Heather - creeping perennial shrub that can grow in the wild from 30 to 40 years. This plant symbolizes admiration and good luck. It belongs to the heather family and the only one in its form. Heather has about 20 ornamental varieties for garden cultivation.
In ancient times, heather was used in every possible way: in brewing, winemaking, they were even dyed yarn in yellow tones. Heather makes an incredibly delicious tea, which, by the way, is very useful: with disorders of the stomach and enterocolitis, kidney disease, with nervous overexcitation as a sedative.
Did you know? The composition of heather includes the following chemical elements: starch, carotene, tar, potassium, sodium, phosphorus, quercetin, organic acids.Given these useful properties, many gardeners are thinking about how to plant heather in their area.
This plant can be planted both in spring and autumn. But it is preferable to do it in the spring. So heather will give good roots and will perfectly cope with winter frosts. There are many ways to multiply heather: seeds, seedlings, layering, cuttings and dividing the bush.
The hardest and longest process, growing heather seeds
Those who plan to grow heather with seeds should consider that its reproduction in this way is a very laborious process and takes a lot of time.
Did you know? Seedlings obtained by growing heather from seeds for planting in open ground will be ready only after 1.5-2 years.In order for you to reproduce heather seeds, you need to properly prepare the seeds themselves. To do this, place them in small cups or saucers with a thin layer up to 2-3 mm high, moisten well and cover with foil.
Approximately in 2-3 weeks the first sprouts from seeds will appear. After that, germinated seeds are planted in a larger container: boxes, trays, etc., with a special substrate. Before the appearance of the first shoots, a month will pass, and you will see young shoots.
It is important to observe the temperature regime to maintain the normal development of plants within 18-20 ° C, and also monitor the humidity. She should be moderate. You can periodically make seedlings on the air, in order to harden the seedlings.
Planting heather seedlings
Another way to grow heather is to breed heather with seedlings. It is quite laborious, because you have to tinker with seedlings: take out and bring the boxes from the site into the room where the air temperature is 10-12 ºC.
You can plant the seedlings in the open ground only after 2 years. Or you can immediately buy ready-made seedlings in the nursery, then you just have to plant them correctly.
Important! Growing heather from seed, you can not save the "parent" characteristics, but you can bring a new variety that you will be proud of.
Plant the seedlings so that the distance from each other is 40-50 cm, make the hole size 2 times more than the root. Bury the seedling should be on the root of the neck.
Tamp the soil around the seedling, pour and around the ground cover the peat, sawdust or fine wood chips from the needles. Mulching is required.
And if the soil where you are planting seedlings, clay, add to the drainage wells.
How to propagate heather cutting
If you really want to plant heather on the plot, you can use it in such a way as reproduction by cuttings.
Did you know? Normal heather begins to bloom 3-4 years after planting and continues to do so until attaining the age of 15 years. Then heather stiffens.For this it is enough to take the tops of the plant. Heather grafting is best done at the end of the summer. Take shoots from the thickest twigs of the bush, but do not cut off flowering.
Plant each stalk in a separate jar or pot. Prepare the soil: mix peat with sand in the ratio 3: 1. In the room where you have rooted heath cuttings, the temperature should be at the level of 15-18 ° ะก.
It will not be superfluous to feed from a urea solution to improve the rooting process. To do this, take 1 g of the substance per liter of water. After wintering, the shoots will take good roots, so that in the spring you will be able to plant the plants in open ground.
How to plant heath layering
Perhaps this is the most natural way of breeding heather and the easiest. You do not need to be puzzled by any additional procedures and special care. Layering this plant multiplies by itself.
As the bush grows, the side branches lean to the ground and take root themselves. At such a place a lot of young shoots are formed. Over time, heather lawns form around the main bush. Therefore, if you do not plan in advance to allow heather to grow randomly, restrict its bushes to artificial fences or other fences.
But when it is necessary to accelerate the process of reproduction by layering, then you can safely sprinkle mature branches with peat 1-2 cm high and attach to the soil. Next year you will have ready seedlings that will only need to be separated from the mother plant and planted in the place you want.
Heath reproduction by rhizome division is a simple and effective method
If you want to quickly and simply multiply heather, then try to do it by dividing the rhizomes.
When summer is coming to an end, dig up the plant, shake off the root of the remnants of the earth. Holding the rhizome, mark the divisions so that each part has young shoots. Remove old processes, they are not needed. Place each separated part in the hole or pot.
As you can see, there are many ways to plant heather. All of them are effective and guarantee quality results. Which one to use is up to you. After that, this beautiful melliferous plant will delight you for many, many years on a plot or in a pot on a windowsill.
