Planting, growing and caring for freesia in open ground

Freesia is a spectacular corm plant. She is quite whimsical, so she is rarely seen in garden plots. To grow an ornamental bush, you need to know how to properly plant and care for freesia in the open ground. It can be grown not only in the garden, but also on a balcony or loggia - as a potted plant.

Description and characteristics of freesia

Freesia is a corm plant with oblong, narrow leaves and a branched inflorescence consisting of 3-6 flowers. The plant is described as follows:

• the height of the bush varies, depending on the variety, from 20 to 70 centimeters;
• leaves, on average, are 15-20 centimeters long;
• narrow funnel-shaped inflorescences reach a length of 3-5 centimeters.

The bulb is planted in open ground in the spring and dug up when autumn comes. Freesia blooms from the second ten days of August until the onset of cold weather. The inflorescences have a varied palette, thinning out the light aroma of citruses. The flower is used as a decoration for flower beds, as a cut plant, and is also grown as a mix in pots, being planted several in one container.

Types and varieties of plants

The flower belongs to the genus of corms of the iris family, and has 16 species. 3 types of freesia are adapted for growing in the garden and in containers:

• broken;
• hybrid;
• Armstrong.

The height of the plants varies, as does the color of the petals. It comes in blue, pink, red, yellow, white, purple. The most popular varieties are:

1. Broken freesia variety Alba. Her bush reaches 40 centimeters, the flowers are large and have a white color.
2. Hybrid freesia variety Red Lion. Tall (up to 1 meter) bushes are decorated with bright scarlet inflorescences with double, large petals.
3. Freesia hybrid Vinita gold. This is a plant with yellow-orange inflorescences. The hybrid variety is tall.
4. Freesia Armstrong variety Cardinal. The plant with a red inflorescence received its name from its association with the color of the mantle of Cardinal Richelieu.
5. Freesia hybrid Double mix.The bushes are low, up to 30 centimeters. Double is suitable for growing in a pot.

Note! Tall freesia varieties need support.

The nuances of growing freesia in open ground

When growing freesia in a greenhouse, you can plant the bulbs at any time. They are planted in open ground when spring comes and the danger of frost returns disappears.

Selecting a planting site and preparing the soil

Freesia blooms with 12-14 hours of daylight. But the place where the bushes will grow is selected with slight shading and protection from drafts. The soil should be light and fertile. Heavy soil is diluted with peat, sand and humus. Soil preparation is carried out 2 weeks before planting.

Bulb selection

The bulbs that have undergone special storage are ready for planting. Small tubers will not bloom; they need to be planted separately to grow the bulb. The planting material must be healthy, without any stains on it. If there is slight rotting, but it is a pity to throw away the bulb, the affected parts need to be cut out and the sections treated with an antifungal drug.

Warming up

Freesia comes from the tropics, so it needs to create a natural aura. The corms are placed in a bag, which is kept in a warm room. When the root embryos begin to appear, the temperature is reduced.

Treatment

Before planting, the tubers are soaked in a disinfectant solution. To do this, use potassium permanganate or other, more aggressive, chemicals. Planting material is placed in a disinfectant for 30-60 minutes, then washed and dried. The bottom of the bulbs can be treated with a growth stimulator (Epin, Kornevin) for rapid root formation.

Forcing

In order for the corms to take root faster in open ground, they must first be planted in a box or in individual containers. You can plant them in peat pots, then when transplanting them to the site, the roots will not be injured, and the plants will quickly adapt to the open area. Containers with seedlings are placed in a bright room, and the seedlings are watered as needed.

Landing

The bulbs need to be planted in prepared, loose soil. The planting depth depends on the structure of the soil: the denser and heavier it is, the closer to the surface the tubers are planted. The depth range for their planting is from 6 to 15 centimeters, the distance between bushes is 3-6 centimeters. Then the bed with the plants is watered and sprinkled with mulching material to retain moisture in the soil.

Features of growing at home

In indoor conditions, the flower is planted in late winter or early spring. A month before planting, the bulbs begin to be prepared. To do this, they are transferred from a warm room to a cooler one, where the air temperature is about 13 ° C. Then you need to follow these steps:

1. Choose a pot that must have drainage holes.
2. Place expanded clay, small pebbles or broken shards on the bottom.
3. Sprinkle the substrate for bulbous plants on top or prepare it yourself - from turf and leaf soil, humus, peat.
4. Plant several plants in a pot (you can use a variety of colors).
5. Place the container in a cool place.
6. When the sprouts appear, move the pot to a warm, bright room and water the seedlings for the first time.

Light must reach the freesia within 14 hours, therefore, if there is insufficient lighting, you need to create an additional source.In the future, you need to care for the plants: water, feed, remove dust from the leaves with a soft cloth. After flowering, the inflorescences are cut off, otherwise they will grow seeds, taking away the strength of the bulb.

Additional Information. Growing a flower by a certain date is called forcing. For example, if you need to get flowering bushes in March, start growing in early November.

Further care of the plant

In order for freesia to grow decoratively and also to grow seed material, it needs constant home care throughout the season.

Organization of watering

Freesia needs abundant watering throughout the period of active growth and flowering. The soil should be kept moist, but not wet all the time. After the plant has flowered, watering is reduced and then stopped altogether. The soil is moistened in the evening, but on the condition that the above-ground part must have time to dry before dark.

Loosening and weeding

After watering, a crust forms, preventing air from reaching the roots of the plant. To break it up, you need to loosen the soil after each moistening. Loosening and weeding help retain moisture around the root system and also prevent the growth of weeds. The procedure is especially important at the beginning of the vegetative development of freesia.

Fertilizer application

In order for the green part of the plantings to grow healthy and the flowers to be bright and spectacular, it is necessary to fertilize regularly. As soon as the sprouts hatch, the soil is spilled with a fertilizer solution of the following composition:

• 20 grams of ammonium nitrate;
• 10 liters of water.

The next feeding is done after 15 days. For this, a mixture of the following components is used:

• 40 grams of superphosphate;
• 20 grams of potassium salt;
• 10 liters of water.

Before watering the soil with fertilizers, it must be moistened with plain water.

Trimming

After the freesia has faded, the leaves and stems are not immediately removed. Through them photosynthesis occurs, which helps strengthen the bulb. Cut the leaves only after they are completely dry. Use disinfected instruments for this.

Preparing for winter

When the ground part is completely dry, begin digging up the bulbs. The soil, old scales and roots are removed from them, after which they are dipped in a weak solution of potassium permanganate. Disinfected bulbs are dried in a warm, ventilated place, then sorted. The cut and rotten seed material is thrown away, the rest is stored.

Treatment and prevention of diseases

When planting freesia in contaminated soil, as well as with improper care, the plants are affected by pathogens. To avoid this, you need to follow these recommendations:

• before planting, dip the bulbs in a weak solution of potassium permanganate for 30 minutes;
• water the plants with warm water no later than 5 pm;
• do not allow water to stagnate in the soil;
• maintain a distance between the bushes so that they can be ventilated;
• Before storing the bulbs, keep them in a solution of an antifungal drug or potassium permanganate.

Freesia infected with fungus must be dug out of the flower garden and burned.

Do you need pest control?

Freesia can be favored by pests such as spider mites, aphids, and thrips. When bushes are damaged by harmful insects, the leaves curl and specks appear on them. The decorative effect of the plants is lost, so they need to be sprayed.Various insecticides are used for this: they will help keep the bushes healthy.

Reproduction methods

Freesia propagation occurs by seeds and bulbs. To grow it from seeds, you need to follow these steps:

1. Soak the seed for 8-10 hours in water.
2. Place drainage at the bottom of the planting box and a substrate for bulbous plants on top.
3. Place the seeds, which are covered with a layer of soil no more than 1 centimeter.
4. Cover the top of the box with plastic film or glass to create greenhouse conditions.

The mini-greenhouse needs to be ventilated every day and, if necessary, moisten the soil with water from a spray bottle. Soon the first shoots will appear, after which the seedlings are transplanted into a larger container.

As the adult bulb grows, it begins to form children around itself, which are separated from it and sent to grow in a bowl or on a plot. They are cared for in the same way as for adult bulbs. They will begin to bloom only next season.

Advice! In order for the seeds to germinate faster, the box with seedlings must be covered with film.

Storing freesia bulbs

You can store the bulbs until spring by placing them in dry peat or in hanging nets. In the room where seed material is wintered, the air should warm up to 20 ° C with a humidity of 70-80%. If it is too dry, then place a container of water in front of the nets with the bulbs. Throughout the winter, they need to be inspected and rotten ones removed, otherwise they can infect all the seed material.