R. Rasthenia of rooms: who is to sleep, and who is to walk!
So, September is the month when some of the plants hint at transplanting or transshipment, the other part is not against cuttings, and the third, yawning, thinks about wintering. Let’s deal with everyone.
The first group is dreaming about a new pot. If the roots of the plant begin to stick out their “noses” from the bottom of the pot, or if the surface of the earth seems to be “teeming” with them, like a full-flowing lake with fish, then it’s time to replant. When the earth in a pot is heavily entwined with roots, the flower literally jumps out of it even with a light attempt to get the root system. Transshipment is required here – placing an intertwined clod of roots in a pot with new earth. Transshipment differs from planting in that it is more delicate, since it does not destroy the root system, but gently envelops it with a new substrate. As in the case of planting, you should not get carried away with the size and volume of the pot, the autumn slowdown in growth is ahead. An exception to the rule here are plants that bloom in autumn or winter, such as cyclamen. He is just beginning a period of active growth and the formation of buds, so cyclamens simply need to be transplanted into a new substrate. The need to replace the pot can also be said about a plant that, on the contrary, grows poorly, despite watering and feeding. Perhaps during the summer weather changes, the plant lost part of the root system from both overdrying and overflow, so now it is worth transplanting the plant into new soil and a smaller pot. Rotten, sluggish roots are pre-cut, the cut points are sprinkled with crushed charcoal.
In September, you can transplant green prickly friends – cacti. It happens that a cactus grows such an “eggplant” over the summer that the weight of the pot cannot withstand. Tip on how to transplant a plant without ruining your hands with thorns: put the cactus in a pot on a vertical surface, stick the stick through the drainage hole so that the cactus gradually leaves the “old house”. When transplanting, it is best to use not gloves, but semi-dense cardboard. And be sure to check the roots. If they have grown a lot, you need a larger pot. If not, then plant in a pot of a similar size, but make the drainage more weighty, or take a clay pot. The increase in the growth of the aerial part of the cactus is not always proportional to the growth of its roots, so repot only if necessary. There is always an option to put the pot in an additional heavy clay planter, add decorative props, or put a couple of “bricks” on top.
The beginning of September is the time of reproduction of tradescantia, saintpaulia and streptocarpus by leaf cuttings, as well as geraniums and bromeliads. Geraniums are best cut from the top of the plant. Such pruning combines two benefits in one action: helping the mother plant not to stretch and creating a “clone”! After flowering, plants of the bromeliad family can be propagated: echmea, vriesia, tillandsia and gusmania. A sign of readiness: when the shoots growing at the base of the stem reach at least half the length of the mother plant and will have their roots, the shoots should be at least two months old in age. The more offshoot, the better. They are cut off with a sharp knife a little above the stem node, thus obtaining cuttings with roots. The substrate in which we place the plant is peat and sand, taken equally. To engraft the cutting, you will need a film or a jar that prevents it from drying out, a temperature above 20 degrees, and water added to the outlet.
A. Aangels of the streets: flowers returned home.
We will talk about tuberous and ever-flowering begonias, balsams, coleus, pelargoniums, plectranthus, ivy, chlorophytum, which fit into the decoration of the flower beds so much, as if they were not domestic and heat-loving plants. As soon as the temperature becomes close to 5-7 degrees and there is a threat of frost, we dig. Coleus, plectranthus and balsams in the first place, below 10 degrees for their watery delicate tissues, a threat situation occurs. Inspection of the roots here is extremely important. It is even advisable to dip the whole plant brought from the street (it doesn’t matter if it’s a flower bed or a balcony) into a solution of slightly pink potassium permanganate: first the greens, then hold the roots, for about 10 minutes. If the aerial part looks suspicious and there may be larvae in it insects, it is better to bathe it in a soapy solution, isolate the root part from the solution, putting it in a plastic bag. Pots should not be chosen for growth, but directly by the roots, because the adaptation of the roots to the new environment in the fall is not as good as in the spring. It is worth preparing for the fact that the plants after the “resort” outdoor conditions will be sad and lose their former decorative effect. If the hand does not tremble, then it is better to cut off part of its violent beauty in order to help the roots strengthen their positions a little. Geraniums need to be dug up and cut off the shoots almost in half. Plant in extremely small pots, no more than 15-20 cm in diameter. Place on a windowsill in the sunniest and coolest spot.
If begonias were grown in open ground, then after the first autumn frosts they are dug up with a clod of earth. The aerial part is cut first to a stump 3-5 cm high. Such a cutting can be put in water, it can even give roots. Without cleaning the soil from the roots, the tubers are placed in boxes and transferred to a warm, ventilated room for about 2 weeks. Then the remains of the shoots are removed, which by this time are easily separated. The tubers are dried and stored in the basement at a temperature of 6-10°C and an air humidity of 80-85%. The gaps between the tubers are covered with peat. You can store them in the refrigerator, lightly shaking them off the ground, putting them in a cardboard box and pouring the tubers with dry peat, sawdust or sand. The dormant period of tuberous begonia should be at least 2 months.
Plants in flower beds should be removed at home before the first cold snap closer to zero. The sooner the transplant occurs, the easier the root system adapts to change.
Mr. Mrloxinia and company: a dream on an autumn night.
So, among our indoor plants there are those that need a special dormant period. These “splyushki”: begonias, gloxinia, achimenes, hippeastrums. General advice: try not to force the flowers to sleep. If the leaves turn yellow, then wait for the wilting. If in September the plant does not want to sleep yet, wait until October. In the meantime, slowly reduce watering. Warm days confuse anyone, including flowers. Cool conditions +14 – +18 degrees – have a beneficial effect on gloxinia, which must be prepared for a dormant period. In such conditions, the tubers fall asleep faster. It is advisable to allow the leaves and stem to dry out, and only then cut them off. Wait a little longer if gloxinia resists sleep, and already on gloomy gray days, cut off the green part at the root, and put the rhizomes in pots in a cooler dark place. By the way, trimmed gloxinia can even take root!
The same approach of “preparing for sleep” works for the Achimenes. Their nodules are small and look like worms, they are called rhizomes. Their dormant period does not require a refrigerator; they can overwinter in their old pots. I usually free the rhizomes from the ground after the above-ground part dries out and store them separately in a bag of sawdust. As soon as green thin shoots appear in spring, I plant them 3-5 times in a pot.
We begin to prepare tuberous begonias growing at home for the dormant period. In early September, stop feeding them and reduce watering. Pinch off new buds that appear on the plant. Do not forget to remove faded flowers. And withering shoots, on the contrary, it is advisable not to cut off longer (until the leaves completely wither, and the stems do not dry out at all), since food is still going to the tuber from the tops. All this contributes to the increase in the mass of the tuber. So hibernation will be much easier and more enjoyable. Caring for tubers of home begonias is no different from the same plants that have returned from the street.
Young first-year begonias with small tubers grown from seeds have a relative dormant period – their above-ground part often remains green in winter. Such begonias remain wintering in pots placed in a bright, cool (about 10-15 ° C) place with moderate watering.
Hippeastrum leaves gradually turn yellow and die off – this is a signal. It’s time to move the pots to a cool place for … sleep.
Some amateurs, in the case of transferring tuberous begonias, gloxinia, achimenes to “wintering”, dig out their “sleeping body” from the pot, placing them in storage boxes, bags, etc., and then placing them on insulated balconies and loggias.
This option has pros and cons. On the one hand, saving space and the absence of a forgetful “ejection” of an empty pot of earth, on the other hand, bags and boxes can also be put in a secret place, and then not remembered.
Who is more comfortable.
U. Utake, you can not pardon.
It’s about cleanliness in our garden. Roses in this sense are very pedantic. Fallen leaves, weeds and even annuals growing under them are all now rated as “harmful”. We clean it up. There should be nothing that contributes to the greenhouse effect and the threat of diseases due to overheating.
There are opinions that the foliage of some plants and trees can greatly inhibit the development of other crops. These are the leaves of elderberry, willow, poplar, white acacia, wormwood, fennel and wheatgrass. So take a closer look, maybe you shouldn’t cover and mulch with such foliage ?!
In addition, any fallen leaves of unhealthy plants and trees are dangerous. Burning it is harmful, but you can send it to the compost heap with a clear conscience.
You need to harvest … the entire crop from the garden, with the exception of crops of late varieties, for example, cabbage. Pay special attention to pumpkins, watermelons, melons, zucchini and squash. They need to be cleaned up first. These capricious can not endure even minor frosts.
In September, tubers of dahlias and gladioli are dug up. They are dried and stored away.