Content
An interesting, unpretentious and rather beautiful plant called broom, is gradually gaining popularity among gardeners. Perennial shrub, represented by more than 50 species, amazes with its beautiful flowering, causing admiration. Depending on the species, this plant can have a spreading or fluffy compact crown, mainly with rich yellow flowers. Moreover, this ornamental shrub attracts not only with its appearance, but also with the simplicity of cultivation. As a rule, planting and caring for broom in the open field is not difficult, and the plant itself will delight with its lush greenery from early spring to late autumn.
Features of growing shellfish in the Moscow region
Broom is a beautiful legume-related shrub. Basically, this plant is deciduous, but there are also species of evergreens. Shrubs are characterized by a lush crown with flexible branches and small foliage. It blooms profusely and has a pleasant aroma.
Species of wild broom are not resistant to frost and begin to bloom in early spring. The flowers are small, yellow. But since in the Moscow region the natural conditions for this plant are quite harsh, breeders have bred hybrid varieties that combine the flowering of several species and resistance to various climatic conditions, including frosts. It is the broom of these varieties that is recommended for growing in the gardens of the Moscow region.
Boskop Ruby - a hybrid variety with a lush spherical crown, reaching up to 2 m. It blooms in early May. Flowers of intense ruby hue.
Albus - a frost-resistant variety that can withstand frosts down to -40 ° C. The height of the bush is up to 1 m, the crown is dense with arched branches. Flowers are white.
Andreanus - a variety of broom, reaching up to 2.5 m in height. A distinctive feature is a pleasant aroma reminiscent of pineapple. Flowers are bicolor red-yellow.
Purple broom - low shrub, no more than 40 cm in height, with trifoliate leaves and delicate purple-lilac flowers.
And the most common among species of shrubs, which is well able to take root in the gardens of the Moscow region, is Russian broom.
In fact, there are no special rules for planting and caring for Russian broom and other varieties in the Moscow region, but there are a number of recommendations, following which, this plant will delight with healthy flowering for many years:
- it is better to give preference to hybrid frost-resistant varieties;
- the landing site should be sunny, but sheltered from the winds;
- preparation for winter must necessarily include the shelter of the shrub, especially the young, recently planted broom;
- watering should be moderate and, as necessary, it is undesirable to flood the plant;
- it is necessary to carry out timely feeding and loosening.
Planting and caring for broom in the open field
Broom is a rather unpretentious shrub for planting and subsequent care, but it still takes root much better, develops and blooms on fertile, light soil in a warm and calm place.
The shrub itself is planted in early spring in late April or early May. Planting can be done with seedlings or seeds. The soil for planting should be sandy with a low acid content.The place should be sunny, warm and free from through winds.
Preparation of planting material
The broom is planted in open ground with a seedling. In this case, you can buy a seedling ready for planting or grow it yourself from seeds.
When purchasing a broom sapling, you need to make sure of the exact characteristics of this plant. The best option would still be to contact a specialized store, where all the necessary information will be provided to the selected seedling:
- grade;
- age;
- degree of frost resistance;
- manufacturing firm.
You can also sow broom seeds yourself. It is recommended to soak purchased or harvested seeds in warm water for 2 days before sowing.
After soaking, the seeds are sown in a container with moist peat-sandy soil to a depth of 0.5-1 cm.The seeds should be spaced 4-6 cm apart.After that, the container is covered with a film and placed in a warm, bright room with a temperature of about 21 ° C ... Regular watering and spraying is a must.
After the appearance of seedlings with 2-3 fully formed leaves, the seedlings must be dived and transplanted into separate pots with prepared soil (2: 1: 0.5 - turf, humus and sand). In open ground, seedlings should be transplanted at the age of 3 years.
Landing site preparation
The place for planting the broom must be prepared in advance. The site should be chosen sunny and low wind. The soil should be fertile, sandy, neutral or slightly acidic. If the soil is poor in nutrients, then it is advisable to apply complex mineral fertilizers.
Dig up the soil before planting. They make holes, the depth of which should be several times greater than the volume of the root system of the seedling, together with an earthen lump. It is imperative to drain the bottom of the pit with pebbles or stones. The heavier the soil, the thicker the drainage layer should be.
When planting several brooms, the distance between the planting holes should be at least 30 cm for small plants and 50 cm for tall shrubs.
Landing rules
The correct planting of a broom sapling must be done in the following way:
- Prepare the landing pit, fill the drainage layer.
- Place the seedling exactly in the middle so that the root collar is at ground level.
- Then the broom is covered with soil mixture (a mixture of turf, humus and sand 1: 1: 2), tamped around and watered abundantly (the root collar should also remain at ground level).
- It is also recommended to mulch the soil, which will ensure less moisture evaporation and prevent the rapid growth of weeds.
Watering and feeding
Watering and feeding the broom must be done in a timely manner. Water the shrub abundantly and as the topsoil around the trunk is completely dry.
But it is worth noting that an adult plant tolerates drought well enough. If it rains quite often in summer, then watering may not be required. It is more difficult for this plant to survive excess moisture than lack of moisture.
After watering, it is imperative to loosen the soil and remove weeds at the same time. Loosen the soil around the trunk to a depth of 12 cm.
For abundant flowering and growth, the broom also needs systematic feeding. The first feeding is carried out in the spring, and the second in the middle of summer. In the spring, the shrub is fed with fertilizers with a high nitrogen content, for this, a urea solution is watered around the trunk (30 g per 10 l of water).In the middle of summer, it is necessary to fertilize the plant with fertilizing containing phosphorus and potassium.
With slow development of the bushes, additional feeding can be done. Spread no more than 300 g of wood ash evenly around the trunk circle.
Pruning
The broom does not need to form a crown. Pruning should only be done after flowering to stimulate new shoot formation. In this case, only some branches are removed to lateral lignified strong branches.
Since the broom contains the toxic substance cytisine, pruning should be done with gloves to avoid burns.
Preparing for winter
Regardless of the fact that it is advisable to plant frost-resistant broom species in the Moscow region, there are still some tips that you need to know about preparing a plant for winter:
- A young bush needs shelter for the first 3 years. It is covered with dry peat or earth. Then the branches are pulled together, tied to the top, and bent to the ground. Then they are covered with spruce branches, dry foliage or non-woven fabric.
- Low-growing brooms also need to be covered with spruce branches or other covering material for the winter.
- Adult shrubs 3 years old and more do not need shelter.
Reproduction
Reproduction of broom can be done in 3 ways:
- seeds;
- cuttings;
- layering.
Seeds for propagation are harvested in late August or early September, when the beans are fully ripe. They are planted in a container, covered with foil and placed in a warm place with a temperature of up to 20 ° C. Periodically, the seedlings are opened, ventilated and sprayed. The grown seedlings are transplanted to a permanent place in open ground no earlier than 3 years later.
Cuttings are carried out after flowering with the help of semi-lignified shoots, on which there should be at least 3-4 full-fledged medium-sized leaves. They are cut and planted in a container. Each stalk is covered with a glass jar; during rooting, airing and spraying is mandatory. In spring, rooted cuttings are transplanted into open ground.
Reproduction by layering is performed by bending the branches of the lower part of the shrub to the ground. The tops of the branches that touch the soil are fixed with special brackets, then they are sprinkled with earth. When the layers begin to take root, they should be cut off, separated from the mother bush, and transplanted to another place.
Diseases and pests
The broom is a fairly resistant plant to pests and diseases, but nevertheless, a lot of damage can be caused to a shrub:
- Moth caterpillars - the larvae of this butterfly feed on the vegetative parts of the shrub, which can lead to its drying. To prevent the spread of the pest, the broom should be sprayed with bacterial insecticidal or organophosphate preparations.
- Speckled moth - destroys the green crown of the plant. Due to its rapid reproduction, the broom can lose most of its leaves. A 2% Chlorophos solution will help get rid of the pest.
The following diseases should also be highlighted:
- powdery mildew;
- black spot.
When the first signs of these diseases appear, the broom should be sprayed with a solution of 5% copper sulfate. In case of extensive lesions, it is recommended to use potassium sulfur or Fundazol.
Conclusion
Planting and caring for broom in the open field, in the Moscow region, is no different from growing this plant in other regions. The only thing that should be taken into account is the frost resistance of the shrub, therefore it is recommended for this area to choose exactly those varieties that are able to withstand negative temperatures.
