Growing heather in a pot

Heather is one of the most beautiful shrub plants. It can often be found in the wild, where it covers entire glades. Gardeners also cultivate it on their plots, but some varieties can be grown at home in a simple pot. For those who have long wanted to try to do this, it will be useful to get acquainted with all the nuances of growing a bush.

Today there are quite a few types and varieties of heather - several hundred. However, almost all of them are intended for outdoor or wilderness conditions. Only some subspecies can be grown in a pot, and we will consider them.

• "Slim". This indoor flower is one of the most interesting. The culture is compact, looks beautiful in a small pot. It grows up to 40 centimeters maximum, densely covered with light green foliage. The flowers of the plant are brightly colored, mostly dark pink or red. They are similar in shape to a bell.

• "Wintering". This type of potted plant is especially tender. Its height is about 0.5 meters, the foliage is quite large. Flowers of the variety are snow-white, large. The variety looks beautiful both in the room and on the glazed balcony.

• "Ordinary". Quite a sprawling flower, grows well and always exceeds the growth mark of one and a half meters. An interesting feature is the presence of red stems. Flowers in this variety can be pale pink or light purple.

• "Mix". A very decorative variety, it will definitely appeal to those who love a riot of colors. Medium height, up to half a meter. It blooms in different shades, forming a juicy mix, which gave rise to the name of the variety.

Having decided on the choice of a variety, you can start planting a flower. Plants from proven nurseries with certain characteristics are recommended for planting.

• The roots of the plant should be completely covered by the earth. If this condition is violated, the culture will not take root.
• The plant should have roots hidden in an earthen ball. Roots peeking through the holes in the pot will create a lot of problems when planting.
• Be sure to pay attention to the color of the foliage. It must match the characteristics of the variety. Lighter or darker foliage is not a good sign.
• The plant should be visually healthy, without deformations, insects, and have good buds.

Separate requirements apply to pots. They need to be wide enough for the crop to grow comfortably. The depth should exceed the depth of the container in which you purchased the flower, at least by a few centimeters. The bottom of the container is equipped with drainage holes for the outflow of excess liquid.

As for the soil, heather prefers acidic substrates, in others it does not grow. Peat soil is the best choice. You can buy this in flower shops or do it yourself. If the second option is chosen, then you need to mix one part of the sand (it must be clean and large), needles and two parts of peat (only horseback is suitable).

It is recommended to plant heather in a new container immediately after purchase. To do this, a purchased container with a flower must be placed in a liquid at room temperature for a quarter of an hour. Then the water is drained, and a thin layer of soil mixture is poured onto the bottom of the new container, 4 centimeters is enough.Heather is removed from a purchased pot without removing the soil, put in a new one, then they begin to slowly pour in the substrate. Do not tamp the soil, as this can cause injury to the lateral roots. After planting, the flower is irrigated with high quality.

It is quite possible to grow a beautiful and attractive heather in a pot at home. But it should be noted right away that the culture is capricious. Therefore, growing care must be meticulous.

Creating the right conditions is the first step towards your goal. Let's see what kind of environment is suitable for the plant.

• Location. Demanding heather loves the sun, so it should be on the windowsill in the brightest room. However, we note that the light should not be direct, but scattered, otherwise the plant will slow down its development. In addition, you need to take care of regular ventilation: culture requires fresh air in large quantities.
• Temperature. The flower is extremely bad for the heat. The maximum temperature in summer is 25 degrees, but even better if it is 20. In winter, the pot of heather is moved to where the 12-15 degrees mark is. The best option would be a glazed balcony. In no case should the plant be placed near the battery in the winter.
• Humidity. This figure should be high even during the cold season. Dry air in winter is contraindicated for a plant, so you have to buy a humidifier or put a plate of water next to the pot. In summer, the bushes can be sprayed with a spray bottle.

Correctly caring for a flower at home will not work without organizing normal watering. In the summer, this moment must be taken into account especially carefully. The soil in the container should be slightly moist, but not sour, this should be monitored. Water the plants with a warm liquid, even slightly warmer than room temperature.

The heather pot should always be on the pallet, as this is where excess liquid will flow from the drainage holes. A quarter of an hour after watering, the accumulated water must be drained, otherwise the plant may rot.

This moment of leaving must be done twice. Feeding is carried out in spring and summer. The first fertilizer is laid during the formation of the starting buds, and the second is given during flowering. It is recommended to use strictly mineral complexes. For example, gardeners advise mixtures for rhododendrons, they have similar requirements to heather. You can also take formulations for azaleas or hydrangeas.

All dressings are bred in accordance with the attached instructions.

This type of culture does not need to be formed. Pruning is also unnecessary if you plan to grow it as an annual. It should be noted that in the wild, plants can grow quietly for 10, 20 or more years. In open field - about 5, and in a pot - maximum 2 years. If there is a desire to extend the life of the bush for one more season, then in the fall, after full flowering, it is necessary to radically cut the plant. Only the base of the branches should remain, which are in the area of ​​the root collar.

For heather to become a frequent guest in the house, it should be propagated. There are three ways with their own characteristics.

With this method of reproduction, you need to take the same soil as when planting seedlings. The containers are disinfected and then filled with soil mixture. The substrate is well sprayed, seeds are placed on its surface. Do not sprinkle them with earth. Next, the container is tightened with a film.

The containers are checked for moisture levels every day. They are also regularly ventilated.The room temperature should be from 20 to 22 degrees, boxes are placed on window sills with diffused light.

You can get good cuttings in late August or early September. They choose developed branches, they should not have buds, but they must have buds. The cut stalk is immediately immersed in a substrate consisting of a mixture of sand and peat. The earth must be moist. To make the cuttings grow faster, they can be covered with jars, creating an impromptu greenhouse. Every day, the cans are removed for airing, as well as monitoring the moisture level of the soil. The optimum temperature for cuttings is plus 18-20 degrees.

This method is used strictly after flowering. Plants are carefully removed from the pots along with the soil, divided into two parts. Each part should have a healthy root, as well as several shoots. The sections are processed using crushed activated carbon. Next, the delenki are placed in pots with a ready-made new substrate. Then, within 30 days, the plant is well watered, but it is forbidden to feed it during this period.

Homemade heather almost never suffers from disease, unlike its street counterpart. But due to non-observance of the rules of care, the bushes can hurt. Basically, home gardeners are faced with the following diseases and pests.

• Gray rot. The most common disease that occurs due to excess moisture. A white-gray bloom forms on the heather shoots, leaf plates begin to fall off. You can cure the culture with purchased fungicides or copper sulfate.
• Powdery mildew. This is a fungal disease that can be unmistakably identified by a light cereal bloom. Fungicides will help here too.
• Rust. If rusty spots appear on the plant, then it must be urgently treated with Topaz.
• Viruses. In case of viral infection, the plant may undergo deformation, completely stop growing, and radically change color. Unfortunately, there is nothing to help here, you just need to destroy diseased bushes.
• Aphid. Such an insect feeds on heather sap, because of which it begins to wilt and weaken. First of all, they try soapy water, as well as ash and tobacco compositions. If that doesn't work, buy insecticides.
• Spider mite. Weakens bushes, multiplies rather quickly. It is not visible by itself, but leaves a thin sticky cobweb. Destroyed by insecticides.

For example, if the bush has dried up in the summer, and you understand that you have not watered it for a long time, it will no longer be possible to save such a plant. In addition, heather is very bad for excess fertilization. If there are too many of them, it will also begin to weaken and dry out.