To date, according to the database of a joint project of two world-famous organizations involved in the systematization and description of plants (Kew Royal Botanic Gardens, UK and Missouri Botanical Gardens, USA), called The plant list, 986 species of sage grow on the globe .
Genus features
The Latin name for sage is Salvia. This is a perennial plant in the family Iasnatkovye. In Russia, it is traditionally divided into salvia and sage. The first relate to ornamental plants that are cultivated in an annual culture.
Salvia varieties (natural and hybrid) are sold by seed. Their sowing for seedlings is carried out in February-March in planting boxes. Then there is picking and planting of seedlings in individual containers. Landing is carried out around the beginning of June, after the removal of the threats of return frosts. Salvia blooms (almost all varieties) from four months of age until the end of the summer season. Decorativeity is created by various shades of flowers - from purple to scarlet.
Sage grown as a perennial plant, well known both in Europe and in all other parts of the world. Since it is not difficult to grow sage , it is customary to cultivate one's own species in the gardening of various climatic regions , which have been tested by time, medicinal and culinary experience.
Sage: types and cultivation (briefly)
Most often, the plant is associated with drug use. Its main form is called salvia officinalis ( Sālvia officinālis ) .
The historical application is diverse: tinctures are used as an antiseptic for diseases of the gums and teeth, in the form of douching - for women's problems, aromatic oils - for respiratory diseases, decoctions - for gastrointestinal diseases. Modern pharmaceuticals uses Sālvia officinālis as part of many drugs. Growing salvia officinalis is within the power of any gardener, its decorative qualities help to shape summer cottages.M accelerated sage ( Salvia sclarea ) is ubiquitous, often growing like a weed. Its use is associated with a specific smell of essential oil, reminiscent of the aroma of orange and bergamot. The distillery and culinary industry use it to add a nutmeg flavor to products.
Meadow sage ( Salvia pratensis ) grows on slopes, including rocky ones, and is widespread throughout Europe. Its dried leaves are used in cooking as seasonings for salads, soups, broths. Included in homemade marinade.
Sage desert ( Salvia deserta ) in Russia grows on the slopes of Altai. Among other wild species, it is of particular value as an outstanding honey plant.
Salvia nemorosa (Salvia nemorosa) is also Moldavian, it is also Yailin sage. Growing in the country as a decorative and honey plant is associated with some difficulties. The fact is that historically it is cultivated as heat-loving. Intolerance to snowy winters and susceptibility to freezing are the distinctive qualities of oak sage. Landing and care in the open ground in the middle zone of the Russian Federation are not complicated. And sheltering in the winter is a rather complicated and laborious agrotechnical process for this species.
Sage: planting and care in the open ground (general information)
The cultivation of plants has features associated with the historical origin of each species. The habitat is almost all natural areas. Growing sage in household plots is interesting from the point of view of obtaining a decorative fragrant honey plant, which also has medicinal and culinary features.
The fruits of almost all sage varieties are triangular rounded nuts from 1.5 to 3 mm. Sold for gardeners from manufacturers - seed nurseries. Growing sage from seeds is not difficult, even the most inexperienced gardener will cope with this (the process technology can be read below). It is much more difficult to keep this plant for the second and subsequent years in conditions of little snowy and rather severe winters of the middle zone of the Russian Federation.
All types of sage are undemanding to the mechanical composition of the soil: loams with added humus and lime are suitable for them. But heavy clay soils with poor water permeability are the reason for sage freezing and rotting in the wet summer period. For spring planting, it is enough to pre-prepare the site for cultivation, making humus humus in the fall, before the sage planting season .
The rules for growing an adult bush dictate a fairly tough approach to the place and distances to other plants.
The site for sage must be chosen so that the plant is not far from garden paths. Otherwise, its aroma will be unavailable. At the same time, the plant requires shelter for the winter (albeit not the same as for the vine), therefore, near the house where the paths will be cleared of snow or icicles will melt, it is impractical to place it.
Sage bushes with timely top dressing and watering can grow up to a meter high, their width in the second and subsequent years will increase from half a meter in diameter.
Getting seedlings
So how to grow sage from seeds in the middle zone of the Russian Federation is easiest in the seedling method, therefore, the main efforts of the gardener should be focused precisely on these works.
It is advisable to begin to engage in planting material in February-March. You can read about
how to grow sage from seeds by direct planting in the ground below.
Seeds should be soaked before planting for a day in warm water. Then rinse the bag in a pink solution of potassium permanganate for disinfection. Seeds prepared in this way can be sown in a seedling box, seeding them to a depth of not more than 1.5 mm. Close the box with glass or film, place in a warm place (20-25 degrees Celsius). Ventilate periodically by opening for 5-20 minutes to additionally check the humidity and absence of mold.
Sprouts will appear in two to three weeks. The glass needs to be removed, put the box in a lighted room. Best of all - next to the heating battery, under the windowsill. The temperature for sage should not be lower than 20 degrees Celsius - the plant is thermophilic.
Saplings with a height of about 1.5-2 cm need to be transplanted into cups (peat or paper pots), bearing in mind that the root system of sage is powerful, so it can be easily damaged when planted in the ground if removed from plastic containers.
Planting seedlings in the ground
In early June, grown and hardened seedlings can be planted in the ground. Prior to this, since the beginning of May, it can be carried out in the sun. Soil should be prepared in the fall, adding humus and mineral fertilizers to it: the earth should not be acidic. Add peat and sand if necessary.
Plants should be placed at least 25 cm apart. This scheme can be perceived as temporary. In the second year, sage can be transplanted individually along the paths.
Seedling care does not require special tricks: weeding, watering, once a decade, top dressing with liquid fertilizers, three times a season - with mineral fertilizers. Planted seedlings need to be watered with warm water, you can - warmed up in the sun.
Seeding in open ground
Sage cultivation in the country by sowing seeds in open ground should begin in the fall, in October-November. At the same time, soil preparation is carried out in September; under digging, it is necessary to lay humus, leaf litter, a little sand and peat. The earth should be loose, lumps - minimal.
Spread the seeds in the holes, sprinkle with river sand, a layer of dry humus and spill. Seed germination with this method, according to gardeners, will be no more than 50%. During spring planting, the land is prepared in the fall, in the spring you need to loosen it, removing the roots of perennial weeds.
Seeds germinate at an average daily soil temperature of about twenty degrees. Such conditions are provided by the end of May, therefore, it is necessary to loosen, water and weed the weeds from the planted seeds for the winter or spring. You can wrap it with a non-woven fabric - this will serve as a good shelter from night frosts and keep the soil from drying out.
Rare (expensive) varieties of sage should not be grown in this way, as well as heat-loving, which should be read in the instructions on the seed packet.
Care Features
The plant of the first year can bloom under favorable conditions: early powerful seedlings, warm May without return frosts. Although the main task of the gardener for this period is to grow a strong plant for subsequent growth and flowering.
Top dressing should not be excessive. It is enough to do this every twenty days with liquid fertilizers: manure diluted 1:10, infused herbs of the same concentration, humate prepared according to the instructions. Fertilizing with mineral (potassium-phosphorus) fertilizers is desirable in the fall.
Watering the plant is carried out as necessary, it is better to do this in the evening. The soil under it should not be too wet, root rot may occur. In one place, sage grows well from five to six years, after this period the bushes can become huge (with good care) or, conversely, degenerate. A plant can reduce the number of root growth points. And in that, and in another case, it is better to transplant it.
Preparing for winter and wintering
Almost all types of sage do not tolerate prolonged low snow frosts. To prepare the plant for wintering (in time this is the onset of steady colds with minus night temperatures), you need to start with pruning: all shoots are cut to the height of the soil, under the stump. The plant is covered with mulch (dry humus). In this case, all root growth points must be closed. After stable frosts with a temperature of at least 5-6 degrees, sage should be covered with spruce branches or the remnants of garden plants.
In winter, they always monitor good snow shelter, and in snowy winters, snow needs to be poured. Shelter in the spring can be removed only at the end of return frosts, do it gradually, carefully monitoring the night temperatures. The tender young shoots of sage, warmed up in the daytime sun, can freeze at night at sub-zero temperatures.
Methods of propagation of sage
The plant you like can be propagated by dividing the bush, vegetatively and by grafting.
For dividing the bush, the best time is spring. After the emergence of young shoots, you need to dig out the sage bush and carefully divide it. If you can’t do this with your hands, you can take a sharpened shovel and quickly divide the bush into two (or more) parts. Division can be carried out and disinfected secateurs, cutting the root system into parts.
For vegetative propagation in early summer, you need to carefully bend a strong process to the ground, pin it with a staple, and sprinkle it with earth. Make sure that the soil covers the bracket. After two months, the developed root system of the layer will allow you to separate the new plant from the mother.
For cuttings, you need to cut a strong shoot with a blade or scalpel, leave four kidneys on it. On the top, keep the leaves intact, the fourth leaves in the soil. Root in prepared light planting mixture of humus and perlite to a depth of 8-10 cm, placing the shoot obliquely. Shed. Create a mini-greenhouse by covering the container with the handle with a film. Humidify as needed, ventilate. In a month, the stalk will give good roots.
It is not necessary to tighten the plants with the planting in the ground, since sage should be well rooted by autumn.