Foreword
Chrysanthemums are an unfading classic of summer cottages. But only after a cold and snowless winter, you can miss many bushes. To prevent this from happening, provide plants with protection.
The safety of your favorite plants will depend both on the climate of your region and on the efforts you put in during the winter. Chrysanthemums need care all year round, but special attention should be paid to them in the fall. Already in early September, it is worth feeding. Best suited for these purposes. It is they who increase the frost-resistant qualities of chrysanthemums.
In order for your flowers to overwinter well, you need to carefully monitor so that they do not get sick. In the fall, inspect all your chrysanthemums and remove weakened plants so as not to interfere with healthy. Strong bushes are much more likely to survive the cold winter. Much depends on the variety of flowers. But even frost-resistant specimens need additional protection.
If your plant variety is frost-resistant, then it can be left to overwinter in open ground. But if your chrysanthemum is too sensitive to cold, then it is better to move it to a barn, cellar, loggia or balcony - rooms where it is much cooler than in the living room. It is in the fall that you will need to take care of pruning. When shortening the shoots, you need to leave about 10 centimeters so that your plant develops well in the future. This procedure should be started with the advent of cold weather. Usually it is October or November, depending on the specific region.
It is important to take into account all the details before you cover the chrysanthemums for the winter, which will help you with the video and photos in this article. If your flowers will survive the winter outdoors, you will need to hill them up. The soil must protect the plant from direct contact with the cold from all sides. It is undesirable for water to accumulate near the plants during the winter months - therefore, there should not be any holes nearby. Stagnant water can damage plants, lead to root rot and even death of chrysanthemums.
If your region is covered in snow in winter, you can be sure that your flowers will survive the winter without damage. Indeed, under a good layer of snow, most varieties, both chrysanthemums and other flowers, can easily survive even the strongest frosts. Worry should be if in your area during the winter months there are sufficiently low temperatures, which are accompanied by wind without snow.
However, not only cold winters without snow are the enemies of chrysanthemums, but also wet and too warm. Chrysanthemums can be severely damaged by both thaws and extreme temperature fluctuations. Such changes are fatal, because because of them the flowers can begin to sing. If your variety does not like severe frosts, and winter every year either with snow or without, then you need to cover the flower, taking into account changes in weather conditions. In such cases, you already need to think about improvised means.
To shelter the chrysanthemums, you will need bricks that are laid on the "edge" on both sides of the bush. Then wide boards, old slate or even an unnecessary piece of iron can be installed on top for additional protection and snow retention. You can close chrysanthemums and plywood, but so that it does not constantly fly off, press it down with something heavy.
What gives such protection? It does not allow moisture and precipitation to enter, and also creates a kind of ventilated space for flowers that grow on the street. Also, a chrysanthemum growing in the open field in the most severe frosts can be additionally covered with spruce branches. They will create the missing warmth and protect from the wind. If you have nowhere to take spruce branches, then you can use dry branches and leaves.
If you are too lazy to collect one or the other, you can purchase it in a store, which must be ventilated and not be too tight. It is not worth covering chrysanthemums with heavy material - they can start to rot and then die. And during the period of snowmelt or constant thaw, it is not recommended to cover the roots of chrysanthemum with sawdust or peat - then your flowers will be dampened.
If you want to grow chrysanthemums in very harsh winters, then digging up the bushes with the roots is the best solution. This must be done carefully and carefully so as not to damage the root system of the plant. Chrysanthemums will feel great in a barn, cellar, garage, being in a bucket or pot.
The main thing is that the room where you transfer the plants is at least a little warmer than the street and does not let the wind through.
But even in such benign conditions, you must definitely inspect your chrysanthemums so as not to miss the rot. If you find such a disease, then a fungicide solution will help save the flower. But it will only help if you apply it immediately after the first signs of the disease are detected.
If there is nowhere to transfer the flowers, then within the framework of your site you can prepare a trench. Its width can be about 75 centimeters, and its depth is about 50. Chrysanthemums are placed in such a trench along with the root of the plant, which must necessarily be with a clod of earth, and are covered with a sheet of iron, wooden boards or slate. On top of this structure, you need to pour the earth - 10-15 centimeters will be enough. Under such a design, chrysanthemums can even start young shoots.
Many call the chrysanthemum the queen of autumn. It really is. Currently, there are magnificent varieties that successfully bloom in the conditions of the middle zone and even the Urals and Siberia.
All chrysanthemums according to the degree of winter hardiness can be divided into several types:
Large-flowered bouquets chrysanthemums have large flowers with a diameter of 8-10 cm. They do not tolerate wintering very well, but they are beautiful. These include the following varieties:
- Gazelle- has double flowers of white color.
- Anna Yaroslavna- large needle-shaped flowers of crimson color.
- Flamingo- large terry flowers of rich pink color.
- Sonechko- needle-shaped flowers of yellow color.
Small-colored Korean chrysanthemum popularly called "oaks". The leaves are reminiscent of oak leaves. It hibernates mostly without problems, but sometimes, in the complete absence of snow cover and severe frosts, they can freeze. These include the following varieties:
- Youth- has medium-sized flowers of pink color.
- Umka- high variety with small white flowers, as they bloom, they become pink.
- Ginger- small orange flowers.
Multiflora or chrysanthemum ball- a low chrysanthemum, the bush has the shape of a ball, medium-sized flowers. Differs in abundant flowering. The most unstable species for wintering, but undoubtedly one of the most beautiful. No one remains indifferent at the sight of a small bush-ball, completely covered with flowers. This species includes the following varieties:
- Natalie- has medium-sized terry pink-raspberry flowers.
- Trike White- bush with white flowers and abundant flowering.
- Ares- small flowers of lilac crimson color.
chrysanthemum flowers
Do I need to cover chrysanthemums for the winter
The weather in central Russia in late autumn and early winter is very unstable. A long autumn can change abruptly into a winter with severe frosts. As a rule, the snow does not have time to fall by this time. Another "surprise" can present the so-called "freezing rain", after which the earth is covered with a solid ice crust. All this has an extremely negative effect on the wintering of chrysanthemums. Therefore, the answer to the question: “Do I need to cover chrysanthemums for the winter?” will be affirmative. This is the only way to be sure that your favorite varieties will successfully overwinter.
When and how to cover chrysanthemums for the winter
It is necessary to cover the chrysanthemum when the ground gets a little frosty and the air temperature reaches stable minus values. It is important to remember that the chrysanthemum, like the rose, is more afraid of getting wet than freezing. Very often, flower growers, completing their work in the garden, close the bushes when the autumn rains are still falling and the air temperature has not reached zero. This can lead to the death of plants.
Preparatory work before sheltering chrysanthemums
Chrysanthemum pruning can be done after the leaves turn brown
Chrysanthemums begin to prepare for shelter in the second half of August. At this time, it is necessary to feed the plants with phosphorus-potassium fertilizers. This top dressing contributes to the maturation of the bark of the chrysanthemum stems and thereby prepares for a successful wintering.
In mid-September, flowering bushes are treated with some kind of fungicide to protect against rot and fungal diseases. Any copper-containing preparations (, Polyhom) can be used for processing. The earth around the bush can be shed according to the instructions.
After the first fairly severe frosts, the foliage and flowers on chrysanthemums turn brown. This serves as a signal to cut the stems to a height of 5 cm.
Ways to hide chrysanthemums
There are several ways to shelter chrysanthemums for the winter.
Shelter in a pit. This method is more relevant in harsh climates, but can also be used in the middle lane. Before the soil freezes, a trench is dug in a high and dry place to prevent flooding from melt water in the spring. The depth of the trench should be slightly below the freezing level of the soil. The bottom of the trench is lined with dry sawdust with a layer of 20-30 cm. Then pre-dug and cut chrysanthemum bushes are placed along it. The root system of chrysanthemums is sprinkled with a layer of sawdust up to 50 cm. The sawdust must be dry. From above, we close the trench with boards, which also need to be covered with a good layer of sawdust. To prevent the sawdust from getting wet, a plastic film is spread on top. So that the young growing shoots are not damaged by rodents, poisoned baits are laid out in the prikope.
Air-dry tunnel method for sheltering chrysanthemums
Air dry tunnel method. It is used in the event that several bushes of chrysanthemums are planted in one row. Covering material is applied to plastic or metal arcs in two layers. In order for it not to get wet from late autumn rains or during a thaw, a plastic film is laid on top. It is very important for tunnel shelter to open the ends during thaws. When the thaw is replaced by persistent frosts, the sides are closed again
Shelter in open ground. You can leave the flowers to winter in the open ground, after warming them for the winter. How to cover chrysanthemums for the winter in this case? As noted earlier, the main thing is not to rush, wait for stable negative air temperatures and slight freezing of the soil. Many flower growers cover chrysanthemums with spruce branches, coniferous litter (needlewood), fallen leaves. The disadvantage of these shelters is that they are moisture permeable. Frosts can be replaced by a thaw, snow by rain, and then moisture accumulates in the root zone of chrysanthemums, which can adversely affect the wintering of plants. In this case, it is better to use dry sawdust with a layer of 30 cm. We cover them with a piece of plastic wrap on top to keep them dry. To prevent the film from being blown away by the wind, we press it with something heavy.
Shelter construction
It is necessary to proceed with the installation of a structure for an air-dry shelter before the onset of stable frosts. Along the perimeter of the ridge, we install metal arcs made of wire, deepening them into the soil by 15-20 cm. Polypropylene pipes can be used for arcs. They can be bought at the store, they are used as plumbing. The ends of the arcs are put on wooden pegs or metal rods of suitable diameter.
In order to prevent the arcs from folding under the weight of the snow like a house of cards, they are reinforced with “stiffening ribs”. To do this, wooden planks 2-3 cm thick are attached with adhesive tape to the arcs. The length of the planks is equal to the distance between the arcs. It looks like a mini greenhouse. The height of such a shelter should be equal to the approximate height of the snow cover. If the layer of snow is small, it can be poured. We also prepare a trench for digging chrysanthemums in advance before the soil freezes. In the spring, it is advisable to shovel snow from the place of the dig so that it is not flooded with melt water.
Chrysanthemums hibernate best under tunnel shelter.
Features of wintering chrysanthemums in different regions
As strange as it may seem, in the conditions of Siberia, in the Urals, in Altai, a chrysanthemum can winter even better than in the middle lane and in the Moscow region. This is explained by the fact that winter there comes immediately with heavy precipitation and the formation of sufficient snow cover, and is not accompanied by thaws. But often there are severe frosts with deep freezing of the soil, which can also lead to the death of chrysanthemums. Therefore, in these areas it is also necessary to properly cover them for the winter. The climatic conditions of Siberia, the Urals, Altai are approximately the same. For successful wintering, we use the following methods:
Ways to shelter chrysanthemums for the winter depend on local climatic conditions.
- air-dry with additional backfilling of bushes with sawdust in a layer of 30-50 cm.
- storage in a pit.
It is not advisable to keep the chrysanthemum in open ground conditions due to possible freezing.
The climatic conditions of the middle zone and the Moscow region allow the following methods to be used:
- shelter in open ground under a layer of insulating material;
- application of air-dry shelter.
Many flower growers have recently transplanted chrysanthemum bushes for the winter into greenhouses covered with cellular polycarbonate. After flowering, cut them off and cover with a good layer of sawdust. Some do not fall asleep at all, which also gives a good result. But it’s better not to risk it and use additional shelter. The only condition for a good wintering in this case is that in spring the greenhouse should not be flooded with melted groundwater. Sawdust is removed in late March-early April very carefully, as young shoots are already starting to grow and it is important not to break them.
Some flower growers use to cover chrysanthemums using a substrate for a laminate, which is bought in hardware stores. This material retains heat well and is impervious to moisture. Shelter in this way also gives good results.
You can get acquainted with the options for sheltering chrysanthemums for the winter from the proposed video material. Happy viewing!
It's nice to grow wonderful chrysanthemums in the garden and enjoy their beauty. But you still need to be able to save your favorite plants until the next season.
There are many ways to organize the wintering of chrysanthemums; I will tell mine.
I make trenches (20 cm) in the garden, put rotted humus there, lightly sprinkle with earth, and put chrysanthemum mother cells on top. I fill them with earth at the level of the soil. I write down in a notebook N of a row and a grade.
When the cold starts, I fill up the mother liquors of chrysanthemums with various insulating materials - sawdust, foliage, shavings. Manure gives heat, and in the spring it is also top dressing.
I close the chrysanthemums covered for the winter with Lutrasil.
Angelica Vladimirovna Karapetyan
Petr Kiselyov's advice on keeping in the garden and accelerated reproduction of Korean chrysanthemums:
October is the time of lush flowering of Korean chrysanthemums in the garden, as well as the time to take care of the accelerated breeding and good wintering of these wonderful plants. Indeed, for us, flower growers, it is very important to reliably preserve valuable uterine bushes of our favorite chrysanthemums in winter and at the same time increase planting material. Here, the method of mass reproduction of the best hybrids and varieties of Korean chrysanthemums that I use will help you.
1. Dig up beautiful, strong and healthy bushes of Korean chrysanthemums with a clod of earth.
The root system of these plants is not strong, the rhizome is short. The underground shoots of the Korean chrysanthemum branch weakly, and the roots go about 25 cm deep.
2. Lay (yes, exactly - put) each bush in pre-prepared trenches at an angle. At the same time, the rhizome of the chrysanthemum bush itself must be buried on the spade bayonet. And the upper part of the bush with flowering shoots and apical leaves should be located above the ground.
3. Bury the chrysanthemum bushes laid in trenches flush with the main soil.
4. Water the entire dug area abundantly and then mulch the plantings with dry peat or loose humus.
5. When persistent significant frosts (-7 ... -9 degrees) come, lightly cover the rooted bushes of Korean chrysanthemums with dry fallen leaves of trees prepared in advance. But do not get carried away with this, so that under a too dense “blanket” of foliage, the branches of chrysanthemums do not rot without air access - this is a typical mistake of beginner flower growers.
6. In the spring, remove the winter shelter of chrysanthemums, and the bushes sprinkled with earth for now
leave it as it is.
7. When the bushes of buried chrysanthemums grow into new growth, then all
the area sprinkled with earth around them will be covered with a continuous “carpet” of young shoots!
Now it is necessary to very carefully free the buried chrysanthemum bushes from the ground. You will see that young shoots have appeared from each internode on the branches of chrysanthemums, and they already have decent roots!
8. Take a sharp pruner, quickly and accurately cut the resulting young chrysanthemum seedlings with an excellent root system.
9. Seed the resulting bushes with an interval of 35x35 cm or 40x40 cm in advance
prepared sunny place. Chrysanthemums are very fond of fertile and light, non-acidic loams.
These ten steps for accelerated reproduction and successful cultivation of Korean chrysanthemums will allow you to get an abundance of quality planting material with a guaranteed survival rate, which will actively develop and soon please with their flowering.
It seems to many that chrysanthemums in winter feel great without any additional care. In fact, if you don't care chrysanthemums in autumn, then in the spring you will get weak, disease-prone bushes. And then - if the plant manages to overwinter, and it does not freeze and does not swell.
Therefore, if you want your chrysanthemum to be healthy and pleasing to the eye, give it a little attention in the fall.
Preparing chrysanthemums for storage
There are different ways to store chrysanthemums in winter, but they can be divided into two main groups: chrysanthemums are left in the open field or dug up and stored indoors. Unlike, for example, from dahlias, where there are no options and you always have to dig up tubers for the winter, the owners of chrysanthemums have options. For safety, experienced flower growers dig out some of the plants, and some chrysanthemums in winter left in the ground.
What is the preferred method? It depends on two main factors:
Climatic conditions. For most varieties of chrysanthemums, snowy winters, even very cold ones, are not terrible. It is worse when the winter is very wet, or without snow, or with sudden changes in temperature. Here, no matter how you cover the chrysanthemum for the winter, it will be difficult to protect it from damping or freezing.
Chrysanthemum variety. There are heat-loving varieties - Indian, for example. These chrysanthemums for winter left outdoors unless the region has very mild winters. But Korean hybrids of chrysanthemums (we also call them "oak") can winter with the most insignificant shelter.
Chrysanthemums in autumn begin to prepare for the cold only after the first slight frost. It is October, and sometimes - the beginning of November. The plant must have time to harden, and only before the soil freezes chrysanthemums for winter cut off leaving “stumps” 10-20 cm high (for convenience of designating the variety).
Storage of chrysanthemums in winter
Wintering chrysanthemums in the ground
1) Mulching chrysanthemums for the winter. Suitable for frost-resistant varieties of chrysanthemums and snowy winters. At the same time, with the onset of the first frosts, the plant is spudded (they take sawdust, shavings, compost, humus, peat, etc.), and in severe frosts they cover it with spruce branches or simply with branches and sprinkle with dry leaves.
2) Building a shelter for chrysanthemums in winter. This option is more reliable, especially if the winter is capricious. To do this, in autumn, supports are placed around a bush or several bushes of chrysanthemums (bricks are laid, for example), and a board or slate is placed on top of them. Now it remains only to put the covering material on top and fix it. You can take the same spruce branches, or you can use materials like Spandbond or Lutrasil. The main thing is that the shelter should be able to ventilate, otherwise the chrysanthemum may die in winter from an excess of moisture.
3) Wintering of chrysanthemums in trenches. For this method, you should prepare from the end of summer or the beginning of autumn. On a hill (so that moisture does not accumulate), a ditch breaks out at least half a meter deep. The bottom of the trench is covered with sawdust or needles. With the first frosts, chrysanthemums are dug out together with a clod of earth and placed in "wintering" in dense rows. Boards should be placed on top of the trench, and the boards should be covered with a material similar to dense polyethylene. Thus, water will not enter the ditch. There is one feature of this method - chrysanthemums "wake up" early and in the spring they are usually taken out with green shoots.
Digging up chrysanthemums for the winter
It is to this method that experts advise resorting. bushes chrysanthemums for winter dug out of the ground, form a strong bush, get sick less often, bloom earlier. In addition, it is possible to monitor the storage of chrysanthemums in winter - do they dry out, do they rot, do they rot, and if necessary, chrysanthemums can be watered or treated with a fungicide.
True, there are situations when there is no suitable place for storage (temperature - 0 ... + 5 degrees). It can be a cellar, basement, veranda or garage.
If you are a happy owner of a cellar with an earthen floor, then dug out chrysanthemums for the winter are placed directly on the floor - plants will draw moisture from it. And the temperature, as a rule, in such rooms is kept at an optimal level, which will not allow the plants to wake up too early.
But most often, flower growers dig up their shortened chrysanthemums in the fall and place them for wintering in specially prepared boxes. The boxes should contain a mixture of sand and peat (1: 1). And even after the chrysanthemums are dug up and placed in containers, you should not immediately bring them into the room - let the plants stay in the cold air until the final frost.
If you have a choice where to store chrysanthemums in winter, give preference to a bright room. There is an opinion that without light during the winter, the chrysanthemum is depleted, becomes pale and powerless.
That's all the main secrets, thanks to which chrysanthemums will feel great in winter. The main thing is to monitor temperature and moisture fluctuations: so that the chrysanthemums do not freeze and dry out - on the one hand, do not start early awakening due to high temperatures and do not get wet - on the other. If you create the right conditions for chrysanthemums for the winter- the flowers will thank you generously. Moreover, doing this is not at all difficult.
