The exotic plant brought to Europe from Japan captivated flower growers with long and magnificent flowering. Astilba, planting and care in the open ground for which has its own characteristics, has become an ornament of shady gardens, being a shade-tolerant plant and resistant to high soil moisture.
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Astilba: cultivation features
Astilba is a herbaceous plant in the Kamenolomkovye family, the height of which can vary from 0.1 to 2 m. The upright stalk is covered with large large leafy root plates of dark green, burgundy and bronze color. During the flowering period, which is observed during the summer season, white, red, pink, purple flowers bloom in panicles of various lengths, depending on the variety and species. The genus includes almost 400 varieties and a similar number of varieties. Among the most popular are: Astilba Arends, Chinese, leaf and Japanese.
An openwork bush of leaves on red shanks, decoratively decorated during the growing season, to grow is not difficult, if you know a number of key characteristics of the culture:
- need for higher humidity;
- vertical growth of the rhizome and the death of its lower part;
- negative attitude to spring temperature changes, therefore, proper care for astilba in autumn is required.
Outdoor landing
The flower belongs to rather unpretentious plants. However To obtain lush greenery and abundant flowering, a number of rules should be followed, starting with preparatory work before planting.
Site and soil preparation
When choosing a place, it should be borne in mind that astilbe is a plant that prefers penumbra: direct rays of the midday sun have a devastating effect. Bushes should not be planted in areas unprotected from scorching sunlight. Although some varieties adapt in sunny areas, while shortening the flowering period. The culture grows well on all types of soil, giving preference to loamy soils, the acidity of which varies between 5.5-6.5, with a high occurrence of groundwater. An excellent option would be to plant a plant near natural or artificial ponds.
How and when to plant?
The best time for planting bushes is spring. If circumstances force the procedure to be carried out in the fall, then this is done long before the freezing weather, otherwise the plant may not have time to take root.
When landing, the following algorithm should be followed:
- Organic fertilizers at the rate of 2 buckets of compost per m2 are added to the previously dug up area and cleaned of weed vegetation.
- Preparing landing pits 25x25 cm at a distance of 30 cm from each other.
- Before planting, ½ cup of wood ash and a tablespoon of complex mineral fertilizers are poured into each well, after which they are well moistened.
- A seedling is placed in the pit so that the soil layer is 4 cm above the growth point.
- After planting, the plot is mulched with a peat layer of 3 cm, which allows you to save moisture in the soil and protect the plant rhizome from overheating.
Astilba: rules for leaving
If planting was carried out in compliance with agrotechnical requirements, then it will be much easier to take care of the plant. When implementing comprehensive care, you should be aware of the basic rules.
Hilling
Due to the gradual vertical growth of the rhizome after a certain time, the root system is deprived of the ability to eat. To prevent this, the astilbe needs a systematic hilling.
Watering a plant
When growing an exotic flower, water plays a big role: perennial requires systematic watering. The multiplicity of moisture can reduce periodic mulching, which also helps to get rid of weeds, frequent loosening procedures and prevent rhizomes from overheating. Depending on the type of flower, the abundance of irrigation is regulated - from medium to high.
However, there are a number of general rules:
- In the budding phase, any species needs large and systematic volumes of water.
- During the period of drought, watering is carried out twice a day - in the morning and in the evening.
Important! It is impossible to suppose even the slightest drying out of the soil, which has a detrimental effect on the culture.
Top dressing
When applying fertilizer, you can use the following plan:
- In the spring, the plant requires a higher nitrogen content, which is present in urea, ammonium nitrate or humus: when hilling, the soil is enriched with one of these fertilizers.
- In early summer, to ensure prolonged flowering, the culture needs potassium top dressing: half a liter of solution prepared from 2 tablespoons of potassium nitrate per bucket of water is used for one copy.
- At the end of flowering, fertilizing should include phosphorus, which helps to move the winter easier: 20 g of superphosphate is introduced under each bush.
Attention! After each feeding, the soil under the flower loosens and mulches.
Astilbe pruning
When the flowering is completed, it is not recommended to cut the inflorescences: drying flowers for a long time retain their decorativeness and decorate the garden area. Pruning astilbe shoots, in which they become flush with the surface of the earth, is carried out in preparation for winter.
Transfer
The average lifespan of a culture is 5-7 years, after which it is transplanted by dividing the rhizome, as during reproduction.
Advice! If you carry out the right care with the systematic application of fertilizers, you can extend the growing period of astilbe in one place up to 20 years.
Care in the fall, preparation for winter
Astilba refers to frost-resistant plants that have adapted to Russian winters. However, spring temperature drops remain fatal for her. To prevent freezing, the plant is covered with natural material - spruce branches, garden foliage.
Advice! If possible, the soil between the specimens should be mulched with the help of pine needles.
Protection against diseases and pests
When viewed on an exotic perennial, lesions with slobbery pennies, gall and strawberry nematodes are sometimes noted. Sinus between the leaves is populated with a penny, where foamy discharge with larvae appears over time. Yellow spots form on the leaves, which provoke a gradual wilting of the perennial. Gall nematodes also affect the aerial part of the plant, which facilitates the fight against this pest. As a protective measure in identifying such lesions, astilba is treated with insecticidal preparations according to the manufacturer's instructions - Aktara, Confidor and other analogues. Strawberry nematode affects the rhizome, which reduces attempts to save the plant to nothing. Such specimens should be removed in a timely manner so that the pest does not spread to neighboring bushes.
Reproduction of astilbe
An exotic plant propagates by vegetative and generative methods.
Bush division
The most popular and simple method in which:
- The rhizome is dug up and divided into parts, each of which should have 3 growth buds.
- Places of cuts are processed by charcoal.
- New specimens are planted in accordance with the agricultural technique of planting and watered daily.
Important! If you carry out the procedure in early spring, by the end of summer, new plants can please the gardener with flowering.
Cuttings
Another simple trick, for which you can use the following algorithm:
- With the advent of spring after the awakening of the buds of renewal (the buds responsible for the development of new stems), overgrown shoots cut off with part of the rhizome.
- Places of cuts are sprinkled with wood ash or coal.
- Cuttings are planted in a mixture of peat and gravel in a ratio of 3: 1 and covered with glass or film.
- In autumn or next spring, the astilbe changes to a permanent place.
Seed propagation
The generative method is not used for the propagation of varietal flowers due to the impossibility of preserving the characteristics of the variety of the mother specimen. However, when buying varietal seeds, it is possible to grow a crop.
Shadow-loving astilbe will look great on alpine hills, shaded flowerbeds and in discounts along the lawns. An exotic representative will decorate even the sunless corners of the garden.
