Throughout the summer period, the garden is decorated with its charming inflorescences, yellow cinquefoil. This plant is very unpretentious and does not require special care, for which many gardeners loved it.
Appearance
The cinquefoil is a highly branched shrub, the height of which ranges from 10 cm to 1.5 m, with sprawling branches. Young branches are pubescent, as they grow, they are covered with a scaly grayish bark. Oblong, pinnate leaves look like a palm.
A feature of this plant is that almost all of its parts are covered with fluffy hairs. In June, the bush is covered with small but numerous, collected in the form of an umbrella golden yellow flowers. Yellow cinquefoil has a very long flowering period - it lasts until the fall. If you properly care for this plant, then one bush can continuously bloom for more than two months. It is valued mainly for its decorativeness, being a decoration of the garden from early spring to autumn frosts. Long before the first yellow flowers appear on the cinquefoil, beautiful carved leaves blossom.
When flowering ends, the leaves acquire a golden hue, which also looks very attractive. The cinquefoil plant can be considered a long-liver - it can grow up to 30 years. The popularity of this plant is confirmed by the fact that it has three names: it is also called Kuril tea and five leaves.
Growing conditions
Potentilla - unpretentious shrub. But, like any plant, loves sunlight very much. However, it is not recommended to plant the cinquefoil in too open areas. Under the scorching rays of the sun, flowers acquire a pale color. When landing, you should choose a place that has a slight shade. The ideal option is when the plant is well lit by the sun in the morning, and in the afternoon it is in the shade. With a lack of light, a yellow cinquefoil may not at all please with its colors, or they will be meager and small.
All varieties of this plant take root well in any soil. But loamy, fertile areas are particularly suitable. High frost resistance allows you to grow bloodroot even in permafrost. Only wetlands and other places where groundwater lies too close to the surface are not suitable for planting a cinquefoil.
Breeding
There are several ways to propagate shrubby cinquefoil. Gardeners use one method or another depending on the conditions. Reproduction by layering is considered the easiest, when the incised shoot is simply bent to the ground, and, having fixed it, they are sprinkled with earth. After some time, roots appear on the shoot, after which it can be transplanted to another place.
Propagation by cuttings. They are cut at the beginning of summer, and, having removed the lower leaves, are rooted in a shaded place. The soil should always be moist, for which it is recommended to cover each stalk with a jar on top. Appearing buds must be removed, otherwise blooming flowers can weaken the plant.
By dividing the bush, the potentilla is also quite simple to propagate. Planting processes with kidneys is carried out both in spring and in autumn. The age of the parent plant must be at least 4 years.
In order to plant potentilla seeds, they are collected in the fall, dried and stored until spring in paper bags. Fresh seeds can also be sown immediately after harvest. Quite often, this plant gives self-seeding. Sprouts that emerged from the seeds are first planted on a special bed, and after 2 years - in the designated place where the potentilla will constantly grow. Growing it in this way, however, does not guarantee that all maternal qualities will be transferred to the plant.
Landing rules
Kuril tea is not much different from other shrubs when it comes to planting. Typically, cinquefoil is planted in spring, immediately after thawing the soil. But you can do this in the fall, no later than September, so that the plant has time to take root before frost. First, a landing pit is prepared at a depth of at least 60 cm. If there are several plants, then their distance from each other should be at least 90 - 100 cm. However, if you want to create a continuous carpet from the cinquefoil, then it can be less.
The bottom of the pit is laid with a 20 cm drainage layer, which can be river pebbles, broken brick or lime gravel. Then the soil mixture, consisting of sand, humus and leafy soil, is filled up. It is advisable to add mineral fertilizer to it. The seedling is placed in the planting pit so that the root neck is on the surface of the earth.
After planting, the soil around the plant must be properly mulched to prevent it from drying out. When planting, the yellow cinquefoil needs abundant watering - 10 - 12 liters of water per plant.
Bloodroot care
For the full development of the plant, it is necessary to fertilize it. Before flowering, it is recommended to apply phosphorus and potassium fertilizers (about 30 g each in a bucket of water). Only young plants need frequent watering in the first month after planting. They are watered once a week or more often. In the future, the bush is quite enough and rain moisture. Only in the dry period can it be additionally watered 1 to 2 times a month.
In early spring, you need to trim the bush. This allows you to give it the desired shape, and also contributes to more abundant flowering. Clean and tidy loves the cinquefoil. Care for it therefore involves the timely removal of emerging weeds and loosening of the soil, which must be done carefully, since the root system of the plant is not deep.
Diseases and Pests
The cinquefoil is practically not affected by either diseases or pests. Sometimes rust may appear on the leaves in the form of brown spots. On the other side you can see the spores of the fungus. Rust is a rather dangerous disease that spreads very quickly, and a weakened plant becomes more vulnerable to other fungal diseases. When the first signs appear, as well as for the purpose of prevention, it is recommended to spray the green parts of the plant with potassium permanganate or copper-soap liquid. The causative agent of rust usually develops in the branches of pine. In them, mycelium is very well preserved even in cold weather. In summer, in warm weather, spores carried by the wind can hit the cinquefoil in a matter of days. Therefore, it is not recommended to plant this flower near the pines.
Yellow cinquefoil - popular varieties
This plant is especially suitable for growing in central Russia. Gardeners prefer to use it for the decorative design of their plots, since yellow cinquefoil is considered more frost-resistant and unpretentious. Her varieties are diverse.
Golden Dwarf A highly branching bush reaches a height of no more than 70 cm. The flowers are golden yellow, up to 3 cm in size. The shoots of this plant have a reddish hue.
Goldstar has larger flowers (up to 5 cm in diameter), which abundantly cover a low bush. It blooms from July to September.
Sorts Goldfinger and Darts Golddigger are considered the most flowering. Tall bushes are covered with rather large bright yellow flowers for a long time - from June to October.
The lowest shrub is the Kobolt variety. Its height does not exceed 60 cm. The rapid growth of this plant requires periodic pruning. Widely used by gardeners and many other varieties of potentilla.
Application
The name Kuril tea is this plant is not in vain. It contains a large amount of tanides, carotene, vitamins, essential oils and organic acids. Potentilla leaves and flowers are brewed and drunk for various inflammations of the oral mucosa, gastrointestinal and colds. The drink is very aromatic, tastes good.
The cinquefoil plant, reviews of gardeners about which are quite numerous, is very often used for aesthetic purposes.
High decorative properties make it indispensable for creating hedges,
alpine hills and borders. The cinquefoil looks great in both group and single landings.