Echinacea – planting and care in the open field
Echinacea is a perennial plant in the Aster family. Her homeland is North America. This flower has not only decorative value, it has healing qualities. Echinacea-based preparations have the ability to strengthen the immune system and wound healing properties, so having this culture in your garden is a great success.
Planting plants in open ground can be carried out both in spring and autumn. There are two ways to reproduce echinacea – vegetative and seed. The vegetative method of dividing bushes is considered to be simpler and therefore is more often used by gardeners. The seed method takes a long time and is mainly used for breeding hybrid species.
Regardless of the method of planting and leaving, Echinacea will begin to bloom only in the second year.
Echinacea planting is carried out as follows:
- Prepare shallow seedling holes. If you purchased seedlings in containers, then its size should be slightly larger than the echinacea earthy coma.
- The distance between the holes should be at least 30 cm. Pour a layer of compost on the bottom.
- Place the seedling roots on top of the compost. Water the seedlings liberally and mulch the soil around them.
With the seed method of planting, seed germination will take a long time, therefore it is recommended to sow the seeds in the ground in the fall. In the first year of growth, echinacea only builds up the outlet, and begins to bloom in a year.
Features of echinacea care after planting
Despite its exoticism, echinacea is a completely undemanding plant. The only unconditional condition for its flowering is the absence of a shadow. Therefore, when planning a place for planting, you need to take into account that there are no bushes and buildings nearby. The soil for growing echinacea must be fertile, with neutral acidity.
Basic plant care activities include:
- regular watering of flowers – it is recommended to do it in the evening;
- timely weeding and mulching of the soil – weeds must be removed immediately after they appear;
- feeding is carried out to ensure lush flowering, mainly organic matter and ash are used.
It is necessary to start feeding the plant in the 2nd year of echinacea growth. For the winter, the aerial part of the flower should be cut off and its base should be covered with spruce branches or straw. And also for abundant flowering, experts recommend regularly cutting off blossoming flowers. Growing echinacea in the garden will not only make it beautiful and attractive, but also make it possible to use the healing power of this amazing flower.