Chrysanthemum blossoms are like a bright reflection of summer before a long winter. A bright palette of colors and a pleasant aroma unusually decorate the fading autumn nature. But frost will begin soon. How to preserve chrysanthemums in winter if they grow in open ground?
First, you need to carry out a simple procedure for preparing plants for the cold dormant period. And then decide on their winter storage. There are 2 options. For the winter, the bushes of autumn beauties are either left on the site in open ground, or dug up and moved to a frost-free place.
You need to think about the issue of winter storage of chrysanthemums at the beginning of autumn
Storage conditions and preparation of chrysanthemums
You can store chrysanthemums at your dacha for the winter in a cool place with a temperature of about 8 °C. Humidity should be kept at no more than 80%; flowers require good ventilation, but without drafts.
To preserve chrysanthemums, they must be carefully prepared for the winter:
- Add fertilizer. With the onset of autumn, flowers are fertilized with potassium and phosphorus to increase endurance and for abundant budding next year.
- Treat against fungi. In September, plants are carefully inspected for diseases and pests. If spots and rotten areas are visible on the leaves and shoots, the affected areas should be removed and the bush should be sprayed with Bordeaux mixture or Fundazol.
- Perform trimming. With the onset of the first frost, all weak, broken, too old and dried branches are removed from the crop. Healthy shoots are shortened to 10-15 cm. Timely pruning helps direct nutrients to the roots of the plant and increase its winter hardiness.
After pruning, it is necessary to treat the cuts with crushed coal or wood ash. This will prevent tissue infection and speed up healing.
Before harvesting chrysanthemums for storage, it is recommended to label them by variety so as not to confuse them in the spring.
What varieties need to be dug up?
Frost resistance of varietal chrysanthemums can vary greatly. Only the hardiest and strongest varieties are allowed to be left in the ground for the winter, especially in the northern regions.
It is recommended to dig up in the fall and clean indoors:
- chrysanthemums of the Multiflora group;
- twig varieties;
- large-flowered varieties.
Gardeners note that plants with the largest and brightest buds usually tolerate wintering in the ground the worst and require special care.
How to prevent stem rotting
To make chrysanthemums last longer, potassium permanganate will help. It must be added to the water in such an amount that the liquid acquires a very delicate light pink tint. After this, the plants will stand in such water much longer.
But you need to be extremely careful. If you add too much potassium permanganate, it will burn the stems of the plant and it will die very quickly. Also, before placing a bouquet in such water, you need to mix it thoroughly so that the color is uniform.
Where and how to store chrysanthemums in winter at home
You can store outdoor chrysanthemums in winter in a basement, cellar, unheated greenhouse, on a glazed balcony or loggia. It is important to maintain a comfortable temperature for the culture above 0 °C.
How to store dug up chrysanthemums from the street in a cellar, basement or underground in winter
A cool cellar is one of the best options for storing chrysanthemums in winter. The temperature in it should be at the level of 5 ° C, it is also important to ensure high-quality ventilation in the room. The basement is first inspected and, if necessary, treated to remove mold and mildew.
You can put plants in the cellar to preserve them until spring according to the following scheme:
- In late autumn, with the onset of the first frost, the flowers are carefully dug out of the ground.
- Leave the bushes in the fresh air for several days to dry out.
- If necessary, treat with fungicides against diseases and pests.
- The plants are transferred to the basement and planted in pots with a substrate or placed in a wooden or plastic box as close to each other as possible.
- Sprinkle a layer of dry earth on top.
The culture in the cellar does not require special care during the winter. You just need to inspect it once a month so as not to miss the appearance of mold. If a fungus occurs, the affected plants are immediately thrown away, and the remaining ones are treated with fungicidal solutions.
Attention! If the roots of the bushes become limp and dry in winter, you need to spray them with water and take care to increase the general level of humidity in the basement.
If a chrysanthemum has sprouted in the basement in winter, they can be removed while they are still weak
How to store chrysanthemums in an apartment or on a balcony in winter
You can preserve bush chrysanthemums in a city apartment in winter on a glassed-in balcony or loggia. Usually the temperature in such places is kept within 0-5 °C, as a result the seedlings do not freeze out, but also do not start growing ahead of time.
You can transfer the culture to the balcony using the following algorithm:
- In late autumn, with the arrival of cold weather, the bushes are pruned and dug out of the flowerbed.
- Chrysanthemums are transferred to wide pots filled with a substrate of turf soil, sand and humus.
- Place the containers in a shaded corner of the glazed balcony away from drafts.
- Store plants at temperatures up to 8 degrees during the winter.
From time to time, the culture in pots can be moistened. This is done no more often than once a month, so as not to disturb the natural dormancy of the plants.
Chrysanthemums are not stored on an open balcony, as they may die from frost
In the absence of a balcony or loggia, it is quite difficult to preserve chrysanthemum seedlings in an apartment until spring. But you can move the garden bushes into spacious tubs and put them in the pantry or put them on a cold windowsill. It is important to place the culture away from heating devices, lightly moisten the soil in the pots from time to time and protect the plant from bright sunlight.
Where and how to properly store chrysanthemums in open ground in winter
When growing hardy varieties, you can store chrysanthemums in the garden for the winter. At the same time, in any case, the crop requires high-quality insulation, otherwise it will die in severe frosts.
How to preserve perennial chrysanthemums in winter without digging them up
In the southern regions and the Moscow region, hardy varieties are allowed to be left in the flowerbed, especially if the winter is expected to be mild and snowy. A shelter for plants is constructed as follows:
- In October, flowers are cut to only 2-5 cm, removing all weak and diseased shoots.
- The flowerbed is cleared of plant debris, taken to the far corner of the garden and immediately burned.
- Shortened bushes are mulched with humus, peat or sawdust in a dense layer at least 10 cm thick.
- With the onset of cold weather, spruce spruce branches are thrown over the flowerbed to protect the plants from frost and preserve them until spring.
After precipitation falls, snowdrifts are built over the bushes. Snow serves as a good natural insulator, and in the spring it actively melts and provides plants with the necessary moisture.
If the winter is expected to be very cold, you can build a frame shelter for the flowers from boards or metal arches
It is necessary to open the bushes with the onset of the first thaw. The covering material is removed gradually so that the plants do not suffer from sudden changes in conditions.
How to preserve garden chrysanthemums in a greenhouse in winter
A video on how to preserve chrysanthemums in a greenhouse in winter recommends replanting bushes into it at the end of summer so that they have time to take root properly. Further preparation of plants is carried out as follows:
- After the onset of frost, the stems are cut to 2 cm.
- Sprinkle the remaining hemp with dry humus in a layer of about 25 cm.
- Cover the bushes with lutrasil or spunbond.
In an unheated greenhouse, ornamental plants are protected mainly from the wind in winter. However, the temperature inside the structure can still drop to negative values, so high-quality insulation of the crop is strictly necessary.
In a heated greenhouse with a temperature of 5 °C, chrysanthemums can overwinter with minimal or no shelter
What to do to make cut chrysanthemums last longer: choosing a vase
First of all, you need to choose the appropriate vase that will suit these amazing flowers. The neck of the container should not be too narrow or too wide. It is best to select it based on the size of the flowers themselves. It is best if the hole is 2 times the width of the stems collected together.
The material of the container is not particularly important. A ceramic or glass vase will do. Therefore, you can use any utensils you like. The main thing is that the flowers are not completely immersed in it. But you shouldn’t take a vase that’s too small.
Features of storing chrysanthemums in different regions
How to preserve chrysanthemum roots until spring largely depends on the growing region. It is necessary to take into account the climatic features of the area and the weather in a particular season.
How to preserve chrysanthemums in winter in Siberia
In Siberia, winters are particularly harsh, and temperatures can drop to -35 °C or more. Therefore, ornamental plants are rarely left in the ground - they are usually dug up and put in the cellar or on the balcony. You can preserve bushes at a temperature of about 5 ° C and a humidity level of around 75-80%.
Attention! It is not recommended to keep chrysanthemums in winter in Siberia in complete darkness. It is better to provide the bushes with diffused, dim lighting.
How to preserve chrysanthemums in winter in the Moscow region
In the Moscow region, flowers can be left in the ground for the winter if desired, if the weather forecast does not promise extreme cold. In this case, it is imperative to organize a reliable shelter for ornamental bushes.
With the onset of light frosts down to -7 ° C, the plants are covered with a dense layer of mulch and insulated with spruce branches. The procedure should be carried out in dry and clear weather. It is impossible to cover the bushes in the rain, as they can become damaged and suffer from fungal diseases.
How to preserve chrysanthemums in winter in the Urals
In the southern regions of the Urals, you can leave flowers in the ground for the winter. A frame shelter is built for the plants and insulated with organic material and spruce branches, and after precipitation falls they are additionally covered with snow. In the northern Urals, it is better to dig up flowers from a flowerbed and move them to the basement for the winter, having previously trimmed them to fit the stump.
How to preserve chrysanthemums in winter in the middle zone
In the middle zone, flowers are usually left in the garden for the winter, having built a reliable frame shelter for them. The insulation procedure is carried out at the end of October or at the beginning of November, after light frosts have established.
In the middle zone, it is recommended to dig the bushes out of the ground and move them to the basement if the winter is expected to have little snow
Recommendations and common mistakes
When preparing for winter, you need to take into account important rules to avoid serious mistakes:
- do not feed the bushes with the onset of autumn with mixtures containing nitrogen;
- carry out pruning only after the chrysanthemums have bloomed and begin to fade naturally;
- dig bushes out of the ground after low negative temperatures have established.
If you start preparing for winter too early, it will harm the ornamental crop. Chrysanthemums removed from the soil during the active growing season will be vulnerable to fungi and infections and are likely to die.
Common spider mite
It can reproduce quickly and spread even faster. At a temperature of 20 degrees Celsius and air humidity of 35 percent, mites develop at lightning speed. It takes only a few days for an adult tick to develop from an egg.
The tick sleeps when the temperature is less than 12 degrees Celsius. The contents of cells are their nutrition. The bottom of the leaves is subject to damage. The mite sucks the sap of plants. You can see a thin web. The leaves begin to discolor, turn yellow, acquiring a “marble tint.” They can quickly curl and fall off. The tick is a carrier of infections and gray mold spores.
Control measures: spray with infusion of onion peels and garlic; treat with soap solutions; resort to the use of chemicals. Spray the chrysanthemum with insecticides.
