Lilac is considered a fairly viable and unpretentious shrub. But if you do not take care of it at all, over time the flowers become small, the leaves turn yellow, and the plant itself infects diseases.
Today I will share with all my own rules for caring for a plant in the fall.
Planting crops in the fall
First, I choose seedlings with leaves, closed roots and plant it no later than September 15-20.
I dig a hole in advance in a sunny area. The culture grows well on neutral or slightly alkaline soil. If the soil is poor, then I advise you to put humus or compost in an amount of 10-15 kg and ash powder (200 g) in the hole.
Be sure to water the young bush after planting and soak the soil every 3-4 days for a month. Then I mulch the soil in the near-trunk circle, and cover it with spunbond or spruce branches for the winter.
Pruning shrubs in the fall
All plant varieties tend to thicken. From this, flowering worsens, and fungal and bacterial diseases develop. So that the lilac does not degenerate, I start shaping the bush after the first year of life.
Sanitary pruning in the fall
As soon as the leaf fall ends, I carry out sanitary pruning, while deleting:
- dried and damaged branches;
- root shoots;
- branches that grow parallel and closely to each other;
- shoots growing towards the middle of the bush.
Carrying out formative pruning in the fall
I perform formative pruning at the same time, but in addition I remove:
- skeletal shoots facing the center of the bush;
- the upper third of the side branches.
Rejuvenating shrub pruning
I rejuvenate old lilacs by proper pruning. To carry it out, I carry out the following actions:
- I remove root shoots, shoots with a damaged and bare surface, diseased branches.
- On the bush, I leave 4-5 healthy branches growing on the sides, and cut off the rest of the shoots.
- Then I process the cuts with a garden varnish, you can sprinkle the places with ash.
- For two seasons, I feed and water the bush abundantly.
Suitable feeding in the fall for lilacs
Lilac accepts organic fertilizing well. These fertilizers both feed the plant and act as a mulch. In this case, I use rotted manure or compost. To do this, I take 30 kg of fertilizer for an adult bush, and 15 kg is enough for a young one.
Usually I feed the crop in September-October, about 10-14 days before the cold weather.
I sprinkle the fertilizer in the near-stem circle, departing from the root collar at least 10 cm. After feeding, I slightly dig up the ground. The lilac root system is located near the surface of the soil, so it is necessary to dig to a depth of no more than 5-10 cm.
Lilac blooms poorly on acidic soil. If you have a similar problem on your site, then I advise you to add ash powder, limestone or dolomite flour around the bush.
Spraying lilacs from diseases and parasites
Most of the treatments are done in the spring. But in the autumn, you can carry out the necessary procedures for the safety of the bush.
After pruning, I proceed to stripping the remaining branches from lichens. As soon as the cold sets in, I slightly dig the soil under the bush so that the insect pests that have taken refuge for the winter lose their homes. After shedding the leaves, I carry out the treatment with iron vitriol (3.5% solution) or use Bordeaux liquid (3%). This procedure creates protection for lilacs from a number of fungal diseases.
Watering plants in the autumn
The bushes do not need excessive moisture, but for the winter they need to be watered abundantly, which I do every autumn. Only if the autumn weather turned out to be very rainy, this procedure is not necessary.
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