Cinquefoil Red Ice - description, planting and care
Content:
The plant has luxurious red flowers. It is an effective design element for a garden or park. To grow a healthy and vigorous plant, you must carefully follow a few rules of care. The undemandingness of Red Ice Potentilla means that efforts to grow it will be minimal, and flowering bushes will delight the owner for many years.
Description Potentilla Reid Ice
Red Ice cinquefoil owes its name to the shape of leaves that resemble small paws. This plant is characterized by complex branching. The flower has a diameter of up to 1 m and a height of 70 cm.
Potentilla flower
One of the features of Red Ice Potentilla is resistance to air pollution, the other is the ability to withstand winter frosts. The plant is undemanding to the condition of the soil and can withstand short-term drought without loss.
Planting a plant
When choosing a suitable planting site, it should be borne in mind that Red Ace Potentilla does not like direct sunlight. If you ignore this rule, flower petals can burn out. Thick shade is also unacceptable for the plant.
Avoid low-lying areas in which moisture accumulates and remains for a long time. This shrub is undemanding to the soil, but it is desirable that it be light and well permeable.
Planting from seeds
The seeds need to be stratified. To do this, they are kept in the cold for several weeks. The most viable seeds are used for planting. They are kept in water for several hours. At the same time, a growth stimulant is added.
Planting material is planted in containers, watered and covered with foil. After 2-3 weeks, sprouts appear that can be planted in open ground.
Planting seedlings in open ground
It is recommended to dig the planting hole in advance. If this is done 10 days before disembarkation, then the earth will have time to become denser. The best time for planting is early spring, when the ground has already warmed up and there is no danger of sudden frosts. Planting of seedlings is allowed throughout the growing season. You cannot do this before the onset of winter frosts.
Pits for plants are made 50 cm deep. Group planting is allowed. In this case, the shrub seedlings are placed in a trench. The distance between individual plants is 60-80 cm.
Potentilla bushes
Drainage is done at the bottom. To do this, use expanded clay, crushed stone or pieces of tiles. The dug earth is mixed with humus, dry leaves are added.
Before planting, carefully examine the roots and remove diseased, dry or damaged areas. It is recommended to rinse the root system in a weak solution of potassium permanganate for disinfection purposes.
Before planting Potentilla shrub Red Ice, a small mound is made at the bottom of the pit. A seedling is placed on it and the roots are spread along the bottom. They are covered with a prepared earthen mixture, after which they are lightly tamped and watered abundantly.
How to care for Potentilla Reid Ice
Red Ace cinquefoil does not impose any special care requirements on the gardener. In this case, several rules must be observed to provide the shrub with the possibility of full development.
Watering
Red Ice cinquefoil does not need abundant watering. Usually the need for it arises in dry weather. In this case, 10 liters of water are consumed for each bush.
In dry times, it is useful to spray the foliage with lukewarm water. This is best done in the evening.
Top dressing
Potassium-phosphorus fertilizers are applied in early spring. The next feeding is carried out before flowering. To do this, dissolve 10 g of potassium sulfate in 10 l of water, add 30 g of superphosphate and stir vigorously. The resulting composition is carefully watered with cinquefoil.
Root system of Potentilla
Pruning
Pruning Red Ace Potentilla is necessary for the shrub to grow healthy and beautiful. Sanitary pruning is done in early spring to remove old and dead branches. Formative pruning is done in the spring and fall. It is performed at least once every three years. When performing autumn processing, those shoots that have not yet become lignified by a third are shortened. In this case, the shoots are reduced by 10 cm, which contributes to their active growth.
Reproduction methods
In practice, several methods can be used to propagate this variety of Potentilla:
- Through seeds. In this case, you must first plant the seedlings, and then place them in open ground. The process is laborious and time consuming. Therefore, it is rarely used.
- With the use of ready-made layers. To do this, they dig a shallow groove and place the Potentilla shoot there. They sprinkle it with earth and begin to water it regularly. When roots appear, the shoot is detached and planted in a permanent place.
- If the plant reaches the age of five, then root division is used for reproduction. In early spring, the bush is dug up, cut into several pieces and planted. It is important that buds are present on each of these roots.
- Cutting cuttings from lignified shoots, they are placed in a growth stimulator and left for several hours. Then they are placed in a container filled with a sand-peat mixture. The planting material is buried in the composition and watered regularly. After germination, the cuttings are planted in open ground.
The gardener chooses the most suitable option for him, taking into account the specific situation.
Beautiful flower Potentilla Red Ice
Transfer
When a shrub is overgrown, it may need replanting. In this case, you need to take the roots together with the earthy clod and transplant to a new place. The hole should be sized to fit the root easily. Instead of transplanting, propagation is used by dividing the roots.
Diseases and pests
The most dangerous for this plant are:
- leaf spot;
- powdery mildew;
- rust.
To fight disease, you need to find warning signs as early as possible. If a disease is detected, the bush is carefully examined. The affected plant parts are removed and burned. The remaining Potentilla bushes are sprayed with copper sulfate or a fungicide solution.
Of the insect pests for this plant, one of the most dangerous is aphids. Most often, it attacks during the period when leaves begin to form at Potentilla. The appearance of spider mites is possible.
Flowering period
Potentilla flowers are red. It is not permanent. Over time, the flowers turn orange or yellow. The shade may vary depending on the temperature. In colder air, the flower will appear more red. The shrub is characterized by a long flowering period. It begins in mid-July and lasts until the end of autumn.
Preparing for winter
Cinquefoil, in accordance with the description, is capable of tolerating low temperatures.However, cold snaps can be harmful. It is recommended to take measures to protect it from low temperatures in winter. For this, the lower part of the trunk is cleaned of leaves and sprinkled with a layer of peat 15 cm thick. A high shelter is installed above the plant.
Shelter Potentilla for the winter
Use in landscape design
Bright colors allow using Potentilla when arranging alpine slides. It is used in landscape design as part of group compositions or planted as a single plant.
Use in landscape design
The shrub is a great garden decoration. Its cultivation does not require excessive energy costs due to the unpretentiousness of the plant and undemanding care.
