Not all flowers in the summer cottage are able to withstand frost. How should you help them get through the winter?
October 1 2015
Having dug out the tuber, peel it from the ground, remove the small roots. Cut the stem, leaving 10-15 cm. Dip the roots in a weak solution of potassium permanganate, then dry in a ventilated area for 2-3 weeks. If during digging you accidentally damaged the tubers, rub ash or slaked lime into the wounds, you can also treat them with brilliant green. Discard all diseased tubers. Plants affected by viral mosaics can be identified by light green spots on the leaves. Symptoms of bacterial cancer are ugly buds on the neck of the plant and growths up to 10-12 cm in diameter. These diseases can be transmitted to other tubers through the soil, so diseased plants must be destroyed, and dahlias must not be planted in the place where they grew for 4–5 years. Treat the soil with potassium permanganate and dig up. When affected by fungal diseases, foci of rot with a fluffy bloom are formed on various parts of the dahlias. Cut out the damaged areas, and disinfect the plants by dusting with crushed charcoal or sulfur. Dahlias should be stored in a box, sprinkled with dry sand or peat. If the dried tubers are dipped in a clay mash and dried again, they will be sufficiently protected. The optimum storage temperature is 3–6 ° C, air humidity is 60–75%. The room should be dark and well ventilated.
Gently dig the plant with a pitchfork, and then pull it out of the ground by the stems. Shake off the ground, cut off large roots, cut off the stem, leaving a stump 1–2 cm high above the new bulb. Pick out the crumbling children from the soil, dry the gladioli, destroy the damaged ones. Then hold the bulbs and babies in the fungicide solution for 15-20 minutes and dry them in the sun. For storage, plastic boxes with a mesh bottom or wooden ones are suitable. Arrange the bulbs in 1-2 layers and place in a dry, ventilated room with a temperature of 20-25 ° for 10 days. Then transfer the boxes to a radiator or other heat source. The bulbs need to be moved often, as they breathe intensively at this time, which is why moisture accumulates under the scales. So they need to be warmed up for another 1-2 weeks. Remove the roots that are not dry enough to avoid rotting the bulb. Peel off any peeled husks and place the gladioli in a dry, cool room with an air temperature of 5-12 °. The air humidity should be no higher than 50%, otherwise the bulbs may germinate prematurely. And if the air is too dry, they can dry out.
Remove unripe shoots and leaves. Treat roses with a 3% solution of Bordeaux liquid to prevent fungal diseases. Spud the flowers, making a mound of dry garden soil 20–30 cm high above the root collar. After the first frost, cut the hybrid tea roses to 20–25 cm. Cover the flowers only in dry weather when persistent frosts of –1… –5 ° occur. You can use spruce branches and dry leaves. But it is better to cover with an air-dry method. Install wire frames or wooden slats 50–70 cm high above the plants. Cover the flowers with sawdust and cover with 2 layers of plastic wrap to exclude moisture. Wide-walled styrofoam boxes can be used. Such a shelter is reliable and economical as it can be used several times.
Spud the vine. As soon as the foliage falls, remove it from the support. Remove weak and broken, unripe stems. Roll the shoots into a ring around the center of tillering and lay them on the ground covered with boards or sawdust. When the air temperature settles down to -1-5 degrees and the soil begins to freeze, cover the plants with dry leaves, peat, a mixture of sand and ash with a layer of 10-15 cm and cover with foil. Sawdust should not be used, they get wet, freeze, thaw very slowly in spring. Gently dig the plant with a pitchfork, and then pull it out of the ground by the stems.
Do not forget during the winter, periodically check the condition of the tubers – remove the diseased and cut off the damaged ones. If the tubers begin to sprout, the shoots must be removed.