Cultivation Rhododendron
Rhododendrons - one of the most beautiful flowering shrubs in our gardens and parks.
To grow rhododendrons can be virtually any area. Avoid beams and closed depressions, which have a tendency to accumulate and surface water stagnation and accumulation of cold air.
Landing should be protected from the cold wind and the bright sunlight.
Typically, the width of the pit - 60-70 cm, depth - 30-40 cm. On heavy clay soils of the pit should be less deep (15-20 cm) and a much wider (1-1.2 m). Planting pit filled with peat or pre-prepared soil mixture. It is important that the pH of the substrate was acidic (3,5-5).
We recommend the following mixture: acid peat, coniferous and leaf soil, river sand (3: 1: 2: 1); acidic peat, sawdust, sand (2: 1: 1); peat, fallen pine needles, sawdust, sand (2: 1: 1: 1) and others. In the soil mixture is desirable to add a complete fertilizer at the rate of 150-200 g / cc. m and 40-60 grams of sulfur.
Before planting rhododendron in a container or on a lump of land is placed in a container with water and kept as long as the leak completely wet. Then removed from the container and planted in the prepared planting hole.
Deepens the soil so that the top of the root lumps from the container was at the soil surface. You can not bury the root collar rhododendron. Violation of this rule the plants cease to bloom and then die.
Around the landing form a small cushion of earth and slowly pour water until the soil is completely impregnated with moisture. After 1-2 weeks, ground leveling, but leave a little deeper to water was maintained at follow polyvi.Polyvayut rhododendrons rain or melt water, but in any case not water tight. In the heat plant likes to frequent spraying and constantly moist soil.
Typically, the formation of the plants do not require, but if necessary, trim conducted in early spring, in March, "in dormant buds." Already formed rhododendron better crop after flowering in June and July.
Faded blossoms are removed, which enhances the decorative plants and flowering continues.
Cultivation Highbush blueberry
If you decide to grow blueberries in your garden, you can run it sunny but sheltered spot, and do not try to hide it in the shade - berries will be small, and their taste will not like it. Treat seriously the choice soil for blueberries because it can grow only in acidic soils - optimum pH value for its pH 3,5-4,5. In addition, it is desirable that the area in which you plant blueberries, a few years pobyla fallow: Blueberries abhors predecessors. So, in a sunny quiet location with well-drained sandy or peat-peat-loamy soil blueberries show you their best qualities. If your garden areas with no soil to be to the taste of blueberries, do not worry, you can create man-made.
It is believed that the seedlings can be planted at any time. When deciding where to keep in mind that to fully grow and bear fruit blueberries is only in a well lit area, even in partial shade. It does not tolerate swampy constantly damp soil, therefore, planting in the lower high (above 60 cm) groundwater, which even at 2 - 3 days will stagnate water, should be deleted. The soil for blueberries should be well drained and have an acid reaction, and therefore the landing pit in areas recommended to fill peat with the addition of sawdust, pine rain or ground pine woods (no more than one third of the total weight of the substrate). Note that peat is required to horse (reddish), which is the most optimal acidity (pH no higher than 4.0), as in the transitional peat swamps and lowland peat, it is 6.0 units for blueberries are unacceptable. Make a planting hole fertilizer is not necessary - for successful planting pryzhyvannya nutritious soil plays a much smaller role than its acidity.
Care blueberries bit different from caring for other berry bushes. Firstly, mulch, which is added every 2 - 3 years, under a bush should be constant. Secondly, the formation of flower buds harvest next year takes place in conjunction with blueberry fruiting, and at this time the most shrub needs regular watering (at least 2 times a week). Third: Holubytsia than other berries showing nitrogen fertilization and absolutely contraindicated ash oschelachivayuschuyu soil and organic - fresh chicken manure and manure.
By not demanding fertilizer blueberries, but not indifferent - sensitive to feeding active growth and increased productivity. Begin fed blueberries need the second year after planting and desirable for this use is sulfate fertilizers - by making adult bush potassium sulfate (40 - 50 g) and 100 g of ammonium sulfate and superphosphate. By the age of six recommended dose of fertilizer annually doubling, and then - always to make the same number. Fertilizing should be done once the period of swelling buds and once during flowering or immediately after it. More later or over-fertilizing can cause late strong growth of shoots and consequently - their poor ripening for winter.
During the winter than others, unfortunately, suffer from late varieties of tall blueberry, which in our climate require mandatory shelter before the severe frosts of autumn. And despite the fact that the hardy varieties tolerate lowering the temperature to minus 23 - 25 ° C, without snow in very severe winters also encouraged them shelter. For this tall bushes or neatly bound and wrapped spanbond or tilted stems to the ground, erected over them cross frame with fittings and cover with burlap and top spruce branches. Use blueberries to cover plastic wrap should not be, because this shrub too inclined vyprivannya during thaws. Note: In the winter shelter blueberries importantly - keep just did not have time to ripen the shoots, so that the root system of plants in such protection is not required. And, as already noted, landing in the northern areas with harsh winters it is advisable to prefer just sort of narrow-GM and GM usual that a great winter under the snow. Note: Rotary spring frosts almost no harm Holubytsia because its flowers are normally carry even reduce the temperature to minus 7 ° C.
The first 4 - 5 years after planting blueberries in a radical pruning even forms, needs only a sanitary - removing patients pidmerzlyh and creeping along the ground shoots. But since 6 years old, with roots overgrown shrub begins to build up subsidiary plants (shoots of recovery in the periphery of the bush) that it zahuschayut. If the space for the proliferation of blueberries enough annual leave can only 2 - 3 young fruiting shoots for further rejuvenation-but if undesirable sprawl outwards, all the young shoots should fully zistryhaty. From the 10 - 12 age blueberries in a decrease in yields and diminishing berries, so shrubs recommended rejuvenate - cut the old branches to ground level. Rejuvenation can be done annually or in part without too viddzerkalyuvane the crop, or rarely dramatic when cut once all the old branches, but a couple of years yield is significantly reduced. In individual cases may require thinning (of erect shrubs) or remove the hard drooping side (in lengthy) shoots, but any pruning blueberry strongly recommended in early spring, before bud break.