Caring for acidantera in the garden
How to care for acidantera
Planting acidantera and caring for it in the open field does not contain any subtleties: you will need to water the flower bed, loosen the soil on it, remove weeds, and to do this less often, you should mulch the surface with organic material - sawdust, peat, humus or cut grass: this the measure will prevent too rapid evaporation of moisture and the development of weeds. To maintain the decorative effect of acidants, remove wilted flowers in a timely manner.
Watering and feeding acidants
Water the acidander moderately, but regularly, especially in prolonged heat. The plant suffers from both drought and moisture stagnation, which can lead to root rot. During the flowering period, watering is reduced, but the soil on the site should be slightly moist all the time. Make sure that when the soil is moistened, drops do not fall on the leaves and flowers, otherwise burns may appear on them. Water for irrigation should be settled and not cold. When the water is absorbed, the soil around the plant is loosened while removing the weeds.
As for fertilizers, the acidantera responds well to the introduction of mineral complexes. It is enough to feed it with fertilizers two or three times a season: before planting, add organic matter to the soil, during the period of growth and growth of greenery - nitrogen-containing fertilizers, and before flowering, when the plant begins to form buds, it will need a potassium-phosphorus complex. Top dressing is usually combined with watering. Fresh organic matter is harmful to the plant.
Transplant acidants. Acidantera in winter
If in winter in your area the temperature drops to minus indicators, it would be better to dig up the corms of the plant for the winter, and in the spring, plant them again in the flower garden. When to dig acidander? As soon as flowering is completed, the peduncles of the plant are cut off, but the lower leaves are left on acidanter until frost. With the onset of a steady cold snap, the ground part is cut off completely, and the corms are dug up and sent for storage.
Storage acidants
How to keep acidander until spring? The corms removed from the soil are dried for a month at a temperature of 20 ºC, cleaned of rotten scales, from roots, kept in a fungicide solution, dried, and then folded into paper bags or in a cardboard box with perforation for air exchange and stored until spring at a temperature of 15-16 ºC ... When stored at a lower temperature, the corms are immersed in dormancy, and if it is too warm in the storage, then the planting material begins to germinate ahead of time.
In March, corms are planted for distillation, and in warm areas at the end of April they are planted directly in the ground. You already know how to do this.
Shrub roses: planting and care, growing and reproduction
Reproduction of acidants
Acidantera is propagated by the seed method and vegetatively - by corms and children. We have already described the method of propagation by corms. As for the children, a lot of them grow on the tubers. In the spring, before planting corms in a flower bed, the children are separated and raised in a school. With good care, the acidander from children blooms in the very first autumn. An adult corm can live up to 5 years.
Seed propagation of acidants is also a simple procedure. Sowing is carried out in the winter in the usual way, and it is not necessary to subject the seed to stratification. The substrate should be nutritious, approximately of the following composition: garden soil, peat and sand in equal proportions. The container with crops is kept at a temperature of 20 ºC and constant soil moisture is provided by covering the container with film or glass and spraying the surface of the substrate from a spray bottle.Ventilate crops daily and remove condensation from the cover. In April-May, at the stage of development of two true leaves, the seedlings are dived into separate pots, preferably peat pots, so that when transplanted into open ground, you do not have to injure the roots of the seedlings again. Seedlings grow quickly, and by summer they will be ready to be in the flowerbed. In the fall, the corms are dug up, and in the spring they are planted again in the garden. Peduncles will appear in the third year.
Description and varieties of bulbous irises
There are many varieties and varieties of bulbous irises, which are often found in summer cottages.
Attention is drawn to the varied, sometimes even unusual color of the inflorescences
All bulbous irises are similar in flower structure. They have three outer petals that are bent to the sides and three inner petals that extend upward.
Instead of a rhizome, an elongated bulb. There are several layers of leaf buds around the bulb. They accumulate moisture and nutrients necessary for the development of the plant.
Iridodictium, or netted iris, reticulum iris
The name iridodictium is translated from Greek as rainbow and mesh. The inflorescences of this type of irises are variegated. The upper shell of the bulbs resembles a net, which is why the flowers are also called netted.
The iris variety is more resistant to adverse conditions. They can be grown in regions with cold winters without digging up to 5 years in one place. Shelter organization is required before winter.
The size of the iridodictium is small. The diameter of the inflorescences is about 6 cm, the height of the stem does not exceed 16 cm. The leaves are dense, narrow, appear simultaneously with the buds. Iridodictium inflorescences give off a pleasant aroma. Flowers bloom 2.5 weeks after the snow melts. Flowering continues for 15 days.
Popular varieties of iridodictium include: Dunford, Alida, Harmony, Claret, Joyce.
Juno, or iris pearl
This type of bulbous irises is named after the famous goddess Juno. They safely tolerate unfavorable weather conditions, so they can grow up to 6 years in one selected area without digging.
Irises begin to bloom in mid-spring. The height of the stem reaches 45 cm. The leaves on the stem grow in steps. Inflorescences are formed at the top of the peduncle, and also emerge from the axils of the lateral leaves. The petals can be of different colors. Flowering lasts up to three weeks.
Xyphyum, or Dutch iris
This group of irises was named because of the unusual shape of the leaves. They are narrow and oblong, reminiscent of a sword (xyphium from Greek means sword).
The flowers of this group were bred for growing in regions with a warm climate. Therefore, they do not dig the bulb for the winter, sometimes they only cover it with spruce branches and mulch the soil. When planting bulbous irises in areas with cold winters, it is imperative to carry out preparatory work before the onset of frost.
Irises bloom in summer. The flowers of this type of irises are large, reaching 11 cm in diameter. The height of the stem stretches up to 75 cm. The petals can have a variety of colors: from light purple to yellow. There are specimens with a combination of several flowers on the inflorescence.
In the store you can buy an unusual variety of Dutch Iris Mix. The planting scheme and further care are standard. The difference is that the shade of the petals will be known only after the blossoming of the inflorescences.
Professor Blaau
Professor Blaau is a hybrid form obtained by crossing different varieties of xyphyum. The plant has a long flowering period and large petals. The diameter of the inflorescence reaches 11 cm.
Mystic Beauty
The xyphyum group includes the Mystic Beauty variety. Flowering begins in early June. The height of the peduncle reaches 55 cm, on which two inflorescences with wide petals are formed. The diameter of the inflorescence is about 6 cm. Attractive color and pleasant aroma will not leave indifferent any summer resident.
Symphony
A well-known type of xyphyum is the Dutch Iris Symphony. Flowering begins in April and lasts for three weeks. The height of the peduncles reaches 50 cm. The petals of the inflorescences are wide. Immediately after the end of the flowering period, the leaves begin to wither and dry out.
How to care for irises in the garden
Males are picky plants. Therefore, caring for them is very simple.
Pruning leaves
The main thing is to periodically pull out the weeds. This must be done by hand, as in males the root system is close to the surface and can be damaged. Despite this, you still have to occasionally loosen the soil carefully - this is necessary for better air circulation.
Dry flowers that have fallen to the ground should be collected periodically, as they attract pests. You should also ensure proper watering, feeding and treat the plants with pests and diseases.
Attention! If you do not plan to plant the cockerels, then after flowering they need to be cut off, leaving leaves 2.5 cm long
Watering mode
Until the flower buds form and bloom, they need to be watered twice a week. Further, throughout the summer, the soil is watered only when it is completely dry, if we are not talking about the Siberian and marsh varieties. These plants love moisture.
Important! It is necessary to choose a planting site taking into account that the groundwater does not come close to the root system of the plant. Irises do not tolerate them well.
After the end of the flowering period, irises should temporarily stay in dry soil.
How to feed irises in spring for lush flowering in the garden
The first spring nitrogen fertilization is carried out when the snow has completely melted and the earth dries out. This happens depending on the climatic conditions from the end of February to mid-April.
The second feeding is carried out when the irises begin to grow buds. During this period, they need phosphorus-potassium feeding. Both of these nutrients are found in Agrofosk.
Phosphorus is also found in bone meal products. However, such a substance is hardly absorbed from the surface, so you need to make small grooves around the irises and fill them with this fertilizer.
Attention! If we are talking about acidic soil, then superphosphate can only strengthen it, therefore it is better to use phosphate rock for such soil. Potassium fertilization is carried out using fertilizers such as sylvinite, furnace ash and potassium sulfate
Potassium fertilization is carried out using fertilizers such as sylvinite, furnace ash and potassium sulfate.
Potassium sulfate and sylvinite are introduced into the soil at the rate of one and a half tablespoons per 1 m². Ash is scattered around the plant in the amount of 3 tablespoons per bush.
During the flowering period, males need fertilization with potassium and phosphorus. It is necessary to apply dressings only in liquid form, otherwise the roots may suffer from burns.
Fertilizers
Preparing for winter
In order for the flowers to endure the winter well, they need to be properly looked after even from the moment of planting:
- Plants are planted on a hill so that in winter there is no stagnant water near them.
- After the end of the flowering period, the bulbs should be in dry soil and dry well.
- It is necessary to dig them out only when all the leaves of the plant are dry. The bulbs are placed in a cardboard box, each individually wrapped in a cloth and sprinkled with peat. The box is placed on the balcony, or in another cool place.
- You can leave the bulbs in the ground for the winter, but cover them with dry leaves to protect them from frost.