Many people call the chrysanthemum the queen of autumn. This is true. Currently, there are magnificent varieties that bloom successfully in the conditions of the middle zone and even the Urals and Siberia.
All chrysanthemums can be divided into several types according to the degree of winter hardiness:
Large-flowered bouquet chrysanthemums have large flowers with a diameter of 8-10 cm. They do not tolerate wintering very well, but they are beautiful. These include the following varieties:
- Gazelle - has double white flowers.
- Anna Yaroslavna - large needle-shaped flowers of raspberry color.
- Flamingos are large double flowers of deep pink color.
- Sonechko - yellow needle-shaped flowers.
Small-flowered Korean chrysanthemum is popularly called “oak”. The leaves resemble oak leaves. It winters mostly without problems, but sometimes in the complete absence of snow cover and severe frosts it can freeze out. These include the following varieties:
- Youth - has medium-sized pink flowers.
- Umka is a tall variety with small white flowers; as they bloom, they acquire a pink tint.
- Camelina - small orange flowers.
Multiflora or ball chrysanthemum - a low chrysanthemum, the bush has the shape of a ball, medium-sized flowers. Characterized by abundant flowering. The most unstable species for wintering, but undoubtedly one of the most beautiful. No one remains indifferent at the sight of a small bush-ball completely covered with flowers. The following varieties can be classified as this type:
- Natalie - has medium-sized double pink-crimson flowers.
- Trike White is a bush with white flowers and abundant flowering.
- Ares - small flowers of lilac-raspberry color.
Chrysanthemum flowers
Do I need to cover chrysanthemums for the winter?
The weather in central Russia at the end of autumn and beginning of winter is very unstable. A long autumn can suddenly change to winter with severe frosts. As a rule, snow does not have time to fall by this time. The next “surprise” can come from the so-called “ice rain”, after which the ground is covered with a continuous ice crust. All this has an extremely negative effect on the wintering of chrysanthemums. Therefore, the answer to the question: “Do I need to cover chrysanthemums for the winter?” will be affirmative. This is the only way to be sure that your favorite varieties will survive the winter successfully.
Find out when to replant chrysanthemums in spring
How to preserve chrysanthemums on the balcony in winter. Globular chrysanthemum: wintering
How to preserve spherical chrysanthemums in winter? The measures that should be taken for this depend on where the winter will take place. Flowers can be transplanted into a flowerpot and stored indoors until spring. They can also be left outside all winter. Both methods are used by flower growers.
When should you start preparing for winter?
Chrysanthemums bloom until late autumn, so it is important to determine when you need to prepare them for winter, and when you can still enjoy the beautiful flowers. To determine the time to prepare for winter, it is important to take into account the climate of a particular region. It all depends on the temperatures that set in late autumn and winter. In the south, as a rule, it becomes cold later than in the north or in the middle zone. That is why the beginning of preparing flowers for winter will be different everywhere.
You should think about wintering at a time when the leaves on chrysanthemums begin to fade and the flowers fall off. This is a sign that the plant has already faded and does not have the strength to bloom again. The spherical chrysanthemum is no exception. The wintering of this flower will go well; if you eat it after it has withered, immediately begin to prepare it for the cold weather.
It is worth noting that even in the absence of external signs, it is important to prepare the chrysanthemum for winter before the first severe frost.
General preparation for wintering
Regardless of what type of chrysanthemum you have and what wintering method you have chosen, it is necessary to take some preventive measures. They are common to everyone.
- First of all, inspect the plant. It should look healthy. It is those flower bushes that are not sick in any way and do not suffer from pests that can survive a long winter. Therefore, if you suddenly notice something suspicious, immediately start taking action. Depending on the disease, select a remedy. Apply a fungal preventative to the plant. If the chrysanthemum is completely healthy and intact, it will overwinter normally.
- The globular chrysanthemum suggests winter care. Be sure to fertilize it in advance. This measure also does not depend on whether the flower will overwinter in a pot or open ground. You will apply fertilizing at the beginning of winter. The chrysanthemum will have time to become saturated with useful substances before the onset of cold weather. For fertilizing, use potassium-phosphorus fertilizers. But nitrogen should be avoided, as they provoke intensive plant growth. This, firstly, interferes with flowering. And secondly, it depletes the plant. As a result, he has little strength left for the winter.
- Pruning is also mandatory. It is necessary to cut off the tops of the flowers by about 10-15 centimeters. Why do this? You remove the thinnest flower stems, which tend to rot in the winter. Even if this does not happen, they will draw juices from the plant and thereby prevent it from overwintering. At the same time, these parts of the flower do not play any special role.
Preparatory work before covering chrysanthemums
Chrysanthemums can be pruned after the foliage has turned brown.
They begin to prepare chrysanthemums for shelter in the second half of August. At this time, it is necessary to fertilize the plants with phosphorus-potassium fertilizers. This feeding promotes the maturation of the bark of chrysanthemum stems and thereby prepares for a successful wintering.
In mid-September, flowering bushes are treated with some kind of fungicide to protect against rot and fungal diseases. Any copper-containing preparations (Ordan, Polychom) can be used for treatment. The soil around the bush can be shed with Fundozol solution according to the instructions.
After the first fairly severe frost, the foliage and flowers on chrysanthemums turn brown. This serves as a signal to cut the stems to a height of 5 cm.
Preparing plants for wintering
Preparing plants for wintering begins differently in each region. In the Moscow region, such work begins at the end of August. In the southern regions, they begin to worry about covering heat-loving plants in early or mid-autumn. At this time, gardeners cut the stems, add fertilizer to the soil and begin winter shelter.
Fact! Some varieties of chrysanthemums must be dug up for the winter and stored in the basement or other cool place, while others can be left in the ground for the entire cold period.
At the end of the summer season, fertilizer should be applied to the bush. The recommended composition of the fertilizer is complex, containing a higher amount of phosphorus and a lower concentration of potassium. Such an agronomic operation will provide the plant’s root system with adequate nutrition and increase its cold resistance.
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Methods for covering chrysanthemums
There are several ways to cover chrysanthemums for the winter.
Shelter in the pit. This method is more relevant in harsh climates, but can also be used in the middle zone. Before the soil freezes, a trench is dug in a high and dry place to prevent flooding with melt water in the spring. The depth of the trench should be slightly below the freezing level of the soil. The bottom of the trench is lined with dry sawdust with a layer of 20-30 cm. Then pre-dug and trimmed chrysanthemum bushes are placed on it. The root system of chrysanthemums is sprinkled with a layer of sawdust up to 50 cm. The sawdust must be dry. We cover the top of the trench with boards, which also need to be covered with a good layer of sawdust. To prevent the sawdust from getting wet, spread plastic film on top. To prevent young growing shoots from being damaged by rodents, poisoned baits are placed in the trench.
Air-dry tunnel method of covering chrysanthemums
Air-dry tunnel method. It is used if several chrysanthemum bushes are planted in one row. Covering material is applied in two layers to plastic or metal arches. To prevent it from getting wet from late autumn rains or during a thaw, plastic film is placed on top. It is very important to open the ends of a tunnel shelter during thaws. When the thaw gives way to persistent frosts, the sides are closed again
Shelter in open ground. You can leave flowers to winter in the open ground, having previously insulated them for the winter. How to cover chrysanthemums for the winter in this case? As noted earlier, the main thing is not to rush, wait for stable negative air temperatures and light freezing of the soil. Many gardeners cover chrysanthemums with spruce branches, pine litter (needleweed), and fallen leaves. The disadvantage of these shelters is that they are moisture permeable. Frosts can be replaced by a thaw, snow by rain, and then moisture accumulates in the root zone of chrysanthemums, which can negatively affect the wintering of plants. In this case, it is better to use dry sawdust in a layer of 30 cm. Cover them on top with a piece of plastic film to keep them dry. To prevent the film from being blown away by the wind, we press it with something heavy.
Construction of shelters
It is necessary to begin installing the structure for air-dry shelter before the onset of stable frosts. We install metal arcs made of wire along the perimeter of the ridge, deepening them into the soil by 15-20 cm. You can use polypropylene pipes for the arcs. They can be bought in the store, they are used as tap water. The ends of the arcs are placed on wooden pegs or metal rods of suitable diameter.
To prevent the arcs from collapsing under the weight of snow like a house of cards, they are reinforced with “stiffening ribs.” To do this, attach wooden planks 2-3 cm thick to the arches with tape. The length of the planks is equal to the distance between the arches. It turns out like a mini greenhouse. The height of such a shelter should be equal to the approximate height of the snow cover. If the layer of snow is small, you can add it. We also prepare a trench for digging chrysanthemums in advance before the soil freezes. In the spring, it is advisable to shovel snow away from the burial site so that it does not flood with melt water.
Chrysanthemums overwinter best under a tunnel shelter
Features of wintering chrysanthemums in different regions
As strange as it may seem, in the conditions of Siberia, in the Urals, in Altai, chrysanthemum can winter even better than in the middle zone and in the Moscow region. This is explained by the fact that winter begins there immediately with heavy rainfall and the formation of sufficient snow cover, and is not accompanied by thaws. But there are often severe frosts with deep freezing of the soil, which can also lead to the death of chrysanthemums. Therefore, in these areas it is also necessary to properly cover them for the winter. The climatic conditions of Siberia, the Urals, and Altai are approximately the same. For successful wintering we use the following methods:
Methods of covering chrysanthemums for the winter depend on local climatic conditions.
- air-dry with additional filling of bushes with sawdust in a layer of 30-50 cm.
- storage in storage.
Preserving chrysanthemums in open ground is not advisable due to possible freezing.
The climatic conditions of the central zone and the Moscow region allow the following methods to be used:
- shelter in open ground under a layer of insulating material;
- use of air-dry shelter.
Perennial chrysanthemums in autumn: care and preparation for winter
Adding an article to a new collection
Autumn is the season of reign in the chrysanthemum garden. While most plants are already withered and preparing for winter, these flowers appear in all their glory. But right now you need to take care of them in order to enjoy their flowering next year.
Caring for a chrysanthemum does not require much effort, but everything must be done correctly and on time. The main task of the gardener during this period is to help the plant adapt to the sudden onset of cold weather, safely enter a state of rest and endure the winter painlessly.
Preparing the perennial for the upcoming wintering should begin in September (in the northern regions even earlier, and in the southern regions a little later, depending on the weather).
Tips from gardeners for covering chrysanthemums
Many gardeners have recently been replanting chrysanthemum bushes for the winter in greenhouses covered with cellular polycarbonate. After flowering, prune them and cover them with a good layer of sawdust. Some don’t fall asleep at all, which also gives a good result. But it’s better not to take risks and use additional cover. The only condition for a good winter in this case is that in the spring the greenhouse should not be flooded with melted groundwater. Sawdust is removed very carefully at the end of March - beginning of April, since the young shoots are already beginning to grow and it is important not to break them.
Some gardeners use a laminate backing, which they buy in hardware stores, to cover chrysanthemums. This material retains heat well and is impervious to moisture. Covering in this way also gives good results.
You can get acquainted with the options for covering chrysanthemums for the winter from the proposed video material. Enjoy watching!
