Secrets of the successful cultivation montbretsii: planting and care in the open field

Montbrecia (other names - Crocosmia, Japanese gladiolus) is a very beautiful graceful plant. This flower, similar to gladiolus, belongs to the family of iris. Its height can reach 1.5 m. It blooms yellow, orange and red. This article focuses on montbretia and how to plant this flower.

Choosing a landing site

Montbretia - not very whimsical plant, but to grow it you need to choose a suitable place. The plant loves light, but in the summer heat at noon there should be no sun. Planting in the shade also does not fit montbretias - the flower will stretch, wither and may refuse to bloom at all.

Soil prefers loose, fertile, non-acidic. Plant sensitively excessive soil moisture and stagnant moisture. This leads to rotting corms and their death.

If there is a danger of spring flooding, then the hole is best drained before planting. To do this, it is deepened and covered with a mixture of sand and peat by 15-20 cm. From above it is necessary to sprinkle with humus and only after that plant the bulb.

Planting corms

To plant Japanese gladiolus corms, beds must be prepared in the fall. They are well dug up and put into the ground 2 buckets of manure, superphosphate (40 g), slaked lime (100 g) and potassium chloride (20 g). This amount of fertilizer is designed for 1 square. m

Before planting, nitrogen fertilizers are applied to the soil. The planting of tubers of Japanese gladiolus is necessary in the spring, when the soil warms up and there will be suitable weather conditions for the growth of montretia. This is mainly done at the end of April. Crocosmia bulbs are placed a month before planting in the room so that they can warm up at room temperature. Remove the remaining leaves and roots. If there are kids, they can be separated for reproduction.

It is necessary to plant corms into soil, keeping to a distance of 10-15 cm between them.The depth for their planting is about 8-10 cm. The babies are not so deeply embedded in the ground, about 5 cm, keeping an interval between them of 5-7 cm. Flowering can be expected next year.

Combination with other plants

Montbrecia looks great in any flower beds and is combined with any plants. Basically it is planted on the first or second row in large groups. The blooming crocosmia together with dahlias, daylilies, rudbeckia, salvia, cannes and other flowers fascinates with its colors.

Long green leaves can dilute any composition. For landscape design and decoration of territories, Japanese gladiolus is an indispensable plant. High varieties of crocosmia will help to decorate the aged walls of buildings and arbors.

Care Tips

Plant care consists of quite ordinary actions: weeding, feeding, garter, preparing for winter and pest control. When planting corms in the soil, which is well fertilized in advance, care for her throughout the summer is reduced to a minimum.

Watering, weeding and loosening

Watering this plant is plentiful, but not often. It is impossible to allow overmoistening of the soil. If the weather is not arid, the plant is watered 2 times a week; if it is hot, montrection should be watered 3 times more often. After watering, the soil is weeded and loosened so that the earth crust does not form.

Fertilization

Crocosmia is fed before flowering 2 times a month nitrophoska and mineral fertilizer, which includes nitrogen, potassium and phosphorus. During the period of bud formation, potassium chloride is introduced, and the plant is watered with a mullein extract twice a month.

Garter to support

Sometimes it is necessary to tie a flower to a support. This is done in cases where montbretia is very high and grows in an open place where the wind can break it.

Pruning of flowered stalks

It is necessary to trim the flowers that have faded. This is necessary to increase the decorativeness of montbraction and accelerate the ripening of the bulbs.

Fight against possible pests and diseases

Bears and thrips - the main pest montbretsii. To combat them, use special chemicals, such as "Fitoverm", "Karbofos" or "Medvetoks". The plant must be sprayed in such dosage, which is indicated on the manufacturer's packaging.

The flower is prone to diseases such as dry rot (Fusarium) and grass. Such diseases are a consequence of drought or high humidity.

The leaves turn yellow and then fade. To combat the need to conduct heat treatment of the bulbs and regularly spray the flower. It will help only if the situation is not too running.

Wintering

In winter, Japanese gladiolus can not dig, if the climate allows. It is covered with a thick layer of dry leaves with a height of about 20 cm. And also cover the flower with a film to protect it from dampness. It is better to dig up varietal montrection for the winter. This is done at the end of October in dry weather. Then it is necessary to cut off all the stems, leaving 5 cm. The plant is dried, laid out in a box and sprinkled with peat.The monbration requires storage in the winter in a dark cool place where the temperature will not exceed 10 ° C.

Is it possible to grow from seed?

Growing crocosmia from seeds is not a very easy task. It is impossible plant seeds immediately in the ground, as they may not ascend.

Initially, they are planted in a special soil of humus, peat, sand and turf. This is mainly done in February or March.

Before sowing, seeds are soaked in water. After the sprouts have sprouted, they dive into boxes, and when the weather is good, they temper, bringing the sprouts to the street. Planted in open ground in spring. The monbritia that has been grown from seed blooms in the second or third year.

This plant is not too whimsical and requires minimal maintenance. Japanese gladiolus goes well with any plants, and also looks good alone. Such a refined flower will decorate any garden, flower garden or flower bed.