The bell Carpathian is a stunningly delicate and extraordinarily beautiful flower. Its unique grace is used by many gardeners and landscape designers in order to decorate their site. Due to the unpretentiousness of the plant in the care, planting a Carpathian bell and the whole process of growing it is a simple matter and gives only pleasure. Despite this, in this article we will share with you some tips that allow even novice gardeners to grow these wonderful flowers without much difficulty.
Choosing a place and soil
Since the Carpathian bell, as mentioned above, is a completely unpretentious plant, it can be planted both in a sunny area and in a small shade. The soil for planting should be fertile and well-drained. Also, when planting a Carpathian bell, it is important to take into account the acidity of the soil - neutral or slightly acidic soil is acceptable. If you do not use too heavy soil for it or do not prepare the drainage, then stagnant water will lead to decay of the plant.
In the absence of well-loosened fertile soil on the site, especially with regard to loamy soil, it is permissible to add peat and some sand to it. Too loose soil can be "weighted" by adding humus and sod land.
Seedling preparation
The most common way to grow a Carpathian bell is from seeds. Very small and light seeds (about a thousand pieces weigh less than 0.25 grams) give a high percentage of germination - more than 4000 sprouts come from one gram. But, despite this, they are rather capricious and require some hardening. It is necessary to begin their preparation for sowing in February. Planted seeds are germinated for a month at a temperature of at least 20 ° C, taking into account constant moisture and the presence of diffused sunlight. It is also necessary to periodically ventilate the seedlings. From the moment the very first shoots appear (even those appearing too early), they need to be transplanted.
After the first month of cultivation, the conditions change dramatically - the air temperature should be in the range from -4 ° to +4 ° . The seeds germinate best under a layer of snow, which will protect them from frost, and at a positive temperature will provide melt water. Such hardening lasts about a month and a half. Since the emergence of seedlings, boxes with seedlings are again transferred to a warm room with a temperature of about 15 ° C. In open ground, seedlings are transplanted in late May and early June. This method of hardening is quite troublesome, but very effective.
Alternative seed preparation
You can get the Carpathian bell from seeds in another way. Seeds are sown not in soil, but in wet sand in a plastic bag. The first stage of their heating is carried out by analogy with the seedling method. But you do not need to take out a packet of seeds to the street, just place it in the refrigerator compartment. After such hardening, the planting material is sown in the prepared soil so that the seeds remain on the surface. Containers with seedlings are sent to a room with a temperature from +10 ° to +15 ° . To avoid erosion of seeds, watering is carried out by spraying or pouring water into the pan.
Open sowing
The cultivation of the Carpathian bell is quite possible when planting immediately in the ground, bypassing the seedling stage. Such sowing is carried out either in the fall (in October) or in the spring (in mid-May). Seeds are planted in pre-prepared soil, consisting of sand, turf soil and peat. The soil should be well loosened and light. Additionally, fertilizing with organic fertilizing such a soil is not necessary. Seeds are sown directly on the surface of the earth, and then lightly sprinkled with sand. When planting in spring, the first seedlings can be expected within a couple of weeks, with autumn planting - one and a half to two weeks after the snow melts. A pick is made when three full leaves on the sprout appear. The transplanted material is placed at a distance of about 10 centimeters from each other.
Watering and fertilizer
Watering the Carpathian bell is necessary only in very hot and dry weather, in a normal climate there is enough natural rainfall. Each watering must be completed by weeding and loosening to provide the plant with fresh air.
Feeding is done no more than twice during the entire growing season. The first fertilizer is carried out at the stage before planting the seeds - nitrogen-containing preparations are introduced into the soil. The second top dressing is performed at the time of bud formation - the plant needs potassium-based mineral fertilizers.
Pruning and mulching
In the first year after planting, the Carpathian bell does not need pruning. Only remove the faded parts of the plant from the second year of life. This is done not only to improve the appearance of the bush, but also to avoid spontaneous self-sowing. Indeed, in this case, new ones will appear next to the primary colors that violate the overall appearance. Fruits are collected until they are fully ripe (darkening and drying). Also, this pruning extends the flowering period. Moreover, by pruning the peduncles at the very end of flowering, you can achieve its repetition.
The Carpathian bell does not tolerate excess moisture in the soil, but in hot and dry summers it is necessary to preserve it. To do this, mulch the soil around the bush. In addition, it will save the flowers from the development of weed plants. Mulching can not be carried out in case of planting a plant on a rocky hill.
Diseases and Pests
One of the advantages of the Carpathian bell is its resistance to various diseases and pests. However, several years after cultivation in one place in the soil, various chemical compounds accumulate that have a detrimental effect on the plant. In order to prevent, you can treat the flowers with a weak solution of Fundazole. When slobbery pennies appear, garlic infusion is used. When damaged by rust, the plant is treated with preparations containing copper.
Sometimes the green parts of a plant are exposed to slugs or snails. The Thunder or Meta drugs will help you escape from them.
Propagation in other ways
Along with growing a bell from seeds, there are two more ways to propagate it. It is about grafting and dividing the bush.
Cuttings are harvested at a temperature of about + 10 ° C, that is, in spring. The length of the cuttings should be at least three centimeters, with each cutle should have 2 kidneys. Planting material is planted in a mixture of earth, sand and humus. Rooting occurs in 3-4 weeks.
For division, a bush is selected whose age is at least three years. The division procedure is carried out either at the very beginning of the vegetative period (in May), or at its end - in August. Shrubs are cut off at the bush, the root system is divided into several parts, which are transplanted into prepared pits. It is easier to divide the bush into 2-3 large parts, since smaller bushes will have to be grown in separate boxes.
Bell in landscape design
As shown in the photo, the Carpathian bell is an attractive shrub type plant that grows 30 centimeters in height and has a spherical shape. Small heart-shaped leaves are collected in a rosette and slightly increase closer to the roots. During flowering, the plant is covered with a large number of single flowers of blue or purple color, which have the shape of a funnel. A good combination is obtained from the Carpathian bell with daisies and lobelias.
Very often you can find it in compositions with periwinkle, saxifraga and young broiler - such a combination is suitable for creating an alpine hill. For rockeries, the Carpathian bell is planted against the background of cloves or awl-shaped phlox. Particularly popular recently flowerpots with flowers, randomly located throughout the garden area. A tender Carpathian bell is ideal for this design.