Content
Planting and caring for a weigela in the open field should be carried out correctly so that this shrub feels good in gardens in Russia. It is not so difficult to create optimal conditions for the weigela if you know what this eastern visitor is used to.
Features of growing weigela
The choice of a suitable place, adherence to the planting rules and conscientious care of the weigel will respond with picturesque flowering, which is confirmed by numerous photos taken by amateur gardeners.
What weigela likes and dislikes
Weigela prefers open, well-warmed sunny areas, sheltered from cold winds. These characteristics of the site for planting weigels must be taken into account first of all, because in the future it will be impossible to influence them. The quality of the soil is also of great importance for weigela: it should be light, water and air permeable, fertile. The primer is suitable for slightly alkaline or neutral. Shrubs should not be planted in lowlands or in places where groundwater is too close to the surface, since the delicate root system of the plant does not tolerate excessive moisture.
How to preserve weigela seedlings before planting in the ground
If weigela seedlings are bought in winter, then before planting in open ground, you need to create certain conditions for them. To prevent plants from growing ahead of time, they are stored in a cool place without access to light. There are several ways to preserve seedlings until spring:
- Cuttings can be dug in on the site by laying them on the ground under a slope and sprinkling the root system and crown with earth.
- Wrap the seedlings in a thin plastic wrap, make holes in it for air access, wrap with newspaper, fix the bundles with rubber bands, put them in plastic boxes and put them in a cool place, for example, on a glassed-in balcony or in a cold cellar.
- Store the cuttings on the bottom shelf in the refrigerator.
- If the seedlings are large, place them in containers with moistened sand.
What can be planted next to the weigela
Abundantly blooming weigela looks great in solitary plantings, but it can be successfully combined with other beautifully flowering shrubs or flowers. Plants in such compositions should be selected taking into account the timing and duration of flowering, size, growing conditions and care features. Weigela looks picturesque even in the period between flowering, so other flowering crops will look good against the background of her foliage. Weigela looks picturesque in single plantings against the backdrop of large trees or on lawns. The combination of weigela with conifers, for example, with juniper, cypress or larch, looks very impressive. Combine it with barberry, rhododendron, yew, lilac, various herbaceous plants. In hedges, weigelu will be complemented by a mock-orange, colquicia, deytsiya, bean.You can plant it under tall trees - this technique is often used by landscape designers to create multi-level compositions from plants of different heights. It should be noted that excessive shading is bad for the flowering of the weigela.
Where and how to plant weigela
The most important thing when growing weigela is to choose a place that is suitable in terms of illumination and protection from drafts and observe the terms and rules of planting and care. Weigela will respond to an unfavorable location or a gross violation of agricultural technology with poor flowering or its complete cessation.
When to plant weigela in the ground: in spring or autumn
In order for the thermophilic weigela to take root and gain strength before the onset of winter cold weather, it must be planted in the ground in the spring (in March-April). By this time, the ground is already warming up enough, and the seedling has not yet started to grow. If a cutting with a closed root system is purchased, you can plant it in a permanent place until June, the main thing is to try to catch it before the extreme heat.
Choosing the right place
Considering the natural needs of the weigela, it is best to choose a place for planting it in elevated areas, the flooding of which is excluded. The place for it should be well lit and protected from strong cold winds that can damage the flowering. It is allowed to plant this shrub in the shade of tall trees with a loose crown, but it should be borne in mind that with insufficient illumination, the weigela will not bloom so abundantly and brightly.
What kind of soil does Weigela like
Weigela will grow well in slightly alkaline or neutral light and fertile soils. Loam is best suited for it. Weigela Middendorf feels comfortable in slightly acidic peat soils. The main thing for the root system of this plant is the water and air permeability of the substrate.
How to plant weigela
For planting, seedlings at the age of three are best suited, because the younger the weigel, the better it takes root. Cuttings are planted in open ground in several stages:
- A nutritious soil mixture is prepared from turf, humus and sand or from fertile soil mixed with compost. For each seedling, add 100–130 g of nitrophoska to the mixture.
- They dig planting holes about 0.5 m long and wide and 20 cm deep more than the height of the seedling earthen clod. The denser the soil, the larger the pit should be, sometimes its depth can reach 1 m.
- Drainage is poured onto the bottom - broken brick or gravel sprinkled with sand, the layer should be about 15 cm.
- The stalk is taken out of the container and the roots are carefully examined, the rotten areas are cut off, the plant is carefully placed in the center of the pit.
- A seedling with an open root system is treated with a root formation stimulator before planting. At the bottom of the pit, the prepared nutrient mixture is poured and the roots of the plant are carefully distributed.
- The plant is buried so that the root collar is not too deep.
- The soil is tamped so that there is no air left between the roots, watered and poured with a nutritious soil mixture.
- The seedling is mulched with manure, sawdust or peat.
- Young plants shade from direct sunlight for several days after planting.
Weigela of large varieties is recommended to be planted so that the distance between the bushes is at least 150 cm.For varieties of medium height, 80 cm is enough.When trench planting, plants can be placed every 50 cm.
How to transplant a weigela to another place
If there is a need to transplant a weigela, it is necessary to act very carefully and with great care, since an adult plant does not take root well in a new place. The transplant is justified if the initial location was chosen incorrectly and there is no way to improve the situation in less radical ways.
When is it better to transplant weigela
Just as in the case of planting cuttings in open ground, it is recommended to transplant an adult plant in April, when the soil has already thawed, and the growing season has not yet begun. Transplanting weigela in the fall is extremely undesirable, since in this case its fragile root system will not have time to adapt to a new place before the onset of winter cold weather.
Site selection and soil preparation for weigela
A place for transplanting weigels is chosen according to the same criteria as for planting new plants:
- plenty of sunlight and protection from cold winds;
- lack of stagnation of moisture in the soil;
- light fertile soil.
The site for the weigelu is prepared in the fall. The plant prefers slightly alkaline soil, therefore, if the soil is acidic, it is lime. Weigela Middendorf feels good in a weakly acidic substrate; if necessary, the land for it is enriched with peat. Sandy loam, which loses moisture too quickly, are mixed with clay and peat.
If it is not possible to avoid planting shrubs on heavy soils prone to waterlogging, sand, brick chips, fine gravel are added to them, sometimes drainage systems are built.
The substrate is fertilized with compost or manure, as well as complex mineral dressings. All components that need to be added to the soil are mixed, scattered over the site and dug onto the bayonet of the shovel.
If the site is too low, small embankments are made, which will be easy to arrange into an alpine slide.
In the spring, about 14 days before planting, pits are prepared.
How to transplant weigela in the spring
The technologies for transplanting an adult plant and planting a seedling in open ground practically do not differ: they also prepare a nutritious soil mixture, dig and drain planting holes, bury, water and mulch the newly planted plant.
A bush transplant has the following distinctive features:
- In the spring, the bush is very carefully dug in around the perimeter, trying not to damage the root system, and pulled out along with an earthen lump.
- The bush is placed in a hole in such a way that its root collar is at the same level as in the previous place.
- Immediately after transplanting, all damaged, dry and old branches are cut off.
Further caring for a bush that has transferred planting to a new place also does not differ from caring for other weigela plants with the only difference that such a plant must be prepared especially carefully for winter.
How to care for a weigela
With proper planting of weigela, caring for it will not be too laborious, and from the age of 3, a young shrub will delight you with numerous delicate flowers twice a year.
The main care for this type of plant is watering, feeding, pruning, loosening and preventing diseases and pests. Of particular importance in the climate of the middle zone is the preparation of the weigela for winter - mulching the trunk circle and the construction of a winter shelter.
Watering schedule
This shrub does not need a lot of moisture and does not tolerate stagnant water at the roots. Abundant watering is needed only 1 time per season, in early spring, immediately after the opening of the weigela. If after wintering the plant looks dry and lifeless, moderate watering is still carried out, since in most cases the plant is recovering and can bloom already in the same season.
In summer, in hot weather, plantings are watered once every 7 days; on ordinary days, it is enough to moisten the soil no more than twice a month. If the shrub is mulched, you can water it even less often.
If a dry autumn is established, moderate watering continues throughout the season, up to the first frost. Pre-winter watering not only nourishes the root system, but also prepares it for winter.
How to feed weigela in spring and summer
If the place for the weigela is prepared properly and all the necessary fertilizers have been applied, the weigela can not be fed for two years after planting.Further, the plant needs additional fertilizing that stimulates vegetation. Weigela care in early spring begins even before the snow completely melts. Then the first feeding is done: urea, potassium salt, superphosphate are scattered around the bushes. With melt water, the nutrient components of fertilizers go directly to the root system of plants.
In order for the weigela to bloom profusely, and the young shoots to strengthen by the winter, it is recommended to carry out a second feeding at the end of spring, when buds are formed on the plant. At this time, 2 tbsp is introduced under each bush. l. superphosphate.
In between these basic dressings, it is useful to apply natural fertilizers: mullein, wood ash, humus, compost.
If desired, you can spray the crown with special solutions for foliar dressing, which are sold in specialized stores or garden centers. It is enough to carry out such feeding 2-3 times per season.
Pruning
Weigela needs a sanitary, shaping and rejuvenating pruning. Damaged shoots are removed in early spring; in the middle of summer, after the completion of the first flowering, they form a crown and cut off the inflorescences. Autumn pruning of weigel is not carried out so as not to damage the shoots on which flower buds are formed.
Pests and diseases
With good care, weigela rarely gets sick, but insect pests can be dangerous. Most often it is infested with aphids, caterpillars, thrips and spider mites. Extreme heat and low humidity increase the risk of infestations by these insects. To combat them, toxic drugs are used, for example, Keltan, Nitrafen or Rogor. To completely get rid of insects, it is enough to twice treat infected bushes with one of these insecticides. More environmentally friendly means are water infusions of wormwood, hot pepper, garlic or potato tops.
Sometimes the roots of the bush infect the larvae of the beetle or bear. Their presence can be suspected by the yellowing and wilting of the leaves soon after planting the seedling. Solutions of Aktara or Karbofos will help get rid of these pests.
If the plantings of weigela have suffered from bacterial or fungal diseases, such as gray rot, rust or spotting, they should be treated with Bordeaux liquid.
For prophylaxis, during the opening of the leaves, the shrub should be sprayed with 3% Topsin's solution.
Conclusion
Planting and caring for a weigela in the open field is not difficult. The shrub is an unpretentious species and requires no more attention than most flowering crops. Caring for this plant is aimed at improving flowering; its decorative qualities can surprise even an experienced grower. The wide possibilities of using weigela in landscape design make it more and more popular with gardeners in our country, regardless of the region, and with the observance of the rules of cultivation and good care, the abundant bright flowers of the weigela will be the subject of special pride of the garden for several decades.
