Herbaceous evergreen common heather (Calluna vulgaris) is the only species of the heather genus belonging to the heather family. To date, there are approximately 500 varieties of this plant, most of which have very high decorative qualities. Under natural conditions, the plant is found in Europe (spreads from the zone of coniferous-broad-leaved foxes to the tundra), in North Africa, in Greenland, in the temperate latitudes of Asia, on the Azores, on the Atlantic coast of North America, while it prefers to grow on peat bogs, burnt areas and in the forests. An old Scottish legend says that of all plants, only heather agreed, at the request of the Creator, to grow on rocky bare hills that are blown by all winds, for which he was awarded unpretentiousness, endurance, good aroma and charming appearance. And today, in those places where heather grows, there is no other other plant. Sometimes it occupies huge areas, which are called moorlands. Veresk gave the name to September in the Belarusian, Ukrainian and Polish languages, namely: Veresen, Verasen, wrzesien.

Heather is a strongly branching evergreen creeping small shrub 30–70 centimeters high. Small sheet plates, which are trihedral, as if rolled into a tube. Small fragrant flowers, outwardly similar to bells, are painted in lilac-pink color. They are part of one-sided brushes. Flowering begins in the second half of the summer period, however, such a plant becomes most beautiful after the onset of the first frost, because its leaves turn burgundy and yellow at that time. Robert Louis Stevenson wrote an entire heather ballad, Heather Honey. Such a plant is an excellent honey plant, while heather honey is considered the most useful of all. Landscape designers use heather to decorate alpine slides, plant it along paths in the garden, and use it to create borders that look very impressive against the backdrop of dwarf conifers.

Growing heather from seed

Sowing seeds

To grow heather from seeds, you need to be patient, because this process is quite long and difficult. However, it may please you that heather seeds have an excellent germination rate, namely, 90 percent. The bowl must be filled with earth mixture and moistened. Spread the seeds over its surface, while you do not need to bury them. The container is covered with glass and waiting for shoots. For sowing seeds, it is recommended to use a substrate consisting of sand, coniferous soil and peat, which are taken in a ratio of 1:1:2. Crops need to be put in heat (about 20 degrees), while in the first 7 days the seeds need an increased level of humidity. The appearance of the first shoots occurs after 4 weeks. Immediately after the appearance of seedlings, you should begin to harden them. To do this, you should open the shelter for a while. After the seedlings have grown strongly, a pick should be made, they are seated in individual pots or transplanted into a container.

In the summer, seedlings should be transferred to the garden and placed in a semi-dark place, while it must be systematically watered. When it becomes cold outside, the seedlings are transferred to a cool room (about 10-12 degrees).

Heather can be planted in a permanent place only at the age of two. Remember that heather grown from seed is not able to retain the characteristics of the mother plant. However, as a result of your labors, a completely new variety may appear.

Where and at what time is the landing

Experienced gardeners recommend planting heather in the spring, namely, from the second half of April to the first days of May, you can do this in the fall - from the end of September to the first days of October. For planting, it is better to choose open, well-lit areas, but you can plant this plant in partial shade. Peaty moist soils or dry sandy soils are best suited for it. It is impossible to plant this flower in calcareous soil. It's okay if the soil contains few nutrients, but the pH must be equal to 4.5-5.5. Heather will grow best in soil consisting of sand, peat, tree bark compost (coniferous soil), which must be taken in a ratio of 1:3:2. The place where heather is grown must be protected from gusts of wind. To acidify the soil, red riding peat must be added to it.

How to plant

Depending on the variety, from 6 to 10 seedlings are planted on a plot of 1 square meter. The bush should be buried in the soil by 25-35 centimeters, while the root neck should be flush with the soil surface. If the soil is clayey in the landing hole, it is necessary to make a drainage layer consisting of sand or brick fragments, while its height should be from 5 to 10 centimeters. Also, horn flour (30–50 grams) and nitrophoska (20–30 grams) should be poured into each hole. The planted heather is watered at the rate of 5-6 liters of water per 1 bush. The surface of the site must be sprinkled with a layer of mulch (softwood chips or peat). Remember that this plant does not tolerate transplanting very well, so you need to immediately choose the optimal place for planting it and take good care of it so that you do not have to replant it.

Features of care

Heather's root system is not long, so it needs to be watered regularly if there is no systematic rainfall, while acidified water is used. Please note that the surface of the soil in the area should be constantly slightly moistened. In this regard, the surface of the soil must be covered with a layer of mulch. Mulch also keeps the soil warm on hot days. Heather is watered every 10-15 days. After watering is done, you need to loosen the soil to a depth of 10 to 15 centimeters, while pulling out all the weeds. It is necessary to loosen and weed the earth through the mulch. In hot weather, this plant can suffer from excessively dry air, therefore it is recommended to moisten it from a sprayer every evening. Do not forget to feed the plant every year in spring (in April or May), while full mineral fertilizer is applied to the soil, 1.5–2 large spoons of top dressing are taken per 1 bush (it takes from 20 to 30 grams per 1 square meter). At the same time, dry fertilizer should be carefully scattered over the area, try not to get the substance on the foliage and flowers of the plant, otherwise a burn will form on their surface. After that, top dressing should be sealed in mulch, and the soil should be watered abundantly. Every year in the spring it is necessary to make pruning, which performs a formative function, and also stimulates the growth of young shoots. At the same time, intensive pruning can only be done when 3 years have passed since the heather was planted. Try to keep the shape of the crown. Haircut rule: the inflorescence must be held by the upper part with the left hand, and ½ or 2/3 of the inflorescence must be cut off with the right hand. The trimmed parts can be finely chopped and sprinkled over the mulch.

Pests and diseases

This plant is highly resistant to harmful insects and diseases, but is sometimes affected by viral or fungal diseases. Heather often gets sick with gray rot. The development of this disease can be caused by poor water permeability of the soil, or due to the fact that in spring the snow cover disappears too quickly, as a result, the liquid stagnates in the root system. In an infected specimen, a plaque appears on the stems, then the leaves and the shoots themselves die. To combat the disease, the treatment of the plant with fungicidal agents is used, and Topaz and Fundazol cope best with this disease. If the bush is affected very strongly, then treatment with a solution of copper sulfate (1%) will be required. It is necessary to process heather 3 times with breaks of 5-10 days. For prevention purposes, the plant is treated in spring with fungicides immediately after the shelter is removed from it. It is also necessary to spray the bushes in the fall during preparation for winter.

If the bush is infected with powdery mildew, then the young shoots begin to fade, and a whitish loose coating appears on the leaf plates. If brown-red spots appear on the leaves, this means that the heather is infected with rust. These two diseases are fungal, like gray rot, so they are fought with fungicidal agents.

If a bush is struck by a viral disease, then its flowers or stems may become deformed, and the color of flowers and leaves becomes uneven, it becomes uncharacteristic for this variety. This disease cannot be cured, in connection with this, the affected plants must be dug up and destroyed. The area where they grew must be watered with a very strong solution of potassium permanganate.

In the event that a plant is grown on soil that suits it and receives the necessary care, then it is unlikely to get sick.

How to propagate this plant by seeds is described above. Heather can also be propagated by layering, dividing the bush or cuttings. At the end of the summer period, you need to cut off the apical cuttings, while they are taken from the strongest flowering branches. For rooting, they are planted in pots filled with a mixture of peat and sand (3: 1). They need to be placed in a cool place (from 15 to 18 degrees), while the soil should be constantly slightly moist. Once every 1.5–2 months, the cuttings need to be fed, for this they use a solution of urea (1 gram of a substance per 1 liter of water) or microfertilizers. In spring, rooted plants are transplanted into open soil.

Heather often propagates by layering on its own. Over time, old heather branches lie down on the surface of the soil and give roots. In order to get a layering, it is necessary to bend down the mature stem located at the very bottom and fix it on the surface of the earth. Then it is covered with a layer of peat, the thickness of which should be equal to 10 mm. After 12 months, it will be necessary to separate the layering and plant it in a permanent place.

Heather is most simply and easily propagated by dividing the rhizome. This procedure is carried out at the end of the summer period. To do this, you need to dig a mature bush. It is not necessary to remove the soil from the roots, they are cut into several parts so that each of the divisions has roots and young shoots. Before planting a delenka, you should cut off the old stems. They are planted immediately in a permanent place in different pits, while do not forget to sprinkle the places of cuts with crushed coal.

In regions with a warm climate, this plant tolerates winter well without shelter. But in the event that the winters are harsh and there is little snow, it is better to prepare the heather for wintering. When frost sets in, the surface of the site must be sprinkled with a layer of peat, and then the heather itself should be covered with spruce branches, which will protect the plants from frost and from sunburn in the spring. It will be necessary to remove the shelter in April.

The main types and varieties with photos and names

heather

Heather (Calluna vulgaris) is the only species in the genus. Often, heather is considered erica, which is closely related to this plant. However, heather and erica are different plants. Heather ordinary has a huge number of excellent varieties, at the moment there are about 500 of them. Gardeners divide all these varieties into 6 different groups.

1 group. Varieties with green foliage

1. Allegro. The height of this evergreen shrub is about 0.6 m, and its crown has a diameter of about 0.5 m. There is a compact, fairly dense crown, dark brown bark and scale-like leaf plates of a dark green color. Flowering is observed from the last days of July to the end of October. Red-carmine flowers are simple glossy, they are collected in long inflorescences. The plant is winter-hardy, only young bushes need to be covered for wintering.
2. Carmen. This hybrid variety, bred in Holland, is very popular in European countries. The bush reaches a height of 0.3–0.4 m, has a rounded crown, small dark green leaves, dark brown bark, simple pinkish-purple flowers, which are collected in peduncles (up to 10 centimeters long). Frost-resistant, but needs shelter during the winter.

Also popular are such varieties as: Radnor, Duckness, Ross Hutton, Mazurka, Marco, Barnett Enley, Hookstone, etc.

2 group. Varieties with white flowers and green leafy plates

Alba

1. Alba. The height of an upright bush is about 0.4 m, while the crown has a diameter of about 0.55 m. Rich green leaf plates are located on the ascending branches. White flowers are collected in dense racemose inflorescences.
2. Alexandra. The spherical bushes reach a height of 0.3 m, while the crown diameter is 0.4 m. The leaf plates are dark green in color, and the flowers are pale cream, while by the end of flowering they become dark red.

Also popular are such varieties as: White Lone, Humpty Dumpty, Long White, Alec Martin, Alba Jay, etc.

3rd group. Varieties with silver foliage

1. Silver Knight. This variety originated in England. The height of the bush is about 0.3 m, and the diameter of the compact cushion-shaped crown is 0.45 m. The bark is dark brown, grayish-silver leaf plates are pubescent. In winter, the leaves turn burgundy. Simple pale lilac or lilac flowers are collected in inflorescences, having a length of 20 centimeters. Resistant to cold, but for the winter it needs to be covered.
2. Peter Sparks. The variety is also obtained in England. The height of the bush is about 0.5 m, and the diameter of its oval crown is 0.6 m. The bark is dark brown, small scaly leaves are dark green in the summer-autumn period, and greenish-gray in the winter-spring period. Terry dark pink flowers are part of inflorescences, the length of which is 0.3 m. It has moderate frost resistance.

Also popular are varieties such as: Annmarie, Velvet Fashion, Jan Dekker, Glendwick Silver, etc.

4 group. Varieties with golden foliage

Boskup

1. Andrew Proudley. The height of the bush reaches 15 centimeters, while the diameter of its crown is about 25 centimeters. Broadly ascending branches are rather thin. In the warm season, the foliage is orange and has light yellow tips, while in winter it turns bronze. Small pink flowers are part of loose inflorescences.
2. Boskup. The variety was created in Holland. The bush reaches a height of 0.4 m, and the diameter of its compact crown is 0.5 m. The bark is dark brown. In summer, the leaf plates are greenish-yellow, and in autumn they are painted in a reddish-copper color. Simple lilac-pink flowers are part of short, slightly branched inflorescences, which reach a length of about 10 centimeters. It has moderate frost resistance.

Still popular are such varieties as: Aura, Arran Gold, Blazeway, Crimson Sunset, Gold Hayes, Cottswood Gold, etc.

5 group. Varieties with double flowers

1. Autumn Glow. The height of a sprawling shrub is about 0.3 m, and the diameter of its crown is about 0.45 m. The ends of the branches are rising. Dark green leafy plates, pale purple densely double flowers are part of short, fairly dense racemose inflorescences.
2. Monica. The height of a wide-spreading shrub is 0.55 m, and its crown diameter is 0.8 m. The broadly ascending branches are very strong. Dark green leaf blades acquire a grayish coating in winter. Terry reddish-pink flowers are very large, collected in dense racemose inflorescences.

Also popular are varieties such as: Red Favorite, Dark Star, Alba Plena, Joan Sparks, County Wicklow.

6 group. Varieties with non-opening flowers

marlin

1. David Eason. The height of the spherical bush is about 20 centimeters, and the diameter of its crown is 25 centimeters. There are a large number of ascending branches. Leaf blades are dark green. Lilac-pink dark flowers are part of short brushes.
2. marlin. German variety. The bush reaches a height of about 0.3 m, and its crown diameter is 0.5 m. Dark brown bark, small dark green leaf plates. Buds of pinkish-lilac or deep purple color never open.

Also popular are varieties such as: Romina, Minima, Fritz Kircher.

Heather has medicinal properties that are used in both folk and traditional medicine. It is widely used in the treatment of cough, kidney disease, cystitis, pyelitis, urethritis, dysentery, diarrhea, gastritis, enterocolitis, rheumatism, gout, and other skin diseases. Blooming heather is harvested from the last days of June to September, because during this period it contains the largest amount of useful substances: flavonoids, mineral salts of phosphorus, potassium, calcium and sodium, organic acids. Thanks to them, the plant has an antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, diaphoretic, wound healing, expectorant, diuretic, astringent, cleansing and sedative effect.

A decoction of this shrub is used for insomnia and disorders of the nervous system, for vascular atherosclerosis, diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, high acidity, cholecystitis and obesity. If the throat is inflamed or there is inflammation in the mouth, then the decoction is used for rinsing. Alcohol tincture on this plant helps with tuberculosis. Crushed flowers are used to make a powder that helps with ulcers, eczema, wounds and burns. With sciatica, heather baths are taken. An infusion prepared from flowers is rubbed into the skin of the head, this helps to get rid of hair loss and heal them.

Everyone can take heather, but still, before starting treatment with this plant, one should consult with an experienced doctor. It is better to refrain from ingesting medicines made from heather, for those who have low acidity of gastric juice.

Heather belongs to a large family of heathers, which has more than 500 species. The homeland for most species is Africa. Heather– it is an evergreen shrub, the stems of which are dotted with small flowers, similar in shape to bells, in various shades of lilac, lilac, white, pink and purple.

Did you know? Heather is the national flower of Norway.

In nature, common heather is most common, and slender heather and wintering heather are adapted to home conditions.

heather slender- an evergreen shrub up to 40 cm high. The leaves are light green, up to 5 mm long. The flowers are pink-red, located at the ends of the side shoots, 4 pcs. in everyone.

Heather wintering grows to a height of up to 50 cm, and its flowers are larger (up to 2 cm) and have a white color.

Did you know? In Scotland, heather leaves were used to make a yellow dye in the manufacture of fabric, from which the famous Scottish plaids and kilts were then sewn.

These plants are sun-loving, but they do not tolerate heat well. To achieve the best results when growing heather at home, you need to create a suitable microclimate for it and remember to regularly ventilate the room.

heather planting

If you decide to plant heather at home, then keep in mind that it is cultivated at home as an annual plant. You can grow it further: after the plant has faded, you should feed the soil, and then cut the bush, only then the plant will retain its attractive appearance for the next year.

planting material requirements

The root system of the plant must be closed, otherwise it will be damaged and the heather will die.

Shoots should be elastic and leafy, and active vegetative buds should be present at their ends.

Pot and soil requirements

Indoor heather species are very demanding on the soil. Peaty or acidic sandy substrates are best suited for them. The pot should be deeper than the length of the roots.

Flower planting scheme

1. We fill the bottom of the pot with the necessary substrate for several centimeters so that the root system can grow in the future;
2. Then we very carefully move the planting material into the pot so that the root system remains intact;
3. We fill up the missing earth, while not ramming it, otherwise the root system can be damaged;
4. In conclusion, the plant can be watered, add a little more earth. The filling process must be repeated several times as needed.

Rules for the care of heather in a pot

In order for the plant to never cease to delight you with beauty, you need to know how to care for heather at home. To do this, it is enough to follow simple but important rules:

• Water the plant only with clean water that does not contain chlorine and lime, at room temperature;
• The substrate must not be overdried;
• Temperature regime in summer +18 -25°С, in winter - +8 -12°С;
• In the off-season, if possible, take it outside, while protecting the plant from drafts;
• In the spring-autumn period, it is necessary to spray the plant daily with warm water;
• Timely feeding;
• Periodically acidify the soil with spruce bark or sulfur.

Watering and spraying rules

Heather requires regular but not heavy watering just to keep the soil moist. Spraying is necessary only in the warm season.

Important! If you overdo it with watering, then the heather drops its flowering buds. Waterlogging of the soil must not be allowed!

Feeding

Top dressing is necessary for heather annually. For this, complex mineral fertilizers are used, which can be bought at a special store. They need to be scattered around the plant, while it is very important not to touch the flowers and leaves, they can “burn out” from a high concentration of fertilizers.

Features of a flower transplant

Heather is very difficult to transplant because it has an underdeveloped root system. It can cause damage to the roots, as well as mycorrhiza mycelium.

Therefore, for the home, heather is usually bought in special containers, and transplanted along with a clod of earth. Also, transplanting can kill heather if the new soil is not sufficiently acidified and is neutral or alkaline.

How to propagate heather at home

Heather at home reproduces in three ways:

• seeds;
• cuttings;
• dividing the bush.

plant seeds can be done at any time, no special conditions are needed for this. Seeds are planted in bowls with a substrate, which consists of one part of coniferous, two parts of peat soil and one part of river sand. It is not necessary to "sink" the seeds into the soil. The bowl must be covered with glass until shoots appear.

Under all conditions, they should appear approximately 3-4 weeks after sowing. Humidity should be kept high during the first week, and then the sprouts should be sprayed about 4-5 times a month. In the summer, be sure to take them out into the fresh air.

Important! Direct rays can damage immature sprouts, so they must be protected from direct exposure to the sun.

You can plant in pots after 8-10 months.

cuttings cut for propagation at the end of summer. It is necessary to use non-blooming, strong shoots for this. Cuttings should be rooted in separate pots. A loose soil mixture of equal proportions of peat and sand is suitable, poor in nutrients, and it must be constantly moistened. Rooting occurs at a temperature of + 15-20 ° C.

However, the most reliable, easiest and fastest way to propagate heather is division of rhizomes into two parts. This procedure must be carried out after flowering. The plant must be pulled out of the pot and divided into parts.

Important!An earthen lump cannot be shaken off; it is necessary to divide the plant along with it.

In any case, it will not be possible to avoid damage to the root system, but still try to do it as delicately as possible. Then both parts are planted in pots as independent plants, watered abundantly and be sure to feed.

Diseases and pests of a flower

Heather flower diseases and pests affect much less frequently at home than when grown outdoors, but there is still a risk, mainly due to excessive soil moisture.

The main pests that can affect the plant are scale insects. As a treatment, morning spraying with soapy water is used.

When water stagnates in the roots, the plant infects gray rot. The first signs are a gray coating on the shoots, falling leaves, partial death of young shoots.

When they appear, it is urgent to treat the plant with antifungal drugs. Treatment is carried out in 2-3 doses with an interval of 6-10 days. For prevention, early spring or late autumn is best.

If the leaves turn brown and the tops of the young shoots begin to wilt, this is a sign that you overdid it with fertilizers.

Another plant can hit powdery mildew. Because of this disease, young shoots begin to dry out, and the leaves become covered with a grayish bloom. For treatment, as in the case of gray mold, you need to use antifungal drugs.

especially dangerous viral diseases. Symptoms: noticeable deformation of flowers and shoots, their unusual color. In this case, the plant urgently needs to be dug up and burned, since there are no effective treatments for these diseases.

How to save heather in winter

If the plant is outdoors, then in order to protect it in the winter during severe frosts, it is best to cover it with the paws of coniferous plants. Spunbond or jute mesh is also suitable for these purposes.

Heather should not be covered with straw, leaves, sawdust and especially plastic wrap. At home, a temperature of +8 + 12 ° C is suitable for heather. Maintaining such conditions at home is not difficult.

Heather care is very different from most houseplants. But if you have a desire to have something truly unusual and beautiful at home, then be sure to try growing this plant.

heather slender

In the natural environment, the life of a plant is several decades, in a garden and an alpine hill, it is reduced to five years. The home atmosphere for the plant is unusual; a two-year flowering period can be guaranteed.

Heather cultivation begin with the choice of a landing site and soil preparation, it should include peat, coniferous soil and river sand. The planting material is carefully examined: elasticity is required from the shoots and the presence of vegetative buds at the tips. Annual seedlings take root well. In large plants should be placed at intervals of 25-30 cm, the root neck is not deepened into the ground.

Growing heather on your home windowsill is a fun but time-consuming activity. You will have to constantly ventilate the room, with the onset of heat, spray the flower abundantly. For a pot, it is advisable to choose the most illuminated area, in the shade the plant will start to hurt. The recommended temperature regime is +18…+25°С for summer and +10…+12°С for winter time.

heather swollen

When growing heather, you need to remember about its special sensitivity to lime and chlorine. will have to defend or collect rain and melt.

When the plant fades, it is removed from the pot, the rhizome is divided into several parts and seated in new containers. Growing seedlings from seeds will take much longer. Low ceramic containers are filled mainly with peat soil, adding a little sand and pine needles. The seeds are left on the surface of the soil and the entire structure is covered with glass from above. The first week is abundant hydration, then only periodic light spraying. The first shoots will appear in about a month, and the growing period will stretch for almost a year.

Growing Heather Requires Cool Conditions

In the summer, you should take the container with the plants into the open air so that they get stronger and hardened.

Takes less time than caring for seedlings. The cuttings are laid out in pots filled with a mixture of sand and peat in equal proportions. The appearance of leaves and the full formation of the root system serves as a signal for transplanting the plant to a permanent place. In the process of growing heather, you can use hydrogel, it does not allow the soil to be too dry.

1. Common heather (lat. Calluna vulgaris) is a bright autumn plant that plays with all shades of purple, can ...

Heather is a plant blown by the winds, a plant of the tundra, the Scottish moors, a small evergreen relic, an inhabitant of peat bogs and deserted marshes.

You will certainly remember the pale lilac color of the inflorescences and pleasant aroma, in addition, you will definitely appreciate the wide range of useful properties of heather. Do you want to have this miracle on your windowsill? We will tell you how to plant and grow heather at home.

Description

Small very branched bush with small evergreen leaves. The flowers are small in the form of bells, lilac, lilac-pink. Varieties with large flowers of various shades have been bred. In nature, heather blooms from August to November. The fruit is a box. The plant is medicinal, has a beneficial effect on the nervous system, calms the nerves, and normalizes sleep.

Varieties

The genus Veresk has only one species - Common Heather, but in the composition of this species there is a wide variety of forms and varieties. Plants differ in leaf size, flower shape, color, size. There are tree-like forms up to six meters in height.

Very beautiful Heather slender. It is up to half a meter in size, the leaves are narrow, similar to needles, the flowers are collected in the form of brushes of four delicate pink colors. This plant is best suited for indoor maintenance. It is easy to grow in an apartment in a pot. Landing and leaving will not take much time.

Preparing for landing

This houseplant can be successfully propagated both by seeds and vegetatively. How to plant heather correctly? When transplanting, you can divide the bush into several parts and plant them in separate pots - this is the fastest way. But for those who are not looking for easy ways, we advise you to try to propagate heather with seeds. The activity is very exciting.

Seed selection

The seeds of this plant are the smallest, even smaller than poppy seeds. They do not require stratification and can be sown in both winter and summer. Heather seeds are sown superficially, without deepening into the soil.

Location selection

In summer, seedlings can be taken out to the terrace or balcony so that they soak up the free air and the sun, but before that they need to be gradually hardened and protected from direct sunlight and sudden changes in temperature. Heather will give your balcony or window sill the charm of an alpine hill.

The most commonly used propagation of this plant using cuttings. Cuttings are harvested in August-September. Strong and strong plants are suitable for this, but they should not bloom at this time.

Pot selection

For rooting cuttings, prepare separate pots, even plastic cups will do.

Pour the soil mixture into the prepared cups. During rooting, the plants must be moistened, do not allow the soil to dry out. Mature plants thrive in ceramic and plastic containers or pots.

Soil selection

Heather prefers acidic soils. Do not under any circumstances apply soil liming. On alkaline soil types, heather dies. The soil mixture should contain needles, sand and some sawdust. Be sure to provide drainage to avoid stagnant water in the root zone.

“Remember that the soil must be loosened and moistened, rich in oxygen.”

Landing

If you do not have the time, then you should not even try to grow heather from seeds, because this is a very painstaking task. The fastest way to propagate is to divide the bush into several parts. Heather rhizomes are well divided, for this you need to remove the plant from the pot and, without shaking off the ground and without breaking the clod, divide it into three or four parts, plant them in separate containers and water abundantly. After a few days, we recommend fertilizing with complex fertilizer.

The root formation process will take about two months. Rooted cuttings will delight you with flowering much earlier than seedlings that have sprouted from seeds.

Care

All care comes down to timely watering, loosening the soil, fertilizing, controlling the pH of the soil solution. Regular spraying and airing will have a beneficial effect on the plant. Avoid high temperatures, especially during budding and flowering. Basic rules for caring for indoor heather:

• The main reason for the soreness and weakness of heather is the wrong acidity of the soil.
• Heather is a fan of acidic soils.
• Pour a handful of spruce needles into the pot, and soon you will notice how the plant will rise, come to life and delight in abundant flowering.

Watering

Watering is desirable with softened water. It is good to use melt water or rainwater. If there is no drainage in the pot, then stagnation of water in the root zone is possible, this can adversely affect the development of the plant and cause root rot.

top dressing

When applying complex fertilizers, avoid contact with foliage and stems. The optimal application rate is 45 gm2.

Lighting

Heather does not like direct sunlight. During the period of laying buds and flowering, the plant needs to be shaded. For young seedlings, diffused daylight is preferable.

Air humidity

Increased air humidity is necessary at the stages of seed germination and rooting of cuttings. Your task is to create a mini-greenhouse, to provide greenhouse conditions for seed germination. Cover the top of the bowl with seeds with glass or plastic wrap. Leave the plants for 3-4 weeks, do not allow the soil to dry out during this time. Carry out surface spraying several times a week.

Temperature regime

The optimum growing temperature is 17-22°C. During the flowering period, it is recommended to lower the temperature to 13°C. The optimum temperature for seed germination is 17-22°C. Pour the prepared substrate from humus, peat, a mixture of needles and rotted leaves into small containers.

Diseases and pests

When grown indoors, plants are extremely rarely affected by diseases, but still the likelihood of infection remains. As a rule, the risk of diseases increases with high soil moisture. Use frequent ventilation to avoid acidification of the upper layers of the soil.

Very rarely, plants are affected by powdery mildew. At the same time, the leaves wither and the shoots become covered with a gray bloom. The main means of combating powdery mildew is antifungal drugs. The most dangerous for heather are viral diseases that lead to a change in the shape of flowers and stems, as well as to an unusual color of shoots. It is very difficult to fight these diseases, it is better to immediately remove the affected plants from your windowsill and burn them so as not to cause the death of all your indoor plants.

Possible difficulties

Heather has very short roots, because his homeland is the tundra, the Scottish wastelands. Due to the shortened root system, it is difficult for the plant to extract moisture from the lower soil layers. Try to keep the top layer always moist. You can use slightly acidified water for irrigation. Give your pet a shower once a week. During the rest period, it is recommended to make a stimulating haircut. It will provoke the growth of new cuttings. Cuttings can be cut and rooted.

I grow a large number of plants in my house. Recently, I started landscaping the loggia. Not many crops are known that can grow and develop in such conditions. That is why the choice fell on a room variety of heather.

The birthplace of heather is Southeast Asia, but today the distribution area is much wider. The plant is actively cultivated as an ornamental and pot culture, and is actively used in landscape and interior design. The shrub has a beautiful, but unobtrusive appearance, as well as the ability to purify the air.

In nature, there is only one type of culture - common heather. For cultivation at home, two artificially bred varieties are used - heather slender and wintering. External features of the plant:

• shrub height - 40-65 cm;
• an abundance of shoots is formed that form a decorative crown;
• the leaves are small, have three edges and are slightly wrapped around the edges;
• flowers located at the tips of lateral shoots reach a diameter of up to 10 mm;
• the color of the buds is red or pink, in the wintering heather the flowers are white and larger.

Heather is a real long-liver, even at home it can comfortably grow and develop up to 30 years. Flowering is possible only from the 5th year of life.

Growing conditions

Despite popular belief, heather is a plant whimsical to external conditions. The shrub is especially sensitive to the quality and composition of the soil; it grows slowly in an unsuitable substrate and may die. For planting, it is best to choose sandy or peaty soil with high acidity.

When choosing a ready-made substrate, it is desirable to give preference to mixtures for ornamental coniferous plants. It can be prepared independently, for this you need to mix sand, coniferous and peat soil in a ratio of 1: 1: 2.

The plant prefers a well-lit place, but does not tolerate heat well. Therefore, a heather pot should not be placed on the southern windowsill.

It is best to place it on the floor or table, in the warm season, take it out to the balcony or loggia. The optimum temperature for growing is 8-20 ° C, during the dormant period in winter it can be lowered to 11-15 ° C.

What you need for boarding

To grow heather at home, it is important to correctly approach the choice of planting material. The seed propagation method is quite complicated, so the shrub is usually grown from cuttings.

Its shoots must necessarily be flexible and leafy, ending in a growth bud. The root system of the purchased cuttings is closed, which avoids mechanical damage.

A pot for planting heather at home is chosen based on the characteristics of the plant. The depth of the container must necessarily be 7-9 cm more than the roots.

It is advisable to choose only pots with a large diameter or boxes to ensure the growth and development of shoots.

Landing technology

Heather at home can be grown from seeds or cuttings. Planting should be carried out only in the warm season - in spring or early summer, in order to provide temperature conditions in the range of 18-22 ° C, necessary for rooting and adaptation of seedlings. The choice of method depends on crop production skills and personal preference.

Growing from seed

Heather planting material is very small, so you need to work with it very carefully. Pre-sowing treatment is not carried out. Landing technology:

1. Place a layer of drainage and soil in a common spacious container, pour a little warm water over it and loosen the surface layer.
2. Scatter the seeds on the surface of the substrate, sprinkle with a layer of river sand up to 3 cm thick on top. Lightly water the planting, cover the container with glass or transparent film, put in a warm and bright place.
3. The first shoots appear within 21-28 days, during this time it is necessary to regularly ventilate the soil, and also spray it with water to prevent drying out.
4. After the appearance of the first leaves, seedlings can be taken out for several hours on a balcony or loggia for hardening, gradually increasing the procedure time.

Transplantation into a permanent individual pot is carried out after 8-10 months, when the young plants are fully strengthened, a strong root system is formed.

cuttings

Already rooted heather cuttings can be found in the store to prepare them yourself. To do this, cut the shoot up to 10 cm long, and then place it in a pot with a peat-sand substrate. Rooting takes a long time, the process can take up to a month.

During this period, the soil should be regularly watered, and the temperature should be maintained in the range of 15-22 ° C. It is recommended to transplant to a permanent place after 3-4 months, when the stalk is fully strengthened.

It is believed that heather grown in this way is resistant and has strong immunity to diseases.

Features of care

To ensure the health and stable growth of heather at home, regular care should be followed. It consists of the following procedures:

• the plant should be watered moderately with a frequency of up to 1-2 times a week; in winter, the watering regimen is reduced to a minimum. Heather is sensitive in water, so it should be well settled and warmed up to room temperature;
• you can not place the shrub on the windowsill in sunny weather, bright light can be detrimental to the plant;
• in the summer it is important to ventilate the heather, for this purpose it is convenient to place it on a balcony, terrace or loggia;
• top dressing is applied by the root method only during the flowering period; liquid complex compositions for ornamental crops are suitable for this purpose;
• the plant should be replanted annually to renew the composition of the soil; during the procedure, the plant is transferred to a new container along with a clod of earth on the roots;
• it is recommended to mulch the soil, the optimal layer of mulch is 3-5 cm. It is impossible to loosen the soil in the tank.

Heather can be grown as an annual plant or as a perennial. For this purpose, after flowering, you need to cut the shoots, leaving up to a third of the length. After 2-3 days, carry out top dressing with a mineral composition. This stimulates new growth and allows you to re-bloom the next season.

Diseases and pests

At home, heather is rarely affected by diseases and harmful insects. Usually, such problems arise when the agrotechnics of planting and care rules are not followed. Among the diseases, fungal infections (gray rot, rust and powdery mildew) are considered the most dangerous.

If traces of infection are found on the leaves and shoots, it is necessary to spray with a fungicide as soon as possible, among which Topaz and Fundazol are the most effective.

Pest infestation is rare, the most common of which are spider mites and aphids. As a rule, they fall on a plant that is grown on a balcony. If you notice signs of harmful insects, you should fight them with chemical insecticides (Aktellik, Aktara or Intavir).

findings

• Heather is an evergreen shrub that can be grown indoors as a pot crop.
• The container with the plant should be placed away from direct sunlight, choose a peat or sandy substrate with high acidity.
• Heather care comes down to moderate watering, maintaining comfortable conditions for growth. Top dressing is applied only during the flowering period.
• After flowering, the shoots should be cut, leaving no more than a third of the length. This allows you to extend the life of the plant, stimulates repeated flowering.