Iris fly. Folk remedies for effective control of different types of flies Iris fly and the fight against it

Gardeners who fail to exercise caution and prevent disease will end up with diseased plants, low yields, and contaminated soil. If you spray seedlings, flowers, shrubs and trees once every 2-3 weeks, this will protect the area from big trouble - diseases and pests.

Diseases and pests of irises and their treatment are also a matter of properly carried out prevention or lack thereof.

Bacteriosis

Despite the relative resistance to diseases, diseases and pests of which are very dangerous due to the nature of plant reproduction, can still become infected. The most serious and dangerous disease for these flowers is bacteriosis.

It is caused by the bacteria Erwinia carotovora, which, settling in moist and nutrient-rich rhizomes, cause them to rot.

Too frequent soil moisture, oversaturation with organic matter, dense planting, and a lot of old flowers endanger irises. Pests and diseases manifest themselves when the owner of the site forgets the simple rules of caring for these flowers - watering as needed, thinning and moderate use of organic matter.

Signs of bacteriosis:

• rhizomes become soft;
• the roots turn into “porridge” with an unpleasant odor;
• The “fan” of leaves falls.

Unfortunately, severely damaged irises, pests and diseases that have caused irreparable damage, cannot be treated. This is also true in the case of bacteriosis, which spreads very quickly at temperatures from +13 to +17 degrees. Plants should be separated from still healthy rhizomes and burned.

It is important to remember that diseased irises should never be used for compost, and in case of severe soil damage, it is recommended to transplant healthy flowers to a new location.

Treatment, prevention of bacteriosis

As soon as the snow melts, you should check the irises. Protection from pests and diseases begins with ensuring the outflow of melt water if there is no natural slope at the flower bed. In winter, wrapping the roots of irises from freezing is used as a disease prevention. Rhizomes damaged by frost are the first to be at risk of disease and therefore must be destroyed.

If bacteriosis has not completely damaged the root, only the areas affected by bacteria are cut out, and the cut areas are smeared with brilliant green or ash is rubbed into them. This work is carried out before flowering begins.

Also, for preventive purposes, the foliage should be sprayed with a solution of urea mixed with 12% sulfur. During the period of transplanting young rhizomes, it is recommended to keep them in a solution of potassium permanganate for 15-20 minutes for disinfection.

Wet rot

Diseases and pests of irises and their control are quite complex issues. They concern not only the rhizome, but also the leaves. The presence of a disease such as wet rot can be noticed when the leaves of the plant begin to turn brown and dry out. At the same time, they become powdery from the inside, which is not noticeable from the outside.

Wet rot affects flowers and slows down the development of not only irises, but also gladioli, tulips and hyacinths. This bacterium appears in the soil from manure with which it is fertilized. To prevent infection from occurring, before planting, irises (pests and diseases then bypass them) are treated in a solution of potassium permanganate for 30 minutes. It is enough to put half a teaspoon of the substance in 0.5 liters of water, lower the rhizome and pickle it.

Fusarium

Gray rot (fusarium) is also dangerous for iris, which affects both the roots and foliage of the plant. At the same time, a gray coating appears on the leaves, which leads to their rotting and death. The roots are affected by dry rot, which appears due to the increased nitrogen content, therefore, when feeding the soil with mineral fertilizers, you should strictly adhere to the dosage.

A correctly chosen place for planting will be a good prevention of the disease. Both pests of irises and their treatment will not cause irreparable damage to the entire flowerbed if the flowers are planted either on a natural hill or on a raised raised bed.

An area of ​​soil infected with a fungus can become the culprit in infecting the entire soil near the house if already diseased iris tubers are cut and replanted. The fungus remains in the soil and when favorable conditions appear (high humidity, temperature +12-17 degrees) it will begin to damage surrounding plants.

The first sign of the disease is the appearance of a gray spot on the rhizome. The pulp underneath becomes brown and loose, and the root turns black inside. For safety, irises (pests and diseases then retreat) before planting must be treated with either bicarbonate of soda 5% strength.

Another simple method of prevention is to treat garden tools before work.

Heterosporiasis

This is a fungal disease of leaves. It is caused by the fungi Heterosporium iridis and Mycosphaerella macrospora. Diseases and pests of bearded irises of this type appear primarily on old and tall leaves.

Gray-white spots with a yellow border appear on them, which, as the fungus grows, capture an increasingly larger surface of the leaves until they cover the entire bush.

For prevention, irises should be sprayed with fungicides and not oversaturate the soil with phosphorus and potassium. From the onset of the disease, it is recommended to pick off and burn diseased leaves, and spray once a week and after rain.

Botrytis and rust

Irises are often affected by fungal diseases. For example, botrytis is caused by two fungi at once - Botrytis convoluta and Sclerotium rolfsii. They can develop if rhizomes are improperly stored in conditions of high humidity and poor ventilation.

If such planting material is planted, then when the rains come, the fungi begin to multiply intensively, destroying the plant completely and affecting neighboring crops.

For prevention, delens should be stored in the right conditions and treated with a solution of triazole class fungicides.

Sheet mosaic

Diseases and pests of irises and their treatment are not limited exclusively to fungal diseases. Plants are also susceptible to viruses. The mosaic of leaves is well known to flower growers, in which they become yellow-green and dry out quickly.

Damaged foliage must be immediately torn off and burned, and the bush itself must be sprayed with a 0.2% solution and the drug “Ridomil Gold”.

In order to notice the disease of flowers in time, you should carefully look at the color of their flowers. If they become spotted or as if melted, and light flowers become dirty-dull, then the plant is affected by a virus.

For prevention, it is necessary to disinfect the equipment every time before carrying out gardening work, spray the area with fungicides and clean it of weeds.

Thrips, nematodes and bronze beetle

Many irises, diseases and pests (photo confirmation of this) that most often affect the roots, suffer from small insects - thrips, which settle in the axils of the leaves. They feed on the cell sap of plants, causing their deformation. Thrips love Siberian and Japanese varieties of irises most of all, but they do not disdain “bearded” species.

As these sucking insects “conquer” the plant, its leaves turn brown and dry out, and the roots become covered with brown spots.

Spraying with karbofos emulsion (10%) at the rate of 75-90 g of emulsion per 10 liters of water can save you from thrips. Spraying should be done once a week.

Nematodes are small translucent worms that are not afraid of frost. They settle in the base and buds of plants and become more active with the onset of heat. With their “stylet”-proboscis, they pierce the epidermis of the leaf and feed on its cell sap. At the puncture site, the leaf turns brown and dies.

Nematodes are often transmitted by garden tools, weeds and rainwater. Systematic weeding with equipment treated in a 10% formaldehyde solution and steaming the soil before planting will help avoid infection.

Large green beetles, reaching a length of 2 cm, are popularly called bronze beetles. They become active from the end of May and fly in gardens in search of pollen, not disdaining the delicate flowers of irises. Diseases and pests of irises and their treatment are something that a gardener needs to have special knowledge about. When an invasion occurs, treatment of flowers begins with spraying the plants with Kinmiksom at the rate of 2.5 g per 1 liter of water.

If there are not very many beetles, they can be collected by hand, and the flowers can be sprayed with an ash solution for prevention.

Aphids and slugs

During the blooming period of flowers, many insects become active, which do not bypass irises. When a plant blooms, pests and diseases destroy not only the roots and leaves, but also the flowers. For example, aphids accumulate in buds and “suck” life from plants, feeding on their juices.

Since aphids reproduce quickly, the plant can completely die in a short time. To prevent this from happening, damaged flowers should be sprayed with 0.3% karbofos emulsion or 15% phosphamide composition.

If there are no chemicals at hand, then a solution of soda ash (0.5%) with the addition of soap will do. Another way to protect plants from aphids is to regularly weed.

Slugs live in the lower tier of leaves and in the upper layers of soil. They hide during the day, crawling out to feed at night. They eat leaves and eat out entire cavities in rhizomes. They reproduce intensively during rainy periods at temperatures of +18-20 degrees.

As a form of prevention, you can carry out deep digging of the earth and destruction of last year's leaves. You can get rid of slugs using a folk remedy - spray flowers and nearby trees with a decoction of hot pepper.

The land is treated with ash or a mixture of lime and tobacco dust. Also, many gardeners set slug traps - bowls of water dug into the ground. Once they get into the bowl to get drunk, they can’t get out. All that remains is to destroy them and pour fresh water.

Owls and mole crickets

Cutworm butterfly caterpillars destroy irises from the inside, gnawing through entire labyrinths in the plant stem. They love moist areas most of all, so draining the soil is a preventative measure. It is also recommended to loosen the soil between the rows and destroy weeds, especially during egg laying.

Bordeaux mixture, which is made from a mixture of copper sulfate and milk of lime, has a good effect on diseases and pests of irises. It should be used before the flowers bloom.

If the moment was missed and caterpillars appeared, it is recommended to spray them with a decoction of Lobel's hellebore.

Mole crickets have powerful jaws with which they gnaw through roots and stems. Irises (diseases and pests, photos confirm this, in most cases are less dangerous than this insect) die if a colony of mole crickets settles under them.

You can destroy them using bait. To do this, boil 1 kg of grain, add 30 g of oil and 50 g of karbofos to it and mix well. It is enough to dig this mixture 5 cm into the ground or push it into their holes.

Wireworms

Wireworms are the larvae of click beetles that live in the root zone of flowers. Irises, diseases and pests, the treatment and prevention of which often depend on the quality of digging and loosening the soil, can avoid many “health” problems if the gardener puts in enough effort. To get rid of wireworms, it is recommended to apply it to the soil and regularly destroy the weeds.

This article provides up-to-date information about the iris fly and gives advice on how to deal with it quickly and almost permanently in different ways.

Iris fly, what is it, how to fight and quickly get rid of it, effective methods and measures of control using folk remedies

The iris fly looks little different from the fly we are used to. Its appearance can be observed in early May.

The fly got its name from the fact that the females of this insect choose iris buds to lay eggs. Ripe larvae eat the bud from the inside and the flower rots without blooming. Before winter, the larvae pupate, hiding in the ground. In the spring, a fly emerges from the pupa and the cycle repeats again.

You need to start fighting the iris fly in April-May, when the iris is just about to put out its arrows. Experienced gardeners recommend treating the plants and their rhizomes with the insecticide Confidor-Maxi, Mosplan, Aktara, Confidor, Nominal, etc. during this period. During budding, the treatment is repeated. The buds that are noticed and affected by the larvae are cut off and destroyed.

Folk remedies for combating iris fly are dusting the rhizomes with tobacco dust or wood ash and spraying the flower shoots and leaves of flowers with a soap solution to which ammonia has been added.

Diseases of irises rot and when flowers rot what to do

Most often, irises are affected by a disease such as rot. There may be several reasons for this, but most often the disease is caused by bacteria or iris fly larvae overwintering on plant debris.

In the first case, rot becomes noticeable on the outer leaves of the plant, which quickly turn yellow and dry out, infecting the entire fan and rhizome of the iris. You can try to save a plant affected by rot by removing rotten tissue and treating the cut with an antibiotic - penicillin, doxycylin or lincomycin.

When an iris is infected by an iris fly, the flower bud of the plant suffers the most. In order to prevent further spread of the disease, it is recommended to cut off the bud and burn it.

Irises affected by rot are immediately removed in case of diseases such as mosaic, rust, Alternaria blight, heterosporiosis, ascochyta blight and gray rot.

Treatment of heterosporiosis of irises and what it is

Heterosporiasis is a disease of irises, characterized by the appearance on their foliage of round or oval tan marks that are yellow and gray-brown in color. Over time, the spots grow and a watery border of fungal spores forms on their surface.

Treatment of heterosporiosis is carried out with calcium nitrate, potassium chloride and copper-containing preparations. Affected plant leaves must be cut off and burned.

What to do if the buds of irises begin to rot

Bud rot in irises can be caused by thrips, hairy fawn and iris fly.

In all cases, the affected flower stalks must be cut off and burned, destroying the potential pest, especially since the iris affected by the pest will no longer have its original aesthetic appearance or will not bloom at all.

Gardeners love iris for its bright colors and unpretentiousness. After all, the flower feels good in any place where there is no stagnation of moisture. However, in recent years, cases of bud rot have become more frequent. Why does the flower not bloom, but become watery and disappear? The answer was found back in the 19th century, but our flower growers only recently became acquainted with this problem - the iris fly.

What does an iris fly look like?

In the scientific literature, the insect is found under the name “iris flower girl”. Outwardly, it is very similar to an ordinary fly, differing only in color: the body is gray-black with yellowish spots.

Externally, the iris fly differs from the usual one by the presence of yellowish spots on the body

The pest sneaks into the bud in early May and lives there until mating, feeding on the unopened petals of the flower. After the flower girl lays her eggs, she leaves the bud. The hatched blue-white larvae (1–2 cm in length) eat what is left of the bud. The inflorescences dry out on the outside and rot on the inside. The larvae, falling to the ground, pupate and overwinter well. And in the spring everything repeats itself. The only consolation is that the fly lays eggs only once a year.

Table: life cycle of the iris flower girl

Designations: + - fly, I - egg, 0 - pupa, (0) - pupa in the resting stage.

What varieties of iris and how does a fly cause harm?

It is the larvae that cause the greatest damage to the plant. As a rule, mid- and late-flowering varieties of hybrid iris are in danger. While the peduncle develops, most of the buds do not open and become like a soft brownish mass. The petals of blooming flowers curl after a while, and the bud itself dries up. This reaction to the pest is noticed mainly in dwarf varieties of irises.

The fly causes harm when it makes punctures with its proboscis in the petals of a blossoming flower and drinks the juice. It uses its extended proboscis to scrape off the epidermis of plant integuments, which causes spots to appear along the edges of the petal. In addition, the fly spoils the surface of the flower with green secretions.

Damaged buds must be destroyed

The pest poses a threat to hybrid (bearded) irises, bred by crossing many plant species, which are also threatened by the invasion of flower girls. But scientists have noticed that there are species of iris that the fly does not visit, even if they bloom next to a hybrid one:

• grass-like,
• salt-loving,
• Siberian.

Previously grown varieties on the territory of the Soviet Union were rarely exposed to the harmful effects of flies. The situation began to change when hybrid iris varieties were brought from Europe. At the end of the 80s. last century, these plants began to die en masse from flies.

Fighting iris fly

The fly will not be affected by digging. This is explained simply: to destroy the larvae, it is necessary to dig up the ground no further than 5 cm from the rhizome, since this is where flies pupate. And this is not an easy task. There is also no point in treating plants with chemicals immediately before they bud. It is better to do this when the flower arrow is just emerging from the rhizome. When the buds appear but are not colored, you can spray them again. Cultivating the soil under the flower will also help. If larvae are found in the buds, the flowers should be picked and burned.

Since the fly can travel to neighboring areas and infect plants there, it is advisable to control several yards at the same time. Then there is a possibility that in the coming years the pest will not find its way to the flowers.

You should carefully consider the timing of plant processing so that the flowers still bloom in your area.

As a preventive measure, you can transplant the flowers in September to another place, and treat the previous one with the same preparations and dig it up. However, the report of entomologists, which was made on the basis of data provided by Doctor of Biological Sciences E. P. Narchuk, says the following:

Of the chemical protective agents, organophosphorus compounds, synthetic pyrethroids and neonicotinoids (Confidor and Mospilan) were tested. The use of organophosphorus pesticides (BI-58N) did not reduce the number of the pest; the use of pyrethroids reduced the number of the pest by 30%. Neonicotinoids turned out to be much more effective - the number of pests when using Confidor is reduced by 90%, and Mospilan - by up to 100%. Treatment with drugs should be carried out at the beginning of budding, when the flower arrow is just emerging from the rhizome, and for effective protection it is important to strictly adhere to the early stages of treatment. Experience in using drugs with standard dosages has shown that spraying plants with formed buds shortly before flowering does not bring the desired result.

G.V. Popov, I.P. Lezhenina, L.S. Kholkhoeva

On the biology of the pest of hybrid iris buds

On the forums you can find advice from flower growers on treating irises with ash, tobacco dust, pepper, mustard, a mixture of soap solution and alcohol, etc. It is recommended to do this during the period when the shoots appear. There is no information about the effectiveness of these products, but they cannot harm either, so you can try to help the plant in this way. Infusions of all bitter herbs are also suitable for spraying.

Infusions of bitter herbs (for example, celandine) can repel pests

In addition to chemical and folk remedies for fighting flies, there is also a mechanical method of protection - gauze caps placed on the buds after treatment. They will help if the pest has not yet entered the flower.

Video: caring for irises, how to deal with iris fly

Irises are considered unpretentious plants, but are sometimes affected by diseases and pests. You need to start fighting them immediately after the first signs appear, otherwise the activity of pathogenic microorganisms and insects can lead to the death of the plantings.

In appearance, the iris fly is practically no different from ordinary flies, but it has golden spots on its body. The insect overwinters in the ground and becomes active in early spring, when the last frosts are behind us.

Before mating, flies feed on young iris buds, and over time lay eggs in them, from which larvae emerge and begin to eat the flower tissue. From the buds, insects fall to the ground, where they pupate for the winter, and in the next season a new generation of pests grows from them.

Symptoms of planting damage

Symptoms of plantings being damaged by the iris fly are lack of flowering and death of flower stalks while still in the budding stage. The buds begin to dry out on top, rot from the inside, and if you break the flower, you can see the larvae of the pest - they look like white translucent worms about 1-1.5 cm long.

Insects do not harm the roots, but if you do not fight them, the plantings may not bloom at all. Most of all, the iris fly “loves” mid- and late-flowering hybrid varieties of crops, and grass-like, salt-loving and Siberian varieties of flowers are practically not susceptible to damage.

How to deal with iris fly

You can fight the iris fly in several ways - with the help of insecticides or folk remedies. It is recommended to treat plantings at least twice a season - in early March, when the plants begin to grow, and also after the appearance of flower stalks.

Insecticides

The advantage of treating flowers with insecticides is a quick and lasting effect, but such preparations can harm other plants and require compliance with personal safety rules. The following drugs are considered the most effective:

• Aktellik;
• Aktara;
• Decis;
• Confidor;
• Mospilan;
• Bi-58.

It is necessary to spray not only the plantings, but also the ground underneath them in order to destroy the fly larvae that live in the soil. The soil should first be dug up to a depth of about 5 cm - this will prevent the emergence of a new generation of pests.

Folk remedies

Traditional recipes are less effective, but safer for health and other plants. The number of treatments is at least 2-3 per season - the first is carried out in early spring, when the iris fly wakes up after wintering, then several more times after the appearance of flower stalks.

1. Soap solution. Prepare a solution of water and laundry soap, add alcohol and ammonia in equal parts, mix everything and pour it into a spray bottle.
2. Infusion of celandine. Steam a tablespoon of dried celandine with boiling water, leave for 25-30 minutes, cool and filter.
3. Infusion of wormwood. Take a tablespoon of dried wormwood, pour 180 ml of boiling water, leave for 45-55 minutes, strain.
4. Tansy infusion. Prepare an infusion of 2 tablespoons of tansy and 200 ml of hot water, leave for 40-50 minutes, filter.
5. Burdock infusion. Steam 2 tablespoons of burdock root in 200 ml of boiling water, leave for 35-40 minutes.
6. Aloe infusion. Take a fleshy aloe leaf, chop and squeeze out the juice. Take 1.5-2 tablespoons of the resulting liquid, dilute it with 100 ml of cold water.

To enhance the effect, you can sprinkle the ground between the irises with wood ash, sulfur or tobacco dust. If the treatment does not give the necessary results, it is better to dig up the irises and transplant them to another place, having previously treated the ground with insecticides.

If there are other areas near the plantings where irises grow, you need to treat them with insecticides or folk remedies - in this way you can achieve a lasting effect for several years.

It is very difficult to prevent the appearance of the iris fly, since it appears in the warm season, regardless of any other factors.

You can plant only those varieties of flowers that are not susceptible to attack by these insects, or place garlic, mustard and other plants with an intense aroma next to the plantings.

BEARDED IRISES

Irises- popular garden flowers. They are distinguished by an extraordinary variety of shapes, colors, and sizes. In addition, some types of irises require almost no care after planting, for example, bearded iris. You just need to choose the right place for them and water them moderately, since these plants do not like shading, and their rhizomes do not tolerate waterlogging. Therefore, the best place for a flowerbed or bed of bearded irises would be an open, flat area with sandy loam or light loamy soil. If this area is located at some elevation, even better, rainwater will definitely not accumulate there.

When propagating irises the old plant must be dug up and divided into planting units, that is, divisions, annual growths on the root, each of which has already formed its own root and leaf systems. The roots of the divisions are shortened, cutting them to a length of 15-20 centimeters. In dry, clear weather, it is recommended to dry them in the sun for greater resistance to diseases (when sending to the customer, we dry all the cuttings). Then the divisions should be planted in a pre-selected place. When planting, do not forget that irises do not tolerate deepening of the upper part of the rhizome very well, so either sprinkle the upper part with earth just a little (literally 1-2 centimeters), or, even better, leave it on the surface . Place the planting unit in the hole so that its leaf part is on the north side and the root part is on the south. With this planting, the upper part of the rhizome, where the flowering shoot will form, will be well lit. Do not allow plantings to be too close; leave a distance of about 50-60 centimeters between divisions, since these flowers grow quickly. You can propagate irises throughout the growing season, but most gardeners prefer to do this 2-3 weeks after flowering. Immediately after planting, water the irises generously, and then water only when the buds form, during flowering (especially in dry, hot weather) and about a month after flowering. Irises respond favorably to feeding. It is best to immediately add fertilizer (rotted manure, ash) into the planting hole when planting and mix thoroughly with soil and humus. You can also feed the flowers 2-3 times during the growing season with complex fertilizers, which must include nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. It is also recommended to sprinkle ash on the bed with irises. It not only serves as a source of useful substances, but also protects plants well from rotting. Apply manure in small quantities, as nitrogen oversaturation can cause root rotting.

From diseases for the group Bacterial rot (Pectobacterium carotovorum) of rhizomes is especially dangerous for bearded irises; it actively develops during warm, humid periods of summer. The causative agent of the disease is the bacterium Erwinia aroidea, or Pseudomonas iridis. The fan of leaves turns yellow and falls; the decaying rhizome emits a strong, unpleasant odor. Rotting areas of the rhizome should be cut out and the cut should be treated with a strong solution of potassium permanganate. The rot pathogen is afraid of the sun and dryness (it is useful to free the rhizomes from the surface and sides of the soil). Before planting, it is necessary to treat the rhizomes with foundationazole. The carriers of diseases are insects: thrips (they nest in the leaf axils, the leaf loses its waxy coating and looks depressed) and the caterpillar of the cutworm butterfly, which gnaws leaves and flower stalks from under the ground. Preventive treatment of soil and plants with phytosporin is recommended.

Iris growers you should pay attention to the pest- iris fly. If you don't keep track of it in time, you may not see the blooming flower. If damaged by it, the bud dries out, and when it is broken, rot is visible, among which small white worms crawl - these are hatched larvae of the iris fly.

COMBAT MEASURES

ANDrice flyoutwardly it is very similar to an ordinary fly, and overwinters in the ground like the Colorado potato beetle. In early spring, when the plants are just beginning to grow, the iris fly climbs out of the ground and begins its active activity. As soon as the bearded irises throw out flower stalks with barely formed buds, the iris fly lands on the bud, pierces it and lays eggs in it. After some time, small iris fly larvae hatch from the eggs. They feed on the tissues of the bud, depositing their excrement there. The affected bud rots inside and dries out on top. Of course, such a bud will never open again.

ANDrice flyreduces the flowering of bearded irises, and does not cause any harm to the rhizomes themselves. Previously, 20 or 30 years ago, the iris fly was scarce and almost no one paid attention to it. With the warming of the climate, all pests have become more numerous, and the number of iris flies has also increased noticeably; we have to additionally spend our time fighting this pest of bearded irises - the iris fly.

All buds affected by the iris fly must be collected and burned - this will reduce the number of hatched young iris flies.

When irisesbearded ones will throw away flower stalks, you need to treat the beds with irises with some universal insecticide, for example, ACTELLIK, DECIS or BI-58. Spraying should be carried out at the very early stage the appearance of buds. Better yet, do 2-3 treatments per season. The first treatment is at the end of March, when there are no buds yet, and the iris fly is just beginning to emerge from the ground after hibernation.

DILILIES

Daylily is one of the most undemanding perennials. Winter-hardy, drought-resistant, resilient. Retains decorativeness from spring to late autumn. It can grow in one place for a very long time, forming large, wide bushes.

Daylilies tolerate any soil - sandy, clay, but develop much better in moist, fresh, well-drained soil. Daylilies will benefit from the addition of rotted manure, leaves, compost and other organic matter. Daylilies respond positively to mulching with pine bark (I have a pine forest nearby). Later it gets into the soil and makes it looser. In this case, you should add mineral fertilizers, especially nitrogen (I add chicken manure).

Like all perennials, daylilies love mineral fertilizers. This is not an absolute necessity, but it will have a beneficial effect on modern hybrids. They have a better appearance and their flowers are larger and brighter.

Daylilies like moist, well-drained soil. They tolerate drought, but feel better when well watered. In our conditions, they cannot stand soaking in the cold season. It is especially important to follow the watering regime during flowering, then the flowers will be as decorative as possible. It is better to water in the morning or after 18 o'clock at the root

Of the possible threats to daylilies, the most dangerous is root collar rot - and if measures are not taken in time, the death of the plant is possible. To do this, you need to cut off the damaged area and treat it with a solution of potassium permanganate.

I don’t cover daylilies for the winter. There are many recommendations on this matter. I believe that each gardener has his own practice. At first, I covered evergreen varieties, seeing how difficult it was for them to emerge from winter, but then I realized that in our climate this is a natural way and, on the contrary, I could make things worse. In most cases, plants disappear not from freezing, but from getting wet. There was one year in February, when the sun shone and the snow began to melt. There was a lot of water around the flowers. And then the frost hit. The whole earth froze. Many plants disappeared that year. And besides, the shelter must be removed in time in the spring so that there is no rotting. You can cover daylilies that were planted in late autumn and have not yet had time to take root. In my understanding, if a daylily cannot live without shelter, then it is not suitable for our climate. We need to select varieties that take root well in our region.

Bush division - the most common method of daylily propagation, which allows you to preserve all the characteristics of the mother plant. If there is a need for faster propagation, then the bush can be divided at any age and at any time, from early spring to late autumn.

Daylily seeds are used by breeders to develop new varieties. During seed propagation, maternal characteristics are lost.

PEONIES

In order for peonies to grow and bloom well in one place for many years, it is important to choose the right place. The area for peonies should be sunny, although slight shading during the midday hours is acceptable. Peonies grow in deep shade, but do not bloom.

The soils most suitable for these plants are cultivated loamy, slightly acidic soils (pH 6-6.5). On clay soils add sand, on sandy soils - 1.5 buckets of clay. On acidic soils, add 200-400 g of lime. For all peonies, damp, swampy areas, as well as areas with close groundwater, are unsuitable. In such conditions, the roots of peonies rot. Considering that over time the bushes will grow greatly, they are placed no closer than 1 m from each other.

Prepare the planting hole in advance, about a month in advance. By the time of planting, the soil in the hole should be compacted, then it will not sag in the future. A hole is dug measuring 60x60x60 cm. It is filled 2/3 with a mixture of humus or compost, peat, sand and garden soil in equal parts (approximately one bucket of each component is taken for this volume). 250 g of double superphosphate, 1 tablespoon of iron sulfate and 1 liter of wood ash are added to the mixture. The remaining volume is filled with garden soil. If for some reason it was not possible to prepare the hole in advance, then compact the soil as it is filled and then water it.

It should be planted so that the renewal buds are covered by 3-5 cm of soil. The roots will be in their normal position if the remaining part of the stem is held vertically. Then the roots must be covered with soil, compacting the soil between and under them with your fingers so that there are no air gaps left. The soil must be compacted thoroughly, but carefully so as not to break the roots and buds. After this planting, you need to water generously and allow the soil to settle. Then pour a mound of about 10 cm high from the soil remaining from planting to prevent the roots from protruding and provide winter protection. In the first year after planting and replanting, plants, as a rule, do not bloom, look weakened, and the number of stems does not exceed 1-2. In most cases, it’s not a big deal if the plants don’t bloom or don’t bloom fully in the second year. They just haven't reached maturity yet. It is much more important that in the second year the plants look healthy and have significantly increased in development compared to the first year: the number of stems should increase to 3 - 6.

Care

In the first year of development of young plants, infrequent but abundant watering is necessary. Watering is especially important in spring and early summer, when bushes are rapidly growing and flowers are forming, and at the end of summer (July - early August), when flower buds and renewal buds are forming.

Watering- peonies are not watered often, but in dry summers at least once a week, spending 15-20 liters for each adult bush. Water should wet the soil to the depth of the roots. For convenience, you can dig 50 cm long drainage pipes near the bushes and pour water into them. After watering, the soil must be loosened, which helps retain moisture in the soil and improve aeration, and also inhibits the growth of weeds. They deprive peonies of nutrients, interfere with air circulation, and contribute to the spread and development of diseases.

Looseningsoils are carried out to conserve moisture and control weeds. Near the roots, you should loosen to a depth of no more than 5-8 cm, so as not to break new shoots. Tillage should begin in the spring (as soon as weather permits) and continue until the weeds grow. Makes this job easiermulching plantings with pine bark, pine nut shells, etc.. Mulch protects plants from the sun, keeps the soil cool, retains moisture, and prevents erosion.

Fertilizers

With proper planting and agricultural technology, plants should be fertilized from the third year of life. The frequency of fertilization is determined by the type of soil. Porous soils lose nutrients faster than others; loamy and sandy loam soils require less fertilizer. Peonies consume large amounts of nitrogen and potassium. With the beginning of growth and development of the vegetative mass, the need for nitrogen increases. When the shoots reach 8-10 cm, nitrogen fertilizing (urea, ammonium nitrate) should be given. It is very convenient at this time to apply long-acting granular fertilizers, such as Festika (Kemira) flower or other mineral fertilizers for flowering plants, which will last throughout the season.

At the beginning of budding, you need to carry out the 2nd fertilizing with complex fertilizer (azophoska, nitrophoska, diammophos) or organic fertilizer (mullein - 1:10, bird droppings - 1:25). At the same time, microfertilizers should be added: boron in the form of boric acid (a pinch in a bucket of water) and manganese in the form of potassium permanganate (the solution should be pinkish).

After flowering, give the 3rd fertilizing, phosphorus-potassium (superphosphate, potassium sulfate, wood ash). Mineral fertilizers are evenly scattered into a ring groove around the bush, moistened abundantly and leveled with soil. It should be remembered that an excess of fertilizers causes more harm than their lack. It is better to feed young plants by foliar feeding. Starting from the second week of May, once a month the leaves are watered from a watering can with a sieve with a solution of complete mineral fertilizer (azophoska, nitrophoska, etc.).

Foliar feeding is carried out in the evening or in cloudy weather. Adult plants also need foliar feeding at the beginning of the growing season. It is carried out three times at three-week intervals, starting from the 2nd week of May. The first time the peonies are fed with a urea solution (50 g per 10 liters of water), the second time microfertilizers are added to the urea solution (1 tablet per 10 liters of solution). The third time, water only with a solution of microfertilizers (2 tablets per 10 liters of water).

Care during the flowering period - in the first two years after planting, it is recommended to remove the buds that appear so as not to weaken the development of plants. An important agrotechnical technique is to remove the side buds, leaving one central bud on the stem to obtain large flowers. The buds should be broken off carefully so as not to damage the plant. When cutting peonies, it is necessary to remember that the growth of renewal buds is carried out due to the nutrients produced by the leaves. No more than half of the stems no longer than 40 cm are cut from the bush. At least two or three leaves should be left on the stem. If the bush loses most of its leaves, it weakens, the renewal buds become smaller, and flowering deteriorates the next year.

Shelter for the winter- in the fall, before frost, the stems of peonies are cut off at soil level and burned. The remains of the stems are sprinkled with ash - 2-3 handfuls per bush. Winter hardiness of peonies is good. Shelter for adult plants is not required. Only new plantings are sprinkled with a 10-12 cm layer of peat. The cover is removed in early spring when the shoots begin to awaken.

Reproduction

Peoniescan be propagated by seeds and vegetatively - by cuttings, layering and dividing the bush. Plants grown from seeds bloom in the fourth or fifth year. It is best to plant freshly harvested seeds in the ground, then they can germinate next year in the spring. They are sown in August in loose, moist soil. Stale seeds germinate only in the second or third year.

Peonies are mainly propagated by dividing rhizomes. Peonies are divided at the age of 5-7 years, but can be divided from the age of three to four, provided that they have already bloomed normally, the number of stems has exceeded 7, and the stems do not grow in a bunch from one point, but occupy a certain area with a diameter of at least 7 cm. The latter condition is evidence that the rhizome is sufficiently developed and can be divided into several parts. In the middle zone, the optimal time for this is from mid-August to the third ten days of September. The plant is carefully dug around and below, without damaging the roots, and the soil is removed from them. Leaves from the plant are cut at a height of 10 cm, rotten roots are removed, old roots are cut at an angle of 45-60 degrees from the inside. The roots are washed with water and left in the shade for several hours so that they lose their fragility and do not break when dividing. The standard planting unit is a division - a part of a rhizome measuring 10-15 cm with 2-3 renewal buds and several adventitious roots. Larger divisions take root less well, and smaller ones require additional care. Immediately before planting, the roots are shortened to 10-15 cm. The division is disinfected for half an hour in a Maxim or Vitaros solution, and then immersed in a solution of heteroauxin (1 tablet per 10 liters of water) or root for 8-12 hours. When it dries, the cuts are rubbed with crushed coal. It is also useful to dip the delenki in a clay mash with the addition of copper sulfate (1 tablespoon per bucket of water). The prepared division is planted in a hole on a sand cushion. Cover the top with garden soil so that its layer above the buds is no more than 5 cm, and water it abundantly.

In the first year, plantings need to be mulched with peat in a layer of 5-7 cm for the winter. In the spring, the mulch is not removed until reddish sprouts appear on the surface (they are very fragile and break off easily). When the shoots grow a little, the mulch is raked to the side and the soil is loosened.

Peony diseasesand measures to combat them - in wet years, gray rot causes great damage to peonies. The development of the disease, especially on the roots, is facilitated by heavy soils, high acidity, excess nitrogen fertilizers, thickened plantings, and covering with manure for the winter. The disease affects young seedlings, stems, leaves, and buds.

Sometimes peonies are affected by gray rot at the beginning of the growing season - young shoots become covered with a gray coating and fall. But the greatest spread of gray rot occurs in the second half of summer. Brown spots appear on the leaves, the leaves curl and dry out. Light brown spots also appear on the stems at the base of the shoots. For prevention, at the beginning of growth, the bushes are sprayed and watered with Bordeaux mixture (50 g per 10 liters of water) or a 0.6% solution of copper oxychloride (CHOM, OxyCHOM), pouring 2-3 liters of solution under an adult bush. The affected stems, along with the adjacent soil, are immediately removed and burned, and the soil under the bush is spilled with a solution of one of the above-mentioned preparations. To prevent rust, plants after flowering are sprayed on the leaves with copper oxychloride (60-70 g per 10 l), Bordeaux mixture (100 g per 10 l) or colloidal sulfur (100 g per 10 l). For adhesion, add 1 tablespoon of washing powder or a little soap to the solution.

To avoid the development of diseases, peonies need air circulation. Therefore, it is better to plant plants at least some distance from buildings, trees and shrubs. For wild peonies this is not a necessary condition. After all, many of them grow naturally in the forest belt.

Pests of peonies - peonies are susceptible to attack by the bronze beetle, 14-20 mm long, golden-green in color, copper-red underneath, with narrow white transverse lines and small spots on the wings. Beetles eat buds, stamens, pistils, and eat petals. Females lay eggs in the soil. Method of control: manual collection and timely destruction of beetles.

Mice gnaw the roots and chew through the stems of peonies. Control measures: destruction of weeds in areas under which rodents can find protection from adverse conditions and enemies; the use of repellent drugs (creolin, tar, “Pugach”) or poisoned baits.

Peonies don't bloom:

• on light sandy or uncultivated soils;
• in conditions of waterlogging (root rotting occurs and buds die from gray rot);
• in the shade (develop well, but do not bloom);
• when the planting is too shallow or too deep;
• when transplanting bushes without dividing or using too large divisions. In this case, growth occurs due to reserves in old roots and a young root system is not formed;
• when cultivated without transplanting and dividing for longer than 7-8 years (the root system goes deep into the ground and fertilizing does not have an effect);
• with too frequent transplants and division of young bushes;
• with a lack of moisture during the periods of bud formation and the formation of renewal buds in the second half of summer. During these periods, abundant watering is required - over 10 liters per bush;
• with an excess of mineral fertilizers (active vegetative growth comes at the expense of the formation of buds, winter hardiness and resistance to diseases decrease);
• with unlimited cutting of flowers;
• when cutting off the above-ground part of the bush early.