We create a spring blooming flower bed by planting hyacinths in open ground
Hyacinths, which are planned to be planted and nurtured outdoors, can become the most spectacular garden decoration. A variety of bright colors of inflorescences allows you to create picturesque compositions. Hyacinths appear immediately after winter. On average, they begin to bloom at the end of April. Depending on the region, the dates may be earlier or later. First, green leaves appear, and then inflorescences of 20-30 buds rise from the middle. They can be regular or terry, and exude a rich aroma.
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How to choose a landing site
It is worth noting that such flowers do not like when tall trees and shrubs are located nearby. They can take a lot of moisture and nutrients from the soil. Despite the love of water, hyacinths are not suitable for places with high groundwater levels. Stagnation and dampness can damage the bulbs and cause disease. The soil should be loose and slightly alkaline.
The choice of bulbs for planting hyacinths in the ground
Suitable bulbs are selected for planting hyacinths in the ground. They can be of different sizes depending on the variety. It is necessary to examine them well:
- The bulbs should be firm at the time of planting. A suitable diameter is at least 4 cm. On top there should be scales, which indicate a fully formed kidney.
- The top of the onion should be free of mold and diaper rash.
- It is worth paying attention to the quality of the bulbs and the absence of mechanical damage.
- Bulbs with small root buds at the bottom are considered good.
If the bulbs meet all of these requirements, they will make good planting material and root successfully. Although it is preferable to plant this flower in the fall, sometimes hyacinth is planted outdoors in the spring.
It is better to treat the selected specimens with foundation or leave them in a solution of potassium permanganate for half an hour. This will prevent disease from occurring.
Planting hyacinths in open ground
It will be competent and expedient to plant hyacinth in open ground in the fall. In this case, the flowers will get stronger during the autumn and winter periods and will delight with their flowering in spring. Prepare the soil before planting bulbs. It is dug up a month before planting so that the earth is loose and at the same time settled and compacted. Fertilizers are applied to the soil in the form of humus or compost. Superphosphate and potassium salt can be added. The amount of fertilizer will depend on the nutritional value of the soil.
Hyacinths, planting and maintenance in the open field of which are planned to be done, must be located at a distance of 15-20 cm from each other. Their roots collect moisture precisely in such a radius and should not interfere with each other. Burst the bulbs 15 cm so that they do not freeze in winter. When planted in high beds, hyacinths will bloom faster, because they are better warmed up by the sun.
Particular attention should be paid to the timing of planting.Planting and caring for hyacinth in the open field in the Urals or in the middle lane is carried out in September. In the south, this can be done only in October, when the air temperature becomes 6-10 degrees. If you do not adhere to the deadlines and plant the bulbs earlier, they will have time to germinate before the onset of frost and freeze in winter. It is also not worth planting later, otherwise they will not take root until winter. It is better to shelter the landing sites from frost. For this is used mulch from peat, leaves or sawdust. In early spring, the shelter must be removed.
Hyacinth care
Caring for hyacinth in the open field is reduced primarily to watering, timely fertilizing and loosening the soil:
- After the first shoots appear, the first feeding is required. To do this, you need to add 30 grams of ammonium nitrate per 1 sq. m.
- The second time fertilization can be applied during the period when hyacinths begin to bloom. Potassium chloride is suitable for this and superphosphate.
- After the completion of flowering, flower beds with hyacinths, it is advisable to fertilize superphosphates at the rate of 40 grams per sq. m.
Any of the dressings must be applied between the plants, after which the fertilizer must be covered by 10 cm. The plantation is watered from above. It is not necessary to water the flowers during flowering. They have enough water from the soil. However, after the end of flowering and drying of the peduncles, you need to water them. Planting and caring for hyacinths in the open field is not difficult to carry out if you do everything on time.
Cleaning and storage of hyacinth bulbs
The hyacinth bulbs must be dug up after flowering. It is necessary to mark their locations in advance in order to find when the leaves droop. If the bulbs are not dug out for the summer, then the flowering in the next season will be less. However, in the southern regions, such as the Kuban, the North Caucasus and the south of the Black Sea, you can leave them in the ground.
The best time to harvest the bulbs is late June or early July.
Harvesting the bulbs makes it possible to inspect them and separate the babies for sending them to grow. Sick specimens must be destroyed, and healthy ones must be treated from diseases and pests. Dry the bulbs, peel leaves and roots.
The hyacinth bulbs are dried for 5 - 7 days. Temperature conditions of 20 degrees must be maintained. This is done in a dark and well-ventilated area. Then put the planting material into storage. This is one of the most crucial moments, because the process of inflorescence formation is taking place in the bulbs.
Store hyacinth bulbs in boxes. They are laid out in two layers. If there are few tubers, then you can put them in paper bags with labels in order to understand the varieties later.
Often, numerous babies appear in the bulbs during storage. In order not to break them off, you need to be careful when landing.
The planting depth of such bulbs should be halved. Once properly stored, hyacinths can be planted in the fall. In hot areas, this is done in spring.