Campsis: planting and care in the open field, pruning

Planting and caring for Kampsis in the gardens and parks of Europe began in the XNUMXth century. This deciduous liana, belonging to the Bignoniaceae family, loves a warm climate. Its name, translated from Greek, means “twist, bend.” One of the features of Kampsis is the formation of large, bright inflorescences.

Features of growing vines

Campsis is usually planted in home gardens, in park areas for vertical gardening. The plant has aerial roots that cling to supports. And the foliage has a decorative appearance due to large, complex plates of 7-11 leaves with serrated edges. During the flowering period – from June to September – paniculate inflorescences about 9 cm long and 5 cm in diameter are formed on the vine. Their color can be pink, raspberry, red, orange. Although the flowers of the plant do not emit fragrance, they attract insects: wasps, bees, flies, ants.

Campsis is considered a honey plant

The fruits are elongated pods up to 10 cm in size with a large number of membranous seeds with wings. Ripe specimens crack, the grains scatter over a considerable distance.

Growing and caring for Kampsis in the open field practically does not cause gardeners any worries. The only problem they face is the lack of flowering. Most often this is due to the age of the plant or low air temperature. In regions with a cool climate, the liana survives, but rarely blooms.

Rules for planting campsis

When starting planting and caring for Kampsis in the open field, it must be borne in mind that seedlings obtained from seeds do not always reproduce the characteristics of mother plants. Despite good germination, this method of reproduction is rarely resorted to. In addition, the first flowering occurs only after 5 years, and sometimes later. In order for the vine to inherit varietal characteristics, it must be grown from cuttings. Flowering usually occurs in the third year of life.

Recommended dates

The best time to transfer seedlings to open ground is April and May, or the end of August and September. Even when planting Kampsis in the fall, he has enough time to adapt. But it is recommended to transfer such work to the end of the growing season in regions with a warm climate.

Site selection and preparation

The condition for abundant and prolonged flowering of Kampsis is a sufficient amount of sunlight. When the vine grows in the shade, its inflorescences become small and pale. Therefore, the preferred place for landing Kampsis is an open space, which is protected from the wind from the north and west.

Campsis does not tolerate high humidity. It should not be grown in areas with surface groundwater. And in the southern regions, where dry periods alternate with heavy rainfall, the liana should be given a place on a flat area so that moisture evenly flows to the roots of the plant and does not stagnate.

Cuttings for propagating Kampsis should be taken from profusely flowering, healthy plants.

How to plant campsis

The landing process is not laborious. In order to eventually get a decorative vine on the site, you must:

1. Prepare a planting hole 50 cm wide and about 40 cm deep. For spring planting, this is taken care of in the fall. The soil from the pit is mixed with humus, about 500 g of complex fertilizer is applied. If the soil on the site is heavy, add a drainage layer up to 10 cm thick.
2. On the day of planting, the plants make a low mound at the bottom of the hole.
3. The kampsis stalk, together with an earthen clod, is transferred to a new place and placed on a mound, the roots are straightened.
4. Sprinkle with earth, making sure that the root neck of the vine rises 5 cm above the soil level.
5. Conduct abundant watering. One plant requires 5-8 liters of water.
6. A support is installed nearby, the campsis is tied up.
7. The soil is mulched.

How to care for campsis

Liana care includes standard agrotechnical operations:

• watering;
• application of fertilizers;
• prevention of diseases and pests;
• pruning;
• weeding;
• preparation for the winter season.

Watering and fertilizing schedule

Being able to endure periods of drought, campsis loves water. You can water it immediately after the top layer of soil dries up. But it is better to protect the root system of the vine from overflows, as it can rot.

Creepers growing on fertile soils do not need top dressing. If the soil is poor in minerals, then in early spring it is fertilized with nitrogen and phosphorus compounds. A single application of top dressing to a plant, as a rule, is enough for the whole season.

Installation of supports for capsis

Seedlings need to be tied up, and all vines, regardless of age, require support. This can serve as a wall of the house, a fence, a gazebo, or arched wooden or metal structures, trellises.

Some craftsmen make decorative portable supports for kampsis from thin slats with their own hands:

1. Make a rectangular frame, fasten it with self-tapping screws. On the long side, slats are placed at the same distance, running in a diagonal direction parallel to each other.

   

2. On the reverse side of the frame, slats directed in the opposite direction are similarly fastened. Fasten together for strength.

   

3. Top coated with varnish or compounds that protect the tree from decay.

   

Weeding and loosening

These procedures ensure the active growth and development of the vine. It is especially important to loosen the kampsis trunk circle if it grows on heavy, dense soil.

Kampsis pruning

Pruning is an important part of caring for a fast-growing vine, a way to regulate its growth. In addition, this is an opportunity to get lush flowering, since the buds develop only on new shoots.

Pruning time is spring, before bud formation, and autumn. Procedure principles:

1. On the liana, several of the strongest shoots are selected, the rest are cut with secateurs.
2. Such operations are carried out for 3-4 years, until the trunk grows to the desired height.
3. Then lignified branches and 3-4 young ones are left, which are shortened to 3 buds.
4. If the main trunk is damaged, it is removed and replaced with the most powerful shoot.
5. In summer, faded branches of the plant are also cut into 3-4 buds. This allows you to maintain a decorative appearance throughout the flowering period.

The nuances of spring pruning kampsis on video.

Preparing kampsis for winter

In regions with mild winters, the vine does not need to be covered. If the air temperature drops to -20 degrees and below, then the plant cannot survive the frost without additional protection. Shelters require both the root system and shoots. In autumn, the campsis is pruned, leaving only the skeletal and main branches. Then they remove it from the support, put it on the ground, cover it with sawdust and spruce branches, and on top with polyethylene.

There is another way to prepare the kampsis for winter, without removing it from the vertical support. The roots are sprinkled with sand, covered with foliage or spruce branches. The shoots are wrapped with lutrasil, folded in several layers, then with plastic wrap.

The nuances of growing in the regions

Caring for a heat-loving vine in regions with different weather and climatic conditions has its own characteristics. The gardener must take them into account.

In outskirts of Moscow

For cultivation in the Moscow region, you should choose the following varieties of kampsis:

• rooting;
• hybrid.

The best time for planting is the end of May or the beginning of June.

In the middle lane

Liana is frost-resistant, so planting and caring for campsis in the Middle lane does not cause difficulties for gardeners. Seedlings are transferred to open ground in May. During the season, standard agrotechnical operations are performed. For the winter, the branches of the vine are carefully laid on the ground and a shelter is built. With proper care, Kampsis blooms profusely.

In the Urals

On the territory of the Urals, the landing of the Kampsis begins in early summer. Plants do not have enough heat, they can suffer from frost. For this reason, gardeners often fail to achieve flowering. For the winter, the vine needs shelter.

In Siberia

Cold winters with temperatures down to -40 degrees determine the characteristics of growing Kampsis in Siberia. This region is considered unfavorable for the plant. It is recommended to plant it in greenhouses or winter gardens.

In open ground, the liana does not tolerate frost well

Growing problems

Difficulties in keeping Kampsis are most often associated with the lack of flowering and the appearance of diseases. Pests infect crops rarely.

List of reasons why kampsis does not bloom

In some cases, gardeners fail to achieve flowering vines. This can be caused by several reasons:

1. Plant age. Kampsis begin to bloom 3 years after planting when propagated by cuttings and 5 years later when propagated by seed. And specimens that have reached 10 years old usually stop blooming, require complete pruning for rejuvenation.
2. Lack of lighting. The vines contained in shaded places are strongly stretched, which takes away from them the forces necessary for the formation of buds.
3. Too much nitrogen fertilizer. Their introduction activates the growth of green mass. Kampsis cannot bloom. To remedy the situation, plants are fed with phosphorus compounds or bone meal.
4. Spring frosts. Low temperatures damage the buds from which young flowering shoots should form.
5. Wrong trimming time. The “haircut” of the plant must be carried out in late autumn or early spring, before the appearance of young shoots.
6. Cold snaps in spring and summer. This interferes with the formation of buds.

Diseases and pests

Liana has a strong immune system. However, improper care often provokes diseases.

Among the insect pests that attack campsis, aphids are the most common. It usually appears in dry weather or with excessive application of nitrogen fertilizers. Insecticides are used to control aphids.

How to get rid of kampsis on the site

Once planting a vine on the site, many gardeners after a few years are wondering how to destroy the root system of the Kampsis flower. It tends to grow rapidly over a large area.

To prevent a problem, it is necessary to enclose the near-trunk circle of each plant. To do this, you can use sheets of metal or slate. They must be dug to a depth of 80 cm into the ground so that the diameter of the circle is 3–4 m.

Conclusion

Planting and caring for campsis is an easy way to decorate a site with a perennial liana. It looks great against the background of gazebos and terraces, log and brick walls, along fences and on arches. But when planting a plant, it is necessary to enclose its near-trunk circle so that the Kampsis shoots do not flood the site.