Content
- 1 Frost-resistant buddleia varieties
- 2 Propagation of buddleia by cuttings in autumn
- 3 How to plant budleya in the fall
- 4 Replanting buddleia in the fall
- 5 How to care for buddleia in the fall
- 6 How to prune buddleya for the winter
- 7 How to cover a Budleya for the winter
- 8 Features of preparing buddleia in the fall for winter in the regions
- 9 How to preserve buddleya in winter
- 10 Conclusion
In recent years, growing buddleia and its varieties has been gaining popularity among flower lovers around the world due to the spectacular appearance of the crop and ease of care. Russian gardeners also took a liking to this beautiful plant, which is why many are interested in what it takes to care for buddleia in the fall. This issue deserves a detailed analysis.
Frost-resistant buddleia varieties
Budleya is called the “eastern beauty” for a reason. Countries of warm latitudes are considered its homeland, so it is not surprising that the plant feels most comfortable in the southern regions. However, growing budleya in a summer cottage in the Russian climate is also quite possible with proper care and attention.
Since buddleia has gained popularity far beyond the subtropical zone, breeders regularly develop new varieties that can please the eyes of those who live in less hospitable climates.
The most frost-resistant plant varieties include:
- David's buddleia, in particular the Empire Blue, White Profison, Pink Delight and Royal Red varieties;
- Budleyu Wicha;
- Budley Wilson.
They are able to withstand frosts down to -23 °C.
In addition, among the variety of species, representatives with average winter hardiness are distinguished, including:
- Budleya japonica;
- White-flowered buddleia.
Propagation of buddleia by cuttings in autumn
People who have previously dealt with growing buddleia know that it reproduces intensively both by cuttings and by seeds. However, in the Russian climate, even with proper care, it is not always possible to grow buddleia with seeds, and therefore the second breeding option is common in this area.
For cuttings of buddleia, planting material is prepared in the fall, during the autumn pruning of the bush. Cuttings are best made from one-year-old plant branches, cutting them at an angle of 45°.
Planting of cuttings is carried out with the onset of spring or in the autumn months after pruning is completed.
Autumn planting is carried out according to the following algorithm:
- Shrub cuttings are placed for 5 - 10 hours in a solution of Kornevin or Heteroauxin.
- Make holes in the loose soil and water them generously.
- Then the buddleia shoots are placed 3 - 4 cm inside. The distance between them should be 1.5 - 2 m.
- After this, the plant cuttings are covered with plastic bottles wrapped in polyethylene and left until spring.
How to plant budleya in the fall
Planting buddleia in open ground in the fall is not much different from the same process in the spring.In the autumn, the choice of seating must be approached with special care, giving preference to sunny areas protected from drafts. It is best to carry out autumn planting on a sunny, dry day at a temperature not lower than +10 °C.
The type of soil is not particularly important for the plant; it can grow in almost any area. The main thing is that the soil is not excessively wet, otherwise the root system will begin to rot.
Having decided on the location, you can start planting “autumn lilacs”:
- First, dig a hole 30 - 40 cm deep. The width should be 2 times the diameter of the buddleia rhizomes.
- Then a 10-15 cm layer of high-quality drainage is laid at the bottom of the recess. Peat, shavings or charcoal are suitable for these purposes.
- A layer of organic subcrust, for example, compost mixed with ash, is placed on top of the drainage material.
- Next, half of the previously prepared soil is poured into the hole.
- The plant is dug up along with a lump of earth, making sure that the roots are not exposed.
- Carefully move the buddleia to the chosen location.
- Add the remaining soil.
- After this, the soil is compacted. If during the autumn period no cold or precipitation is expected in the next 2 weeks, then the tree trunk circle of the bush is watered abundantly.
If you plant budleya in the fall according to all the rules and organize proper care for it, then it will have time to take root before frost hits. However, the chances of success will be much higher in those regions where temperature changes are not extreme.But even in this case, it is worth remembering that planting in the fall is quite traumatic for the plant, and it should not be done unless absolutely necessary.
Replanting buddleia in the fall
Despite the fact that buddleia is quite unpretentious in care, this plant is difficult to tolerate transplants, since its tap root is located deep in the ground, and its removal can injure the root system of the bush. However, sooner or later it may be necessary to transplant the buddleia to a new place, and the optimal time for this is the spring before the start of the growing season, when the risk of sudden frosts is minimal and the soil is sufficiently warm.
In the fall, budleya is replanted only in extreme cases. At this time, the chances that the plant will take root are very low, even with proper care. If you transplant it into open ground in the fall, there is a high probability that the shrub will not survive the winter months, since it simply will not have time to gain a foothold in the new area. Therefore, if possible, it is worth postponing the procedure until a more appropriate time. If autumn replanting of buddleia is inevitable, the plant should be provided with proper care for a successful wintering.
How to care for buddleia in the fall
In the fall, subsequent care of the transplanted buddleia is not too complicated and comes down to mulching and pruning.
Many gardeners are interested in the question of whether it is worth including watering and fertilizing in the buddleia care procedures before sending the plant for the winter. This largely depends on weather conditions.
It is worth watering the plant in the fall when the weather is dry and sunny and only if the soil near the buddleia bush is completely dry. Before doing this, you need to dig a ditch around it and water it using settled water at room temperature.The ditch should not be made very deep, since the roots of the buddleia lie close to the surface of the soil. This method of autumn watering will help the buddleia rhizomes absorb more water.
As for feeding buddleia, according to the care recommendations, it is not advisable to carry it out in the autumn season. This way the crop will overwinter better in open ground. On the other hand, fertilizing applied to the hole during planting will not cause further harm.
This method of care, such as mulching in the fall, will also help prepare the buddleia for the winter. An air space is created between the soil and the mulch layer, which keeps the roots from freezing in winter and ensures optimal heat exchange for the shrub. Buddleians use peat, rotted manure or straw as mulch. Autumn mulching is carried out immediately before covering the plant.
How to prune buddleya for the winter
Pruning buddleia is another important point in caring for shrubs. Often this procedure refers to spring pruning, which precedes the growing season. However, buddleia is also pruned in the fall, before sending it for the winter. This method of care is not aimed at giving the plant an aesthetic appearance, but has a practical goal - to make life easier in late autumn and winter.
Do I need to prune buddleia for the winter?
Being a crop of tropical origin, buddleia is quite sensitive to low temperatures. Even frost-resistant varieties, such as Buddleia Davida, often have problems withstanding the Russian cold and require special preparation for winter. The ability to properly prune a bush in the fall affects how the plant will subsequently be covered and whether it will be able to quickly wake up from wintering with the onset of warmth.Therefore, in temperate latitudes, pruning of buddleia in the fall is mandatory.
Preparation of tools and materials
The procedure for pruning buddleia in the fall does not require the purchase of any special tools. To do this, a standard plant care kit, which every gardener can find, will be sufficient. It includes:
- pruning shears for plant branches 25 mm thick;
- gloves;
- protective glasses.
If pruning in the fall is carried out on tree-like varieties of buddleia, then it would not be a bad idea to get hold of a stepladder and a lopper. The latter will help in removing thick branches up to 5 cm in hard-to-reach places in the “autumn lilac” crown.
Timing of pruning
Experienced plant growers who know a lot about caring for buddleia recommend pruning the bush in the second half of autumn, as soon as its leaf blades begin to turn black. The timing of autumn pruning is influenced by the climatic conditions in the region and what care the buddleia received during the season. As a rule, this procedure occurs at the end of October - beginning of November.
How to prune buddleia for the winter
Autumn pruning of buddleia does not require special skills and effort, however, when starting the procedure, you should take into account the area where the crop is grown and its variety. So, when pruning David's buddleia in the fall in areas with a climate close to the subtropics, you only need to shorten the branches by 5 - 10 cm. This will be enough for the plant to survive until spring. And even if in the event of a sudden cold snap the above-ground part of the buddleia freezes, the bush will quickly send out young shoots as soon as favorable weather sets in.
In other climatic zones, they practice autumn pruning of buddleia under the stump, leaving only cuttings 20 cm above the ground.In this form, it will be easier to cover the plant, and it will not suffer from frost.
Caring for the crop after pruning
Once the autumn pruning is completed, the buddleia does not require any further care until the next summer season. All that remains to be done is to clear the area around the bush of debris and take care of creating a shelter.
How to cover a Budleya for the winter
Since most types of buddleia are heat-loving, winter is a very harsh time for such shrubs. How the plant is prepared for winter directly determines its well-being and further flowering.
Tender young shrubs that have not reached 2–3 years of age especially suffer from temperature changes, since they are most likely to freeze in the area of the lower branches. But if temperature indicators do not fall below 5 - 10 ° C, then there is a possibility that with the arrival of spring, young buddleia will recover quite quickly. In severe frosts, the shoots will have difficulty growing green mass and will bloom weakly.
To avoid this and ensure a successful winter for your buddleia, you should take care of proper care for them in the fall by building a shelter from frost:
- First, a special frame about 20-25 cm long is made. It can be made of wood or wire mesh.
- Then it is wrapped in waterproof fabric or other waterproof material, for example, polyethylene or roofing felt.
- After this, the frame is carefully fixed with stones on all sides so that it does not blow away by the wind.
- Dry leaves or hay are placed inside the structure.To cover buddleia in a climate with slushy autumns and mild winters, you should never use film or sawdust, otherwise the bush will be locked under such cover.
Features of preparing buddleia in the fall for winter in the regions
Often, the nuances of how to prepare a budlea for the winter become clear when analyzing the characteristics of the region in which the shrub is to be grown. Each area has its own nuances for plant care.
In outskirts of Moscow
So, in the Moscow region, where the winter months are relatively warm but characterized by humidity and unstable precipitation, gardeners make improvised greenhouses from polyethylene. The method for constructing this structure is described above. Often, this measure is sufficient for the well-being of the plant.
In the middle zone
In the climate of central Russia, it is imperative to make the most protected shelters during autumn frosts and winter cold. Under these conditions, buddleia grown from the seeds of shrubs that grew here and not in warm regions overwinters most successfully.
In Siberia and the Urals
Before wintering, buddleias in the Urals and Siberia mulch covered shrubs with sawdust. This method successfully protects the plant from freezing, but the effectiveness of the method only applies to these areas.In warm regions, wood shavings can only destroy the buddleia, as it interferes with the circulation of moisture in the soil and can lead to bud rot.
In the Volga region
In the Volga region, buddleias are often grown as a tub crop, and during wintering the tubs with the plant are moved to a basement or other frost-free place.
If the shrubs are still grown in open ground, then in the fall a film greenhouse is built for them, in which a dense layer of mulch is laid, or a box is installed, on top of which spruce branches are laid out.
How to preserve buddleya in winter
Often, when caring for buddleia, even experienced gardeners encounter difficulties due to the fact that the plant is reluctant to emerge from its winter dormancy and begins to grow greenery only in the fall. In some cases, the bush freezes completely. You won’t be able to completely insure your plant against this problem, but you can reduce the risk if you follow simple winter care recommendations:
- At the age of 1 - 2 years, even the most winter-hardy species, such as Wicha's buddleia or David's buddleia, are moved to a pot for the winter and placed in a dark, well-ventilated room or basement. The air temperature should not exceed 10 – 12 °C. In this form, the shrub will overwinter without any problems in the absence of watering and light, and in April it can be transplanted to a permanent place.
- The last feeding of buddleia should be carried out no later than the beginning of autumn: best in June-August.
- All plants in areas where the thermometer drops below -5 °C are subject to shelter. If there is no need for more complex structures, you can protect the bush with spruce branches or brushwood.Snow is also great for covering.
- It is better not to use sawdust and autumn leaves to protect buddleia from the cold. This material retains water and does not allow air to circulate, which can cause the plant to shut down.
- Before constructing the protection, the buddleia shrub is hilled to the height of the 3rd bud on the remaining stem. The soil used for the procedure must be dry.
If you follow these care rules, the plant will easily survive the autumn cold spells and the most severe cold.
Conclusion
As you can see, caring for buddleia in the fall, although it has many nuances, is not too difficult. Following the recommendations, care and attention will ensure the plant’s health not only in the autumn, but throughout the year.
