Content
The use of bergenia in landscape design is becoming increasingly popular. It pleases with its presence from early spring to late autumn and attracts owners of summer cottages not only with its spectacular appearance, but also with its unpretentiousness, ease of planting and care. About once every 6 years it needs to be repotted to prevent it from growing and crowding out other plants. It is possible to plant bergenia in autumn and spring. Some gardeners divide the bushes and replant them even in the summer, but this option is only permissible if the weather is not hot.
Bergenia is used in landscape design to decorate garden plots
When to replant bergenia: in spring or autumn
You can replant the plant in early spring, before flowering begins, and in the fall. The second option is preferable.
Features of autumn planting
Planting in autumn has its own characteristics. It depends on the climate, weather conditions, location, soil. In autumn, bergenia is planted as a bush, dividing an adult specimen into parts or separating a shoot from it. This method is very simple and even a novice gardener can handle it.
When planting, you should take into account that the plant grows in width, so you should not save space.
Time for transfer
It is advisable to transplant an adult bush in the fall in early September. In areas with a hot climate, it is recommended to move it to a later date - to October, but not further than the first ten days of the month.
Preparation of bergenia
A heavily overgrown old bergenia over 10 years old definitely needs to be replanted. In this case, it is best to divide the bush. The young specimens obtained in this way will be planted in a new location.
Digging up bergenia is not difficult, since the root system is shallow
Before removing it from the soil, dig it in on all sides, slightly moving away from the leaves. There is no need to go deep; the roots are close to the surface. It is enough to dig to the depth of a bayonet, pry from below and pull out the bush along with a lump of earth. The roots must be freed from the soil. To do this, knead the lump with your hands and shake the plant. Then use pruning shears to cut off damaged and dry leaves. At this point, the adult bush must be divided. Do this with your hands or a sharp knife. For planting in the fall, the best parts with several rosettes are selected. The bush to be separated must have at least three buds. You need to remove all the leaves from them, leaving a few of the youngest ones.
Selecting a location
Bergenia is undemanding to its habitat and feels good almost anywhere. When choosing a place for it, you should still try to create growing conditions that are close to natural.
Badan in nature likes to settle on mountain slopes
It must be taken into account that its roots do not penetrate into the deep layers of the soil and are located near its surface. This means that the soil must be loose.
Bergenia grows well in different parts of the garden in partial shade, in sunlit areas and in the shade. But you need to know some features:
- In dense shade, especially on soils rich in organic compounds, it will very quickly grow a powerful green mass, but will rarely bloom.
- The best place for bergenia is partial shade, since roots close to the surface can be exposed, and sunlight has a bad effect on them.
- Bergenia requires good lighting. He should be in the sun for at least 2-3 hours a day.
When decorating a rockery or alpine hill, it is recommended to plant bergenia on the northwestern, northeastern, and northern slope.
A good solution is to plant near garden ponds, but it should be borne in mind that bergenia does not like large amounts of moisture, wetlands and areas where melt or rainwater stagnates. Under such conditions, bergenia will grow slowly and bloom poorly. In this case, good drainage in the soil is required, then its development will be successful even on the shore of a reservoir and with a minimum of care.
Priming
Bergenia is not picky about the composition of the soil and grows on different soils. It is best suited to well-drained, light, fertile soils. It is not recommended to plant it in clay areas.
Transplant stages
Transplanting bergenia in the fall consists of the following steps:
- First of all, you need to prepare the holes. For bergenia, there is no need to make them deep, since the root system is close to the surface. It should be about 6 cm. The distance between them is up to 40 cm.
- A layer of crushed stone or coarse sand is poured onto the bottom as drainage.
- For planting, you need to prepare the soil mixture.To do this, you will need one part leaf compost and 2 parts small pebbles with sand.
- It is recommended to wash the roots of the division with a weak solution of potassium permanganate to prevent disease.
- Place the plant in the hole, straighten the roots, crush the soil around it, and add the prepared soil mixture. The cuttings must be deepened into the soil right up to the leaves.
- Water the seedlings generously.
Care
Bergenia is an unpretentious perennial plant that grows well on its own, suppresses weeds and does not require special attention.
After transplanting in the fall, the plant takes time to bloom vigorously again. Bergenia takes quite a long time to take root in a new place, and flowers appear in the second or third year.
When replanting, it is recommended to mulch the soil around the plant.
A bush transplanted in the fall that has not yet had time to acclimatize must be insulated for the winter. A thick layer of mulch is suitable as a covering material: peat, dry fallen leaves, spruce branches.
Watering and fertilizing
During the first 3 weeks after transplanting in the fall, bergenia needs regular watering. The rest of the time, do this only when necessary to prevent the soil from drying out.
As for fertilizing, there is no need to apply fertilizers in the fall.
Immediately after planting, bergenia is watered abundantly.
Is it pruned for winter?
In autumn, it is recommended to cut off the dried inflorescences of bergenia. The leaves are removed after wintering in April.
Diseases and pests
Bergenia has fairly good resistance to pests and possible diseases.
As for diseases, the main problem is fungal infections. Their development is facilitated by high humidity, crowding, and an incorrectly chosen planting site.
The most common fungal disease is rotting of the rhizome.Plants growing on heavy substrates and clay soils with stagnant water are especially prone to it. Treatment consists of spraying with fungicides, thinning out the plantings, ensuring an influx of fresh air, and establishing a watering and maintenance regime.
This is what a plant infected with a fungal disease looks like
In addition, bergenia is characterized by spotting. Its signs are black spots with sharp outlines. Gradually they acquire a brown and then a gray tint. A whitish coating can be seen on the back of the leaves. Even low temperatures cannot save you from this disease. Treatment consists of spraying with foundationazole and Bordeaux mixture and completely removing the affected leaves.
Most often, bergenia is affected by the slobbering pennica, which reproduces well in the shade of the plant. Chemicals are used for treatment. In addition, the flower may be attacked by a slug.
Another pest is the nematode roundworm, which poses a serious threat. With significant damage, the plant usually dies. The eggs of the pest remain on the roots, so the dug up plant must be destroyed. The area of land where nematodes have settled must be carefully treated with chemicals. It is not recommended to plant anything here for at least a year.
Pests include crows that peck out the buds.
Conclusion
Planting bergenia in the fall is appropriate when replanting an overgrown bush is required. It can grow in one place for more than 10 years without problems, while it grows strongly, suppressing other species. But such thickening does not bring aesthetic pleasure to summer residents, and the flowering of the bergenia itself may stop due to crowding. Therefore, every 6 years in the fall it needs a transplant.It is not recommended to do this too often, as it will not have time to recover, which can lead to illness.
