Fragrant clouds blooming lilac few can be left indifferent.
Sort Sensation
Spring is not the right time for planting and transplanting lilacs (not counting planting seedlings from containers). It is best to do this at the end of August - the first half of September, writes Elena Kozhina.
It is desirable to add manure humus or compost, superphosphate and wood ash. After planting, the plant is watered abundantly.
Variety Mulatto
Breeders have created great amount varieties. Their flowers can be both simple and double, often very large - up to 4 cm in diameter, and panicle inflorescences - of different density and size. Flower color - from purple and lilac (lilac) different shades to white, pink, blue, purple and even yellowish. Varieties also differ in intensity of aroma.
Variety Elena Vekhova
How to grow
Common lilac is undemanding in care, frost-resistant, rather drought-resistant, unpretentious plant to the soil (but it grows better on fertile, loamy).
It also tolerates some shade. It has a moderate growth, but gives a plentiful root growth. Does not tolerate flooding and excessively wet places.
V good conditions lilac appears in all its glory.
What varieties flowering shrub suitable for the garden
Bushes bloom from about 4 years of age. Plants develop better if they are regularly fed (in early spring - with a complete mineral fertilizer, in summer - complex with mullein) and watered as needed. Mandatory removal of root shoots and thinning pruning throughout life lilac bush. It is also advisable to remove wilted brushes immediately after flowering.
Lilac is propagated mainly by root shoots (own-rooted plants), layering or grafting. Another popular method to get planting material good varieties, - rooting of semi-lignified cuttings. They are cut in June, immediately after flowering, and planted in a greenhouse or greenhouse, supporting high humidity air and a temperature of about 25 °C. True, the yield of rooted cuttings is low, even if all the rules are followed (this also depends heavily on the variety).
Species ("wild") lilacs can be propagated by seeds (for example, on a hedge).
Photo: Elena Kozhina
Coloring of inflorescences Popular varieties
white ‘Monique Lemoine’,
'Flora'
white-pink, pearl shade ‘Beauty of Moscow’
bluish ‘Madame Charles Suchet’,
‘Dresden China’
lilac, lilac 'Memory of Vekhov', 'Partisan', 'Poltava', 'Glory'
purple ‘Minchanka’, ‘Doctor Bretour’, ‘Alexey Maresyev’,
Nicholas Gastello
purple ‘Space’, ‘Dream’
two-tone, white-violet ‘Sensation’
yellowish ‘Primrose’
Old lilac bushes in gardens are not uncommon, writes Irina Okuneva.
But the lilac is a shrub, and this means that it does not have a single trunk for life, but several. Over time, some trunks grow old and dry up, others, young ones, appear to replace them. They are formed either from coppice shoots at the base of the bush (in own-rooted plants), or from dormant buds on the trunks.
If you manage this shift by cutting lilacs at least once every 2–3 years ( the best time for this - spring, immediately after the snow melts), the question of rejuvenation will not arise at all.
What should be done in the "neglected case" to return the lilac to its former luxury - it depends on how your bush looks.
Option 1
If we have a bush in front of us, overgrown with offspring, then first you need to get close to it.
However, the entire growth should not be indiscriminately removed. Usually you can find at least one, or even several strong trunks that can become worthy replacement old.
It is better to mark them with bright ribbons so as not to pull them out in the heat of the moment. The rest of the coppice shoots methodically pull out of the ground along with the root and cut as close as possible to the point of departure from the trunk.
If desired, these offspring can be used for breeding. The main condition is that the bush must be own-rooted, and not grafted.
Option 2
If old stems have vertical branches formed from dormant buds, this is wonderful. They will give us the opportunity to rejuvenate the bushes without losing flowering.
We remove stems, branches in whole or parts thereof, if they:
dry, damaged or broken;
have very small annual increments;
intersect and touch with others;
uncomfortable or ugly stick out.
We leave branches that:
- give a good increase in the upper part, where flowering is expected;
- well located.
Option 3
If lilac bushes have been pruned incorrectly all their lives, that is, instead of replacing aging stems, young shoots and shoots have been removed, the plant gradually loses its ability to recover.
Such lilacs with a single trunk may not withstand heavy pruning. You can try to remove a few branches in their crown to stimulate the awakening of dormant buds in the lower part of the trunk, if they are still there.
If there are two or more stems, remove the weakest and wait for new growths to appear.
Rejuvenation of depleted bushes can take several years. At this time, you need to provide them with good care.
Apr 24, 2016 Galinka
Lilac can be found in almost every flower bed, because this unpretentious shrub has a high decorative effect, and its lush fragrant inflorescences will decorate any garden. But to preserve these qualities, it is necessary to regularly prune lilacs, as for crown formation. correct form, and for rejuvenation of old plants.
This article describes in detail the technique of the procedure, depending on the season and age of the shrub. You will learn how to properly remove lilac branches in spring and autumn, and what activities should be carried out before and after flowering, and photos and videos will help you learn the skills necessary for the procedure.
When and how to prune lilac
It is necessary to remove old branches or extra shoots from the bush, otherwise the flowers will cover mainly the upper part of the plant, and its decorative effect will decrease.
It is important to choose the right time for the procedure. Spring is not a good time for crown formation, as pruning stress can reduce or even stop flowering in the current year. Therefore, it is better to postpone the procedure until the end of flowering or autumn.
However, this does not mean that plants do not need to be paid attention in spring. Before the awakening of the kidneys, it is necessary to carry out a sanitary cleaning: remove all dry or damaged branches, as well as shoots with signs of disease. This will help keep the shrub healthy throughout the growing season.
Pruning schemes
There are several schemes for pruning this shrub. One of them is aimed at the formation of the crown, and the second - at the rejuvenation of the old plant. Let's consider each of them in more detail.
To form a crown, do the following:
- Wait until flowering is complete and remove all wilted buds;
- Long branches must be shortened by a third;
- Remove all excess root shoots and thin out shoots growing close to the ground.
If the bush has become too wide, it is necessary to additionally remove weak and thin side shoots. As a result, you should get a compact plant with a rounded crown. This procedure is best done after flowering, and not in the spring, so that the shrub does not weaken and can form buds (Figure 1).
Figure 1. The classical scheme of the formation and rejuvenation of the bush In the case of old shrubs that require rejuvenation, they act differently. Without exception, the branches are shortened so that their length from the ground does not exceed 40 cm. The shoots located near the ground are thinned out or completely removed (if the branch is old). If you are not interested in flowering this year, rejuvenation can be carried out in early spring, otherwise pruning is carried out after flowering is completed.
In fact, after rejuvenation, the bush will not look very attractive, since only small stumps will remain on it. But after 2-3 years, it will be overgrown with young shoots and again covered with lush inflorescences.
Required Tools
For the procedure you will need standard set gardener: secateurs for removing young shoots and thin branches, a hacksaw for cutting parts large diameter, as well as garden var or oil paint to treat the formed wounds.
It is important that all tools are clean, sharp and disinfected. Otherwise, an infection can get into the cut, which can destroy the plant.
Lilac pruning in spring: bush formation and rejuvenation
Despite the fact that in the spring it is not customary to carry out the formation and rejuvenation of lilacs, it is still worthwhile to carry out some manipulations with the plant.
Note: Until the kidneys awaken, it is much easier to remove excess growth. Such thin shoots will not benefit the plant: they will make the crown too dense, but they will not be able to form buds, so it is better to remove all such branches immediately.
Rejuvenation has no strict contraindications regarding the timing. As a rule, such pruning is required for old bushes, which gradually reduce or completely stop flowering. In this case, use the scheme described above: delete all thin branches, and large ones are greatly shortened. In the first year after such a procedure, the lilac will not bloom, but in the future you will get a lush and beautiful bush with large quantity buds.
annual pruning
If you want to form a beautiful and compact bush, be prepared for the fact that young shoots will have to be removed annually. In fact, this is a pinching that preserves the strength of the plant and is carried out by removing young branches before the first branching (Figure 2). For this purpose, you can use a regular pruner or small garden shears.
Figure 2. Shrub pruning by age This procedure allows you to stimulate the growth of side branches and helps maintain the harmony of the crown.
Bush thinning
A young culture grows very quickly, and without regular thinning, the bush will turn out to be too lush and shapeless.
Note: Since this event does not involve the removal a large number branches, it can be carried out in early spring.
In order to qualitatively thin out the crown, first of all, all dry or frostbitten parts are cut out. Next, weak shoots are removed that are not able to form flower buds, but at the same time they consume the juices of the plant and weaken it. In addition, you need to cut off the branches growing inside the crown. This arrangement leads to the fact that the kidneys do not receive enough sunlight, and do not bloom.
Also in the process, the root shoots are completely cut out, especially for grafted plants. If this is not done, the roots will form wild branches, which will only weaken the plant, but will not bring flowering. However, during pruning, moderation and caution should be observed: no more than a third of the total branches.
Lilac rejuvenation
The main difference between anti-aging pruning and other types is that it involves a strong thinning of the bush. At first glance, such a procedure may seem dangerous, but in fact it will allow you to enjoy the flowering of the old lilac for several more years.
After such a procedure, only hemp remains from the previously lush bush. But there is no need to fear that the plant will die: gradually, young flowering shoots form in place of old branches.
Note: There is a definite difference between the rejuvenation of grafted and own-rooted varieties. Grafted plants should never be cut below the grafting site. This will lead to the fact that instead of a beautiful ornamental bush, you will grow an ordinary wild shrub.
Rejuvenating the plant, do not regret that this year there will be no flowering. In early spring, until the movement of juice in the branches has begun, all old shoots are removed, leaving no more than 40 cm from them. Old shoots with cracked bark can be cut to the base. Naturally, after such a procedure, it makes no sense to expect flowering. But after 2-3 years, the plant will fully recover, and will delight you with its flowering for several more years.
Lilac pruning in autumn
Despite the fact that the formation of the crown is most often carried out immediately after flowering is completed, that is, in the summer, in the fall it is also necessary to carry out such events. Their main goal is to slightly rejuvenate the shrub, prepare it for wintering and strengthen it before the next growing season.
Since lilac tolerates autumn pruning much better than spring pruning, during this period it is possible not only to thin out and rejuvenate the shrub, but also to form its crown more carefully.
annual pruning
For abundant and long flowering, every autumn you need to inspect the bushes in order to carry out sanitary cleaning in time. First of all, all old branches covered with lichen or with cracked bark are removed.
It is also necessary to remove crooked or broken shoots, as well as those that grow inside the crown and thicken it. Alignment in height is also a prerequisite. In the spring, this procedure cannot be carried out, since a strong shortening can stop the development of flower buds. In autumn, such an event will not do harm, rather, on the contrary, it will improve the wintering of the shrub.
Particular attention should be paid to grafted seedlings: they remove all excess growth, which thickens the crown and prevents the formation of varietal buds.
Bush thinning
Thinning helps shape the shape of the crown. However, it should be borne in mind that such a procedure begins to be carried out no earlier than the third year of the life of the shrub. Otherwise, the plant may become too weak and die.
Figure 3. Shrub crown formation You can form a lilac in the form of a shrub or a tree (stem). In the first case, only 3-4 strong branches are left, extending from the trunk at a suitable angle. In the future, the main goal is to thin the crown. In other words, all shoots that thicken the crown or interfere with the growth of other branches should be removed (Figure 3).
When forming a standard form, care should be taken, since a culture of this type is very vulnerable. First of all, you need to cut the shoots very carefully so as not to accidentally damage the bark or healthy branches. In addition, you need to carefully examine the tree and remove only those parts that violate its symmetry.
Lilac rejuvenation in autumn
Over the years, there may be a situation when the shrub is still lush, but its flowering is significantly reduced. This means that the plant needs rejuvenation. This is a rather radical procedure, after which the lilac will not look very attractive. However, it is necessary for the formation of young and strong shoots.
For rejuvenation, all branches without exception are cut. Their length should be only 30-40 cm from the ground surface. Since such an event is quite stressful for the plant, all cuts and wounds exceeding a diameter of 2 cm must be covered with ordinary brilliant green or oil paint. Garden pitch is not suitable for this purpose, as it negatively affects the condition of the plant and can cause branches to rot.
Pruning lilacs before flowering
In early spring, that is, before flowering, it is not recommended to thin out the shrub much. This may lead to the fact that lilacs will not bloom this year.
Activities that take place during this period include sanitary cleaning and light thinning. First of all, it is necessary to remove all dry, broken or blackened branches. It is also necessary to cut out the oldest shoots covered with lichen or cracked bark. Such branches only thicken the crown and consume juices, but do not form buds. In addition, it is necessary to cut off too young and weak shoots, leaving only a few of the strongest for annual growth. In this case, you should carefully observe to remove only those shoots that grow in width and violate the shape of the crown.
Lilac pruning during flowering
It is difficult to resist moderate pruning of lilacs during the flowering period, because you really want to decorate your house with lush inflorescences. Do not be afraid to do this, because such a procedure will only strengthen the plant and preserve its vitality.
Note: A similar procedure is not carried out for young plants: they are not yet strong enough and will not tolerate pruning.
When cutting off the buds, light thinning is carried out along the way: young branches that grow inside the crown are removed, or that interfere with the formation of stronger shoots. In the process, in no case should you break the branches. For cutting, use only sharp pruners or garden shears. If you simply break a branch, an ugly mark will remain in its place, which in the future can lead to disease or death of the entire bush, especially during wet weather when damaged branches quickly rot.
How to cut lilacs after flowering: schemes and methods
Immediately after the end of flowering, you need to arm yourself garden tool and trim the lilac. This is essential if you plan to enjoy flowering for a few more years.
Note: There is a certain pruning order: first they take care of simple varieties, then semi-double, and then terry.
The most important goal is to remove all wilted inflorescences. The cut should be made directly above the first pair of leaves or buds, but if you want to slightly adjust the shape of the crown, you can deviate from this rule.
- Pruning is carried out immediately after the end of the flowering period. Otherwise, the forces of the plant will be spent on the formation of fruits and seeds, and not buds.
- If you are growing a non-fruiting bush, thinning can be done year-round: flower buds will form in any case.
- Do not be afraid of autumn pruning: lilac recovers quickly enough and winters well after such care.
Figure 4. Care after flowering The only condition that must be observed is proper care for planting after pruning. Slices must be treated with oil paint, drying oil or ordinary brilliant green. Without this, the branches will quickly begin to rot, especially in wet weather.
Video: pruning lilacs in spring and autumn
Since lilac pruning has certain features depending on the season and age of the shrub, we recommend that you familiarize yourself with the video, which shows in detail all the details of this process.
Old lilac: pruning
Any old lilac bush is not a very attractive cluster and interweaving of branches. However, it does not bloom too profusely, and without appropriate care can quickly die. To prevent this from happening, anti-aging procedures are carried out (Figure 5).
Figure 5. Rejuvenation of an old plant Such pruning can be done in spring and autumn. In any case, it will be possible to wait for flowering only after 2-3 years, since in the process of rejuvenation, all old and young branches are cut out, leaving only small stumps no more than 40 cm long. Own-rooted lilac with a large number of old branches can be completely cut off at the root. But such a procedure will be disastrous for the grafted seedling: if you cut off the grafting site, instead of a varietal bush, you will have wild shoots.
Since rejuvenation is considered a very traumatic procedure, it is better to carry it out in dry weather. Dampness can cause rapid rotting of the branches, especially if the cut points have not been properly treated with oil paint.
How to prune lilacs correctly, whether to prune lilacs in spring, and whether it is possible to prune lilacs at all - such questions are often asked by gardeners. Meanwhile, it is necessary to cut the lilac, otherwise the flowering of this beautiful plant will be scarce and mainly at the very top of the bush, while Bottom part and the middle will consist of bare lignified branches. Read our article on when and how to properly prune lilacs. The most common type of lilac in our gardens is numerous varieties of shrubs. common lilac (Syringa vulgaris), which this article is about and which we will refer to simply as lilac .
Most large inflorescences lilacs appear on young branches, not older than 5-6 years. The older the branches, the smaller the inflorescences and the higher they are located, and at the level of human growth and gaze, the lilac branches become stiff and bare. From these features of the lilac vegetation, it becomes clear that this plant, like no other, needs regular annual pruning, and old, overgrown and neglected lilac bushes require strong rejuvenating pruning.
Lilac pruning in spring...
…perhaps not the most best idea if you expect to see blooms this year. If you have extra time, in the spring you can cut branches broken during the winter or shorten branches that do not have buds. main shaping pruning lilac should be done immediately after the end of flowering, about once every two years. This rule applies to all flowering trees and shrubs. Formative pruning immediately after flowering (May-June) will allow the plant to grow new shoots and form new buds by the time of the next flowering.
Concerning rejuvenating pruning of old lilac, then it is done just in the very early spring, as soon as low positive temperatures are established in the garden (in mild climates, such pruning can also be done in winter).
How to prune lilac: shaping pruning
After the end of lilac flowering (see photo-diagram *, increases):
- cut off faded inflorescences on short branches
- shorten long branches by about 1/3
After the end of the formative pruning, the lilac bush will have a compact, rounded appearance.
How to prune old lilacs: anti-aging pruning
Rejuvenating pruning of old lilac bushes should be carried out as early as possible in spring (if you are not interested in flowering) or immediately after flowering (see photo diagram *, enlarged):
- shorten all branches to about 30-40 cm from the ground
- thin out the branches near the ground, cutting off excess or old branches at the root
- cut off (or carefully remove with roots) excess basal shoots if the lilac has grown too wide
After the end of the rejuvenating pruning of the lilac, the bush will look like a lot of stump branches, but very soon new buds and greenery will form on short branches, and in a year or two the lilac will bloom magnificently (with good care, naturally). Lush and fragrant inflorescences are enough for cutting and for a gift to friends. Photo below: lilac in a vase.
Pruning grafted lilac
Features of pruning grafted lilacs are that pruning should be done OVER the grafting site. All side shoots should be removed, because. flowering on it will correspond to the type and variety of the rootstock, and not the highly decorative scion that you are counting on.
* Photo schemes adapted from the magazine fine gardening
Do you know that in the UK and some other countries it was considered bad omen bring lilac into the house and put it in a vase? Until now, some people, especially the older generation, do not cut lilacs and do not put them in a vase at home, because it was believed that lilacs in the house bring misfortune and ... death. While searching the web for the origins of this sign, I came across an interesting explanation. It turns out that before the widespread use of modern embalming agents, lilacs during the flowering period were widely used in houses where the body of the deceased was awaiting burial, to mask the smell of decomposition. So, on the basis of unpleasant associations, a “feedback” of lilac and misfortune arose, which, fortunately, has no logic behind it. However, if you are visiting someone in the hospital, choosing flowers, it is still better to stay away from the lilac, so as not to unintentionally upset the patient or his grandmother :-).
Lilac is everyone's favorite fragrant spring bush. It is great if it is beautifully formed, looks neat, and, most importantly, blooms profusely. In order for it to really please with beauty every year, annual shaping pruning is needed. If this is not done, the inflorescences will gradually become smaller, the lower part of the bush will become bare, and the inflorescences themselves will bloom somewhere at an unattainable height. .
The first two years after planting, the lilac grows weakly, at this time the root system is building up. It is not worth cutting anything on a growing and still, in principle, weak plant. Only in the third or fourth year, when the plant is strong enough, you can begin to form. To do this, leave from three to five of the strongest branches, cutting out all the weak shoots. These branches will form the basis of the future lilac bush.
spring pruning
Pruning in the spring is sanitary pruning. It is carried out as soon as the frosts end and a low positive temperature is established on the thermometer.
At this time, shoots that have not wintered well (they are usually blackened, dead, broken under the weight of snow) and young shoots that have grown over the summer months of last year are removed. You can leave only a couple of strong shoots that will go to replace old wood. Shoots should be located outside the bush, all those that thicken the middle are cut out in order to provide light to the entire bush.
In the grafted lilac, all the shoots are cut out, which grew last summer below the rootstock point, since it has nothing to do with the variety.
No branches are shortened in the spring, so you can lose flowering this year.
Pruning after flowering
This is the main pruning that forms the next year's bush. It is carried out immediately after the end of flowering, only in this case the plant will have time to lay new buds for flowering during the summer and the beginning of autumn and grow many new shoots, the strongest of which you can leave. The sooner she begins to lay flower buds, the more beautiful the flowering will be on next year. I remember, as a child, they said that the more you cut the lilac, the better it will bloom, we gave it to my mother with pleasure all spring and all the vases in the house were fragrant with lilacs. By pruning lilacs in late summer and autumn, you will cut off all the useful things that the bush worked on during the summer, and flowering is likely to be weak.
After flowering, lilacs cut off all faded inflorescences. It is the inflorescences that need to be cut off, without touching a couple of young shoots, which are located immediately under the flower, it is on them that flower buds will form.
Some branches are cut lower, forming the height of the bush. They will not bloom next year, but only in this way, keeping a balance between branches with cut inflorescences and forming branches, you can keep the lilac bush at the height you need.
After such pruning, the bush looks neater, more decorative even in a non-flowering state, and, most importantly, it does not expend energy on the ripening of seeds, but spends them on laying new flower buds.
At the same time, cut off all branches that go sharply to the sides. They cut out weak thin branches that have grown, shoots that thicken the crown, go inside it, cross, interfere with each other.
In the spring, after the flowering of the lilac, all the root shoots are cut off, leaving only strong shoots to receive new skeletal branches in the future, their number depends on the size of the bush. It is better to cut the root shoots not superficially, but after digging up the ground a little, cut them off from the root, below the soil level. In order for the lilac not to give a lot of overgrowth, you need to dig as little as possible under the bush, loosen the soil. Its root system is superficial, and by disturbing it, we awaken the plant to renewal. It is better to use mulch, which will retain moisture and protect against weeds.
The grafted lilac is especially in need of pruning; all the shoots that go below the stock must be cut off from it. If they are not cut off, then in a couple of years your beautiful variety will become an ordinary lilac bush.
What can be cut in the fall
In autumn, lilacs can be cut broken and crooked branches.
If there are old branches with cracked bark, they can also be removed in the fall, but several should not be removed at once. Old branches should be disposed of gradually, one or two per year, depending on the size of the bush. First of all, those that grow inside the crown are cut off, thickening it. You always need to maintain a balance between the root system and the crown.
For the same reason, it is impossible not to clean the lilac bushes at all, the crown, with a very thick thickening, begins to exhaust the underground part, which does not have time to grow as quickly as the top. A thickened bush ages faster, inflorescences become smaller every year, their number decreases.
If there are branches grafted with another variety on the bush, all shoots are cut off in the fall, which thickens and weakens them.
Lilac rejuvenation
It is better to do rejuvenating pruning of lilacs gradually from year to year, cutting off old branches, replacing them with new ones grown from young strong shoots.
The rejuvenation of the old lilac must be approached very carefully. With age, the bushes lose their ability to recover, it is difficult for them to give young shoots. But if this happened, and the bush has practically stopped flowering, pruning is best done in early spring. Select a few of the youngest and best branches in your opinion and cut them to a height of 30-40 centimeters from the ground. The remaining ones are very old, with exfoliated cracked bark, cut off at the root. For a year, young shoots should grow from short stumps. Treat all sections with a diameter of more than 2 centimeters with oil paint, lilacs do not really like garden pitch, but it will do for lack of anything. If the cuts are not processed, the loose lilac wood will quickly rot.
After such a drastic spring pruning the bush must be fed with fertilizers containing nitrogen and phosphorus, mulched and provided with regular watering throughout the year.
Lilac gives a lot of wild growth, so it is suitable for creating a green hedge. To form it, you need to cut it short, preventing the lower part of the branches from being exposed. It is not a secateurs that will come in handy, but brush cutters or special trimmers. You most likely will not wait for a low lilac hedge to bloom, but if you form it higher, with a neat haircut with pruning shears, you can achieve flowering.
Blooming lilac bush - luxurious decoration any suburban area! At first glance, it seems that the plant does not need special care. Indeed, lilac is unpretentious, but requires some care and attention.
Correct fitlilacs
It is desirable to plant lilacs either in sunny areas or in light partial shade. The plant cannot be placed in the shade.
The pit for planting should be deep, with rotted loose earth. The plant does not tolerate close groundwater, so low areas are unsuitable for it. Planting lilacs is best done either in early spring, or at the end of summer - early autumn, September is most suitable for this. If you decide to start planting in the spring, then buy seedlings in a container so that it is closed. root system. Otherwise, there is a possibility that the lilac will take root poorly or die.
After you have planted a shrub, be sure to water it. You can add any drug that stimulates root formation to the water for irrigation. It is desirable to cover the top layer of soil with hay with a layer of 6-8 cm, which will protect the soil from drying out and weeds, and then, turning into humus, will be food for lilacs.
This plant can grow in one place for a long time, sometimes all its life.
Lilac care after flowering
- Lilac is needed regular pruning. In the 3rd year, strong numerous shoots appear in the bush. They will later form skeletal branches.
- Exactly pruning after flowering determines how well the plant will bloom.
- Lilac responds favorably to fertilizers. Every spring, the bushes need to be fed with nitrogen. Top dressing from ash is well absorbed and organic fertilizers during the formation of buds, during flowering.
- Phosphorus and potash fertilizers it is better to apply in the fall 1 time in 2-3 years. They are placed on top of the soil under the lilac, followed by digging. This is done due to the fact that part of the root system of the shrub is located in the upper soil layer. The best fertilizer rotted manure (horse and cow) is considered.
- Remember, feeding for lilacs is necessary, but do not get carried away nitrogen fertilizers, including organic ones, because of them the plant will not bloom well, it will be harder to endure frosts.
How to prune lilacs after flowering?
- In early spring, select 6-10 strong shoots on the bush, which are the furthest from each other and create the outline of the plant. Cut off the rest of the branches, and cut the small, directed inward crowns completely, and shorten the stronger ones a little.
- Such thinning and sanitary pruning of lilacs must be carried out every spring, when the buds have already begun to grow.
- Pruning is mandatory, otherwise the shoots under the faded flower brushes will weaken. Therefore, as soon as the lilac fades, it should be cut off. The sooner you do this, the better new shoots will develop and the flowering will be especially lush.
- It should be borne in mind that pruning sometimes causes the shrub to bloom after a year. Lilacs are formed with secateurs, and large branches are cut down. Places of cuts must be covered with paint.
- The basic principle of pruning is to remove all small branches. They do not bloom and can take a lot of strength from the plant.
- If the branch has small and thin shoots, you need to remove it completely. Inflorescences must be removed immediately after flowering (only inflorescences without a branch are removed).
- Never break off a bush, this will damage the buds that will not bloom next year.
- You need to remove all the shoots, leaving only healthy shoots that will replace the old ones in the future.
- To care for lilacs during flowering, you need to cut branches from abundantly flowering bushes.
- After the plant has faded, all dry inflorescences must be carefully cut.
- Be sure to sanitary pruning in spring and autumn with the removal of diseased and drying branches growing inside the shoot bush. Don't forget about forming pruning, at which you need to make sure that the kidneys remain.
- Before you cut and put flowers in a vase, you need to know some tricks so that lush inflorescences will please you with their aroma and beauty longer:
- Refresh your skew cuts by making new ones. sharp knife under the water. The best way- knead the ends of the shoots with a hammer.
- It is better to cut lilacs from young bushes than from old ones.
- In the water in which there is a bouquet of lilacs, add a little citric or acetic acid (but not sugar).
- To keep the inflorescences longer in the bouquet, a significant part of the leaves must be removed.