Now, many flower growers, in order to create a special flower garden decor, are trying to plant in their area not daisies and carnations familiar to everyone, but something unusual and original. Astilba is ideal for these purposes. This perennial is unusually decorative, not capricious, and easily reproduces. Astilba captivates with its dark green carved leaves with small airy flowers delicately gathered in panicles, but in order to please it for a long time, you need to know how to care for it. An important element in it is the transplantation of astilba in the fall to another place. Why is this necessary and how to perform such a procedure, our article will tell.
Astilbe plant
The astilbe flower is a member of the Kamchatka family. You can meet him in East Asia, Japan or in North America (where he comes from). In Russia, astilba has also been grown quite willingly lately. Depending on the variety, the height of this perennial shrub varies from 15 cm to 200 cm. The length of fluffy panicles is also ambiguous and can be 10-60 cm. The color scheme of the astilbe is quite diverse. Her flowers can be lilac, red, pink and white.
Advantages
Astilba has many advantages:
- Completely unpretentious in leaving.
- The process of its reproduction is quite simple.
- It drains the soil perfectly (for example, after rains), as it is very moisture-loving. Therefore, it is recommended to plant it along the walls of houses (in order to protect the foundation from excessive moisture).
- The shadow is not a hindrance to her, that is, she grows beautifully in places that are poorly lit by the sun.
- Throughout the summer months, the astilbe pleases with its lush flowering all those around.
Varieties
There are a huge number of types of astilbe. Among them are hybrid varieties (there are about 40 of them), Japanese varieties, Korean and Chinese.
Species obtained by crossing the main base species (David astilbe) with others are called Anders hybrids. Their distinguishing characteristics are: spherical, sprawling, as well as the shape of a bush in the form of a pyramid. Bushes with a height of about 1 meter have the longest flowering period (35-45 days: from July to August). The most popular varieties among summer residents are: Dynamite, Gloria, Rubin and Amethyst.
Low (up to 80 cm), cold-resistant and blooming before all, Japanese varieties easily take root in new places and continue to decorate home gardens even after flowering. The most common varieties are Europe, Montgomery, Rhineland and Deutschland.
Tall (about 1.1-1.2 m) Chinese varieties, with fairly large basal leaves and dense inflorescences (35-40 cm long), successfully took root on Russian soil. The main varieties: Vision in Pink, Purpurlanze and Vision in Red.
Regardless of the type of plant care, measures such as planting astilbe in the fall and outdoor care are important.
In what place is better to plant
The easiest way to care for astilbe is to find a suitable place to land. The fact is that the plant is so unpretentious that it can be planted where other flowers simply do not survive. A huge advantage of this plant is that it is able to bloom luxuriantly in dense shade, and also that it can be planted in wetlands and in lowlands, where water often stagnates. The abundance of moisture in the soil is a prerequisite for the successful cultivation of astilbe.
True, there are separate varieties that need the sun. These plants must be abundantly watered and mulched to preserve moisture in the soil.
There are some nuances that should be considered when choosing a place to land:
- The plant does not tolerate very close proximity to trees. The fact is that the root system of such neighbors significantly weakens the astilbe and does not allow it to develop properly.
- Very much like a plant of soil with a high occurrence of groundwater. In this case, astilba is guaranteed to receive moisture throughout the summer period.
- The flower does not tolerate drought. Therefore, in regions with a hot and dry climate, the plant looks oppressed and has a weak flowering.
When transplanting astilbe in the fall, you need to consider these plant characteristics.
Landing pattern
The planting scheme of such an ornamental plant as astilba is quite simple. If you want to see perennial tall bushes on your site, then you should plant them at a distance of 50 cm from each other. If you are ready to be content with undersized representatives of this species, then each subsequent plant can be placed 30 cm from the previous one.
That is, when transplanting astilba in the fall, it is necessary to adhere to certain recommendations described above.
Dates of boarding or transfer
Despite all the unpretentiousness of astilbe, to obtain a positive result in its cultivation, it is necessary not only to choose the right place and plant in a certain way, but also to observe the terms of agricultural work.
The best time for planting or transplanting astilba in autumn is the beginning of September, and in spring - the end of April and the beginning of May. When planting a plant in early autumn, you need to correctly calculate the time it will take a seedling to fully get stronger before the onset of cold weather and frost.
Astilbe transplant time in autumn is determined by the end of its flowering. It makes no sense to postpone this work to a later date. The plant should be placed in a new place about a month before the air temperature drops below +5 degrees. Some gardeners are wondering when it is preferable to carry out an astilbe transplant in spring or autumn? Of course, this work is best done in the spring, as in this case you can see the first flowering at the end of the season. If there is no such goal, then transplant in the fall.
How often do astilba transplant
What is astilba planting in autumn and outdoor care? According to gardeners, astilbe should be propagated and transplanted once every four years. It is during this time that the rhizome of the plant grows to such a size that it begins to become bare, rising above the soil layer. This can lead to the fact that with the onset of frost the flower will die. However, if after 4 years the plant is still in full bloom, then you should not look for it another place in the garden, it is better to just feed it to help it bloom lushly and continuously.
Preparing the soil for planting
How to prepare the land for an astilbe transplant in autumn? What kind of soil does she like? She loves moist, light (loose), rich in humus and slightly acidic soil, seasoned with organic matter. In the fall, before landing (or transplanting), we perform the following work:
- We dig the earth to a depth of about 30 cm.
- Weeds are removed (always with the root) and any garbage.
- We bring in peat, rotted manure and humus (1 bucket of mixture is enough for 1 m²).
In the spring, wanting to plant an astilbe, we dig out a small hole (depth not more than 25-35 cm), make a bookmark of complex fertilizer in granules (about 30 g), ash (half a glass) and compost; mix everything thoroughly and water, not sparing water. We wait until the liquid is completely absorbed into the soil, and only then we plant the prepared seedling, dig it with earth, compact the soil around the plant in order to avoid the presence of voids filled with air, add soil (if necessary) and mulch with sawdust, bark, peat or straw. The layer height should be at least 4-7 cm.
Astilba change in the fall to another place
There are general recommendations for a flower transplant:
- The plant feels comfortable in one place for 4-5 years. If the flowering is not so magnificent, then this is a sure sign that it is better to transplant astilbe.
- These works can be performed not only in spring or autumn, but also during the entire warm period, even when the plant is blooming and there are many buds on it.
- Transplanting astilbe flowers in the autumn in the country is carried out for various reasons, among which reproduction occupies an important place. It is performed for this plant mainly by dividing the rhizome. Other methods are cuttings and kidney renewal. In addition, astilbe can be planted with seeds in the fall, too, although many still prefer to propagate by dividing an overgrown bush.
- You can share a young plant with your hands. For the separation of parts of the rhizome of astilbe "aged" can not do without a shovel.
The place of separation of the rhizome should be generously sprinkled with ash to protect it from decay and the penetration of bacteria living in the ground.
In order to less injure the flower, together with the rhizome, it is desirable to capture more root soil and transfer it all to a new place. After transplanting, the plant needs to be abundantly watered.
We prepare a hole for a new plant as described above. We plant a dividend in it so that the deepening of the kidneys of renewal is 5-6 cm. After planting, the astilbe is abundantly watered so that the soil is properly compacted. After a couple of days, the bush will come to its senses and begin its life.
In the first year, the plant will be weak, so flower growers recommend removing all peduncles on it so that the root system develops better.
We hope that our recommendations will help you in the production of works such as astilba transplant in the fall to another place of your choice.
Water correctly
A feature of the growth of plant roots is that they grow exclusively in the upper soil layer. Therefore, it is very important that the entire growing season provide astilbe with sufficient watering. In particularly hot and dry periods, astilbe should be watered twice a day - in the morning and in the evening. It helps to retain moisture in the soil layer of mulch with a thickness of 10 cm.
We feed on time
Optionally feed astilbe three times a year:
- The first feeding is done at the very beginning of spring, when young shoots have already begun their development. For these purposes, we use complex nitrogen-containing fertilizers.
- We give the second, phosphoric feed after flowering.
- The third is carried out in the fall, when the flowering is over. This time we restrict ourselves to liquid (to avoid burns on the stems of plants) potash fertilizers.
Trimming
In late autumn, the entire aerial part of the plant needs to be cut, leaving only very small stumps. Also in autumn you need to add astilbe mulch. This will protect the plant from the cold. Especially carefully, you need to make an astilba transplant in the fall in Siberia and other regions with severe winters. So that the plants in the new place do not die due to the fact that their root system has not yet become strong and hardy, it is necessary to fall in the air, as soon as the air temperature is at -8-10 degrees Celsius, cover the young seedlings with spruce branches or other covering material.
Pests
Despite the fact that astilba is very resistant to many diseases, and pests are not afraid of it, such "troubles" sometimes occur as the formation of brown and yellow spots on leaves affected by slobbery pennies. These pests suck juice from the leaf tissue, which destroys not only individual leaf plates, but the entire bush. You can fight pennies using various insecticides, such as Karbofos.
In addition to pennies, nematodes (strawberry and gall) can also attack astilbe. The first causes deformation of the leaves, and the second causes significant damage to the roots. These pests do not tolerate drugs such as Fitoferm. Using it, you can completely get rid of nematodes.