At the sight of alpine hills and rockeries, the eyes are riveted by bushy bushes with bright spikelet inflorescences. This is lavender, planting and care in the open field for which it will not cause difficulties for the grower, if you adhere to regularity and complexity.
Material Content:
Lavender: features of growing in different regions of Russia
Lavender is a herbaceous plant in the family Lamiaceae. Coming from the Mediterranean, the culture loves the moist and warm growing conditions. These features should be taken into account when growing lavender in the open ground, and most importantly, when choosing a species.
Different varieties and hybrids are suitable for different climatic regions:
- In the conditions of the Moscow Region and the Urals, as a perennial culture, narrow-leaved lavender can be cultivated. When choosing more heat-loving species, the plant will grow as an annual.
- In Siberia, the annual variety Normandy is widely spread, easily adapting to the Siberian climate. But often there are perennial species that require shelter in open ground.
Important! Instances grown from seeds are more resistant and adapt more easily to existing climatic conditions.
Plant propagation
The reproduction of lavender is carried out in two ways:
- generative;
- vegetative.
Seed method
To get hardy lavender bushes:
- in mid-January, seed stratification is carried out, in which the seeds are mixed with dry sand in a ratio of 1: 3 and placed in a refrigerator, where they are systematically moistened.
- after 40 days, the seeds are sown in a container for seedlings, where they are until the first pair of real leaves appear in the seedlings.
- seedlings dive into small peat pots, where it continues to grow until planting in open ground.
Propagation by layering
A simpler and more popular technique, during which:
- shoots of an adult bush bend to the ground and fit into previously prepared grooves.
- layering sprinkled with earth.
- after the formation of the root system, cuttings are separated from the mother bush and transplanted to a constant place of growth.
Outdoor landing
To get a lush plant that will please you with abundant flowering for a long period of time, you should pay special attention to the first step - planting lavender.
Selection of planting material
When choosing seedlings for planting, you should pay attention to such nuances:
- lack of signs of illness and damage;
- development of the root system;
- a method of producing a seedling (planting material obtained from seeds is distinguished by the highest endurance).
Soil preparation and location
For lavender, a sunny, elevated site is selected.
If this is not possible and the groundwater lies very high, then a drainage layer is prepared - the culture negatively reacts to swamping. Lavender prefers a loose, light soil with a slightly acid reaction, which can be achieved by digging the area to the depth of the shovel bayonet with the addition of compost or peat. If acidity is above 7.5 points, wood ash is added.
The nuances of planting in spring, autumn
Landing of lavender can be carried out in late May or in October, depending on the planting material.
- Before winter, seeds are sown. Digging up the soil with the addition of peat and sand, after which the seeds are planted to a depth of 3-4 cm. When the snow falls, a snowdrift forms on the crops.
- In late spring, seedlings are planted.
How to plant seedlings?
Landing is carried out according to the following algorithm:
- in the selected area, holes are prepared with sizes 10 cm larger than the root system of the seedling, and the distance between each other from 80 to 120 cm, depending on the height of the bushes and their purpose;
- a seedling whose root is cut by 5 cm is placed in the hole and sprinkled with soil so that the neck is deepened by 4-6 cm.
Lavender: Outdoor Care
To obtain healthy, flowering specimens, it is necessary to organize comprehensive care.
How to water?
A moisture-loving plant needs frequent and plentiful watering, especially with the onset of summer heat. In this case, it is necessary to observe a sense of proportion, allowing the soil to dry between the humidifications.
Loosening and mulching
After rains and each irrigation, the soil in the near-trunk area loosens to maintain free oxygen access to the roots. To reduce time and effort, you can mulch the soil under the bushes using peat or compost.
Fertilizer and fertilizing
Comprehensive care includes the organization of additional plant nutrition.
- After transplanting seedlings, the plantings are fertilized with chicken droppings so that lavender quickly builds green mass.
- Subsequent dressings are carried out with fertilizers, in which nitrogen is not included, so as not to inhibit the process of flowering and preparation for winter. You can use the complexes for flowering plants offered in stores, dissolving 2 tablespoons in a bucket of water.
Important! If the soil under the bushes is mulched with a thick layer of compost, then the additional use of agrochemicals can be abandoned without harm to the plant.
Pruning lavender
To successfully grow lavender, annual pruning is necessary:
- after the completion of the flowering phase, all dried inflorescences are cut off;
- with the advent of autumn, all shoots are shortened, which allows you to maintain the shape of the bush and maintain its decorativeness;
- after the plant reaches the age of ten, a rejuvenating haircut is carried out, in which all branches are cut to 5 cm.
Advice! In the first year of lavender growth, inflorescences are recommended to be cut before blooming in order to preserve the strength of the plant to form a powerful root system.
Preparing lavender for the winter
In areas of risky farming with unstable weather conditions (light winters, sharp temperature drops, short-term, but very severe frosts), it is better to carry out preparatory work for the winter so that lavender successfully survives it. After trimming bushes, plants must be covered with spruce branches.
Caution! For sheltering lavender, garden foliage is not used - plants can rot under such a heater.
Fighting diseases and pests of lavender
Despite the fact that lavender is characterized by good resistance to damage by harmful organisms, the following pests and diseases are sometimes observed on the plant:
- cicadas and rainbow beetles, which will have to be dealt with mechanically, and then replace the layer of mulch under the bushes;
- gray rot, which develops in wet weather or with systematic waterlogging of the soil (not treated).
In case of foci of the disease, the affected specimens are removed, and healthy plants are sprayed with a fungicide solution.
Features of leaving different regions of Russia
Depending on the region of cultivation, the timing of certain care activities may be delayed, as well as added or completely excluded.
Lavender Care in Moscow Region
When growing lavender in the Moscow region, all agricultural activities are carried out according to the same principles as in warm areas, taking into account the possibility of successful cultivation in the garden of only narrow-leaved lavender, which can tolerate a decrease in temperature to -25 ° C.
Lavender in Siberia
Siberian flower growers, who value lavender for its aroma and beauty, cultivate the crop according to the same rules as in Moscow Region, claiming that thanks to spring pruning, even slightly frozen specimens are completely restored without damage to flowering.
Lavender in the Urals
In the climatic zone of the Ural region, when cultivating a perennial species of lavender, the following events are distinguished:
- Pruning - a cardinal haircut is carried out not in the autumn period, but after the arrival of spring.
- Top dressing - nitrogen-containing mineral fertilizers are completely excluded from the composition of top dressings. Nitrogen in an accessible form comes only when organic matter is added.
- Shelter - before placing the spruce branches, planting spuds, which helps to protect plants from freezing wind.
Thus, caring for an elegant bush is simple, but if there is no possibility of planting the plant in the open ground, you should know that lavender in a pot looks no less attractive, caressing the wearer's eyes and giving an exquisite aroma.
