Liatris is a very unusual plant with dense spicate inflorescences. They, like newcomers from another world, incredibly decorate our personal plots and create a special mood.
Flowering begins at the top and gradually goes lower. Numerous florets open as if by magic and the spikelets become lush and bright. Rise of Liatrice can be in any latitudes, but in order to successfully breed them on their sites, it is necessary to know about all the rules of growing and keeping Liatrice.
When and how to plant Liatrice?
This plant can be planted with seeds and rhizomes. There is no special trouble with the germination of the Liatris seeds. The plant is rather unpretentious. Seed can be sown in early spring or late autumn immediately into the open ground.
Since the Liatrice is undemanding to the level of illumination, it is possible to choose both a sunny and a shaded place. The main thing is that the soil is dry with a deep water table.
The soil must be loose, with good drainage. It is preferable to prepare light soil with a neutral acidity level or slightly acidic. If the soil is heavy and wet, the litters will simply rot.
You can plant flowers with rhizomes - nodules. The division of tubers does not harm the plant, full grown adult plants develop that blossom in the first year.
The roots from the autumn after the withering away of greenery should be digged, cleared from the ground, dried and sorted. Those tubers that have a size of up to 2 cm are left to grow, and larger ones can be planted for early flowering.
Rhizomes are planted in holes to a depth of 10 cm in fertilized soil. The distance between them should be 30-40 cm.
Regardless of the method of planting, every 3-4 years, a lithiatric transplant is necessary, for which in autumn the roots are excavated and planted.
Caring for lias
After landing in the open ground, Liatris requires proper care. It consists in proper watering, top dressing, regular weeding, removal of wilted and dry inflorescences.
Watering is necessary if necessary, they do not need to be poured, since the plant tolerates the dryness of the soil well. Stagnant moisture plants do not tolerate at all. The flowers are enough for rainwater, if there are precipitation once a week. When the summer is dry, you can additionally moisten the flowers, but not too abundantly.
To flowers had a beautiful saturated color, they need to mulch and rake the ground to the tubers, as we do in the case of potatoes. But loosening the soil is not necessary, because loosening breaks the nodules and damages the plant as a whole. Mulching replaces loosening, for this use a layer of fertile soil or organic fertilizers .
Every spring, you need to feed Liatris with nitrogen fertilizers, and in summer add phosphoric-potassium top dressing. In autumn, to prepare the plant for wintering, they are fertilized again with nitrogen fertilizers and the rhizomes are covered with a 10-centimeter layer of compost.
If you see that the liatrice has clarified the green mass, this indicates a lack of nitrogen.
So, the main requirements for the care of Liatrice are:
- infrequent irrigation;
- mulching and raking;
- weeding;
- removal of dry inflorescences and leaves;
- seating every three years;
- preparation for winter;
- the device of the drainage system;
- summer fertilizing with phosphorus-potassium fertilizers.
To the external climate, flowers are absolutely unpretentious. With the proper organization of care for the plant, the Liatris will blossom abundantly, and in your landscape design many bright colors will be added. Enjoy the flowering you will throughout the whole summer season.