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Potted heather, how to care at home
Heather is a small shrub that grows primarily in the wild. But, despite this, at home you can grow heather in a pot. This will require careful plant care.
What varieties of heather will take root in a pot?
This plant is a low bushy flower. Its pointed leaves are green all year round.
Potted heather lives no more than a year
During the flowering period, small flowers bloom on it, which are collected in inflorescences and look like bells. They can be white, pink, lilac or purple. The flowering time and the shade of the inflorescences depend on the specific species.
At home, the following types take root best:
- “Slender” that grows up to 40 cm in height. The plant has small, pale green leaves and blooms from September to February with deep red flowers;
- “Wintering”. Its height is 50 cm, and the inflorescences are white;
- “Mix” in July gives inflorescences of pink, white and lilac shades.
Heather has other varieties, but these varieties are the most unpretentious to grow.
Regardless of the type chosen, the plant looks attractive all year round.
How to care for potted heather at home?
In order for the heather to feel comfortable, it is necessary to create favorable conditions for it. The growing pot should be wide and deep. The soil in it should be acidic and sandy. The best option is a mixture of marsh and coniferous soil, sand and peat.
The flower needs a well-lit place without drafts. Suitable temperatures for summer time are from 10 to 25 ⁰С, and for winter – 11–15 С. Since heather loves fresh air, the room needs to be ventilated frequently. In warmer months, the pot should be taken out to the balcony.
You need to take care of the shrub like this:
- Water it regularly under the root with clean, settled water at room temperature. The soil should not be allowed to dry out; it should always be moderately moist.
- Spray the leaves daily during warmer months.
- Mulch the topsoil.
- Apply mineral and organic fertilizers to the ground. Do this so as not to hurt leaves and flowers.
- Add spruce bark or sulfur to the soil periodically to maintain the required acidity.
- Remove dead leaves and inflorescences, as well as damaged parts in a timely manner. This procedure has a beneficial effect on flowering and allows you to create shape.
Such actions are necessary for the healthy development of the green shrub.
It is not difficult to take care of a flower, and in return it will charm a caring grower with its bright flowering.