Chrysanthemum is a flower that has a thousand-year history. The first mention of it dates back to the 15th century BC. e. This beautiful flower was glorified in its works by Chinese and Japanese philosophers and scientists. And today it is very popular among gardeners due to the huge variety of varieties and species. It is quite unpretentious and can be grown both in pots and on the street. How to cover chrysanthemums for the winter, so that they please their lush flowering the next year? This question worries many gardeners. The choice of wintering method for chrysanthemums depends on many factors: the weather conditions of your region, the variety of plants, as well as how you looked after them during the summer. There are three possible answers to the question of how to cover chrysanthemums for the winter. It can be wintering in the fresh air, in the cellar or in a specially prepared trench. All of the above methods have common steps.
The first steps in preparing chrysanthemums for wintering begin to be taken in late August - early September. At this time, they must be fed with phosphorus-potassium fertilizer to improve frost resistance.
The second stage is as follows: faded chrysanthemums must be cut to a height of 10-15 cm from the ground. This is done no earlier than night frosts become regular. A little cooling will save the plant from various infections and diseases.
How to cover chrysanthemums wintering in open ground?
For wintering in the open field, you can leave chrysanthemums with small flowers, Korean chrysanthemums, as well as chrysanthemums of domestic selection. They should be sprinkled with earth as high as possible. In this case, it is necessary to ensure that there are no pits around the plant where water can accumulate. This leads to the soaking of plants and their subsequent death. Further steps depend on the climatic features of the region. If there is a lot of snow, the chrysanthemum will be quite comfortable and without a specially created shelter. But if in winter frequent thaws with subsequent frosts are possible, it is necessary to protect the plant. How to cover chrysanthemums for the winter with minimal cost? To do this, you can use straw, fallen leaves, spruce branches, and for the construction of a makeshift "house" - bricks, pieces of slate or cardboard.
How to cover indoor chrysanthemums for the winter?
If the chrysanthemum grew in a pot, blooms in large flowers or "foreigner", it is better to bring it into the room for the winter. Ideal for winter storage, a subfloor or basement with a temperature of no higher than 10 degrees and a humidity of 70-75% is suitable.
In the northern regions, chrysanthemums are often stored in trenches 70 cm and 50 cm wide and deep, respectively. The plants are covered with a sheet of slate and sprinkled on top with a 10-centimeter layer of earth. The disadvantage of this method is that when a plant wakes up in spring, the leaves become elongated due to a lack of light.
In order not to suffer from doubts about how to cover chrysanthemums for the winter, and to be 100% sure of the safety of especially valuable varieties, you can leave each plant variety to winter in all three ways.