Bright multi-colored phloxes delight the gardener's eye throughout the summer. Many flower growers ask questions about what should be the preparation of phlox for winter, how to protect the plant from frost. Prolonged flowering does not particularly help the flower successfully harvest nutrients in the cold season. What and how to do it, prompt experienced summer residents.
When to trim
Many perennial plants, including diverse phloxes, have a rather delicate aerial part, which dies every year when the first cold weather sets in. To determine the optimal pruning time for this flower, you need to find out which variety it belongs to - early flowering or late flowering. How to prepare for winter phlox, which belong to the early varieties? Since the inflorescences of these varieties fade already in August, pruning is prescribed at the end of this month or at the beginning of the next. All late phlox species lose their color only at the end of September, therefore, dead shoots are removed only at the beginning or middle of October. The main rule: we cut off everything superfluous before the onset of frost, otherwise you can lose completely healthy phlox. Preparation for the winter should be carried out necessarily, and it is worth using proven methods and tools.
Phlox Trimming Technology
The entire terrestrial part of the plant is removed using a conventional garden pruner, while you need to leave small "stumps" at a level of 5-10 cm from the ground. Such scraps should be preserved, since about 3 kidneys of renewal are located on them. It is from them in early spring that the plant will throw new shoots. Preparing phlox for winter in this way allows you to find out where perennials were planted, and not accidentally dig them along with ordinary beds.
Variegated Flower Shelter Stages
If the next winter promises to be cold, even frost-resistant varieties should be prepared in advance. For this, the soil and base of the perennial are treated with fungicides. This procedure is carried out only on dry sunny days. Further preparation of phloxes for winter requires waiting two weeks, and then add one spoon of superphosphate and a little wood ash under each bush. This stage will provide lush flowering in the new season and lush shoot growth. From above, the soil is mulched with any convenient material: pine or spruce needles, moss or simple sawdust. But the best option, according to professional summer residents, is a mixture of peat and high-quality humus. The top of such a hill is covered with spruce branches or cut tops so that the snow lingers and a suitable temperature is maintained due to the slow rotting of such mulch.
Once the preparation of phlox for winter is over, you can move on to other gardening matters, leaving perennials alone until spring. With the very first warm rays of the sun in the new year, all structures are dismantled to prevent insects and diseases from destroying young phlox shoots. Attention: you should not cover this flower with plastic film, because of it the plant may vypryat or soak. And it can also lead to decay and death.