When and how to plant hyacinths in open ground, rules of care and cultivation

Hyacinths are early spring flowers; planting and caring for them in the open ground requires compliance with certain rules. This bulbous crop is planted annually in the fall, before the onset of cold weather. Hyacinths bloom in April. In summer, the bulbs are removed from the ground and dried in a hot and dry room. In the fall, they are buried in the ground again, and this is repeated every season.

Features and characteristics of a bulbous flower

Hyacinth is a bulbous perennial crop from the Asparagus family. The most famous species are Litvinova, Transcaspian and eastern. They grow in Mediterranean countries and southern latitudes. Oriental hyacinth cultivated since the 15th century. More than a thousand different varieties have evolved from this species. Holland is considered the world center for bulbous plant cultivation. This country has ideal conditions for the development of hyacinth bulbs.

Hyacinth has an erect, thick stem, up to 14-35 centimeters high, and long, narrow leaves, pointed at the tip. At the top of the shoot, bell-shaped flowers (up to 36 pieces) are collected in a raceme inflorescence. The hyacinth inflorescence can be snow-white, blue, yellow, crimson, light blue, or lilac. Flowers can be double or simple. Leaves and stem emerge from the bulb. The bulb is perennial, dense, and consists of fleshy lower leaves.

Hyacinth blooms in early spring (about two weeks). Pollinated by insects. Instead of a flower, a fruit with seeds inside is formed. After flowering, the stem with leaves dries up, and a bud appears inside the old bulb, blooming in the spring. In addition to the inner bud, tiny babies appear near the bottom of the bulb and in the axils of the bulbous scales. Grown-up children can be separated and raised separately. True, they will bloom only after 3-4 years.

After flowering, the bulbs are dug up. Before autumn, they need to be thoroughly dried in a hot room. In October, the bulbs are buried again.The same bulb can throw out a new peduncle in the spring for as long as 10 years. True, it is recommended to constantly change the landing site.

Popular varieties of hyacinth

There is a huge variety of hyacinths. They differ, as a rule, in the color of the inflorescences and the shape of the flowers. All plants reproduce by bulbs.

When purchasing, it is recommended to look at the size of the bulbs. Adult bulbs can be 4-6 centimeters in diameter. In terry and yellow garden varieties they are even smaller.

Lilac and purple

In their natural form, hyacinth inflorescences have a lilac color with a purple tint and small, bell-shaped simple flowers. Thanks to the efforts of botanists, new varieties of these plants have appeared. For example, Manhattan - with dark purple double flowers; Menelik - in the inflorescence there can be up to 35 dark lilac flowers with a light border; Royal Novi - on one brush - up to 45 large double purple flowers.

Blue

The Peter Stevenson variety is the bluest hyacinth with a height of 25 centimeters. It has numerous, double, large, bell-shaped flowers.

General Kohler is a hyacinth with pale blue double flowers. In the middle of each petal there is a dark stripe, which gradually fades as it blooms. The flowers are large (up to 4.1 centimeters in diameter), with a sweetish aroma.

Pink

Anna Marie - up to 26 centimeters high. It has a loose inflorescence consisting of numerous pink star-shaped flowers.

Pink Pearl - the inflorescence is densely strewn with pink, star-shaped flowers with a dark line on the petals. This early-blooming variety has the appearance of a lush cone.

Yellow and orange

City of Haarlem is a straw-colored variety with large flowers. The height of the crop is up to 32 centimeters.

Orange Bowen is an apricot-colored hyacinth with drooping flowers on long stalks. The height of the crop is up to 20 centimeters.

Reds

Jan Bos - cylindrical in shape, lush inflorescence of raspberry color. The flowers are small (up to 3 centimeters) with a light center.

La Victoire is a lush hyacinth with a rich crimson inflorescence. One brush contains up to 55 flowers with a diameter of up to 2.9 centimeters.

What conditions are necessary for the growth and flowering of a crop?

Before planting the bulb, you need to find a suitable place for it. At the dacha, flowers are usually planted near a fence, near a house or in the middle of a lawn - in a flower bed. The main thing is to place hyacinths away from shrubs and trees so that they do not shade the crop and do not take nutrients from the flowers. To grow hyacinths, certain conditions must be created.

Illumination of the landing site

The culture prefers to grow in the sun or in a well-lit garden area. It is advisable to place the flower bed in a place protected from the winds. Hyacinths can be planted on a hill or mound so that when the snow or rain melts, water does not accumulate near the bulb, but drains.

Temperature

The bulbs “hatch” at a temperature of 5-10 degrees Celsius. They bloom in April-May, when the air warms up to 15-20 degrees. By the end of June, the inflorescences of hyacinths have time to bloom, and their leaves turn yellow. In July, the shoots are cut off and the bulbs are dug up. After digging, the natural process of forming a new inflorescence begins. To do this, the bulbs need to be provided with a heat of 25 degrees. It is advisable to maintain this temperature for 2 months. 1-2 weeks before planting, the bulbs can be moved outside.

In October, the bulbs are buried in the ground, where they will remain all winter (at sub-zero temperatures).In the spring, after the snow melts, hyacinths will sprout and bloom.

Humidity

The culture prefers moderately moist soils. In very waterlogged soil, the bulbs begin to rot. Groundwater can lie at a distance of at least 55 centimeters from the surface. Reduce soil moisture using drainage or high embankments-ridges.

Soil composition

The culture prefers loam or sandy loam soils with neutral acidity. Too clayey soil can be diluted with peat or sand. The soil should be permeable and moderately fertilized. It is not advisable to use manure that is too fresh. You can fertilize the soil with rotted humus 2 months before planting. Hyacinths do not like sour soil. To normalize acidity, add a little lime or ash to the soil. Optimal soil composition: garden (turf or leaf) soil, compost, peat, sand.

The subtleties of planting plants in open ground

After flowering, hyacinths are kept in a flower bed until July, then the bulbs are dug up and dried for 2-3 months, and in October they are planted in holes again. You can plant the plants in a flower bed in the spring.

Deadlines

The bulbs are planted at the end of September or at the very beginning of October. If you plant hyacinths a little earlier, they will begin to grow in the warmth, and then die in frost. When the bulbs are planted in November, they do not have time to take root before the soil freezes.

Spring

Hyacinth bulbs are planted in the spring only if for some reason it was not possible to plant them in the fall. They are pre-dried at a temperature of 25 degrees Celsius for two months, then kept in the refrigerator on the vegetable shelf for a whole week. When the snow melts and the soil warms up to 5-8 degrees Celsius, hyacinth bulbs are planted in a flower bed. Planting takes place in April.Pre-dig and fertilize the soil. Before planting, hyacinth bulbs must be irrigated with a fungicide to protect them from fungi.

Autumn

Bulbs are planted at the end of September or in October, that is, long before the onset of frost. It is recommended to plant hyacinths before November. Before frost, plantings are insulated. Peat and humus, dry leaves, sawdust or spruce branches are used as mulch. In the spring, as soon as the snow melts, the mulch is removed, because hyacinth sprouts “hatch” early.

Technology and bulb planting depth

The flowerbed is prepared in August. They dig up the earth, add a little humus (half a bucket per square meter). Too clayey soil is diluted with peat and sand, enriched with phosphorus, potassium and magnesium. Nitrogen supplements are applied in the spring, during fertilizing.

Hyacinths are planted in holes to a depth of 16-20 centimeters. There should be a distance of 16-25 centimeters to the neighboring flower. Small children bury shallowly. It is recommended to pour a little river sand into the bottom of the hole before planting. The bulb is immersed in the hole and pressed lightly. The top is again sprinkled with sand, and only then the hole is covered with earth. This method will protect the bulb from infections and rotting. After planting, the soil is irrigated with water, and a peg is inserted nearby for guidance.

Flower care

After planting, the crop must be properly cared for. The main thing is to prevent the soil from drying out too much and to fertilize it on time.

Watering

If it rarely rains, and the soil in the flowerbed is very dry, you can water the hyacinths. 7-10 liters of water are consumed per square meter of land. Flowers are watered once every 3-4 days. It is recommended to loosen the moist soil. After flowering, watering is continued for another 2 weeks, then stopped and the plant is allowed to dry out.

Feeding

Hyacinths are fed twice. The plants are fertilized for the first time in early spring, as soon as the first shoots appear. Ammonium nitrate is added to the ground. The second feeding is done before flowering. The soil is fertilized with superphosphate and potassium sulfate. Take one tablespoon of fertilizer per square meter of area. The fertilizer is scattered over the surface, lightly sprinkled with soil and irrigated with water.

Transfer

Hyacinths are often purchased in the spring at the time of flowering. A flowering plant is usually left undisturbed. True, if hyacinth is left in a cramped pot, then its bulb will not accumulate nutrients. It is advisable to transplant the flower into a flower bed. Before transplanting, the soil in the pot is moistened, and the plant, along with the earthen ball, is moved into the dug hole.

Hyacinth must be replanted very carefully so as not to damage the roots. It is better to carry out the procedure in May, when the air warms up to 15 degrees. In July, the dried stem needs to be cut off, and the bulb should be dug up and dried.

Diseases and pests: control and prevention

If hyacinths are not properly cared for—do not weed, do not fertilize, or plant flowers on soil that is too clayey or acidic—they may get sick. Most often, this bulbous crop is subject to fungal infections. The disease can be provoked by rainy weather and an overly humid environment.

Hyacinths will not get sick if they grow on fertile and moderately moist soil. Before planting, bulbs should be treated with a solution of potassium permanganate, a fungicide, or a preparation containing phosphorus as a preventative measure. Bulbs can become infected with bacterial rot. Treating the soil before planting with 5 percent formaldehyde or bleach helps prevent this infection.

Sometimes hyacinths lose their inflorescences. This is not a disease, but a physiological feature caused by strong root pressure. This phenomenon may be a consequence of improper care. The loss of inflorescences is caused by excess moisture in the soil, early planting of bulbs, and drying of planting material at insufficiently high temperatures.

Hyacinths are often attacked by insects. They suffer from aphids, mole crickets, flower flies, thrips, and onion mites. Spraying with insecticides (Aktara, Medvetoks, Fitoverm) saves from pests.

How to care for hyacinth after flowering

Some gardeners practice removing flowers from the peduncle while still in the stage of colored buds. The green arrow is left, and it continues to function as an additional sheet. This technique helps to increase the mass of the young bulb; it accumulates more nutrients for the formation of a peduncle for the next season. Mature plants are allowed to bloom naturally.

Trimming

Hyacinths are pruned after flowering, when the stem and leaves turn yellow and dry out. Then the bulbs are dug out of the ground. If you do not dig them up and dry them, the hyacinths will bloom much worse next spring. The bulbs are removed from the ground in early July. After which they are cleaned, washed, carefully examined, and sore spots are treated. The bulbs are dried, the grown children are separated, and sprayed with fungicide. Store in a warm room at a temperature of 22-25 degrees Celsius until autumn. In October, they are taken outside for 1-2 weeks and then buried in the ground.

Taking care in winter

Bulbs planted in autumn are covered with a thick layer of mulch before wintering. The surface is mulched with dry leaves, sawdust, peat with humus, and spruce branches.The thickness of the mulch should be 20 centimeters. In winter, snow is constantly added to the flowerbed where the bulbs are planted.

Methods for propagating hyacinth

Hyacinths can be propagated by bulbs and children. The seed method is used only by breeders. Flowers obtained from seeds do not repeat the varietal characteristics of their parents. Such plants bloom only after 5-7 years.

In practice, hyacinths are propagated by children. An adult bulb produces from 1 to 5 children every year. For some time they are not separated from the mother bulb. When the children grow up a little, they are broken off and raised separately for another three years.

Cutting the bottom is another method of propagation. The onion is dug up in the summer, dried, and then the bottom is cut out with a teaspoon. After 2 months, new bulbs appear on the cuts (up to 22-40 pieces). They will bloom only after 3-4 years.

Bulbs can be propagated by cutting the bottom. To do this, a cross-shaped incision is made at the very bottom. After 2 months, up to 15 babies will appear. Before they bloom, they are grown for two whole years.