Planting and caring for verbascum for lush and long flowering
Verbascum or mullein is an unpretentious and pretty perennial plant, the lush flowering of which becomes a luxurious decoration of any garden. Planting and caring for verbascum in compliance with the basic agrotechnical subtleties allows you to get fluffy spike-shaped inflorescences that delight with bright colors throughout the summer.
Verbascum - botanical description
The main features of the plant:
- The height of a herbaceous or semi-shrub plant, depending on the variety, can reach 55-190 cm in height.
- A rod-type root system that penetrates deeply into the soil.
- The leaves are pointed, large, oblong, often collected in a basal rosette. The leaf plates have a leathery surface and a rich green color.
- Stems are dense, thick and erect. The trunk is covered with small leaves arranged alternately.
- The hybrid mullein verbascum has spike-shaped inflorescences consisting of five-petal flowers. Other varieties (Olympic, Black, Scepter)
- After the end of flowering, seed pods are formed, which have a spherical or oblong shape.
The main feature of verbascum is its lush and long flowering, which lasts from early June to late August.
Depending on the variety, the bloom can be purple, lilac, lilac, pink, snow-white or yellow. The core of the flower is bright, contrasting with the basic tone of the petals.
Planting and caring for verbascum
Growing a mullein is not difficult, since it belongs to rather unpretentious plants. When planting and caring for verbascum, it is necessary to properly prepare the site and use high-quality seed material, since the plant is grown only from seeds.
Site and soil selection
Verbascum is a light-loving plant, so it is best grown in open, evenly lit areas. The mullein tolerates direct sunlight and drought well, does not need additional shading. When planted in the shade, the flowering period is significantly reduced.
The plant does not have special requirements for the quality and composition of the soil, but it is best to grow it in areas with air and water permeable, well-loosened soil with a neutral reaction. Clay and clay are not suitable for planting and caring for verbascum. loamy soil.
Site preparation
The optimal time for planting is the second half of April or early May, when the risk of return frosts has passed, and the soil has warmed up sufficiently. But even if the air temperature drops, mullein seeds tolerate short-term cold snaps well.
Dig up the plot 14 days before sowing verbascum and add peat to the soil and humus... Then clear the area of weeds that will inhibit the growth of young shoots.
Seed preparation
For the rapid growth of verbascum and its abundant flowering, it is very important to use only high-quality seed material.It is best to buy it in garden centers, specialized botanical nurseries, or pick it yourself from plants.
When growing verbascum from seeds, remember that this method is not suitable for hybrid varieties. They reproduce only vegetatively - by cuttings or dividing the bush.
Planting verbascum
To grow verbascum from seed, re-dig up the soil, then level and scatter the seed in a chaotic manner. Use a rake to lightly dig in the seeds to a depth of 1 cm. After the appearance of young shoots, thin out the beds with verbascum, leaving a distance of 20-30 cm between the bushes of plants.
Before choosing a place to grow, keep in mind that a mullein can grow in the same place for several years. This plant does not need to be transplanted, as this procedure can damage its root system and lead to death.
Verbascum care rules
Verbascum is an unpretentious plant, so it does not require careful maintenance. The sprawling root system of the mullein penetrates into the deep layers of the soil, absorbing the moisture and nutrients it needs.
Therefore, the plant needs watering only during prolonged dry weather. An excess amount of moisture will negatively affect the verbascum root system, cause it to rot and die of the flower. After each watering, it is necessary to loosen the soil and remove weeds, as they impair the growth and flowering of the plant.
Verbascum does not need additional fertilizers, "extracting" the nutrients it needs from the soil. If the plant is weakened, before flowering it can be fed with complex mineral compounds containing phosphorus and calcium.
The flower is cold-resistant and does not need additional shelter in the winter season. The only exception is young verbascum sprouts propagated by green cuttings.
Vegetative breeding methods for verbascum
Rare hybrid varieties of verbascum reproduce only vegetatively - by cuttings or dividing the bush. One of the most common methods is root cuttings, which are best done in October.
Procedure:
- cut a few cuttings from the rhizome - their length should be at least 8 cm;
- the cut of the cuttings should be flat on top and slightly at an angle from below;
- prepare a nutritious substrate by mixing peat with sand and garden soil in a 1: 1: 2 ratio;
- place the cuttings in a container with the prepared substrate - it should protrude 2 cm above the soil surface.
Place the container with the cuttings in a cool room before spring, and after the soil has warmed up enough, they can be transplanted into open beds.
Green cuttings
For green cuttings, last year's verbascum shoots are used, which are placed in small plastic cups or containers with loose and nutritious soil. For better rooting, green cuttings can be pre-placed in a solution with any growth stimulator.
Leave containers with cuttings in a room with good, bright lighting and high levels of humidity. It is very important to water the plants regularly as the soil dries, and also to ventilate them daily.
In the second half of July or August, rooted cuttings can be transplanted to an open area. After that, the beds are hilled and mulched. For this purpose, it is best to use dry leaves, covered with a layer 10-15 cm thick. Such a shelter remains on the beds until spring, after which it can be removed.
Verbascum is a pretty and unpretentious plant with a minimum of care requirements and high resistance to negative weather conditions.Subject to a few simple agrotechnical rules for growing, verbascum will become a luxurious decoration of any garden, and its lush and bright flowering will last all summer.