Lilac care in spring - how to grow a flowering bush? How to prune lilacs - tips and methods What care is needed for lilac bushes.

PHARMACY IN THE BED Why go to the pharmacy for medicines when nature itself creates medicines for humans around. Pharmacy gardens and beds have been known in Russia since the time of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich. Revive this useful old tradition with a new series of varieties and hybrids of medicinal aromatic herbs - "Pharmacy in the Garden". In your garden, right at your fingertips, they will grow and bloom, giving you their love of life and stamina - valerian officinalis, fragrant mint, fragrant cumin, creeping thyme, chamomile, purple echinacea, etc. And it is extremely interesting to make such a pharmacy bed right in your garden. Most of the herbs collected in a series are very unpretentious and take up very little space, attracting mass. beneficial insects and repelling pests. "Pharmacy in the garden" is a great pleasure, positive emotions, plus enormous health benefits! A high yield of fragrant greens! Anise vegetable Blues "Mid-season variety. The period from full germination to cutting for greens is 60-65 days, until seeds ripen - 110 days. Plant 30-50 cm high, weight about 50 g. Rosette of leaves is vertical, the number of leaves is up to 20 pieces. Leaf long-leaved, medium-sized, round-heart-shaped, medium-dissected, serrated edge, light green.Greens are used in cooking, for canning.Seeds are added to confectionery. Variety value: high foliage and evenness, resistance to lodging and shedding of seeds. Borago (Cucumber Grass) Dwarf Greens with the aroma of fresh cucumber An annual herbaceous plant. The period from full shoots to harvesting for greenery is 25-30 days. The plant is up to 30-60 cm high. The leaf is large, oval in shape, hairy-pubescent in adult plants. The flower is blue. The mass of one plant is 200 g. Young borage is used as a salad plant. Its leaves with a strong smell of fresh cucumber have a pleasant taste. Variety value: early ripeness and high yield. In medicine, it is used as a diuretic, laxative, anti-inflammatory agent, for rheumatic pains and inflammation of the kidneys. Infusions of flowers and leaves are used as a soothing and refreshing remedy. Valerian officinalis Cardiola Useful medicinal properties Perennial herbaceous plant. The stem is fistulate, up to 150 cm high. The root system is powerful, located in the surface layer of the soil. The flowers are white or pale pink, small, fragrant, collected in thyroid panicles. Blooms from June to August (second year). Grade value: high yield of medicinal raw materials. For therapeutic purposes, use the rhizome with roots. AT traditional medicine infusions, decoctions, extracts are used as a sedative, for diseases of the cardiovascular system, migraine, bronchial asthma, etc. St. John's wort optimist "Early flowering in the first year of sowing 80-85 days Plants are semi-closed, 80-85 cm high Stem strong, green Number of inflorescences per plant 6-8 Blooming time 41-51 days. flowering plants in the first year of life - 100%. The flower is large, golden yellow with pronounced spots on the petals. In herbal medicine, it is used as an analgesic, wound healing, diuretic, choleretic, anti-inflammatory and antiulcer agent. Zmeegolovnik vegetable Gorynych Description of the plant: Excellent honey plant. Mid-season variety. The period from full shoots to the beginning of flowering is 60 days, until the seeds ripen 135 days. A plant up to 70 cm high. The rosette of leaves is raised, closed. Medium sized leaf, dark green, no anthocyanin. The number of shoots up to 10 pieces. Inflorescence loose, oblong, false whorl. Large flower, pale purple. The mass of one plant is 240 g. Biological features: It is undemanding to soils, but gives a high yield on fairly fertile chernozem, sandy loam and light loamy, moderately moist soils. Prefers fully illuminated areas; in shaded areas, the yield of green mass, seeds and content of essential oil; Resistance to environmental conditions and diseases: Resistant to adverse field conditions and diseases. Agrotechnical features: Sowing time in open ground: at the end of May, sowing depth 2-3 cm, sowing pattern in rows with row spacing 60-70 cm, 25-30 cm between plants in a row. Flowering time: From mid-July to early September. Qualitative characteristics: It has a pleasant tart fragrant, peppery aroma. Usage: Fresh and dried leaves and flowers are used as a spice for flavoring salads, first and second courses, tea, and canning vegetables. In folk medicine, infusion and decoction of herbs are used to stimulate appetite, for colds, neuralgia, gastritis, hepatitis, stomatitis, nephritis, etc. Hyssop officinalis Accord "Drought-resistant, winters well, strong aroma. Perennial, leafy, up to 80 cm high. Stem shortened, lignified Rosette of leaves raised Number of shoots up to 25 Flowers pink, small Weight of one plant 840 g Possesses a refreshing aroma Blooming shoots fresh and dried are used as a seasoning in cooking Applied for diseases of the upper respiratory tract gastrointestinal tract, rheumatism.For medicinal purposes, flowers and upper herbaceous parts are harvested during flowering.Good honey plant.The variety is drought-resistant and winters well.Chervil Openwork Piquant seasoning for various dishes.Early ripe variety.The period from full shoots to harvesting for greenery 38- 45 days, until flowering - 75 days Rosette of leaves raised, 25 cm high, 30 cm in diameter, comp active. Leaves are medium sized, light green. The flower is small, white. The aroma is good. In cooking, fresh leaves are used before flowering as a seasoning for meat and fish dishes, for preparing salads, for canning and salting. In medicine, it is used as a tonic and tonic. Catnip Basilio Delicate persistent aroma of lemon. Perennial. The period from full shoots to the beginning of economic suitability is 62-65 days. The plant is upright, up to 120 cm high. The stem is tetrahedral, pubescent, strongly branched. The leaf is petiolate, medium in size, triangular-ovate, green with pubescence, the edge is coarsely serrate. The flowers are small, white, collected in paniculate spike-shaped inflorescences. The mass of one plant is 95 g. It blooms in June-August. It has a lemon smell and a spicy-bitter taste. Used for medicinal purposes ground part harvested in June-August. The infusion is used to improve appetite, with anemia, biliary and gastrointestinal colic, restless sleep, etc. Outwardly - in the form of a compress for boils, abscesses. Lavender Delight An ideal combination of decorative effect and usefulness. A perennial semi-shrub plant. The period from sowing to the beginning of flowering is 150 days. Plants are compact with numerous branched shoots up to 55 cm long, woody at the base. Foliage is average. The leaf is grayish-green, lanceolate. The flowers of blue-violet color are collected in spike-shaped inflorescences, 5-8 cm long. The aroma is strong, specific. Fresh herbs are used as seasoning. In folk medicine, flowers are used as a sedative, choleretic agent. Alcohol tinctures are used for rheumatic pains, neuralgia. Lovage Daredevil "Unpretentious perennial plant with a strong persistent aroma. Perennial spicy-tasting and medicinal plant. The period from regrowth to cutting is 25-30 days, to flowering - 85 days. The plant is compact, hollow stem up to 1 m high. The rosette of leaves is raised, up to 75 cm in diameter, the number of leaves reaches 40 pieces. The leaf is large, shiny, yellow-green strongly dissected. The flowers are small, yellowish, collected in an inflorescence - an umbrella. The aromaticity of the variety is high. Marjoram garden Baikal "Pleasant strong aroma and sharp spicy taste. Perennial shrub, in middle lane grown as an annual plant. The vegetation period is 170-180 days, from germination to harvesting for drying, 125-135 days pass. The plant is erect, 50-60 cm high. The leaves are small, green, smooth. Flowers small, white. The mass of one plant is 35 g. Aromaticity is strong. Leaves and young shoots with leaves and inflorescences are used fresh and dried in cooking and canning vegetables. In folk medicine, decoctions and infusions are used for diseases of the respiratory and digestive organs, as a wound healing, tonic. Melissa officinalis Quadrille "High winter hardiness, heat resistance and disease resistance. Perennial plant up to 80 cm high. The period from full germination to cutting (in the second year of vegetation) is 75-80 days. The rosette of leaves is raised, semi-closed, the number of shoots is up to 15. Medium leaf size, dark green.The flower is small, light lilac.The weight of one plant is 250 g.The plants have a pleasant smell of lemon and a bitter-spicy taste.Variety value: unpretentiousness, resistance to adverse conditions, high yield of green mass.Used in cooking for flavoring In folk medicine, the infusion is used as a sedative for insomnia, neuralgia, asthma, anemia, as a diaphoretic and laxative. basal leaves.The flowers are small, collected in oblong-ovate spikes. Features: Prefers fairly moist fertile soils. Resistance to environmental conditions and diseases: Frost-resistant. Winters great. Agrotechnical features: When sown with seedlings in February-April, the seeds ripen in June. Flowering time: Blooms May-August. Qualitative characteristics: Sour taste. The leaves contain aukubin glycoside and 8% water containing up to 38% potassium and tannins; enzymes invertin and emulsin; saponins, organic acids, vitamins C and K, carotene, as well as lemon acid etc. Use: Young leaves are used for salads, as an additive to cereals, purees and drinks. In folk medicine, decoctions and infusions of roots and leaves are used. The plant has a blood-purifying, anti-inflammatory, antitussive effect, diuretic, antispasmodic, expectorant and enveloping properties. Plantain is able to stop bleeding, accelerate epithelialization and wound healing. Motherwort heart Samara Huge benefit for your health. Perennial medicinal herb. Stems 50-150 cm high. Leaves are dark green. The flowers are small, light pink, collected in false whorls in the axils of the upper leaves. Blooms in June-July. For therapeutic purposes, leafy flowering tops 30-40 cm long are used. Infusion and decoction are used as a sedative, cardiac, laxative, diaphoretic, wound healing agent, etc. Milk Thistle Debut Description of the plant: Widely known as a medicinal plant. Annual thorny plant up to 1.5 m high. The leaves are leathery, with large white spots, the upper edges are serrated with yellow spines. The fruit is a black-yellow, shiny achene. Biological features: Milk thistle is demanding on the cleanliness of fields from weeds. It is unacceptable to sow it in fields littered with perennial root weeds. For its cultivation, sandy loamy soils with a loose and breathable soil layer are suitable, slightly acidic soils with a pH of 5.5-6.0 are preferred. The best predecessors of milk thistle are pure fallows or winter fallows, perennial and annual herbs. Resistance to environmental conditions and diseases: The variety does not lodge or crumble. It is not affected by pests and diseases. Agrotechnical features: Sowing May 1-20, Seeding scheme 70x70 cm, harvesting August 20-September 20. Flowering time: Seeds are harvested in late August - early September, the roots are dug up in autumn. Flowering time is 30 days. Usage: Roots, leaves and buds are consumed as a vegetable, using young leaves and stalks for salads. The seeds and roots are used for medicinal purposes. Tinctures, decoctions are used for diseases of the liver, gallbladder, articular rheumatism, chronic bronchitis, etc. Chamomile Aibolit "Unpretentious medicinal and ornamental plant. The most valuable medicinal plant, up to 40 cm high. The stems are straight, branched. Inflorescences are baskets sitting on long flower stalks.It blooms from June to August.Grows everywhere on any soil.For medicinal purposes, flower baskets are used.Inflorescences are harvested at the beginning of flowering (up to 6 times per summer).Podzimny crops give the highest yield.Vegetable thyme Medok Perennial plant.Vegetation period from full shoots until the last harvest 150 days.Plant with creeping flowering shoots, up to 25 cm in height.High foliage.Leaves are small, oblong-ovate, dark green above, grayish-purple below.Flowers are light pink, small collected at the end branches into capitate inflorescences.The yield of green mass from 1 plant is 50 g. It has a pleasant aroma and is slightly bitter. wadded taste. The variety is photophilous, drought- and frost-resistant. In cooking, it is used as a seasoning, as a spice when canning vegetables, added to tea. It is also used as a medicinal plant. Cumin vegetable Appetizing Mid-season grade. The period from the beginning of leaf regrowth to harvesting for greenery in the second year of vegetation is 35 days, to harvesting for seeds 65 days. Biennial plant 60-80 cm high. The rosette of leaves is raised, semi-closed. The leaf is medium petiolate, medium size, yellow-green, without anthocyanin, medium dissection. Leaves of spicy taste and weak aroma. Flowers small, white. Fresh leaves are added to salads and meat dishes. Seeds are used as a spice, in folk medicine - as a medicine. Yarrow Vasyurinsky The power of nature for your health. Perennial. Vegetation period 120-128 days. Shoots are green. The plant is erect, 69 cm high in the first year of life, and 116-139 cm in the following years. The stem is pubescent. The leaves are dark green, pubescent, corrugated. The flower is white. Blossoms in June - September, fruits ripen in July - October. Grade value: high winter hardiness and drought resistance. It has anti-inflammatory and bactericidal action. Used as infusions, decoctions, extracts various diseases gastrointestinal tract, peptic ulcer and gastritis, the infusion acts as a hemostatic, is used for headaches, night cramps in the legs, anemia, in the form of compresses for abscesses, festering wounds. Savory Garden Picnic Strong spicy aroma and piquant taste. Early ripe variety. The period from full shoots to the beginning of flowering is 55-58 days. Plant 40-45 cm high, intermediate form, branched, well leafy. The mass of 1 plant is 70 g. The leaf is lanceolate, narrow, pointed, green. Flowers small, white. The aroma of the variety is strong. It is recommended for use in home cooking (salads, soups, meat and vegetable dishes), for flavoring vinegars and marinades, and for pickling cucumbers. Sage vegetable Breeze "Irreplaceable benefit for the body. Perennial shrub. The plant is upright, up to 60 cm tall, densely leafy. The leaves are elongated with a blunt top, pubescent, finely serrated along the edge. The flowers are blue-violet, collected in loose spicate inflorescences. The aroma is high. It blooms in June-July.Weight of one plant in the second year of vegetation 250-280 g.In one place grows up to 5 years.Fresh and dry leaves are used as a seasoning in cooking, in the preparation of canned food, sausages, cheeses and wine.In folk medicine, it is used in bronchitis, colitis, gastritis, diseases of the liver, kidneys, etc. Sage vegetable Nectar Plant description: Perennial herbaceous plant up to 100 cm high. Leaves oval-heart-shaped, pubescent, light green. Blue-violet flowers. 40 cm long.Blossoms in June-July.Excellent honey plant.Biological features: The plant is photophilous, drought-resistant, prefers fertile soils. environmental conditions and diseases: Drought-resistant. Agrotechnical features: best term sowing - winter. At an air temperature of + 10-12 ° C, seedlings appear on the 12-14th day (they easily tolerate frosts down to -6-8 ° C). Sowing May 1-15, sowing pattern 45 x 20 cm, harvesting June 20-August 30. Productivity: 0,5 kg/sq.m. Qualitative characteristics: Unique aroma. Usage: Recommended for use in fresh and dried form (leaves and inflorescences), for flavoring various dishes, flavoring tea, cheeses. In folk medicine, the infusion is used for fever, to improve digestion, and for stomach ulcers. A decoction of leaves in the form of rinses for acute respiratory diseases, laryngitis, tonsillitis. Endive Spring Description of the plant: Early ripe. For cultivation in film greenhouses and open field. The rosette of leaves is semi-erect, dense, 30 cm high, 30-40 cm in diameter. The leaves are light green, dissected, the core is elliptical, light yellowish green. The mass of a commercial plant is up to 500 g. Biological features: The plant is cold-resistant, tolerates frosts down to -3 °C. However, lower temperatures during early sowing or planting seedlings in the ground can cause premature bolting. Endive is also sometimes damaged by autumn frosts. The plant is moisture-loving and demanding on soil fertility. It does not grow in acidic soils. Resistance to environmental conditions and diseases: Cold-resistant. Agrotechnical features: Sowing May 20-June 10, sowing scheme 20-30 x 20-30 cm, harvesting July 25-August 25. Productivity: 4 kg/m2. Qualitative characteristics: A plant with a high content of vitamin C. Usage: Recommended for fresh use of the leaves and in cooking. Tarragon Monarch "Irreplaceable benefit in every leaf. A perennial semi-shrub plant. The plant is upright, up to 150 cm high, strongly branched and strongly leafy. The number of branches of the first order is up to 15 pieces. Young shoots are light green, up to 10-20 cm long. The leaf is sessile, large , up to 8 cm long, bright green, smooth, with dense short pubescence. Weight of 1 plant 700 g. Smell spicy, taste refreshing and spicy. Fresh greens are used as salad and spicy seasoning in cooking, canning and salting, preparing tonic drinks It is used in folk medicine as a strong antiscorbutic and diuretic, with beriberi, to stimulate appetite and improve digestion.

If, when planting bushes, you correctly prepared a hole, then you do not need to feed the lilacs for the next few years. However, after feeding it will become a mandatory element of care.. First of all, you need to use nitrogen fertilizers (ammonium nitrate or urea): about 60 grams of “food” is applied to one bush. From the fourth year of life, organic matter is introduced.

The plant responds well to mullein. You need to fertilize the soil with three buckets of fertilizer around the lilac, at a distance of about half a meter from the root system. But phosphorus preparations (potassium nitrate or superphosphate) should be used in the autumn season - they are applied to a depth of up to 10 cm for each plant. Among other things, lilacs can also be fed with ash, which can replace mineral fertilizers. The material is applied in liquid form, stir 250 g of ash in a 10-liter bucket of water.

To make the bush look spectacular, you need to take care of its crown by cutting off old and diseased branches, shoots that interfere with growth with garden shears or a hacksaw.

For this, there is a small instruction presented by professional gardeners - it will easily help a person who decides to plant lilacs on his plot for the first time:

• After the lilac planting was carried out in the spring, we cut off the first pair of “eyes” at a height of up to 15 cm, due to which by autumn the bush will be framed by a beautiful even crown;
• In the third year, before the start of sap flow, about 10 of the most well-located shoots are left in the crown, the rest are removed, and the main shoot is shortened.

If you grow lilacs in the form of a tree, you need to leave only the central shoot, on which the eyes growing at a height of up to 80 cm are removed, leaving literally six top pairs, we must pluck one bud.

Tip: only systematic and shrubs will lead to the formation of an even crown, for which it is necessary not only to cut off the elongated shoots, but also to remove the shoots.

Protect from diseases and pests

May is characterized by the appearance of the moth, the presence of which leads to the twisting of the leaves of the bush. It is also effectively used against it. Decis. Of course, diseases can also "attack" lilacs. In this case, Bordeaux liquid helps best, which can cope with even the most difficult cases. If necessary, work is repeated in a week.

Planting lilacs in spring: using cuttings

Despite the fact that lilac cuttings in spring are considered the most difficult propagation method, they are also the most successful. In order to competently carry out all the work, it is necessary to carry out preparatory procedures in advance, observing all the conditions of humidity and temperature. Lilac grafting in spring begins with cuttings. They are best done at a time when the bark slowly begins to harden, that is, before flowering.

You need to cut the cuttings so that they have two “eyes” each, while between the upper and lower cuts you need to leave a centimeter from the kidney. Planting cuttings is carried out to a depth of up to a centimeter. You can increase the growth rate by processing cuttings indolylbutyric acid and heteroauxin- they affect the stimulation of the growth of the root system.

If you are going to root the cuttings at home, they can be planted for a while in a "greenhouse": a small transparent container with a lid. The normal temperature is +28 °C, humidity is about 85%. To maintain a normal level of humidity, the cuttings need to be sprayed once a day with a spray bottle. With this approach, already next year well-rooted lilac bushes will rise on your site.

Lilac - beautiful flowering bush arnica, which is used for group and single plantings in city parks and on household plots. Lilac tolerates pruning and shaping, so you can make hedges from it.

Planting common lilac

The optimal planting time depends on the form in which the seedling went on sale. The best time for planting seedlings with open roots - early autumn. Lilac planting in the fall should be completed by the end of September.

Lilac leaves keep green color to frost, therefore, on a seedling intended for autumn planting, they should be green. If a lilac seedling without leaves is a bad sign, which means that the planting dates have passed. It must be placed in a dig until spring, as is done with seedlings of fruit trees.

The timing of planting lilacs in the spring is compressed. You need to have time to get the seedling from the pit and plant it in a permanent place before the buds open, so it’s better to prepare the pit in the fall - then you don’t have to shovel the frozen soil with a shovel. Planting lilacs in summer is possible if you purchase a seedling in a container.

Lilac takes root if no mistakes are made during planting:

1. Failure to meet deadlines.
2. Planting in acidic, structureless clay soil.
3. Landing in deep shade.
4. Landing on a swampy or temporarily flooded area in a lowland.

Lilac loves the light, but it will not die in partial shade, but will not bloom as luxuriantly as in the sun. As for the quality of the soil, this plant grows freely even on poor, uncultivated land. But better plant feels on fertile loose soil with a reaction close to neutral.

Lilac does not tolerate flooding and soils with a soil solution reaction below 5.5, on which the leaves turn yellow and crumble. To successfully plant lilacs, the soil must be breathable.

How to plant lilac:

1. Dig a hole. The less cultivated the soil, the larger the pit should be. The free space in the pit is filled with fertile soil mixed with a small amount of compost or peat - up to 1/4 of the volume of the earth. In old lilac gardens, you can dig small holes - such that they only fit the roots of the seedling.
2. The grafted lilac is planted so that the grafting site is at the level of the soil. The graft should not be in the soil so that the plant does not move to its roots. An exception will be seedlings grafted onto Hungarian lilac or privet, which are planted with the graft deepened to make them more durable.
3. When planting, own-rooted lilacs are deepened to form additional roots.
4. The roots are covered with fertile soil and trample down the soil with their feet, forming a near-stem hole. First you need to make sure that the root neck is at the right level.
5. The hole is filled with plenty of water.

The planting of the Hungarian lilac, as well as the Persian and Amur, is carried out according to the same rules as in the case of the common lilac.

How to care for lilac

Caring for lilacs is no different from caring for most winter-hardy ornamental shrubs. Lilac tolerates cold, so it does not have to be insulated for the winter. Only in young grafted plants in the year of planting can the tree trunks be mulched with a thick layer of fallen leaves.

After planting, the plant is watered abundantly until it starts to grow. Watering lilacs is needed only when necessary - in the heat. Autumn moisture-charging watering for lilacs is not carried out.

In the first years, until the lilac blooms, fertilizers are not applied for it. Plants have enough organic matter added to the planting holes. Young bushes need loosening the soil, weeding and watering.

Lilac bush begins flowering in the third year. Then you can start the annual top dressing. Mineral fertilizers will make the brushes larger, brighter and more fragrant, and increase their number.

In the spring, before flowering, you need to have time to loosen the soil at least once in the near-stem circle and feed the plant with any complex mineral fertilizer that is soluble in water. The roots of lilacs are located superficially, so you need to loosen the soil carefully and shallowly.

Potassium makes the plant hardy. After potash top dressing, flower buds tolerate frost well, do not freeze out, and the bush blooms profusely in spring. Potassium is added together with phosphorus at the rate of 3 tbsp. on a large mature bush.

In the future, they are limited to sanitary pruning, cutting out in early spring twigs growing inside the crown, dried up during the winter and damaged by pests. If necessary, sanitary pruning can be carried out at any time during the growing season. In the grafted lilac, wild shoots are removed in the spring.

When the lilac blooms, more than half of the flowering shoots can be cut from it without harming the plant and used to create bouquets. If they are not cut off, then next year there will be fewer shoots and flowering will be weak. Faded brushes should be removed immediately from the branches with secateurs so that they do not spoil appearance bush.

Lilac flowers are best cut early in the morning, before the dew dries. In order for the flowers to stand in the water longer, the ends of the shoots should be split with a hammer or knife.

A bush older than 10 years old can be rejuvenated by removing one skeletal branch per year. New skeletal branches are formed from dormant buds that will bloom on the trunk next to the traces of cut branches.

in the form of a tree

1. Immediately after planting, remove all side branches, if any.
2. When the seedling begins to grow, all side branches are removed from it, while they are green and weak, leaving a stem growing upwards.
3. When the stem reaches the desired height - in the second year, pinch its top. After that, it will stop growing up and become a bole.
4. After pinching the top, dormant buds will wake up in the upper part of the trunk, from which several shoots will begin to grow upward. Of these, you can leave as much as the skeletal branches are expected from the future tree.

Lilac is considered unpretentious shrub. On the territory of Russia, there are about 20 varieties that grow in the natural environment in the status of wild plants. In order for the plant to bloom magnificently and please with decorativeness, gardeners have to accumulate experience over the years on how to care for lilacs. Dense bushes with faded panicles and broken branches are not only untidy, but also dangerous to surrounding crops. Improper care, as well as its absence, provoke the development of pathogenic processes in the crown.

Spring flowering after top dressing

Contrary to the established belief that lilac is a moisture-loving plant, experienced gardeners do not recommend irrigating it often. Stagnation of water in the hole provokes the development of fungal diseases.

The watering schedule depends on the time of year and the age of the bush:

soil cultivation

When caring for garden lilacs, attention is paid to cultivating the soil. Shrub holes, like root beds, need regular care. The required items are:

• loosening,
• weeding,
• mulching.

Loosening the soil under the bush

As the crust forms on the surface of the near-stem circle, loosening is carried out. To do this, use rippers, fan rakes. Tools must be clean, free from rust and oxides. Dull, dirty blades can damage the rhizomes of lilacs, serve as a threat of soil contamination.

This procedure improves soil aeration, stimulates the flow of oxygen to the roots of the plant. In the spring, the soil is cultivated weekly, in the summer - as the soil crust forms. In August, the ground under the bush is dug up to a depth of 15 cm without breaking up and loosening the lumps. It is believed that this technique contributes to better rooting of shrubs.

Removal of weeds and root suckers

Stripping the shrub provides additional aeration and allows you to properly redistribute the nutrient components of the soil. If possible, weeds are pulled out along with seed boxes and rhizomes. In some cases, the removal of the upper part of the plant is practiced.

The most troublesome and painstaking is the weeding of lilacs from ingrown nettles. This weed often grows in the same hole as a shrub, because of which their root systems are intertwined, and nettle removal becomes problematic. Regular cutting of nettle stalks under the stump allows you to minimize the risks.

The overgrown shoots of lilac are pulled out of the soil along with the root, then cut closer to the place where the discharge from the trunk occurs. Places of cuts are covered with tar or garden pitch.

Mulching under a lilac bush

Mulch is an organic powder that prevents evaporation of moisture from the surface of the hole and protects exposed roots from drying out. Mulching minimizes the growth of side shoots and weeds. Sawdust is used as mulching mixtures, dry straw, pine needles, nutshells, and humus are suitable. A protective layer of 4-7 cm is poured into the hole after loosening and watering.

The use of these methods of soil cultivation allows not only to improve the nutrition of the bush, but also to increase the immune potential of the soil.

Seasonal feeding of lilacs

A flowering perennial does not show serious requirements for the composition of the soil and develops equally well on both podzolic and clay lands. For the shrub to have lush bloom, fertilize it regularly. Conventionally, all bait is classified into organic and mineral.

Organic fertilizers are classified as complex, as they contain potassium, phosphorus and nitrogenous compounds. Their main advantage is environmental friendliness. Beginning gardeners need not worry about an overdose of organics. The soil gratefully accepts any number of natural compounds.

Mineral baits differ from organics more sophisticated technology making. Nitrogen is recommended to be added before flowering, it is necessary for the growth of shoots. Since June, complex formulations have been used, at the end of the season, the emphasis is on phosphorus-potassium fertilizers, which help strengthen the root system and lay flowering buds for next year. This rule is taken into account not only when organizing, lilac, peony, weigela, but also other garden perennials. Nitrogen fertilizers applied at the end of summer will provoke the growth of young shoots that will not have time to get stronger before winter. Therefore, they should be left until spring.

Video about the rules of seasonal feeding.

When do lilacs need organic fertilizers?

Organics include:

• compost;
• biohumus;
• bird droppings, mullein, manure;
• humus;
• sleeping tea, banana peel, are used less often, but their benefits are no worse;
• wood ash;
• peat.

Organics are introduced into the soil during digging, mulching, and watering. In the first case, several holes are dug around the bush with a depth of no more than 10 cm. During the sealing of the holes, it is necessary to ensure that the roots are not damaged. Fertilizer is poured into the finished recesses, then covered with earth. Before feeding the lilac with organic matter, you need to make sure that it is not affected by a soil fungus.

In the second case, litter, manure, humus and peat are used as nutrient pads. At the beginning of the growing season, the owners of suburban areas pour a 10-centimeter layer of dry organic matter into the holes with lilacs. Bookmarking is carried out every 2-3 years. During watering, the nutrient components of the pillow, along with moisture, will seep into the soil and nourish the roots of the plant.

For watering, bird droppings and mullein are insisted for 7-10 days.

1 part of organic matter is poured into the bucket, 3 parts of water are added, covered with a lid. The contents are ready for use when the mass has brightened and begun to ferment. The aqueous solution is filtered, used for irrigation at a concentration of 1:10. If applied chicken manure, then diluted in a ratio of 1:20.

Application rate - 1-3 buckets, taking into account the age of the plant. Liquid organics can be fed in the spring for flowering, shoot growth. The procedure is carried out three times from April to May with an interval of 2 weeks.

Mineral preparations for spring, summer, autumn

In early spring, as soon as the buds swell on the lilac, it needs nitrogen. For shrubs, urea, ammonium nitrate, ammonium sulfate are purchased, nitrophoska is suitable. One of the selected preparations is sprinkled on the plant at the rate of 15 g per 1 m 2, or a 10% solution is prepared. Nitrogen is applied twice per season: at the beginning and end of April with an interval of 20 days.

Top dressing of lilacs in the first half of summer is carried out using phosphorus preparations. These mixtures (flour, precipitate, superphosphate and double superphosphate) are necessary for the bush to increase the absorption properties of the rhizome and speedy development. Bait is carried out 1 time in June, immediately after the flowering of lilacs. The calculation of the drug is the same as for nitrogen.

In autumn, in the first decade of September, the bushes are fertilized with potassium (potassium nitrate, potassium chloride, potassium magnesia). It is necessary to prepare for wintering, promotes the rooting of plants and the laying of flower buds for the next year. Make 30-35 g potassium nitrate in September under a bush when digging.

Potassium chloride with primer

You can simultaneously add 30 g of potassium nitrate and double superphosphate. Mineral top dressing can be replaced with a nutrient solution with wood ash, prepared at the rate of 250 g of ash per bucket of liquid. It does not hurt to bring it in the spring for digging to a depth of 6-8 cm.

Experienced farmers claim that 50 g/m² of ash can completely replace potash fertilizer, 100 g/m² can satisfy the crop's need for phosphorus.

In addition to these preparations, there are also complex mineral mixtures for horticultural crops. Fertilizer for lilacs is selected taking into account its characteristics among baits for decorative deciduous crops.

Video with agricultural planting and care.

The priority component of care is pruning

Lilac care in spring consists in adjusting the bush. There are several types of pruning suitable for culture:

All pruning is carried out in early spring, before the juice begins to move. However, comprehensive care for lilacs after flowering includes sanitary pruning. After the bush has faded, 90% of immature panicles are cut from it. 10% is left for the plant to go through a full cycle of vegetation.

When caring for a shrub, the owners of suburban areas are guided by its age:

1. At the age of 0 to 3 years, seedlings are vaccinated, top dressing, forming pruning, and regular watering is provided.
2. In the period from 4 to 8 years, the bushes need a maintenance haircut, top dressing and watering twice a day.
3. At 9 years old, lilacs carry out a rejuvenating haircut. After rejuvenating pruning, the plant repeats the vegetative cycle, so the age count must be started from the beginning.

Organizing seasonal care, we must remember that without watering, fertilizing and pruning, it will not be possible to achieve chic flowering. Over time, the bush will turn into a thicket, the inflorescences will become small and unsightly.

It is impossible to find a garden that does not have at least one lilac bush. Every gardener wants the lilac in his garden to bloom more abundantly than others, and her inflorescences to be the most lush. Someone leaves the bush without pruning, allowing it to grow up and out, and this works for a while. fertile plots. Others cut lilacs very hard, increasing the number of young shoots, and hoping to get larger inflorescences.

Frank Fujimoto/Flickr.com

In fact, it is important to respect the timing and trimming pattern. Otherwise, the lilac runs wild and its crown thickens, the inflorescences and the diameter of the corolla of flowers in them become smaller, and flower buds are not laid on all shoots. If you cut the shrub very much, then for a while it may lose its ability to bloom. Pinching or pruning of terminal buds stimulates the growth of lateral shoots and near-stem shoots and thickens the bush.

The best time for pruning lilacs is immediately after flowering, when you can combine the removal of wilted inflorescences and thinning of the crown. Removing reddened lilac panicles is necessary not only from an aesthetic point of view. In lilacs, the formation of fruits and seeds competes with the development of nearby young green shoots, at the ends of which flower buds are laid. Need to remove inflorescences immediately after flowering I am in June so that nutrients are not wasted on setting seeds that have no value. Inflorescences are removed just above the nearest pair of leaves or green shoots on a branch.

KM/Flickr.com

Non-double varieties of common and broad-leaved lilacs are more prone to fruit set, so it is imperative to remove wilted inflorescences from them. These are varieties such as Red Moscow, Sensation, Lebedushka, Flora, Twilight, President Lincoln and others. Their pruning in the middle of summer or autumn will not bring the desired effect.

But varieties with semi-double and double flowers (Maximovich, Condorsier, Lavoisier, Beauty of Moscow, Lesya Ukrainka, Madame Casimir Perrier, Madame Lemoine, etc.) rarely form seeds, so they can be cut throughout the summer.

Shihmei Barger / Flickr.com

June can also be rejuvenating and shaping lilac pruning. Inflorescences of lilacs are formed on old branches, so they cannot be completely cut out, however, the constant removal of young branches will lead to the fact that flowering on old branches will stop after some time. Therefore, young lilac bushes leave 3-4 main trunks. Old bushes are rejuvenated by cutting off more than half of the perennial shoots at the base of the bush. The remaining branches can be shortened by 30-60%. Such a lilac will not bloom next year, but after two years the size of the flowers will increase, and the flowering will be more magnificent.

Martin LaBar/Flickr.com

In the crown, thick fatty shoots are cut, curved, protruding branches that thicken the crown, as well as sick or affected by diseases, correct the symmetry of the bush. Shortening young green shoots of lilacs is not recommended. Fragrant flowers will bloom on them next year. Their upper part with 3-4 pairs of leaves can be pinched if necessary to correct the symmetry of the bush or the development of side shoots. The root shoots of lilacs are removed at any time, such shoots are cut out below the root collar.

Annual pruning of lilacs after flowering is the key to an annually blooming garden.