Heather - unusually beautiful plant to which many legends are devoted. Heather honey has curative properties, and flowers and sprouts of bush apply in traditional medicine. The heather is capable to become the real decoration of garden.
Heather - the long-term bush belonging to family heather. Plant height - 30-70 cm. It is not whimsical and extremely decorative. Its small flowers collected in inflorescences shroud stalks. The plant is capable not only to become decoration of giving, but also to bring benefit. Flowers attract with the aroma bees therefore the heather is called curative melliferous herb. The plant in August blossoms, but inflorescences do not fall down to the first frosts.
Landing of heather
The heather prefers sour slaboudobrenny soils. The plant does not take out alkaline soils, presence of lime at nutritious substrate. It is better to put it on solar sites. The best nutritious substrate mix of peat, sand, the coniferous earth and sawdust in the ratio 3:1:1:1 is considered. It is possible to bring in it a little sulfur in addition.
It is necessary to remove 20-30 cm of top soil from the place intended for landing of heather and to replace with the prepared mix, then to spill slightly acidified water and to dig out pole for sapling. It is possible to plant plant both in the spring, and late fall. It is more preferable to do in the spring it as before frosts the heather manages to take roots.
Reproduction of heather is possible in the following ways:
- layers;
- seeds,
- saplings,
- top shanks.
Reproduction by layers happens under natural conditions. Old branches polegat and take roots independently. It is possible to powder several branches with thin layer of the earth and in year to receive ready saplings. Top shanks cut off and trench in to the earth for rooting.
Landing by saplings is made in previously paved way, having dug out holes at distance of 40-50 cm from each other. Saplings should be prikopat to the level of radical neck, and then to stamp soil and it is abundant to water plant.
Reproduction by seeds allows to grow up exotic grades of bush in garden, but it is very long and labor-intensive process.
Care for heather
That the garden melliferous herb always pleased with abundant blossoming, it is necessary to learn to look after him correctly. For this purpose it is regularly necessary to carry out watering, spraying and cutting of bushes.
Cutting and protection against frosts
In the early spring prior to swelling of kidneys it is necessary to cut the top branches. It is possible to form gradually bush to give it more decorative look. Late fall old branches cut off 5-7 cm below than the withered inflorescences. It is not obligatory to cut young bushes which did not release buds yet.
The heather is not afraid of frosts, but at strong wind, lack of snow cover and very low temperatures the plant can freeze slightly. That it it did not happen, recommended to cover it for the winter with coniferous branches. It is possible to use for the shelter and the branches which are cut off from bushes. Previously under each bush it is necessary to pour the mulching layer consisting of sawdust, dry leaves, peat. With approach of heat of branch it is necessary to remove.
Watering and application of fertilizers
At heather dense, but short root system. When drying top soil the bush suffers from lack of moisture. It is recommended to water plant as required. In morning or evening hours it is possible to spray heather. If to water it there is regularly no opportunity, it is possible to install the system of drop watering under bushes.
From time to time it is necessary to delete weeds around plants. It promotes scarification. Mineral fertilizers at the rate of 30-40 gr on 1 m² are recommended to be introduced once a year. Before application of fertilizers it is necessary it is abundant to water plant.
Pest control
The heather is resistant to influence of wreckers. The plant seldom is ill, but sometimes it is possible to notice that leaves get brownish shade, the upper part of escapes withers. These are signs of defeat by fungal infection. The disease develops in the conditions of the increased humidity. To keep plant, it is necessary to process it antifungal medicine, to reduce watering. It is impossible to feed up bushes too often.
If plants are strongly deformed, change coloring, most likely, they are struck with virus. It is better to dig out and burn the damaged bushes, and to process the soil disinfecting solutions.
When developing landscaping the gardeners try to get exotic grades of heather. But it is necessary to consider that the bushes received as a result of long selection are very whimsical in leaving. To begin to part heather better from the versions differing in resistance to adverse weather conditions and perfectly growing in the open ground.