Timely planting of lilacs and proper care will give a good result.
Lilac is a shrub native to the Olive family. Today, there are more than a dozen of its varieties, the most common in Southeast Europe. Lilac varieties differ in color of flowers and differ in terms of care. It is very popular in Russia: people grow it on their plots, gardens and adjacent territories. Planting lilacs is a simple procedure. The main rule is a properly prepared soil, fed with special fertilizers.
Description of the bush
Today, one of the common types of lilacs that are used for planting is common lilac. Such a shrub has a luxurious look, enchants not only with beautiful flowers, but also with a pleasant smell. Lilacs are easy to plant, unpretentious to care for, and take root well in the open field.
Today, more than 10 varieties of lilac are known.
Landing place
The best place to plant lilacs is moist soil with neutral acidity. Lilac bushes love sunlight, so most of the time it should be under the sun.
In swamp areas, such a plant does not grow, a lot of water provokes rotting of the root system. If there is no other place for planting, it is recommended to plant lilacs on hills that are well lit by the sun. In the shade, the plant does not bloom well.
When to plant
Experienced summer residents recommend planting lilac bushes in late summer and early autumn. In this way, the seedlings will root well and most likely survive the winter well. The time for landing is chosen in the morning or in the evening. It is not recommended to plant a bush in the scorching sun, cloudy weather will be the best time. In order to plant lilacs, the soil should be prepared in advance.
Preparing lilacs for planting
To plant lilacs correctly, you need to prepare in advance. Dig deep holes 2-3 weeks before planting - a diameter of about 40 cm, a depth of 30-45 cm. In addition, it is important to properly prepare the soil for planting. Each hole is filled with a top layer of fertile soil, to which it is necessary to add rotted manure, peat and humus. Next, about 20 kg of organic feeding is added. If the soil is acidified, add 2 kg of lime. Sandy soils contain little magnesium; therefore, lime tuff is introduced into such soil in the form of dolomite flour. Also, mineral fertilizers are added to each well:
- superphosphate - 1 kg;
- phosphate rock - 0.3 kg;
- potassium sulfate - 100 g;
- wood ash - 800 g.
After mixing all the fertilizers, it is necessary to apply them to the soil so that the main part falls into the very bottom of the pit.
Planting lilacs
Having planted lilacs in the country, you can not only admire the enchanting beauty on your site, but also enjoy the pleasant aroma of its flowers. Planting can be done in spring or closer to autumn. Experienced summer residents recommend planting bushes in the fall.
Before starting the planting process, it is necessary to inspect the root system for damage. If the root of the plant is damaged, it is pruned with garden shears. After pruning, the root must be dipped in a mess of clay and manure.
If the holes are not prepared before planting the lilacs, then they are filled to the middle and compacted well. Next, a small slide is made from the ground where the root of the plant is placed. It is important to direct the root system in different directions. To avoid deepening the bush after the soil subsides, the root collar is placed 5 cm higher from the ground level. After sprinkling the root with a 5 cm layer of fertilized soil, the hole is covered with the remaining earth, carefully trampling it down with your feet. Compaction should be done with care so as not to damage the plant root. Around the bush, a roller is made of earth 10-20 cm high, forming a hole for good watering. One bush takes 20 liters of water. After the moisture is absorbed, a layer of dry soil is laid down and mulching with peat is carried out - 5 cm. Planting lilacs in the soil should be done according to all the rules, otherwise there will be no abundant flowering.
How to care
Lilac is not a whimsical plant, it does not require special care rules.
It is recommended to plant bushes in early spring or autumn. It is best to plant in September. The only important rule in caring for a plant is regular watering. This is especially true for young bushes. Adult plants are watered during dry periods.
Lilac pruning
In the spring, the bush requires cutting off dried branches, and those branches that grow inside the plant. Panicles that have already faded are also cut off, but very carefully, without damaging the shoots - soon new flowers will appear on them. Such bushes do not require special conditions for keeping, but regular watering and pruning are important rules.
If you cut the lilac in the fall, then the next year it may not bloom.
By mistake, shoots with formed buds can be cut, which can provoke poor flowering or no flowering at all.
Bush formation
To properly form a bush, you need to create a base. A lilac bush is formed from 3-4 stem branches. In the first year, branches that grow crooked must be removed.
The next year, only those shoots that grow inward are cut off. Thus, the crown of the plant is evenly overgrown without voids. After this is done, pruning the lilac is not recommended.
Top dressing
The plant needs feeding, but not all. You should be careful with nitrogen and organic fertilizers, otherwise the plant will not bloom and will not tolerate winter frosts well.
The best fertilizer for lilacs will be the introduction of complex dressings in the spring and potassium phosphate fertilizers after flowering. Loosening the soil is done with care, taking care not to damage the root of the plant.
Reproduction
Lilac bushes can be propagated in several ways:
- seeds;
- cuttings;
- root shoots;
- vaccination.
Seed propagation
Wild lilacs propagate by seed. It is recommended to sow them in autumn or spring. Before planting, the seed is hardened for two months at a temperature of 2 to 5 degrees. Such lilacs are planted in spring in March in boxes with well-steamed soil. The first shoots appear on the 10th day. When leaves form, the plants are transplanted into seedling boxes. Later, the seedlings dive. After picking, the bushes are planted in May - early June.
Before planting seeds, it is necessary to carry out a hardening procedure.
Propagation by cuttings
Lilacs of other varieties are propagated by cuttings closer to spring; grafting and removal methods are also used. Cuttings are carried out at the beginning of flowering. Such a stalk should have one node and two buds. A cut is made at the bottom, after stepping back 1 cm from the bud, the lower leaves are removed.
The planting material can be treated with a growth-promoting agent. The stalk is planted to a depth of 1 cm.
Reproduction by root shoots
The first shoots should be separated in early summer. Before starting propagation in this way, the soil should be well moistened. It is better to do the procedure on a cloudy day in order to avoid drying out the roots. The length of such roots should be no more than 5 cm. Wet peat or sand is placed on the bottom of a special box for picking. Seedlings are planted in boxes and sprayed from a spray bottle. Next, the boxes are sent to a cool place.
Graft
The inoculation is done by a dormant bud or cuttings. The plant can be cultivated in summer with a dormant bud, in spring - which has just begun to awaken. When budding for spring, cuttings should be prepared in February, and stored in the cold in small bundles wrapped in newspaper. The survival rate of such cuttings is 80%. They will endure the winter well, will not be susceptible to diseases.
The stock starts to be prepared from the middle of summer. To do this, the lateral high branches up to 15 cm are cut off from the plant and the shoots are removed.
It is worth taking into account: it is not recommended to cut the lilacs before budding, since the cut off places may not have time to heal.
The thickness of the root collar at the rootstock should vary from 0.5 to 1.5 cm. The bark of the plant should be well separated from the trunk. Therefore, a week before grafting the bush, it must be well watered.
On the day on which budding is planned, the stock is uncooked, and the place where the branch will be grafted is wiped with a wet cloth. Cuttings are prepared for budding as they mature. A good thickness of one cutting 3-5 mm, length about 30 cm.
Such cuttings are stored in the cold for 10 days with moist moss or sawdust.
From a mature shoot, 10 to 15 buds can be fully obtained. The best time for budding is mid-July.
Disease and insect control
Like any plant, lilacs are susceptible to diseases. Some of the most dangerous for this plant are the lilac moth and bacterial necrosis.
Lilac moth
The disease affects the green part of the bush - the leaves. At the beginning of the disease, they become covered with brown spots, and then curl and dry out. Such a bush is very similar to a burnt one. Unfortunately, the mining moth completely kills the plant, and the next year it no longer blooms.
Fighting moths is not difficult enough. For this, it is recommended to carry out preventive digging of soil around the bush. Cut and burn damaged shoots in time.
Bacterial necrosis
Most often found in August. The transmission of the disease occurs through water, poor-quality planting material or with the help of insect pests. Bacterial necrosis hibernates in the tissues of diseased branches, fallen leaves. The lilac affected by this disease has gray leaves and brown shoots. At the beginning of the disease, the green part of the plant and the upward shoots are affected, then the disease goes down.
To protect lilacs from such a disease, it is important to timely carry out prophylaxis against pests. Also, preventive measures include burning fallen leaves and diseased bush branches. If the bush is completely affected, it is recommended to dig it up and burn it, otherwise the disease will affect everything around.
Bacterial necrosis is a dangerous disease for lilacs. Do not neglect preventive measures.
Lilac transplant
Not many people know that a plant like lilac requires a transplant. During the period of active growth, the bush takes from the soil all the elements it needs. The process of absorbing substances into itself is quite active, even regardless of whether fertilizers were applied during planting.
It is recommended to transplant a lilac bush by the end of summer. Adult plants that have reached 2-3 years old should be transplanted.
Before the transplantation process, a pit is prepared. Preparation is carried out according to the same principle as for planting - the soil is fertilized with mineral fertilizing.
It is recommended to choose a place for transplantation that is sunny, non-wet.
Before transplanting, the bush is inspected for dry branches that must be removed. After inspection, the bush is placed in a deep hole.
The transplant site should be pre-fed with fertilizers and well-lit by the sun.
It is worth remembering: the root of the plant must be branched in different directions.
Transplanting a lilac bush promotes active growth and abundant flowering of the bush.
Lilac is a plant that is unpretentious to care for, but requires important maintenance rules. Proper plant care - will provide the gardener with beautiful bushes in an area with abundant flowering.