The catchment flowers known in the recent past by the minimum of varieties (Orlik, doves, boots, elf shoes, aquilegia) now sparkle in our gardens with many years of diversity. Attract gardeners with special beauty and unpretentiousness. Large specimens rise in height to one meter. Medium-sized polynomial flowers surprise by the grace of lines against the background of light green foliage.
Planting and reproduction of aquilegia
Planting aquilegii possible at any time. She perfectly adapted to our climate.
Planting seeds aquilegii in open ground
Seeding aquilegia possible in autumn and spring. It is impossible to neglect stratification - the absence can negatively affect the germination of seeds. For stratification seeds are kept in wet sand, moss or cotton at a low temperature (from 0 to + 4 ° С). This process lasts 2-4 months. Then the seeds are transferred to a warm place.
The technology is simple: The seeds, soaked in water for a day, are sprinkled with a mixture of sand and earth in a slightly deepened garden bed, and a well-breathable fabric is placed on top. It is slowly watered and cleaned after the emergence of sprouts (about a month). Hacked seeds are planted in open ground.
In the open ground, in any case, they will grow less than home seedlings, but they will survive the winter well.
Did you know? In the second spring shoots may already bloom.
Planting aquilegia for seedlings
Seedling method it is preferable to use if the number of seeds is limited, or in the case of planting rare varieties. The latter are immediately placed in deep dishes, so that long, but weak roots are not damaged during transplantation.
In other cases, they use boxes with a special substrate (leaf humus, turf soil and sand in the same proportion), in which the seeds can even be simply pressed. From above it is enough to cover with an ordinary newspaper. In 3 weeks, shoots will appear, and by the end of May (if they start in March), they can be planted in open ground.
Important! Plants are planted 20 cm apart.
Dividing bush
In early spring or late summer, it is possible to plant aquilegia in the garden in this rare way for its reproduction.
To do this, you need to dig a healthy, well-developed shrub, trying not to damage the roots. After digging, you need to leave a few new leaves on the stem and wash the roots. Then divide the main root length.
Each of the resulting parts (always with small roots and buds) to plant in fertilized and loosened soil and water as usual.
Cuttings
The cutting must be done in early spring, when the leaves have not yet developed on the shoots.
In order to cultivate aquilegia after planting by grafting it was possible, the cuttings obtained from the original bush should be landed in river sand. There they will take root well if they also create a greenhouse effect for them. To do this, the planted stalk must be covered with a film or a cut-off plastic bottle, put in a warm place and pour with warm water.
When the cuttings release strong roots, they can be transplanted to a permanent place.
Did you know? Optimum landing: up to 12 bushes per square. m
Where better to plant aquilegia in the garden
The main feature of choosing a place for proper care of aquilegia is penumbra. You can plant a flower in a lighted place, but then it will not be so lush and bright.
Care should be taken to eliminate stagnant moisture in the soil, dug up to 0.2 m. Aquilegia is undemanding to the soil, but prefers light, loose soils. Therefore, you can add to the soil compost or humus.
Combination of aquilegia with other plants
There are no contraindications for this, but there are some traditions. In mixed plantings, aquilegia is placed in the foreground. For an aesthetic effect, alpine hills are good, where low grades of aquilegia will be perfectly combined with other short-growing perennials: cloves, grains, gentian and stone-sawing.
In the design with tall varieties of aquilegia it is better to use bells, poppies, ferns, irises and cereals. For experimenters in floriculture aquilegia in landscape design seems to be the ideal background for non-flowering conifers, cereals. And in a flowerbed, it will not lose its beauty and fertility.
Care for "shoe elves" in the open field
Aquilegia is very unpretentious, so take care of it is easy.
Watering and weeding the soil
Abundant watering is necessary aquilegia during active growth and drought. Then the roots will be able to attract moisture from the soil, you only need to ensure that the earth does not dry out.
For the young, weeding is important to get rid of competitors in the struggle for food, and regular loosening of the soil, increasing its ability to breathe. It is only necessary to take care not to damage the root system of the plant.
Fertilizer and fertilizing aquilegia
Feeding aquilegia held 2 times a season:
- 1 time - at the beginning of growth - organic matter (humus, compost),
- 2 times - after flowering - with a mineral complex of superphosphate, potassium salt and saltpeter, respectively, 65, 25 and 30 g per square meter.
- Every spring it is necessary to add fertile soil under all bushes: soil with compost or humus.
Garter on the support
Some varieties of aquilegia reach a height of 80 cm, and therefore need a garter to support. There are many ways - you can prepare sticks from natural materials (wood, reed), you can buy ready-made bamboo.
For the garter use twine, so as not to damage the stem of the plant. For lovers of beauty and exotic plantings can be used and plant vines.
Important! The location of aquilegia should be changed every 4-5 years.
Flowering and flower care after it
The flowering period of aquilegia lasts about a month. Sequential removal of wilted flowers (to the new ovary) will contribute to the appearance of fresh buds until the autumn. Faded flower stalks are simply cut off if there is no need for seeds.
Lost decorative stalks are cut to the rosette of leaves. Parts of healthy plants can be laid in a compost pit, and patients can be taken out of the site and burned so as not to infect other plants.
How to collect the seeds of aquilegia
Even during the ripening, the seed boxes should not fully open, so that there is no disordered sowing. You can dry them at home. Keep in a cool place for no more than 5 years, remembering that germination decreases with time.
Important! Aquilegia seeds are poisonous.
How to get early flowering aquilegia
To get the early shoots of aquilegia, it is necessary to forge the plants: in the fall, the rhizome, transplanted into a crate or pot, is set in a darkened place before the cold weather.
Then they move to a cold room, and in early February - to a warm (up to 16 °) and bright. This stressful situation awakens the vitality of the plant. In early April, you can count on flowering.
How to cope with possible diseases and pests of aquilegia
Flowers of the catchment area are mainly susceptible to fungal diseases.
Among the pests aquilegia prevails gold metal - a butterfly from the scoop family. Manual collection and destruction of caterpillars, spraying (preparations can be bought, the Topaz tool is the most versatile) will help to escape. Among the methods of prevention are weed control, autumn harvesting and liquidation of plant residues.
The most common disease that afflicts aquilegia is powdery mildewwhen the leaves turn brown, curl and die. Evening spraying with a weak urea solution helps with treatment well.
In addition, infusions from yarrow, garlic, onion peel protect well against pests. The means of prevention is also compliance with agrotechnics: when planting, it is necessary to comply with the established standards, not placing plants on the flooded areas, and thin out, avoiding thickening.
Natural firmness and beauty of aquilegie will adequately decorate your home and garden. Putting a minimum of effort, you can grow this beautiful flower on your site.
