Planting and caring for poultry in open ground, description of species

Ornithogalum, also known as ornithogalum, blooms after the primroses and is a spectacular addition to the flower garden. It is a member of the Asparagus family and the subfamily of Hyacinth plants. Having become familiar with the rules for planting and caring for poultry plants in the open ground, every gardener can easily grow this attractive flower in their own area.

Botanical description of the bird's eye

Ornithogalum, or ornithogalum, is a bulbous perennial plant. In the wild, it is found in the Mediterranean, South Africa and Western Asia, where subtropical and temperate climates predominate.

Dark green, elongated, belt-shaped leaves appear before the flower stalks. At the top of the peduncles there are racemose or corymbose inflorescences of varying densities. Flowers with six petals are white or light yellow. A distinctive feature of the plant is a green stripe running along the outer surface of the perianth leaves. The fruit of the poultry plant has the shape of a capsule, inside of which there are black, flat, round-shaped seeds.

The poultry bush is small in height - usually from 30 to 85 centimeters. The round, oblong or ovoid bulbs of the plant reach from 2 to 5 centimeters in diameter. Their surface is densely covered with scales.

Varieties and varieties

More than ten varieties are cultivated. In some varieties, the bulbs and shoots are edible. Poisonous varieties containing alkaloids are also known. What types of poultry are the most popular?

Caudate

Poultry plant caudate has medicinal properties, although it is one of the poisonous plants. It has a large root part and a rounded bulb shape. The basal leaves are linear in shape and have a whitish vein in the middle. The average width of the leaves is 4 cm, and the length reaches a meter. The largest ones may sag slightly in the central part.On long peduncles there are racemose inflorescences with miniature white flowers. There are up to hundreds of flowers in one inflorescence. South Africa is considered to be the birthplace of this plant species.

Arabic, or Hawk's Milk

The Arabian poultry plant, known as Hawk's Milk, is native to the Mediterranean region. The variety has become widespread in Israel. The peduncle reaches 85 centimeters in height. The basal rosette contains linear leaf plates of a light green hue. It has a loose inflorescence consisting of white flowers with rounded petals. Attention to this variety is attracted by the unusual green ovaries, which darken over time and become almost black.

Arc-shaped

This species of poultry grass primarily grows in mountain forests, steppe slopes and forest edges. It is found in the territory of the Ciscaucasia, the northern part of Western Transcaucasia and the eastern part of Crimea. A plant with a tall peduncle, ovate bulb and light green foliage. The perianth has white leaves with a faint green stripe on the outside - sometimes it may be completely absent. After the peduncle ripens, the plants become arched and retarded.

Large

The plant reaches a height of 40 to 150 centimeters. The large poultry plant is characterized by long pedicels and loose, sparse racemes. There are thin green stripes on the outside of the white perianth leaves. Distributed in the Ciscaucasia and Transcaucasia. Prefers shady wooded areas.

Husson

Representatives of this species of poultry are small in size and reach a height of up to 15 centimeters. The corymbose inflorescences of the plant contain up to five flowers of a classic white color. It grows under natural conditions in the Crimea and the Caucasus.

Conditions for growth

To successfully grow poultry grass on your site, you need to determine what conditions are most favorable for it:

• During the period of vegetative growth, the plant needs organic feeding.
• During flowering, more moisture is required; during seed formation, the amount of watering should be reduced.
• Every 4-6 years you need to replant the plant crop.
• In winter, with abundant snow cover, the poultry bird does not need additional shelter. But if there is little or no snow, there is a need to mulch the soil and cover it with spruce branches.

Planting in open ground

Before planting a poultry plant in open ground, it is necessary to correctly determine the place and timing, as well as saturate the soil with nutritional components.

Place

The most favorable location for the birdwatcher will be a sunny or semi-shaded area near garden trees or shrubs. It is necessary to avoid places with stagnant water, which provokes rotting of the plant's rhizomes.

Site preparation and soil fertilization

A prerequisite for the soil is good water resistance and avoidance of waterlogging. Therefore, it is best to choose areas with sandy soil. Heavy soils with a high clay content are not suitable for growing ornithogalum.

To enrich it with nutritional components, it is first recommended to add a little organic fertilizer to the soil - for example, peat or leaf humus. To improve the outflow of moisture, drainage should be done at the bottom of the planting holes - crushed brick, small pebbles or crushed stone are suitable for this.

Timing and technology of planting a flower

The optimal period for planting poultry bulbs in open ground is August or September.

The planting technology is simple:

1. Several planting holes are dug in the garden plot with a depth of 6 to 10 centimeters, depending on the size of the bulbs used. The distance between the holes is up to 20 centimeters so that the plants develop freely.
2. Place one onion in each hole.
3. Sprinkle with light, loose soil and water.

How to care for a plant

Agricultural techniques are standard: irrigation, fertilizing, pruning, pest and disease control.

Regularity of watering

Ornithogalum should be watered regularly, but not overdo it. The plant needs a moderate amount of water. Excessive moisture causes root rot. The most active watering of the poultry plant is necessary during the growing season. Later, during flowering and the formation of seed pods, the number of water treatments should be reduced.

Fertilizers

The poultry plant's need for fertilizer depends on the quality and fertile properties of the soil in which it is planted. If the soil is rich in nutritional components, fertilizing is not required. Poor and depleted soil, on the contrary, needs autumn feeding. Simple fertilizers of organic origin are suitable for these purposes.

Transfer

As a result of prolonged growth in its original place, the poultry bulb begins to be overgrown with small daughter bulbs. The more of them, the more difficult it is for the bush to grow further - it weakens and loses its attractiveness.

The maximum lifespan for an ornithogalum in one place is six years. Therefore, it is recommended to replant it every 4-5 years. To do this, you need to carefully dig up the bush, separate the young bulbs that have appeared and plant them in a new place. The optimal period for this procedure is the end of August or the beginning of September.You can also replant in early spring.

Trimming

Every year, after the birdflower blooms, you need to trim off dried leaves, wilted inflorescences and other unattractive parts of the plant.

Getting ready for winter

Most of the poultry varieties cultivated in our latitudes are cold-resistant, so they overwinter without auxiliary shelter. In harsh climates, the area should be covered with fallen leaves or spruce branches.

Heat-loving plant species require special preparation. Before wintering, they should be dug up from the flowerbed, temporarily transplanted into flowerpots or other containers filled with a mixture of sand and peat, and with the onset of spring, planted again in their original places.

Diseases and pests: control and prevention

The poultry farmer is most susceptible to the following ailments:

• Gray rot. The disease is identified by a mold coating covering various parts of the plant. It is recommended to spray it with insecticides. For small lesions, you should carefully cut them out and sprinkle them with wood ash.
• Fusarium is a fungal disease that affects the roots of the plant. At the initial stage, fungicidal solutions can easily cope with this problem, but if the infection has reached a large scale, the plant should be destroyed.
• The onion mite causes the onion to shrink and cause spots to appear on it. In such cases, insecticidal treatment is carried out.

Reproduction methods

The poultry plant propagates by cuttings or sowing seeds. Each method has its own nuances.

Seeds

This is a long and labor-intensive method. First, the plant seeds must undergo a stratification procedure - for this they are placed in the refrigerator for 3-4 months. With the onset of spring, sow them in plastic containers or cups filled with light and loose soil.

After the appearance of 3-4 leaves, young seedlings must be hardened - taken out into the fresh air every day for 16-18 days, each time increasing the period of their stay on the street. It will be possible to start planting in the ground when the poultry seedlings can be in the open air for the whole day.

Cuttings

Cuttings from poultry plants allow you to grow young and strong specimens much faster. In this case, it is necessary to dig up a mature plant that has reached 5-7 years of age. Remove soil and dry under the sun. From the large parent bulb, separate the daughter bulbs, which have already formed their own roots. Plant them in a semi-shaded or sunny place.