Proper planting and care of phlox in open ground

Types and varieties

There are many varieties of phlox, which differ in size, shape and shade of flowers. You can grow ground cover or bush species, including varieties with white or variegated flowers. The following describes the most popular and common types of phlox.

Drummond

A colorful annual plant. It has a number of advantages:

• Petals do not fade in the sun.
• Withstands frosts down to -5°C.
• Not afraid of drought.
• Available in a variety of varieties.
• Easy to care for.
• Spreads independently throughout the area.

Drummonda is a bush that grows no more than 50 cm in height. It is very lush and branched. Blooms all summer.

Popular varieties:

• Beauty - flowers of different colors create a special atmosphere of romance in the garden.
• Chanel - blooms with lush double buds of pale pink color.
• Star rain - flowers with sharp tips of petals, reminiscent of stars. Comes in different shades.

Subulate

A miniature bush with pointed and hard leaves, small buds up to 2 cm in diameter. The edges of the petals are notched. Blooms twice per season (May-June, August-September).

It is very often used in any type of flower beds. The variety is frost resistant. It is better to propagate it by pinching or dividing the bush. This type of phlox can be trimmed to give it a specific shape.

Popular varieties:

• Bavaria - unusual two-color flowers. The petals are white, with purple rays extending from the center.
• Wilson - flowers of a lilac hue, looks beautiful in combination with May flowering crops.
• White Delight - looks good along borders, produces white flowers.

Paniculate

Perennial plant with fragrant flowers. It is considered one of the most popular types of phlox. It has a powerful root system, the stem grows up to 1.5 m. It is distinguished by a luxurious inflorescence that exudes a honey aroma. Flowers can be in a variety of shades, except yellow.

Popular varieties:

• Cosmopolitan is a tall, lush plant with bright pink flowers.
• Green Lady - decorative sharp buds that do not bloom.
• Count Zeppelin - flowers are pale pink, purple in the center.

Spread (Phlox divaricata)

An unpretentious perennial plant that grows no more than 40 cm in height. The inflorescences exude a very delicate intoxicating aroma.

Suitable for growing in shaded areas and under trees. It mainly blooms in shades of purple and blue.

Basic rules for care after planting seedlings

Phlox prefer loose soils, neutral or slightly acidic. Before planting seedlings, add peat, humus, and organic matter.

The second condition for normal growth and flowering, feeding.

Fertilizer application schedule:

• March, comprehensive feeding;
• in May, organic fertilizers, in combination with complex chemical ones;
• in June, complex fertilizers, with an increase in the proportion of potassium, adding ash and urea;
• in July and early August, complex fertilizers with the addition of superphosphates are applied.

It is better to apply complex formulations in the evening, in the form of watering solutions. Avoid contact with foliage and inflorescences.

The soil around the roots must be mulched, this is especially important for bushes that are several years old. The roots of the plants lie at a depth of up to 20 cm. As the bush grows, they rise to the surface. This, in turn, can lead to drying out of the root system.

The root system of phlox is shallow (15-20 cm). Therefore, timely watering prevents the soil from drying out and dehydration of the roots. At the same time, phlox does not like excess moisture in the soil.

Favorable conditions for growing phlox

The main thing you need to pay attention to when growing phlox is the quality of the soil. The development and decorativeness of these flowers directly depend on the fertility of the soil.

Soil requirements in the table.

Soil acidity can be determined using special litmus paper.

Phloxes feel good in the climatic conditions of central Russia. They like not very hot weather with moderate rainfall.

It is best to choose a flat area, protected from drafts and wind.

Advice! It is not recommended to plant phlox in open sunny areas. Areas where the flower will be shaded from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. are ideal.

The following are considered favorable conditions for phlox:

• Humidity not less than 70%.
• After the seeds germinate, the room temperature is kept at 15 degrees for the first two weeks, then the temperature should be 21 degrees.
• After germination, containers with seedlings are transferred to well-lit window sills, and the film is removed.

How and when to plant

In order for phlox to delight you with its abundant flowering, it is necessary to properly plant the seeds and subsequently care for the seedlings.

Soil selection

Soil composition plays an important role when growing phlox. A soil that is rich in humus, loose and contains a small amount of loam for low acidity is excellent for them.

Sowing of planting material must be done in special containers filled with soil mixture. In this case, the container must be large so that the plants can develop a powerful root system. 7 days before planting, the soil should be treated with a solution of potassium permanganate.

Fertilizing the land

And although phlox are unpretentious plants, applying fertilizers at the stage of growing seedlings is considered a mandatory procedure. Feeding should be applied in small quantities. Mineral fertilizers are perfect here. Thanks to them, it is possible to accelerate the development and growth of culture.

On the video - how to plant Phlox:

Perennial phlox can be propagated either vegetatively or by seeds.

The method of propagation of phloxes is chosen depending on the goal that is set. So, for example, phlox can be divided in order to quickly propagate a rare and beautiful variety, to obtain a large amount of planting material or its improvement, and finally, to prepare regular cuttings or cuttings for exhibitions.

When are phlox propagated by seeds?

Under good weather conditions, phlox produces seeds in abundance, which often, especially in early varieties, ripen on the bushes. The readiness of the seeds is indicated by the browning of the capsules and the beginning of withering of the leaves. In late-flowering varieties, the seeds reach waxy ripeness in October. To obtain mature seeds, cut the stems, tie them into bunches and hang them on a cold veranda. If the room is very dry, the boxes begin to crack, the seeds scatter, and they can be lost. Then the inflorescences are placed in gauze bags. As they ripen, the browned boxes can be collected from the bushes into paper bags and brought into the room. In a paper bag, the boxes dry out and burst with a characteristic crack. Phlox seeds quickly lose their viability, especially in a dry and warm room. It is best to clean the seeds immediately before sowing. P.G. Gaganov advised mixing the peeled seeds with sand and storing them in a cool room in this form before sowing. The highest germination rate (up to 80-90%) is achieved by seeds when sown immediately after harvesting - in late November - early December. You can also sow in winter - in January-February on a bed prepared in the fall. To do this, snow is removed from the garden bed and seeds are scattered on its frozen surface, at a distance of 3-4 cm. Then they are covered with a layer of sifted earth, prepared in advance, or sand 1-1.5 cm thick and snow. When sowing in winter, seed germination will be 70%.

When growing perennial phlox from seeds, you can sow them directly into open ground in the fall or early winter, planting the seeds to a depth of 1.5 cm. In the spring, the seeds will germinate safely and bloom by the fall.

When propagated by seed, phlox seedlings bloom within 3-4 years. Sowing is done in the fall, as the seeds quickly lose their viability. With this method, the decorative qualities of the mother plant are not completely preserved.

When sowing at home, perennial phlox seeds need stratification

. The container with the planted seeds is first kept in room conditions for 15-20 days, then in the cold (from -2 to +4 0C) for 15-25 days. After low temperatures, place the container with phlox seeds close to the glass and make a screen from the room and heating devices so that the air temperature is no higher than +12 0C. If the phlox seeds were planted in February, the third period will be in April, then the container with the phlox seeds can be safely taken out into the garden under agrospan or polyethylene film. The optimal temperature for germination of phlox seeds is from +5 to +12 0C.

Once the seeds germinate, the difficult, tedious process of waiting ends: “maybe I did something wrong; maybe the seeds are bad; May be…". In the future, the seedlings require the same care as other seedlings.

Small phlox seedlings in the phase of two or three pairs of true leaves are planted at a distance of about 20 cm in a bed with fertile soil. Further care for phlox

consists of systematic weeding, loosening the soil, watering, and fertilizing. While the phlox seedlings are still small, the soil between them can be mulched with mowed grass. This will keep the soil soft and moist and prevent weeds from growing.

Perennial phloxes need watering in dry, hot weather, but it is at this time that there is a risk of phloxes being affected by septoria and powdery mildew. In this case, spraying with fungicides is necessary, otherwise you may lose the plant.

In the summer, as soon as the plants get stronger, you need to pinch over the fourth or fifth pair of leaves

. This is done for better tillering of phlox. Phlox blooms from July to the end of September, but the peak is in August. You just need to remove faded inflorescences in time, then new flower stalks will appear from the axils of the lateral leaves. Once every three to four years in May, the phlox rhizomes need to be divided. It is better to do this in early spring or September so that the transplanted plants have time to take root before winter.

We bring to your attention the video: “How to grow perennial phlox from seeds”

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Phlox is an unpretentious crop of the Blueflower family, which is distinguished by its ease of care, lush flowering and a variety of shades. Moreover, the flowers also differ in height: there are varieties with long stems and low-growing groundcover species.

Thanks to such diversity, every gardener can feel like a landscape designer, creating unique compositions on their site.

Phlox flowers are small, collected in lush inflorescences of paniculate, pyramidal or cylindrical shape. Color – white, blue, lilac, purple, scarlet, plain or with inclusions in the form of dots, strokes, eyes. Flowering duration is about a month, early varieties begin to bloom in June, late varieties in August. We’ll look at how to grow phlox from seeds at home below in the article.

Phlox is grown in seedlings in central Russia and more northern regions. It is recommended to sow them for seedlings after March 15th.

Preparing the soil for planting on the site

The soil for planting phlox can be improved if necessary:

• Sand and manure are added to clay soil.
• Lime and clay are added to sandy loam soil.
• Peat, lime and clay are added to sandy soil.
• Peat, manure and compost are added to non-fertile soil.

The site needs to be prepared in the fall. First enter:

• up to 8 kg/m. sq. peat or manure;
• if the soil is highly acidic, add up to 300 g/m additionally. sq. lime

The soil is well dug up to a depth of at least 30 cm. In the spring, the area is dug up again and nitrophoska and potassium salt are added. 7-10 days before sowing seeds in open ground, the area is watered with a solution of potassium permanganate for disinfection.

Perennial phlox

Sowing seeds directly in open ground in the fall

Perennial phlox can be planted at any time of the year, but the best time to sow seeds is late autumn.

• Holes are dug in the area at a distance of 50-70 cm from each other and 25 cm deep.
• Seeds are planted in each hole.
• The holes are covered with earth and the soil is mulched with peat, humus or sawdust.
• Plantings are covered with film for the winter.

Important! The groundwater level in the area should be low, since phloxes do not like stagnant water.

For such flowers it is better to choose raised, windless places.

Rules of care

• Provide frequent moderate watering in hot, dry weather.
• In the spring, apply nitrogen fertilizers in the form of urea or ammonium nitrate.
• Fertilize with phosphorus in the form of wood ash during flowering.
• After flowering, treat with fungicides.
• Remove faded flower stalks and dried inflorescences.

Fertilizer

Perennial phloxes are cared for in the same way as annual phloxes. The only difference is that they need to be fertilized not 4, but 5 times during the growing season. The last time fertilizer is applied is during the formation of seeds in boxes. To do this, use potassium-phosphorus fertilizers:

• 10 g potassium sulfate;
• 20 g superphosphate;
• 10 liters of water.

Fertilizers are applied at the roots in the evening after watering. This must be done very carefully so as not to get on the leaves.

With proper care, perennial phlox can grow in one place for 7 years.

Watch the video! How to grow phlox from seeds

Flowerbed care

Phloxes have great vitality, so they are considered unpretentious. Care in the summer is not difficult, but flowers cannot do without it. Caring for them includes:

• Watering: complete drying out of the soil or stagnation of water is unacceptable;
• Mulching: keeps the soil moist;
• Topping;
• Feeding;
• Protection from parasites and diseases;
• Removing old buds: they will bloom longer;
• Shading during drought;
• Timely replanting of perennial species;

Feeding the flower bed

Fresh manure and nitrogen fertilizers stimulate leaf growth and are only advisable in the early stages. They feed during planting, before and after flowering, perennials - additionally in the fall. To obtain a lush flower bed, fertilize once every two weeks.

Why phloxes don't bloom

There are four main reasons for the lack of flowering of phlox:

• Not enough light;
• No fertilizing was done;
• Poorly mulched soil;
• Lack or stagnation of water;

Sowing seeds for seedlings

Annual plants are sown with seeds in almost the same way as perennials. Seedlings can be planted as early as March, and in warm regions of the country directly into the ground or in a box:

• Containers are filled with soil for seedlings.
• The soil is slightly compacted and watered with warm water.
• The seeds are spread evenly over the entire surface of the soil. Sprinkle with earth in a layer of 1-2 cm
• The crops are sprayed with a solution of growth stimulator Zircon or Epin using a spray bottle.
• The containers are covered with film or a transparent lid.
• Leave in a warm place for germination.

Advice! There should be holes at the bottom of the container so that excess water does not stagnate.

Seedling care

• Every day you need to remove the film or lid from the containers and remove excess moisture from them.
• The room temperature should be within 20 degrees.
• Containers should be placed on a well-lit windowsill.
• After germination, the film is removed and the soil moisture is monitored so that it does not dry out or become waterlogged.
• As the seedlings develop, they are picked into separate cups.
• Seedlings are fed twice before transplanting into open ground (20 g of urea per 10 liters of water).

Planting in open ground

Phlox are light-loving plants that do not tolerate stagnant moisture.

The seedlings are transferred to a permanent location after the risk of night frosts has passed. Plants are planted in beds at intervals of 20 cm from each other and the soil is well mulched.

Caring for annual phlox

Annual phloxes are easy to care for, so caring for them is not difficult. The main thing is to carefully loosen the soil around the stem and carry out hilling during loosening in the second half of the growing season. This procedure will help speed up the formation of the plant’s root system. It is also necessary to feed the flowers with organic matter and mineral fertilizers.

• At the end of May, the first feeding is carried out. To do this, dilute 25 g of manure in 10 liters of water.
• The second fertilizer is applied in early June, adding potassium salt or superphosphate (20 g of urea per 10 liters of water) to the same manure solution.
• The third time the fertilizer is applied at the beginning of July, the same as the first.
• At the end of July, the fourth fertilization is carried out with phosphorus and potassium salt (10 g of potassium sulfate and 20 g of superphosphate per bucket of water).

Flowers must be watered regularly in the morning or evening after sunset. Water is poured at the root, two buckets per 1 square meter of planting. For irrigation, use exclusively warm water, otherwise the stems may crack in hot weather. It is advisable to remove faded flowers and dried inflorescences.

Seed preparation

It doesn’t matter whether you decide to plant annual or perennial varieties in the ground. Viability can only be checked by sowing seedlings at home. Therefore, check the quality of phlox seeds.

To do this, the packaging must indicate not only the type, but also the manufacturer’s address and contact information. They don’t buy such goods second-hand at the market. Only verified suppliers of seed material.

Before planting, it is recommended to soak the seeds in a weak solution of manganese for disinfection. And then smoothly move it into the growth stimulator. Zircon, Epin or Energen are suitable. Dilution strictly according to the instructions for the drug.

Phlox diseases

Phlox can be damaged by a disease such as variegation. It manifests itself in a pattern unusual for phlox, which radically changes the appearance of the plant. There are no special means to combat this disease, so damaged bushes will need to be dug up and burned so as not to infect others.

The same thing will need to be done if the plant is affected by powdery mildew. It appears as a white matte coating on the leaves and stems.

Phlox are also susceptible to the fungal disease Phoma. Because of it, the shoots become fragile and the leaves become dry. It is recommended to use colloidal sulfur as a preventive measure. It is sprayed on leaves and stems, avoiding inflorescences. This can be done when the outside temperature is at least 18 degrees.

When phlox is affected, Septoria leaves dark brown spots on the leaves, which enlarge and grow over time. When the first signs appear, the bushes must be sprayed with Bordeaux mixture. The soil is watered with the same product. After 15 days, re-treatment is carried out.

When growing phlox in soil with high acidity, they can be affected by verticillium wilt, which destroys the root system of the plant.

Sowing in open ground

Most often, summer residents choose the beginning or end of May for this. During the week you need to monitor the weather so that frosts at night do not destroy your work. Place 4 seeds in each hole, water with warm water and cover with film.

Every day you need to shake off drops of water from the film and let the seeds breathe until sprouts appear. Two weeks after germination, you can apply fertilizing. Fertilize with nitrophoska or slurry. Flowering will begin 2 months later than that of seedlings, but will delight you until autumn.

Phlox seeds are also sown before winter, in November, when the soil is already frozen. The germination rate is up to 70%; only strong plants survive. The frozen ground is cleared of snow, the seeds are placed on the ground with an interval of 5 cm, on top you need to pour 2-4 cm of loose black soil from the store or prepare the soil in advance. Cover with snow. If a place has been prepared in the garden, then you can sow during the winter thaw, until the end of January.

To prevent the first frosts from destroying the sprouts, you can additionally cover them with straw. The sprouts will appear in May, after which they need to be planted at a distance of 15 cm. They will bloom the very first, two to three weeks earlier than the seedlings.

Phlox Drummond can be sown directly on the snow. The species is resistant to cold; for the middle zone it is better to choose November, for warm winters - December. They trample down the snow, sow it, and cover it with nutritious soil. A snowdrift with a height of at least 30 cm must be placed on top of the sowing.

Phlox pests

Most often, phlox is attacked by a nematode, a tiny thread-like worm that feeds on the sap from the plant tissue. The inflorescences take on an incomprehensible shape, the flowers become smaller, and the stems become thin. It is almost impossible to fight this pest, so the affected bushes will need to be dug up and burned.

The soil where the affected plants grew is treated with nematicides three times with an interval of 20 days.

At night, the bottom of the stems, leaves and even flowers can be eaten by naked slugs. They live in the upper layers of the soil, so as a form of prevention it is necessary to loosen the soil and remove weeds. If slugs are found in the area, it is recommended to dust the soil with lime, ash or a mixture of ash and tobacco dust.

Butterfly caterpillars that damage phlox are collected by hand. However, in case of massive damage, flowers are treated with special means against leaf-eating pests.

Pests and diseases of tomatoes

The most common diseases of tomatoes are late blight (regular and southern), from which tomatoes dry out, spotting (brown, brown, black and white), rot (white, stem, gray and apical), mosaic, from which tomatoes crumble, verticillium, tracheomycosis, streak and bacterial cancer. We will tell you about the symptoms of diseases, how to deal with these diseases, how to process tomatoes in order to save the harvest, what processing means can be used to rid tomatoes of diseases, and which ones are undesirable to use in a separate article. Now we would like to remind you that if you follow the agricultural practices of the crop, you can almost certainly avoid its infection with all these diseases.

Tomato diseases and how to treat them, as well as prevention

The most common tomato pests you have to deal with are cutworms, thrips, wireworms, germ flies, slugs, mole crickets and root-knot nematodes. You can read in detail about pest control in the article, which is devoted specifically to this topic. Let’s just say that in any case, it is preferable to use natural, time-tested folk remedies to get rid of pests - decoctions, infusions of herbs that have insecticidal, fungicidal and antifeedant effects.

Phlox in winter and after flowering

Annual phlox may bloom next year, but they will not be as tall or beautiful. Therefore, it is recommended to collect seeds in the fall. The dried tops are cut off and the ground is dug up, removing the phlox root.

The growth buds of perennial phlox may freeze in a snowless winter. Especially if the air temperature outside drops to 10-15 degrees below zero. If the temperature drops to -20-25 ºC, then the root system of the plants will die. Therefore, in the fall, yellowed and dried tops are cut off, and the root collars of the plant are sprinkled with soil and peat. Next, everything is covered with straw, fallen leaves or spruce branches so that the root system can overwinter. If in winter there is a layer of snow 50-60 cm thick on the street, then the plants will withstand 30 degrees of frost.

Watch the video! Let's prepare phloxes for wintering

Reproduction methods

Propagation by spring cuttings

I begin to harvest cuttings in May, when the height of the bush reaches 15 cm. The cutting process can be carried out at any time until mid-summer, but not later. The shoots are cut off, leaving only two developed buds, then they are placed in liquid for an hour, but no more.

Just before planting, the lower foliage is removed, the cutting is shortened to half, and a cut is made under the bud. The length of the finished cutting varies from 5 to 11 cm. It is better to plant it in the shade or a greenhouse so that it can take root and not wither. You can also cover with film or wet paper. The cuttings need to be deepened by 1.5 cm, the soil around will become compacted. The rooting process lasts about two weeks.

Propagation by autumn cuttings

The best option for propagating phlox is autumn cuttings. They begin to prepare them at the end of August. Processing and preparation of cuttings is the same as described earlier. Rooting is recommended in a greenhouse or greenhouse. In spring, such bushes already begin to bloom profusely. When planting a plant in a permanent place of growth, it is deeply buried so that almost all the buds are underground. This helps the flower to survive the winter.