Preparing a budley for winter in the Moscow region

Planting and caring for a budley in the Moscow region differs from the agricultural technology of culture in the southern regions. The plant enters the flowering phase in autumn, retains its decorative effect until the first frost. In warm climates, preparatory work for winter is minimal. To preserve the root system in a temperate climate, the culture needs a number of additional measures.

Buddle varieties for the Moscow region

Budley comes from South Africa, the plant is thermophilic and does not tolerate low ambient temperatures. Thanks to hybridization, new varieties of budley have been bred, which, according to gardeners, have become possible to grow in the Moscow region. Culture is used in the design of sites. In a temperate climate, Budleya David with spike-shaped sultans and its breeding varieties are common. Hybrids differ in the color of flowers and the height of the shrub, their agricultural technology is the same.

The most popular varieties of David’s budley for the Moscow region:

1. Budley Power of Flowers or Bicolor – a hybrid with double coloration of flowers. They are divided into orange and dark purple. The bush grows up to 2 m, the crown is sprawling, with stems drooping at the ends.
2. Budley Black Knight (Black Knight) – medium-sized shrub (up to 1,5 m) with silvery foliage, compact, the ends of the branches are lowered. Inflorescences in length – 30 cm, consist of dark purple flowers with a lemon core.
3. Buddleya blue chip (Blue Chip) – undersized shrub 45 cm high, crown diameter – 85 cm. It has a long flowering period – from July to October. Spike-shaped inflorescences of bright blue color with a purple core.
4. Budleya David Alba – medium-sized shrub (1,3 m in height), sprawling with drooping branches, large, white inflorescences.

The main varieties of budley are less frost-resistant than hybrids. A spherical budlea with orange rounded inflorescences and an alternate-leaved budlea are planted in the Moscow region, the culture is valued for its decorative appearance, but it requires more thorough preparation for winter.

Planting and caring for David’s budley in the Moscow region

According to the designers, planting a buddleia in the Moscow region and subsequent care for it will not be difficult if the requirements of agricultural technology are met and frost-resistant varieties are selected. Budleya has time to bloom before the onset of frost, and there is enough time left to prepare the plant for wintering.

Landing time

The plant is planted in spring, when the soil has warmed up to +18⁰ C, tentatively end of May or beginning of June. In the spring, a seedling breeding method is recommended. Sow seeds at the end of April, a month before placement in open ground.

Planting budley in the fall in the Moscow region is undesirable, the plant can go into winter with a weak root system. There is a big risk that the budley will not overwinter. If necessary, autumn planting take a well-rooted cutting or layering, as an option, purchase a seedling in a nursery. Work is carried out a month before frost, if the root system of the planting material is well developed, the budley will take root safely and overwinter.

Site selection and soil preparation

The plant is light-loving, much easier to tolerate excess ultraviolet than its deficiency. The site is chosen open, protected from the north wind. The composition of the soil is chosen without excess moisture, loose, neutral, fertile. If the soil is clayey, sand is added, and sandy is mixed with humus, the acidic composition is neutralized with lime or dolomite flour. The site is dug up, the roots of weeds are removed. Work is carried out 14 days before planting the seedling.

Landing algorithm

A successful wintering of buddley in the Moscow region depends on a properly carried out landing:

1. They dig a landing hole with the expectation that it be 15-20 cm wider than the root, deepen it by 50 cm.
2. A drainage layer is placed at the bottom, for this purpose pebbles, crushed stone or expanded clay are used, the layer is about 10 cm.
3. Soddy soil is mixed with superphosphate – for 8 kg of soil 50 g of the product, poured into drainage.
4. Budley seedlings are placed in the center, the roots are distributed so that there is no interlacing, they are covered with earth.
5. The soil is compacted, watered and mulched with peat or straw.

If the planting is group, the interval between the budley bushes is 1 m.

Rules for growing buddleia in the Moscow region

Agrotechnics of buddley in the Moscow region does not differ from crop care in the southern regions, with the exception of autumn preparation. To preserve the decorativeness of the plant, it must be fed, watered, and weeds removed from the site.

Budleya is drought-resistant, can go without watering for a long time. But it does not react well to dry air, the flowers and leaves turn yellow, then dry, frequent sprinkling is necessary. Young seedlings require more watering. Events are determined by seasonal precipitation. If it rained 2 times a week, this is enough for the seedling, but in dry weather, the lack of moisture is supplemented with watering.

For an adult plant, one watering every 14 days is enough, the root system of the buddleia is superficial, a constantly moistened root circle can cause the development of a fungal infection. Climatic conditions in the Moscow region are unstable, a sharp change in temperature at night and during the day has a bad effect on budley if the ground is constantly wet.

Loosen the crop as weeds appear. Loosening is carried out in a thin layer so as not to damage the root. Top dressing is brought in in the spring, superphosphate (Kemira Universal) is used. Fertilize in autumn before preparing for wintering.

Budley pruning is carried out in the fall, the crown is completely cut off if the conditions allow you to cover the budley for the winter and not subject it to cardinal pruning. In the spring, frozen, weak branches are removed, and the length of the shoots is shortened as desired. Budley is mulched immediately after planting and without fail in the fall.

How to prepare a budley for winter in the suburbs

Winters Buddleya David in the Moscow region only in a sheltered state. Even on a pre-warmed plant, frozen shoots are found in spring. It’s not scary, the stems will grow back in the spring. But if the root is frozen, the buddle will not be able to restore the missing fragments. There is a high risk that the plant will gradually die. In autumn, they take care not only of shelter, but also pay attention to preparatory work.

Preparing David’s budley for winter in the Moscow region:

1. 2 weeks before the onset of frost, the plant is fed with phosphate fertilizer.
2. A week after top dressing, water-charging watering is carried out. If the summer was rainy, this event is not necessary.
3. In the southern regions, the culture is cut in the spring, in the Moscow region, trimming the budley for the winter is a mandatory procedure. Leave the stems 20 cm from the ground, cut off the entire crown.
4. Without fail, the plant is spudded, mulched with peat, straw or dry leaves with a layer of 15-20 cm. Sawdust is not recommended for sheltering the root circle, they are able to accumulate moisture and create a favorable microclimate for fungi and bacteria.

After that, the budley bush is covered in any convenient way.

How to cover a budley for the winter in the suburbs

Budley shelter for the winter in the Moscow region can only be carried out in late autumn, when the plant is at rest. Early action can lead to steaming, and then rotting of the stems. If the young budley seedlings look weak, it is better to dig them out for the winter and transfer them together with the soil clod to a dark room.

An adult, circumcised budle is covered in the following way:

1. After the foliage has fallen, the budlea is covered with soil up to the 4th bud.
2. From above they cover with a wooden structure in the form of a quadrangle, the sides of the makeshift box should be higher or at the level of the cuts.
3. The budley is covered with boards or slate, roofing material is placed on top.
4. In winter, the structure is covered with a thick layer of snow.

Instead of a box, you can use arcs with lutrasil stretched over them. The structure turns out to be about 30 cm high. After installing the arcs, the budley in the Moscow region is completely covered with dry leaves, only then the covering material is pulled. From above, you can put spruce branches or shower a mini-greenhouse with snow.

A video with step-by-step instructions on how to cover a budley for the winter in the Moscow region will help to carry out the preparatory work correctly, and the plant will winter safely.

Warming for adult budley bushes is no less important than for young ones. Over time, the budlea loses frost resistance and can die even with slight frosts.

Conclusion

Planting and caring for a budley in the Moscow region will be successful if the variety is chosen correctly and the planting dates are observed. Not the last role in the successful vegetation of the plant is played by the right place and the composition of the soil. In a temperate climate, the culture will not overwinter without previously taken measures. The budley is cut, mulched and covered.