Lavender is a heat-loving plant. Despite this, residents of Central Russia love the flowering fragrant plant. Planted along paths, decorated with flower beds and flower beds. In the Moscow region, special attention is paid to preparing lavender for winter. Local gardeners are divided on fall pruning. Based on experience, some prune the lavender, while others leave the bush unpruned over the winter.
Suitable lavender varieties for a given region
Lavender has up to 45 species. Only some varieties are cultivated.Winter-hardy varieties of lavender are suitable for the Moscow region: Elegance, Lilac Fog, Narrow-leaved.
Autumn pruning
An important and responsible moment is autumn pruning. The procedure helps preserve the decorative appearance of the bush and prepares the plant for wintering. Lavender has a taproot that goes deep into the soil. Therefore, many varieties can withstand frost. Spring temperature changes are terrible for the plant. The snow thaws and freezes again, creating a dense ice crust. The access of oxygen is limited, the bushes die.
They form bushes in the second year of life.
Work algorithm:
- Sharp garden shears or pruning shears are treated with alcohol. This is important, otherwise the instrument will become infected.
- They inspect the bush and, first of all, free it from diseased, dry, broken branches.
- Lavender stems are woody at the bottom and green at the top. Pruning is carried out 3 centimeters above the lignified part. Completely lignified shoots are not touched.
- The procedure is carried out after re-flowering. If the plant has not had time to bloom, young shoots are not pruned.
- The second case: they were late with pruning before the onset of cold weather. Plants may not have time to prepare for winter. Therefore, the shoots are not touched until spring. They are tied, bent to the ground, covered with spruce branches.
In the Moscow region, the onset of autumn cold may be delayed or come unexpectedly. All actions are associated with climatic conditions in a particular season.
Time and method
During the growing season, lavender needs pruning.
Spring
In early spring, remove the cover from the lavender. Carry out sanitary pruning. Remove frozen, rotten, dried shoots.If, for some reason, the formation of a bush was not carried out in the fall, this is corrected in the spring, according to the same principle as in the fall.
Summer
The first flowering ends in mid-August. To improve decorativeness and stimulate the growth of new shoots, remove wilted inflorescences with a pair of leaves.
Autumn
The second flowering ends in early October. Gardeners immediately begin preparations for wintering so that the plant has time to adapt before the onset of cold weather.
Anti-aging pruning of old specimens is also carried out in the autumn. In the first year, the outer contour of the bushes is cut off, the central shoots are left. After a year, the outer branches are left, the central branches are removed 10-15 centimeters from the base.
Do I need to feed the plant after this?
In order for the plant to overwinter well, pruning, fertilizing, and covering are carried out in the fall. The bush is watered abundantly. As soon as the water is absorbed into the soil, the soil is loosened.
For feeding, buy mineral complex fertilizers at the flower shop. Add 2 tablespoons of the drug to a bucket of water. The solution is poured around the perimeter of the bush.
How to cover lavender for the winter in the Moscow region
The tree trunk circle is mulched with peat and straw. You should not use fallen leaves, as they provoke rotting processes. The ground part is covered with spruce branches and tied with a rope so that gusts of wind do not blow away the spruce branches.
Particular attention is paid to young plants that have not formed long roots. Covering with spruce branches and mulching for them is a prerequisite for wintering.
Lavender planted in containers for the winter should not be left outside. Plants are transferred to unheated rooms.
Typical care mistakes
Typical mistakes encountered in the process of growing lavender:
- They trim the shoots to the roots, considering that this is a herbaceous plant, and the same methods are chosen. Only green shoots are trimmed.
- Lavender is poured. Due to excess moisture, the root rots and the bush dies.
- Choose an airtight covering material, for example, polyethylene. The ground part becomes warm, which leads to fungal infections.
- Inexperienced gardeners, without waiting for the lavender to grow, pull it out. This is a type of plant with late awakening. There is no point in getting rid of bushes ahead of time.
- Wrong soil. The flower loves breathable soil with an acidic reaction.
If the bush is not pruned in the fall, then it is tied up. Snow will not be able to get into the central part of the flowers and thereby damage them by freezing. The plant in a bunch will warm up better.
