Every self-respecting owner of even a small plot probably grows even the most unpretentious flowers. Vegetables are fine, but they do not please the heart with beauty, let it be fleeting, just as decorative plants do. True, the latter require at least a small care, and not only in spring or summer. Some plants need your care and fall before the onset of cold weather. So, we are talking about preparing irises for winter.
Preparation of iris for winter - top dressing in autumn
Irises are plants that respond well to fertilizer application. Moreover, if the necessary substances are absent during their growing, the flowering will gradually fade. Autumn is a great time to fertilize irises. And then for the next warm season of irises, fertilizing with fertilizers in autumn, will certainly blossom.
In autumn fertilizers with phosphorus and potassium are required . These elements are responsible for resistance to diseases and bud formation. An approximate variant is for every square meter of moistened earth where irises grow, scatter over 45-60 g of superphosphate and 25-30 g of potassium salt. After that, soil with fertilizers is recommended to loosen.
If there is no desire to tinker with these preparations, get a complex fertilizer for flowering plants. It must be diluted in water according to the instructions, then the means to water the irises.
The fertilizer is used in September. In regions with early autumn cold, fertilizer application is postponed to the end of August.
Irises, preparation for winter - pruning
A prerequisite in the preparation of plants for winter colds is pruning. By the way, it is obligatory. The need for pruning is explained by several factors. Firstly, over the summer, on the elongated leaves of the plant there are various spots and dry edges. If the above-ground part of the plant is left in this state, then a fungal disease that can reach the root system is possible. Well, this in turn is fraught with the death of iris.
That is why pruning irises - is not only giving aesthetic appearance to the bush, but also a preventive measure against the development of diseases, fungal and infectious.
If we talk about the time of pruning when preparing irises for winter, then it is best to conduct this procedure in early-mid-October. A later period is not recommended. The irises are cut with a secateur in a fan-shaped manner, so that excess moisture drains to the ground, and does not remain on the plant. Pruning occurs at an altitude of twelve to fifteen centimeters.
By the way, if we talk about the preparation for the winter of Siberian iris, then it does not need preventive pruning. Remove only dry or dead leaves and peduncles.
Preparation of iris for winter is a shelter
In southern regions, where the winter is usually mild, without strong frosts, there is no need for shelter. In areas with a harsher climate without shelter, the plant may die.
It happens that over the summer the layer of soil surrounding the rhizome becomes thinner. Thus, the roots remain practically open and vulnerable. That is why
In regions where snow falls early, in large volumes (a layer of up to 17-20 cm) and holds until the very spring, shelter may not be needed, especially for winter hardy varieties. Only young bushes cover.
After that, it is recommended to cover plants with any dry material that can be found in your own garden. Apply spruce paws, a box of boards. Such an option as straw or fallen leaves is better not to use, as they lead to a meltdown. And this is the way to the appearance of disease and rot.