How to prune a delphinium after flowering

 Delphinium, also called larkspur or larkspur, belongs to the herbaceous perennials of the Buttercup family. Its inflorescences are in the shape of a pyramid and are painted in various shades of blue - from light purple to deep purple. There are also white-colored varieties. These spectacular plants enjoy the sympathy of gardeners and are ubiquitous everywhere in domestic garden plots. Proper care and adherence to agrotechnical recommendations will allow you to grow a delphinium in the garden without any problems. In addition to the standard watering and fertilization procedures, this crop also requires regular pruning, which is carried out at the end of the flowering period. This article will discuss how to properly cut a delphinium.

Delphinium landing rules

The cultivation of a delphinium involves the observance of certain conditions regarding the location of the site, the composition of the soil and the method of planting. All these factors directly affect the growth and development of the plant.

When choosing a place for planting a delphinium, it is recommended to give preference to the eastern side of the garden plot. It is important that the landings are protected from the through wind and the bright midday sun. Under the influence of direct sunlight, the decorative qualities of the delphinium may suffer. Wind gusts are also dangerous to this crop and can damage or break stems.

Delphiniums prefer loose acidic soils. To make the soil on the site more nutritious, you should fertilize it in advance by adding compost or humus. Wood ash is a good top dressing, which should be mixed with garden soil at a ratio of 2 cups of ash to a bucket of soil.

There are several ways to propagate a delphinium: seed sowing, propagation by cuttings and dividing the bush, as well as planting ready-made seedlings.

Sowing seeds requires quite a lot of effort on the part of the gardener and includes a preliminary preparation stage. In its process, the seeds are sown in a container with nutrient soil and are kept in a cool room for some time - this will prevent the sprouts from stretching too much. The best time to sow delphinium seeds for seedlings is March. The difficulty in germinating seeds is that some of them can germinate with their roots up. Such sprouts must be turned over with tweezers and covered with earth again. Another problem with seed propagation is uneven seed emergence. For this reason, many gardeners prefer to purchase ready-made seedlings and plant them in open ground.

The grafting method also requires additional effort. To begin with, you need to cut the cuttings, for which the shoots with a length of about 8 cm, with a heel, are suitable. Then they need to be placed in containers with a nutritious soil mixture with the addition of sand and placed in a greenhouse. After the cuttings have formed their own root system, they can be transplanted into open ground.

It is much easier to divide an adult delphinium bush and get new seedlings. It is enough to remove the plant from the ground along with the root system, make sure there is no damage, and then divide it into several parts. Each section should have healthy root and shoots with multiple buds.

Rooted cuttings and seedlings can be planted in open ground in the second half of April. The planting holes should be spacious enough, since the delphinium has a branched root system.The optimal size is 0.4-0.5 m in diameter and the same depth. The interval between planting holes should be at least 0.6 m so that the growing seedlings do not interfere with each other.

Delphinium care

Delphiniums are not demanding plants. Caring for them comes down to simple procedures - watering and fertilizing.

Delphiniums should be fed several times throughout the season. The first top dressing is in the spring and involves the use of nitrogen-rich fertilizers. This important element helps the bushes to grow green mass. To this end, in May, plantings of delphinium are fertilized with a mullein-based solution. To prepare it, you need to dissolve 1 bucket of manure in 10 buckets of water. This volume of the mixture is enough to process 10 delphinium bushes.

The second time feeding is carried out on the eve of the flowering of the delphinium, in June. In order for it to be lush and long-lasting, the plants are treated with complex agents that include nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium in a 1: 2: 2 ratio.

The watering regime is very important for the successful development of delphinium bushes, especially in the first time after planting. Seedlings and young plants should be watered every week, with about 3 liters of water per instance. In hot and dry periods, watering delphiniums should be more frequent and abundant. After that, it is necessary to loosen the ground around the delphinium bushes at a depth of 5 cm.

Since delphinium stems can grow quite high, at some point they need a garter. When they reach a length of about 0.5 m, next to each plant, 3 supports with a length of at least 2 m should be dug into the ground. Metal rods or wooden stakes can play this role. They should protrude from the ground by 1.7-1.8 m. The delphinium stems are attached to them with strips of cloth. When their length reaches 1 m, you need to re-tie. This procedure will protect plants from damage caused by strong winds.

Instructions - how to properly cut a delphinium

Delphinium seedlings bloom in the first year after planting in open ground, towards the end of summer. In the next season, two waves of flowering are possible: the first falls in June, the second - in the second half of August or early September. To ensure flowering throughout the season, the delphinium must be pruned. This will allow the plant to improve its decorative qualities. This procedure requires compliance with certain rules that allow it to be carried out without harm to the plant.

Ways to cut a delphinium

The first pruning is done early in the season, in the spring. As soon as the delphinium bush grows to 25 cm, it should be examined and, having found weak shoots, cut them as close to the ground as possible. After pruning, 4 or 5 of the strongest shoots should remain on the delphinium, on which flowers will later form.

In the summer, pruning is carried out after the delphinium has finished blooming. To do this, you can use one of the following methods:

1. At the end of flowering, the delphinium bush must be cut off completely, to the surface of the soil. Places of cuts must be processed with garden varnish or clay. This is necessary so that moisture does not penetrate into the cavity of the stems and rotting of the root system of the bush does not begin.
2. A less radical pruning is also possible, when the stems are shortened to 15-20 cm. After pruning, there is no need to gloss over the cuts.

A week after pruning, young shoots will appear on the delphinium bushes, on which flowers will begin to bloom in a month. As a rule, the second wave of flowering is less splendid than the first.

How to prune a delphinium in the fall

In preparation for winter, delphinium bushes also need to be pruned. The stems are shortened according to the second type - up to 20 cm above ground level. Thus, the plant will retain its strength for wintering, this is especially important for the seedlings of the current year.

Delphinium is known for its resistance to frost, so it is not necessary to cover it with spruce branches for the winter. However, insulating the root diameter will not hurt, so the soil around the bushes should be covered with a layer of mulch. This will not only protect the root system of the delphinium from frost, but also protect it from moisture stagnation in the soil.

Fertilizing after pruning

After summer pruning, the delphinium needs nutritional supplements. This procedure will help the seeds ripen, and also guarantee the laying of buds for the next season. After trimming, phosphorus-potassium complexes are introduced. Nitrogen is not used during this period, since the delphinium does not need a powerful green mass, which will take away nutrients from the roots and peduncles.

Prevention of diseases and protection of the delphinium from pests

Like many flowering perennials, the delphinium is often attacked by harmful insects - aphids, delphinium ticks, flies. It is important to periodically inspect the bushes in order to detect the presence of pests in time. The main sign of aphid infestation is yellowing and deformation of the leaf plates. Tobacco dust can be used as a means of controlling aphids - it must be applied to the affected leaves.

Ticks also attack delphinium foliage. You can get rid of them by treating the delphinium with special preparations ("Phosphamide", "Akreks").

Delphinium flies pose a serious threat to the planting of this culture, as they create clutches of eggs in buds. The fly larvae emerging from the eggs eat plant tissues, gradually destroying them. A solution of "Prometrin" will help to cope with these pests.

Another dangerous enemy of the delphinium is slugs. In less than a day, they can destroy several young delphinium bushes. The main means of fighting these pests is lime. In the form of a powder, it must be scattered around the plantings of the delphinium, avoiding getting on the root part of the bushes.

Delphinium is also threatened by various diseases, including powdery mildew, black spot and ring spot, tobacco mosaic virus. Treatment of bushes with Bordeaux mixture is indicated in case of damage to them with powdery mildew. A solution of mullein or copper sulfate will help get rid of both types of spotting. The most dangerous is the tobacco mosaic virus, since the plants affected by it cannot be saved. A sick bush must be removed from the garden and burned, and the earth in this place must be replaced in order to avoid further spread of the disease.