Hyacinths are flowers that appear among the first in spring. They delight the eye with their unsurpassed beauty and give a unique aroma. In order for plants to grow and develop successfully, they must be properly looked after. And one of the most important procedures in this list of concerns is the timely digging of bulbs.
Do I need to dig hyacinths
Each gardener who loves his occupation and constantly improves his skills, has his own idea of the process of preserving hyacinth bulbs, because the method of caring for the plant is individual for each variety. In addition, if the gardener decides to engage in the cultivation of these flowers, then he leaves the root crop in the ground for several years. The result is a large onion that can bring a lot of kids.
Important! According to Dutch flower growers, the rapid development of a tuber can be achieved by cutting off inflorescences in one- and two-year-old plants after flowering.
Most gardeners seek to dig out bulbs before the cold season. This process begins at the end of June. Sick and damaged specimens are discarded and discarded. If you leave them in the ground, the flower will lag behind in development, and its inflorescence will have a curved appearance.
At the same time, good planting material is further processed with chemicals containing phosphorus. This procedure is necessary so that healthy bulbs do not affect diseases or pests. In addition to throwing out damaged root crops, the place where they grew must be sterilized with bleach. Moreover, planting in such places of plants that multiply by bulbs is not desirable.
If you have grown
Digging bulbs is also necessary in the case when the flowering is over and new shoots reappear on them. This often happens when autumn drags on, and warm days last until November. In this case, the bulb does not have time to independently prepare for the upcoming frosts, giving all its strength to new leaves. To avoid damage or damage to the plant, it is recommended to dig up the tuber and store it in special conditions at home.
For winter
Winter is an unfavorable season for plants, so the process of digging up bulbs is carried out and then to avoid damage to healthy bulbs. The flower on the plant fades, but the root remains perennial. If a temperature difference occurs, then it can suffer and not give beautiful large inflorescences in the coming year.
A flower bud is laid in the bulb: thanks to it, flowers appear. Moreover, it can develop normally only at temperatures ranging from + 26 ° C to + 30 ° C. In open ground, this is only possible if the land warms up well in the summer. Therefore, if the soil is cold, then you have to dig up hyacinths and store at home until the moment when they are planted.
Do I need to dig every year
All bulbs that begin to bloom early, after falling off the petals, fall into a new stage of development. During this time, they accumulate nutrients directly in the bulb, which allows it to grow in size. After this, the dormant stage almost instantly sets in. And it is during this period that the tubers become as sensitive as possible.
Important! The digging procedure for the winter allows not only to control the development of the root crop, but also to prevent the development of diseases. Damaged tubers can be identified by visual inspection.
The following factors may affect them:
- temperature difference;
- excessive moisture;
- early frosts.
Do not lose sight of the fact that various rodents can be present on the territory of a summer cottage or personal plot. It is hyacinth bulbs that are considered one of the best treats for them. One of the dangers for tubers is considered damp, which leads to rot. Also, very small children can form on the bulb. Their excess leads to the outflow of nutrients, which in the future leads to damage to the main root crop.
It is believed that leaving hyacinth in the ground in the middle lane of our country is unacceptable. In addition, if you dig a bulb and plant it in the next season, the plant will delight you with new lush and fragrant inflorescences. As previously reported, at the dormant stage, the process of forming a flower bud begins, therefore it is necessary to constantly monitor the climate in the room where planting material is stored artificially.
The need to dig up a tuber is explained by the fact that it is impossible to strictly observe in the ground, and even more so to change the temperature regime. It is also impossible to ensure the dryness of the bulb, protecting it from excessive moisture. The only exception concerns those regions of the country where warm weather prevails in winter. In such places, you can eliminate the need to dig up tubers annually.
But from time to time to carry out this procedure still have to. This process will be needed already in the case when it will be necessary to separate the children from the main bulb. If this is not done, the plant will cease to bloom. In the same period, preventive treatment of the root with chemical preparations is carried out. They will help increase immunity, prevent damage by pests and accelerate the growth and development of the flower in the next season.
When to Dig Hyacinths
The opinions of experienced gardeners agree that this procedure should be carried out after the plant fades. The first work can be started in the first half of June. They can last until mid-July. This early extraction from the open ground is due to the fact that the tubers are planted again in the fall. Usually a new landing takes place at the end of September. In some southern regions, where the warm weather lasts longer, this process may begin in November.
Video: when to dig hyacinth
After flowering in the open field
According to the results of the observation, the plant remains in excellent shape until about the end of June. Then its leaves begin to gradually turn yellow and completely dry. In some parts of the country, this period may be delayed - it depends on climate conditions. It is believed that the longer the foliage remains on the hyacinth, the more nutrients the bulb receives.
In connection with this feature, experienced growers try to extend this period as long as possible, supporting hyacinth in all available ways. Sometimes you can observe a situation where the leaves even without additional care do not want to turn yellow. This means that the plant continues to develop, and there is a high probability of its re-flowering. Nevertheless, the new appearance of inflorescences will last only a short time.
They will be much smaller in size. In this case, the bulb will still have to be dug. But this procedure should be postponed to a later period. If you dig up tubers before the leaves turn yellow, then the likelihood that the plant will disappear significantly increases. Only bulbs damaged by pests and diseases are removed earlier than the above period.
Video: hyacinth care after flowering
For transplant
Those who are professionally involved in the cultivation of hyacinths, try to dig bulbs from expensive and unique varieties in a timely manner. The purpose of this process is transplantation. In this case, the tubers of the flower are removed from the ground only in the fall. Such a late procedure is carried out in order to protect the planting material, which will be used in the next season, from frost and death in the open ground.
A similar technology is practiced in particularly cold parts of the country, where temperatures can drop to –35 ° C or lower. If the bulb does not have a good winter underground, it will not be able to bloom lush inflorescences. Since the process of digging up hyacinth tubers is influenced by many factors, in each individual case one should make his own decision.
Digging technology
First of all, it should be understood that the process of digging up the bulbs of a plant is carried out very carefully. You need to choose them from the flowerbed with a large lump of earth. Damage to even the smallest specimens will lead them to rejection.
Did you know? In Holland, the first hyacinth flowers appeared as a result of a storm. From the wrecked ship they were carried ashore, and the caring hands of the farmers helped them take root.
Accordingly, there are several useful guidelines and rules for this procedure:
- For the moment hyacinths are removed from the earth, a day with good sunny weather should be selected.
- As garden tools, forks or a shovel are used. They soil the soil as deep as possible - it should be a level that is much larger than the occurrence of tubers.
- Absolutely all bulbs are selected from the soil - large and small. After that, the soil is checked for residual planting material in the form of the smallest children.
- It is forbidden to clean with your hands too moist soil, which fits snugly on the bulb. It is better to wait until it dries, and carefully remove it. An alternative is washing in water. But after that the tuber should dry.
It is recommended that after digging immediately immerse the bulbs in the solution of "Karbofos" (for a period of about 30 minutes). After that, they should dry for 5 to 7 days.
When to plant bulbs
Depending on climatic and weather conditions, hyacinths in different regions of the country can be planted from the end of September. This process may last until the beginning of October. If you start to plant earlier, then young shoots may appear on the planted bulbs. This will lead to the inevitable death of the plant in the winter.
Did you know? For the first time, hyacinth flowers are mentioned in ancient treatises of Byzantium and Persia, which are several thousand years old.
If hyacinth is planted later, the sensitive tuber may suffer from premature frosts. Before planting a plant, care must be taken to prepare a special substrate.
Video: planting hyacinths in a new way
How to store before planting in the fall
When the hyacinth bulbs taken from the ground and washed are dried, they are peeled. When children are found under it, neat tumors are carefully removed. Further storage requires the gardener to observe the temperature regime during July and August. Indicators should always remain in the range from + 25 ° С to + 27 ° С. The room in which they are lying should be well ventilated: in this case, a shed or porch is ideal.
The main condition is the lack of direct sunlight. As soon as September comes, the room will need to change the temperature, lowering it to + 18 ° C. In this place, the material is stored until the end of September. Two weeks before planting, the bulbs are again transferred for cooling. They must stay for 14 days at a temperature of + 10 ° C. This process is called natural cooling: a basement is suitable for this purpose.
It should be noted that the procedure of digging up tubers of a flower is not very complicated, it is only important to remember the instructions and rules that are described above. Each region of the country has its own time frame for the beginning of the process, therefore it is recommended to ask specialists specifically in your area before starting to breed hyacinths and prepare them for a transplant in the new summer season.
