How to prepare lilies of the valley for winter. Distillation of lilies of the valley at home. Preparation of rhizomes of lilies of the valley for winter forcing
In autumn, the lily of the valley plant is ready to bloom next spring, that is, its underground buds have the beginnings of inflorescences. But besides them, there are also vegetative buds. That is the only difficulty choose the right rhizomes for forcing. Larger, plump, blunt buds are capable of flowering. Vegetative - thinner, with a more pointed tip.
Usually in October, the leaves of the lily of the valley die off, then I choose the rhizomes. It is important to preserve the roots, since new ones no longer grow when forcing. Too long I shorten to 10 cm. lily of the valley rhizomes cut with secateurs, choosing the desired sprouts. Then, without letting them dry, wash off the ground and soak for 2-3 hours in clean water. Next, carefully spread the delenki on a layer of wet moss, cover with another layer of moss and place in a plastic bag. You can lower the lilies of the valley into the cellar, you can dig them into a cold greenhouse, covering them with leaves on top, or place them in the refrigerator.
The first time I drive out lilies of the valley by the beginning of December. For such early forcing of lilies of the valley you need to choose the largest sprouts, pour warm water. Sprouts with roots should be completely covered with water, an inverted plate will not allow them to float. Put it all on the battery for 12-16 hours. Water temperature should be 30-35° .
Usually 7-9 sprouts are placed in a pot with a diameter of 12-14 cm. A layer of moss is placed at the bottom of the pot: on the one hand, it saves the earth, on the other hand, it retains the necessary moisture. Then pour leaf humus over the moss so that there is enough space for planting rhizomes.
After soaking the rhizomes of the lily of the valley I'm going to plant them right away. . I evenly place them in a pot and carefully add leaf humus, making sure that the kidneys stand upright. They should be slightly covered, that is, located immediately below the surface of the ground. Peat or mixtures based on it can also be used as a substrate. Pots with planted lilies of the valley I water it and cover it with moss to preserve moisture, put it in a dark place with a temperature of 25-30 °. The substrate must be constantly moist, so water as soon as the need arises. As soon as the lilies of the valley begin to grow, remove the moss from the surface of the pots, but the pots still remain in the dark until the height of the sprouts reaches 10-12 cm (usually after 10-12 days). Then transfer them to a light windowsill. Having planted lilies of the valley, I get the first flowers by December 2, and after 2-3 days all plants bloom. Lilies of the valley in pots bloom for about 3 weeks. They are alive, don't forget to water them!
You can prolong flowering by placing lilies of the valley in a cooler place. However, at too low a temperature, there is a threat of damage to the leaves of the lily of the valley with rust.
Forcing lilies of the valley in December takes 3-4 weeks, in March-April - about 15 days. Closer to spring, you need to reduce the blackout period, as well as keep them in a cooler place. Give yourself joy, invite the long-awaited spring to your house in the middle of winter.
Image copyright flickr.com: M_AG
Probably, everyone in childhood read the famous fairy tale "Twelve Months", in which the little princess demanded lilies of the valley in winter. But even in a cold cold and snowfall, a fairy tale is not difficult to make a reality. Imagine how nice it is to admire when under New Year or in early spring lilies of the valley bloom in your apartment. Every gardener can feel like a magician, for this you need to prepare lily of the valley rhizomes in advance and save them until the time you need.
Graceful and fragrant lily of the valley is the first to bloom in the spring forest. The appearance of this graceful plant corresponds to the poetic name: the slender stem of a long peduncle bears beautiful, drooping flowers. Lily-of-the-valley is a gardener's favorite out-of-season plant, and it's fairly easy to do. Often, the distillation of fragrant lily of the valley begins for some kind of holiday. However, watching the lily of the valley bloom in winter is sometimes perceived as a small miracle!
Preparation of rhizomes of lilies of the valley for distillation
It is known that in the wild, lilies of the valley bloom in May. If you decide to grow lilies of the valley in your apartment, then you should create special artificial conditions. Observing certain requirements of the environment for distillation, even a man will be able to present his beloved lilies of the valley by March 8th. In order to have time to get lily of the valley flowers before a certain date, correctly calculate the forcing time. Usually, 25-30 days are provided from the beginning of forcing to flowering, these time limits depend on the home environmental conditions. If flowering occurs ahead of time To keep the flowers fresh, move the container of lilies of the valley to a cool place.When choosing rhizomes for forcing, pay attention to strong specimens that have flower buds. Planting material can be purchased at a specialized store, or you can dig up lily of the valley rhizomes in the forest or on your site. Carry out this procedure with a pitchfork so as not to damage the plant and leave the roots to the maximum. When distilled, the lily of the valley does not give new roots, the plant receives water only through them. Nutrients are also embedded in the rhizome, so it is important to properly preserve it before forcing flower stalks. Lily of the valley sprouts can be stored in the vegetable compartment of the refrigerator in vertical position by wrapping the top with paper.
Forcing lilies of the valley
At the right time for you, remove the segments of rhizomes of lilies of the valley from the storage. Carefully sort, sort, clean from dirt, only healthy, not rotten rhizomes are suitable for distillation. Pay attention to the buds: the tops of the leaf buds are sharp, the tops of the flower buds are rounded. Cut long roots, leaving a length of 10 cm. Next, place the roots of the lily of the valley for 10 hours in warm water. The recommended water temperature is 30 - 35 degrees. In the process of such heat treatment, the plant will come out of dormancy and the flow of nutrients from the roots to the flower buds will increase.Prepare a container by filling it with soil mixture, not reaching the edges of 10 cm. Take four parts of peat and part of sand as soil. Can buy ordinary soil for seedlings. Place the rhizomes of lilies of the valley vertically, preferably so that the buds are on the same level. Fill the gaps between the roots with earth. Make sure that the flower buds do not fall asleep, but are on the surface. Gently water the planted rhizomes with water, if gullies have formed, add soil again. Forcing lilies of the valley requires high humidity, for this, wrap the buds with moss, cover the container with sprouts with polyethylene or glass and place it in a very warm place. Spray the young shoots every day.
When the peduncles have reached a size of 8 cm, then remove the film, sphagnum and transfer the container with lilies of the valley to a cool, light windowsill. In order to please the eye for a long time with the appearance of snow-white and fragrant small bells, maintain a temperature of 16 - 18 degrees and shade the plant from direct sunlight.
If you want to expel lilies of the valley every year, then take to personal plot special flowerbed with fertile soil. In May, fertilize so that the plant has strong flower buds.
Everyone associates spring with different things, but everyone will most likely have similar associations such as warmth, fast streams, drizzling rain or the long-awaited bright, blue sky and a sea of flowers on International Women's Day on March 8, especially tulips, because this is the real one female flower. Yes, even if it is cheaper than a rose, but more sensual and appropriate ...
It is interesting that, unlike Dutch roses, in the markets by March 8 you can see our, domestic tulips, which have time to grow and freeze at the stage of a bud that is about to bloom.
Receipt flowering plants in a period unusual for their flowering, it is called distillation. This process is not as complicated as it seems at first glance.
Today we will teach you how to have time to kick out tulips exactly by March 8 with your own hands, without making any special efforts.
LET'S START WITH VARIETY OF TULIPS FOR FORCATION
Through trial and error, flower growers came to the conclusion that some varieties of tulips are expelled much better than others, that is, in this regard, they are more reliable. We present you a practically secret list of tulip varieties, which has not been published anywhere before, they are the ones that are driven out much better than others.
Let's start with tulips red color. These are Ad Rem, Princess Victoria, Ward Favorite, Lyn Van Der Mark and Dow Jones.
Among pink tulips best suited for forcing is a variety such as Pink Impression, and among the yellow ones there are several at once: Strong Gold, Monte Carlo, Golden Apeldoorn.
crimson tulips, perhaps one of the most tender, here luck will accompany those who use the Christmas Marvel variety in forcing. From stunning purple tulips, you can choose for forcing varieties Peple Prince, and from white Montreux and Chess.
Bulbs of these varieties of tulips are not uncommon in our country. The main thing is to inspect the bulbs as carefully as possible when buying. They should not have any damage, signs of rot, dents, deep scratches on the surface. Never take small bulbs, try to choose the largest ones, with a diameter of 3.5 cm or more.
PROCESSING BULBS
After purchase, the bulbs must go through a specific cooling process called stratification.
There are two ways to do this.
The first implies a long cooling period: from 100 to 130 days. That is, if you want to get blooming tulips exactly by March 8, then everything should be done in advance, calculating the time.
Bulbs should be placed in a basement or other room with a temperature of about 9 degrees above zero and make sure that this temperature does not fluctuate much. You can put the bulbs in simple wooden boxes and leave them open. As for the humidity in the room, it should be at the level of 75-80%, preferably not higher and not lower. The accumulation of condensate on the bulbs and their drying during the cooling period is unacceptable.
The second variant of cooling is shorter in time, but this does not require a basement, but a special refrigeration chamber, which must constantly maintain a certain temperature - at the level of 5 degrees Celsius - for "only" 45 days.
Remember firmly: if the tulip bulbs do not undergo stratification in this way, that is, they do not undergo cold, then the forcing process, that is, the growth and development of the aerial part and the appearance of buds, will not occur.
LANDING AND CARE
Before placing the bulbs in the ground, it is very desirable to treat them with an approved fungicide, that is, a drug that protects the bulb from fungal infection.
If the bulbs are purchased, that is, you have no idea how they were obtained and under what conditions they were grown, then fungicide treatments are necessary. If these are your bulbs and you are sure of their health, then just soak them for half an hour in a solution of potassium permanganate (1-2%).
After soaking, the bulbs must be removed, rinsed in running water and put on a dry cloth to dry. While the bulbs are "resting", let's prepare the soil.
To do this, you need to take any fertile soil - for example, upper layer soil from the garden and vegetable garden, which rested for at least a couple of years (nothing grew on it), compost and mix with river sand in the ratio: 2 parts fertile land, 1 part compost and 1 part river sand. All this is well and thoroughly mixed and placed in a box, shallow but rather wide (or several boxes if you want to drive out a lot of tulips), with a layer of about 10 cm.
The bulbs are not buried in the prepared soil, but are pressed 2-3 cm with a slight movement. In this case, it is strictly necessary to leave a distance between the bulbs of 1 cm if the diameter of the bulb is 3.5-4 cm, and 2 cm if the diameter of the bulb is more than 4 cm .
The next stage: when the bulbs are placed in the soil, it is necessary to cover them slightly with soil, as if to cover them, but not to fall asleep.
In order to cheer up, stimulate, feed the bulbs, it is necessary to pour them not just with water, but with water mixed with calcium nitrate (per 10 l -20 g). Further, it is desirable to heat the water to room temperature and water the soil in such a way that approximately 50 g of such a nutrient mixture is consumed per bulb. After watering the bulbs, it is advisable to sprinkle with river sand, trying to take its largest fraction.
When the bulbs are watered and covered with sand, they must be placed in a basement or other room with a temperature of 8-9 degrees (without temperature fluctuations and drafts) and a humidity of about 90%, also preferably without hesitation.
Check the soil about once a week. If you notice that it has begun to dry out, then water it with water at room temperature, but without adding dressings.
Usually in the month of January (if the forcing was planned exactly by March 8), the bulbs, as a rule, form roots and begin to form sprouts.
WHEN TO BRING INTO THE LIGHT
Boxes with sprouted tulip bulbs should be taken out of the basement or other premises approximately 20 days before March 8th. Thus, from the usual basement, we transfer the revived bulbs to the forcing room.
It can be, in fact, anything. For example, a greenhouse or just a greenhouse, or a room in any room where there is a window and heating. The most important thing is to have enough moisture, heat and light. The latter is usually not enough, the day is still short, so about an hour before sunrise and an hour after sunset, the bulbs need to be illuminated. And in cloudy weather, you can not turn off the light, otherwise the tulip sprouts can stretch out a lot.
As for the temperature, so that the bulbs do not experience a shock from a sharp change in temperature in the room, for three days you need to keep it at 12-13 degrees above zero, and then you can raise it to 19-21 degrees.
If you do everything right, then buds will form, which will bloom immediately after cutting and placing in water - exactly by March 8.
Caring for growing bulbs is not much different from caring for any, probably houseplant. This moderate watering water at room temperature as the soil dries up and adjusting the backlight - if you notice that the stems are stretching, then the amount of backlight time can be increased by a third or a little more.
Further, you yourself can regulate the intensity of the development of tulips. For example, if you notice that they are growing a little slower than necessary, then simply increase the temperature in the racing room to 24-25 degrees. And if, on the contrary, the plants grow too intensively, then lower it to 16-17 degrees, and then their growth will slow down or even stop.
Has everyone seen tulips, hyacinths, crocuses, etc. grown specially for some holiday? This method is called forcing. Wouldn't you like to have blooming lilies of the valley for the New Year? Just imagine: a Christmas tree, a festive New Year's table, winter outside the window, and lilies of the valley bloom in your place! If you like the idea, then read on.
planting material
Planting material can be bought already prepared in specialized stores, it is usually sold with an inscription on the package - “For forcing”. And you can prepare it yourself, but, as far as I know, the forest lily of the valley is under protection and it is impossible to dig it out and take it out of the forest. Yes, and in terms of the beauty of porcelain bells, he is inferior to his garden counterpart. Well, dig garden lilies of the valley with a pitchfork in order to damage the rhizome as little as possible, since new roots will not grow during forcing and the plant will feed only on its own reserves. It is for this reason that you need to choose large and strong plants.
Pay attention to the shape of the kidney: if it is plump and slightly rounded, then it will bloom, and if it is thin and thin, then only a leaf will grow from such a kidney.
storage
Dug out in mid-September, selected and tied into a bundle, the rhizomes should be soaked in water for 1.5-2 hours. Then wrap it in a damp material, ideally in wet sphagnum moss, wrap it with plastic wrap on top and put it in storage on the bottom shelf of the refrigerator.
It is desirable to place them there vertically. If they start to interfere in the refrigerator, then when the snow falls, you can dig in the snow and store until the distillation begins, t ° is needed at the same time -2 °. But it happens that nothing at all works out with the creation of cold storage for lilies of the valley, then you have to plant it as it is. They will also bloom, but will not be as beautiful as under all conditions.
You need to start forcing lilies of the valley in 3 weeks before the desired flowering date.
kicking out for the new year
If flowers are needed for the New Year, then forcing should begin in early January. Count back 21 days from the desired date. For example, lilies of the valley are needed by January 29, which means the beginning of the process is January 7-8.
After cold storage, we take out lilies of the valley, open them and they should be in the room for a day. After that, we give them a warm bath with water t ° + 30 ° for 10-12 hours. To maintain the desired t °, the water will have to be changed all the time. With the help of such a bath, we will bring the plant out of dormancy and force nutrients move from roots to flower buds. It is also necessary to arrange a warm bath for those plants that have not been stored in the cold.
Plants that are driven out for the New Year grow only flowers, there are almost no leaves.
Forcing by March and February
It is better to start preparing the plants a little earlier, that is, not exactly by February 23, but with a margin of time. Distillation in this case, start on January 30-February 1.
With flowers that should bloom by March 8, we do the same. We choose a date with a margin of time - we prepare the plants for forcing on February 12-15.
For these periods, you can take not only large, but also medium-sized kidneys.
In February, unlike the New Year's forcing, there will be not only flowers, but also leaves in a normal ratio to each other, but in March there will be more leaves, so when flower stalks appear, leave one leaf near each, cut off the rest with a sharp knife , but better with nail scissors, it's more convenient and less likely that you will injure the plant.
If you enjoy forcing lilies of the valley, then you need to grow them in a place with fertile soil, then feed them with complex fertilizer and monitor soil moisture until mid-summer. And, of course, remove weeds. Remember, during forcing, lilies of the valley feed only on what they have stored, so you need to help them so that the flowering in winter is lush.
And it also follows from this that after forcing, when the nutrients in the roots run out, the plant is no longer suitable for further cultivation, do not even try, just waste time.
soil and planting
The soil for lilies of the valley can be purchased for seedlings; sheet with moss; peat and sand in a ratio of 4:1; can be driven out in the sand. An important requirement is that it must be loose, moisture and breathable.
A pot for planting is suitable for a diameter of 11-12 cm and at least 12 cm wide, 9 rhizomes can be placed in such a pot.
The soil is poured into a container not reaching the edges of 9-10 cm, close to each other, place the rhizomes of lilies of the valley with the buds up, fill the space between the plants with soil so that the buds remain above the soil surface. Pour warm water, if after watering hollows are formed, then they need to be filled with soil.
After pouring, cover the container with a plastic bag or glass, and shade with something. You can use paper caps instead of a bag. A bag or glass creates greenhouse conditions for lilies of the valley, that is, increased atmospheric humidity, which they really need during the germination period. If you cover with a paper cap, then do not forget to spray every day.
Planted, watered and covered lilies of the valley should now be placed in a very warm place (this may be a place near the battery) t ° + 25 ° + 30 °.
care
After the appearance of sprouts, remove the package, glass, caps and place the container with the plants in a bright place, but not under the direct rays of the sun, remember where lilies of the valley grow in the forest? Under trees or shrubs, that is, not in the sun. And continue to monitor the humidity, that is, spray and water.
When the first buds appear, put the lilies of the valley in a cool place if you want to admire them longer.
It is much more pleasant to receive as a gift flowers grown by the hands of the giver. And a hundred times more pleasant if such flowers are very rare on sale. With full confidence, we can say that lilies of the valley in the middle of winter are a real rarity. Roses, lilies and other flowering plants in winter can be bought anytime and anywhere, it's easy to do. But the modest beauty and wonderful aroma of forest lily of the valley is unlikely to be found.
You can do this if you are familiar with such a thing as forcing flowers. It's not hard and it's doable.
Planting material preparation
In order for the forcing of lilies of the valley at home to go smoothly, you need to take care of this in advance. In autumn, you need to dig up the rhizomes of the forest lily of the valley. It is better to do this until its leaves have fallen off, otherwise it will be difficult to find the curtains of this plant.
For distillation, you need to choose those roots on which flower buds are clearly visible. The obtained planting material must be brought home and put in storage. For this, any cardboard box or wooden box, on the bottom of which you need to lay wet peat or moss and lay the stacked lily of the valley rhizomes with it. Until the plant is planted for forcing, the rhizomes must be kept moist, but not wet. Before the onset of severe cold, planting material can be kept outside, protected from rain. When frosts begin, the rhizomes should freeze at a temperature of -5; -6 degrees. Forcing lilies of the valley by the New Year or by March 8 in this case will be easier, and will create favorable conditions for better and more abundant flowering. After this, the rhizomes must be placed for further storage in the basement, cellar or on an insulated loggia.
We start forcing lilies of the valley
If the forcing of flowers is planned for the New Year, then in December it is necessary to cut the rhizomes to 15-20 cm and lower them into warm water with a temperature of + 32-35 degrees for about 12-15 hours. Such a procedure is needed to wake up the plants. The water will cool down, so you need to monitor its temperature and heat the water or add hot water.
After bathing procedures with the rhizomes of the forest lily of the valley, they must be carefully laid out in prepared pots or other containers on a loose and warm earthen substrate at a distance of 3-4 cm from each other. Put a layer of moss on top, diluted with a mixture of soddy soil and peat. On top of this whole structure, cover with a small layer of clean moss and wait for the first sprouts to appear. It is necessary to maintain constant humidity, for which it is better to use a sprayer with warm water, the temperature of which should be within +35 degrees.
In no case do not water, just spray the moss.
The temperature of the soil during forcing should correspond to the temperature of the water. That is, +30 - +35 degrees. To do this, containers with lilies of the valley can be placed next to the batteries or a heating lamp or a small heater can be placed below. At the same time, the ambient temperature should be maintained at +23 - +25 degrees.
Before the appearance of flower arrows, plants should be in the dark, as in nature.
If lilies of the valley are forcing by March 8 or some other holiday, remember that lily of the valley blooms 20-25 days after you put it on the ground after a warm bath.
If you see that the flowering will be ahead of schedule, you can delay the blooming of the buds if you remove the grown plants in a bright and cool room. Do not remove the blackout from the plants abruptly. This must be done gradually, first you should cover them with a rare gauze and then when they get used to the diffused light, you can remove it completely.
Dear flower lovers, remember that the lily of the valley is listed in the Red Book and you should not dig more planting material in the forest than you need. And after digging up the forest area, you need to put it in order so that in the spring the lilies of the valley continue to delight everyone further.
After the forcing of flowers has been successful, the rhizomes can be taken out to the basement, and in the spring they can be planted on their site under the crowns of trees in the garden. Then you won't have to make a trip to the forest again for a new one. planting material for forcing lilies of the valley for any holiday.
