How to feed phlox in June before flowering
Content:
Gardeners love phlox for their wonderful aroma, vitality, color and ease of care. Still, you need to know some secrets to increase their lifespan.
Phlox are plants that love proper care and quality fertilizers. With timely fertilization, phloxes delight with their exquisite decorative qualities. If you carry out top dressing every year, water and mulch on time, perennial phloxes can live in one place for up to 10 years without a transplant.
The plant begins to grow early, so it is necessary to take care of it from early spring, when the snow has not melted yet. Top dressing depends primarily on the stage of plant development. The growing season of phlox is divided into several stages: growth and development; period of bud formation; end of flowering and seed ripening.
Phlox
Terms and rules for feeding phlox
The second half of May is the time when phloxes are fed with mullein or saltpeter. The second time is fed in early June, using mullein and saltpeter, but with the addition of potassium salt and superphosphate. The third top dressing falls at the beginning of July. It is done by the same means, but it is necessary to reduce the dose of nitrogen fertilizers. The end of July is the time of the fourth feeding. You can fertilize with potassium salt and phosphorus. There is also a fifth top dressing, but it is used only for phloxes that bloom late (phosphorus, potassium).
Top dressing when planting
How to fertilize phlox when planting. In order for the plant to grow and bloom well, it is useful to add half-decomposed horse manure, humus from the leaves before planting. Decomposed compost with ash, bone meal, superphosphate and saltpeter is perfect. Organic fertilizers are best mixed with mineral fertilizers so that the plant receives more nutrients. The soil is fertilized to a depth of no more than 20 cm.
Top dressing when planting
Top dressing during flowering
June is the time when phlox buds form. How to feed phlox in June so that the plant receives additional nutrition. Chicken droppings, also mullein, and phlox feed well with this task. In the event that these fertilizers are absent, then you can use a mixture of ammonium nitrate and water (30 grams per 10 liters per 1 sq. M.). In July, the plant blooms and requires additional feeding. During this period, fertilize with nitrogen-potassium compounds (a mixture of Flowers, agriculture). If late-flowering phloxes are planted in the garden, in August you need to feed them with phosphorus-potassium mixtures. How to properly water phlox in early summer? - Add 3 grams of boric acid to each bucket. This watering will provide good nutrition to the root system.
Top dressing in bloom
Autumn feeding
In the fall, the plant is prepared for future wintering. At this time, it is imperative to carry out top dressing, since the plant needs to recuperate after abundant flowering. If phlox is properly fed in autumn, then in summer you can expect good flowering, and the plant will survive frost favorably.Feeding phlox in the fall is carried out with fertilizers in dry or liquid form. For example, you need to dissolve one spoonful of superphosphate and a solution of potassium sulfate in 10 liters of water. This amount of fertilizer is enough for 1 sq. Phlox is fed during this period no later than the end of August.
Preparing for winter
They begin to prepare the plant for winter in mid-summer. The drugs are applied only on a dry and sunny day. How to feed phlox in preparation for the winter period? - Superphosphate, wood ash saturate the plant with potassium and phosphorus. A liquid ash solution saturates the rhizomes much faster than dry ash. Better to use the first option.
Foliar dressing
These dressings are effective as they additionally feed the phlox. With foliar feeding, both leaves and roots receive nutrition. Photosynthesis in foliage is favorable. This type of dressing has a good effect on the development of plants. Intense flowering occurs on the main and lateral shoots. The inflorescences of plants retain their brightness and color saturation, especially if they are fed at the end of flowering with manganese-sour potassium.
For foliar spraying, only solutions with a low concentration are used so as not to destroy the plant.
Fertilizers for phlox
Fertilizers for plants serve as an additional source of nutrition. They are necessary for preparing the soil, for planting a plant, for year-round care. Fertilizers are divided into several groups: organic and mineral. There are also ash fertilizers and folk remedies. What else can you feed phlox?
Potassium salt
Organic fertilizers
Fertilizers of this type are rich in nitrogen content. They go well with mineral preparations. Several fertilizers can be distinguished.
- bird droppings. It is easily absorbed by phlox. It contains a large amount of potassium. The droppings are diluted with water. It cannot be used in its pure form. The mixture is not used immediately, it should be infused for several days in a warm place. Such feeding will reduce the acidity of the soil and enrich it with beneficial bacteria. Litter is used no more than 2 times a year;
- mullein. A liquid solution is made from cow dung with the help of water. Stale manure is used. It is useful for feeding the root system. This fertilizer contains a large amount of nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium;
Mullein
- bone flour. This top dressing nourishes the plant well. It contains a sufficient amount of copper, iron, iodine, nitrogen, phosphorus, manganese. It is made from the bones of animals and fish. The bones are ground into powder. Basically, bone meal is used dry;
- flowered mixture. This fertilizer is made on the basis of vermicompost. It contains a large amount of nitrogen, phosphorus, calcium, iron, magnesium. The mixture improves the color of flowers, stimulates flowering, increases disease resistance. The mixture is used dry. To feed the root system, prepare a mixture: for 1 liter of water, 10 grams of top dressing. The mixture is infused for a day, only then is it used. If the remedy is used in the autumn, then phloxes are strengthened and they will be well sorted. To increase the nutritional properties of the mixture, you can add phosphorus-potassium preparations.
Mineral fertilizers for phlox
Mineral fertilizers include the following:
- superphosphate is applied both at the beginning of the season and at the end. This product is enriched with phosphorus, magnesium, sulfur, gypsum. Used as a mixture diluted with water. Dry in cold weather. Feeding will be more effective if you add potassium salt. The mixture is prepared in a 2: 1 ratio, where 2 is superphosphate. If you add zinc and boron, then such a mixture will contribute to the active growth of the plant, protect against pests and diseases, and accelerate flowering.Superphosphate can be in single or double form. In stores, powdered or granular fertilizers are available. Simple superphosphate is used in any soil. The binary contains aluminum and iron phosphates. In order for the fertilizer not to lose its useful properties, it is not necessary to mix it with chalk, lime, saltpeter;
- urea. It is used for spraying leaves and feeding the root system. This remedy helps to fight aphids, weevils. In its pure form, the drug is not used, it is necessary to make a weak solution. You should not use urea with other nitrogen-containing products, as it is itself enriched with nitrogen.
Ammonium nitrate
- ammonium nitrate. It is an economical tool at a low cost. Fertilizer is used at the initial stage of phlox growth. The nitrogen content in nitrate is up to 34%, sulfur - up to 14%. It is not used in its pure form, a solution is prepared in a proportion of 30 grams of the product and 10 liters of water. This amount will be enough for 1 sq. m. soil;
- ammonium sulfate. The drug is easily absorbed by the root system. You can add the agent as a mixture or in pure form. This fertilizer is ideal for alkaline and neutral soil;
- urea. It is used with chalk on acidic soil. Fertilizer requires special storage conditions. If you do not close the package tightly, then the ammonia quickly evaporates, the fertilizer sticks together in a solid lump. The drug is used in autumn;
- boric acid. Good for young shoots. Before use, it must be dissolved in water (3 grams of fertilizer per 10 liters of water). For greater benefit, potassium permanganate is added along with the acid (20 grams of manganese per 10 liters of water).
Ash dressing
Wood ash is enriched with potassium and nitrogen. As a fertilizer for the soil where phlox grows, deciduous, grape, coniferous ash is perfect. Ash is rich in phosphorus, sodium and magnesium. This fertilizer is applied at the beginning of plant growth and at the end of the season. For the spring period, a mixture is prepared in the proportion: 300 grams of ash are dissolved in 10 liters of water. The mixture is not used immediately, since it should stand for 4 days. In autumn, ash is applied dry. Fertilizer is spread on moist soil.
Ash not only serves as a top dressing, but also protects the plant from pests and rot.
Folk remedies
It is not always possible to purchase fertilizers in the store. You can use folk remedies to nourish the plant. If phlox needs nitrogen, a nettle infusion is prepared. He prepares simply. Fill a large container with chopped nettles, add water and cover. Remove container to a warm place. Fertilizer is ready when the smell of kvass and bubbles appear. It is not used in its pure form. The infusion is diluted with water in a ratio of 1: 5. Another option is bone meal. Bones of birds and animals are crushed into powder. There is a lot of phosphorus in such a product. Mowed grass and weeds are used as fertilizer. They are poured with water and insisted until fermented.
Folk remedies
Common mistakes when fertilizing phlox
Many gardeners make mistakes when feeding, after which the plant will develop poorly or die. When top dressing is done it is absolutely impossible: to exceed the concentration of fertilizers; use fresh manure in pure form; fertilize with nitrogen in the fall; use dry dressing on non-watered soil; carry out top dressing in the daytime; do not cover the plant with organic matter before October.
Thus, the most important thing is to do the right feeding of phlox in spring and summer. Poor plant maintenance will not give phlox a lush bud. If it is not clear how to fertilize phlox, you can consult in specialized stores.
