height of about 7 centimeters. A soil mixture is poured into it, which includes leaf humus, river sand and sod land, taken in a ratio of 1: 1: 2. The container is removed for 8-10 weeks in a dark basement, where the air temperature should not exceed 10 degrees, and the humidity should be about 85-90 percent. Then she is taken out into a well-lit room, in which it should not be warmer than 15 degrees, and the flower will need to be watered. Flowering begins after 14–20 days.It is recommended not to throw out the faded bulb, because if you take care of it correctly, it will delight you with its spectacular flowers again and again.

Types and varieties of Pushkinia with photos and names

There are 2 types of Pushkinia cultivated: Proleskidnaya and Hyacinth.

Pushkinia hyacinthus (Puschkinia hyacinthoides)

Under natural conditions, this species can be found on the mountain slopes of the Eastern Transcaucasia and Northern Iran. Such a very beautiful small plant has fleshy linear leaf plates that reach 15 centimeters in length and have a centimeter width. The diameter of the bulbs is about 20 mm. In height, powerful flower stalks reach 15 centimeters. On them there are dense oval inflorescences, consisting of 12-30 drooping light blue (almost white) flowers, reaching 15 mm in diameter, along the back of the petals there is a strip of deep blue color. The 1st adult bulb can grow up to four peduncles. Duration of flowering is 1.5–3 weeks.

Pushkinia scilloides

In nature, you can find such a pushkin in Turkey, Lebanon, Iran and the Caucasus, while it prefers to grow in meadows and on the edges of shrubs. The compact bush has 2 dark green basal narrow-linear leaf plates, reaching 12-15 centimeters in length, they grow simultaneously with peduncles, the height of which is about 20 centimeters. Peduncles are decorated with fragrant light blue bell-shaped flowers, the diameter of which varies from 15 to 20 mm; a blue stripe runs in the center of each part of the perianth. The length of the small-flowered racemose inflorescence reaches 12 centimeters. Flowering begins in May and lasts 20 days.

This type of Pushkinia has a fairly popular variety called Pushkinia Lebanotics (Lebanese Pushkinia). In contrast to the main species, it has larger flowers, the proportions of the crown in which are two-toothed. It is necessary to plant and grow such a variety in the same way as the main species.

This miniature bulbous plant with charming flowers migrated to our gardens from the slopes of the Caucasian mountains and alpine meadows, his name is Dwarf hyacinth or Pushkinia. Planting and caring for it is very similar to growing other bulbous garden flowers: crocuses or hyacinths. And it received such a very unusual name not in honor of the great poet, but thanks to his namesake scientist A.A. Musin-Pushkin.

The genus of Pushkinia is not numerous and includes only two species: Pushkinia proleskovidnaya and Pushkinia hyacinths. Each species is unique and will be a decoration for any garden or flower bed.

Pushkinia proleskovidnaya

Her homeland is the dry slopes of the Caucasus and Iran. The plant reaches a height of 20 cm, the flowers are large, collected in an inflorescence, color from light blue to white, with a blue vein in the center of each petal. Leaves are dense, linear.

Pushkinia hyacinth

This species is distinguished by delicate blue flowers with a bright blue vein, the basal linear leaves are narrower than that of the previous species. The Lebanese Pushkinia belongs to the same species, the main advantage of which is the larger flowers of a rich blue color. Most often sold in stores is the squirrel-shaped puffinia. Planting and care is quite simple and even a novice florist can do it.

Place on the site

Pushkinia is not particularly capricious and, in principle, will take root everywhere. But for good growth and annual flowering, it is better to choose sufficiently lit, sunny places or light partial shade. The soil for Pushkinia must be fertile and well-drained. Therefore, just before planting, it is good to add a mixture of humus, ash and sand to the soil. Removing weeds and loosening the soil is an important element of care.

Watering

The soil in which the Pushkinia grows must be well moistened.But, since this is a primrose and the first leaves appear as soon as the snow melts from the soil, additional watering is very rarely required. As a last resort, you can add snow, which will melt, moisturizing the soil naturally. During flowering, it is advisable to water the flowers with mineral fertilizer with potassium and phosphorus. This will promote abundant flowering, and then the formation of daughter bulbs.

Transfer

There is no need to plant Pushkinia annually. Since the bulbs are not very large, replanting every 4-5 years will be sufficient. It is necessary to dig up the bulbs when the ground part is completely dry, in terms of time it is somewhere in the middle of summer. Dug out bulbs must be sorted out, damaged or diseased ones should be thrown away immediately. Place healthy planting material in a special box and put in a cool place with good ventilation. In mid-September or October, the bulbs are planted in prepared soil. Planting depth and distance between medium-sized bulbs (2-3 cm in diameter) should be 10 cm. If the soil is dry and the weather does not bode well, then it is worth pouring a little water over it from a watering can.

Pushkinia: growing from seeds

Growing Pushkinia from seeds is a laborious and not always successful process. It is necessary to sow seeds in a specially prepared box in September-October. With successful cultivation, young Pushkinia will bloom in the third or fourth year. Planting and caring for plants grown from seeds is the same as for adults, only at first you should be careful with watering, avoiding stagnation of moisture. It makes sense to grow rare varieties from seeds, since in shops for gardeners they often sell only a large-flowered form of Pushkinia - this is Lebanese Pushkinia. A photo of this species is presented below.

Therefore, the main and easiest way is propagation by bulbs.

Diseases and pests

Pushkinia is affected by diseases typical of all bulbous plants - bulb rot and gray rot. The most common pests are root mites and rodents. Fungal diseases are the most insidious. If the bulb is slightly damaged, you can try to save it. To do this, cut off the damaged part with a sharp disinfected knife. Dry the onion and treat it with a fungicidal preparation. You can only get rid of root mites by treating the bulbs with special chemicals. As a rescue from rodents, folk methods are most often used: spraying the bulbs before planting with a solution of valerian or kerosene. You can also use special containers that have small holes and simply restrict access to the flower bulbs for rodents.

Forcing Pushkinia

Forcing allows you to get beautifully flowering plants in early spring, in March-April. For this, like all bulbous, pushkinia is suitable. Flowers are highly decorative and are perfect for a gift, in particular, as part of a bouquet of spring primroses.

Forcing, as a process, includes two stages: preparatory and main. The preparatory stage is to plant the bulbs. To do this, choose the largest and healthiest bulbs, plant them in prepared small pots with loose, nutritious soil. Then the pots of bulbs are kept in a cool room (8-10 degrees) for three or four months. After this time, the pots are placed in a bright place, but not in direct sunlight, periodically sprayed. Flowering begins in about 2 weeks.

Use in the garden

Pushkin is very often used for rockeries, rock gardens and mixborders. Planting and maintenance is simple enough that it is loved by landscape designers. Good neighbors for her will be crocuses, hazel grouses, anemones and hyacinths. Pushkinia Lebanese, for example, will create an amazing carpet if you plant it in small groups on the lawn.And the snow-white flowers of Pushkinia will be the very first spring to decorate the alpine slide in the garden. It is important to remember that high decorativeness is achieved due to the massive planting. Therefore, it will be correct to immediately purchase several dozen bulbs, only in this way you will get a lush carpet in a short time. With a single planting of a beautiful flower "carpet", you will have to wait more than one year.

Not many of the flowers bloom in early spring, not afraid of the cold wind and slush. Pushkinia is one of the participants in the first spring flower ball. This plant cannot boast of a variety of shades (the color of the perianth is white or pale blue), but it attracts with its tenderness and unpretentiousness. The inflorescence is a raceme with bell-shaped flowers with a pleasant aroma. The tendency to abundant flowering and ease of cultivation - these properties accurately characterize the Pushkinia flower.

Pushkin flower: planting and care

Over time, the flower forms a fruit - a juicy box with rounded light brown seeds. Seeds are tied willingly and, under good conditions, the flower gives abundant self-seeding.

The bulb of this plant is ovoid or round in shape with a diameter of about two centimeters.

Seed propagation

For reproduction, fresh seeds are used, which are sown in open ground in the fall. In the spring, young plants appear, and after three years the seedlings delight with the first flowering.

Vegetative propagation

Easier and faster to get young flowers, separating daughter bulbs during transplantation. After the aerial part of the plant dies off, the bulbs are dug up and stored in a well-ventilated area until planting.

Growing

With good care in one place, Pushkinia grows up to seven years. She prefers open, sunny places., although it can develop in partial shade. The flower feels comfortable under deciduous shrubs and trees, but flower stalks can lodge in dense shade.

In September, the bulbs are planted at a distance of 6–9 centimeters from each other to a depth three times the size of the bulb itself.

• The soil should be loose or well-drained and rich in humus.
• Before planting, compost and mineral fertilizers are applied.
• When shoots appear and at the beginning of flowering, it is also advisable to feed Pushkinia with complex fertilizer.

Further care consists in weeding and loosening. In the event of a spring drought, watering is necessary.

Varieties of Pushkinia

Diseases

Like other bulbous plants, these plants are susceptible to fungal diseases: various rot, powdery mildew, rust, etc.

• Gray rot (botrytis) is a fairly common disease characterized by the appearance of gray dust on buds, young leaves and flowers. The affected parts of the plant wither and die. Excessive moisture in the soil and air, as well as sharp fluctuations in temperature, contribute to the spread of the disease. The disease can spread to other plants, therefore, if lesions are detected, measures are immediately taken. Damaged plant parts are removed and destroyed, and watering is reduced. In the initial stage of the disease, treatment with sulfur or Bordeaux liquid helps. For the treatment of the disease, fungicides such as "Topaz" or "Champion" are used. In some cases, when the disease is advanced, the plants are destroyed.
• Sclerocial white rot... This disease is characterized by yellowing and wilting of the leaves, which begin to easily separate from the bulb. A white mycelium forms between the scales of the bulbs, and the scales themselves become discolored. Treatment is the same as for gray rot.
• Powdery mildew... The causative agent of this disease is the trichocladia mushroom. A gray bloom appears on the upper or lower side of the leaf blade, rapidly spreading to the entire plant. The leaves curl and fall off, and the plant itself becomes lethargic and dies over time.To prevent this from happening, the affected parts must be removed, and the remaining areas must be treated with a fungicide.

To prevent fungal diseases, the bulbs are treated with Fundazol or Sumileks before planting.

Pests

• Root onion mite - This is, perhaps, the main enemy of Pushkin. Adults and mite larvae thin the bottom of the bulbs and penetrate inside. Damaged plants rot and die. In order to prevent infection, it is necessary to use high-quality planting material and, before planting, treat the bulbs with karbofos or Fufanon-nova and Actellik preparations.
• Rodents also do not mind trying the bulbs of this plant. If the landings suffer greatly from uninvited guests, you will have to place poisonous baits and traps on the site.

The genus Pushkinia is represented by two species - the pristine and hyacinth. And one and the other kind are often used by flower growers due to their decorativeness and unpretentiousness.

Pushkinia proleskovidnaya

Not all plants can please with early spring flowering. Proleskovidnaya Pushkinia is one of those who impatiently makes their way to the first spring sun, casually shaking off the annoying snow.

A variety of proleskidny pushkin is Pushkinia Lebanese - unpretentious small-bulbous flower, easy to grow. In order for the plant to regularly please with flowering, it is necessary to choose high-quality planting material. Bulbs should be large, free from visible damage and signs of disease. Planting is carried out in the fall, if necessary, the flower is watered and from time to time, top dressing is applied. For active growth and flowering in spring, Pushkinia needs nitrogen fertilizers, and in autumn, potash fertilizers, which will allow the plant to prepare for winter.

Pushkinia Lebanese is a beautiful plant with neat flowers. It is characterized by long flowering, which begins in March and can last up to four weeks. Several peduncles 15 centimeters high with delicate white flowers appear from one bulb.

Pushkinia hyacinth

This species is distinguished by larger flowers; an adult bulb produces up to four peduncles. Blooms in May. The leaves of the undersized perennial are fleshy, linear, about a centimeter wide and more than 10 centimeters long. Care is the same for all species of this plant.

In landscape design, pushkinia is often used in the design of borders and ridges; it is good both in group plantings and in combination with other plants. Pushkinia looks harmoniously in rockeries and rock gardens, and planted in small groups, these plants perfectly enliven the green lawn.