How to keep chrysanthemums in pots in winter?

With the onset of autumn, blooming chrysanthemums can be found not only in flower beds - they are imported in large quantities to flower shops from nurseries, as a pot culture. By the way, at the end of flowering, you can save chrysanthemums in pots in winter, and plant them in a flower bed with the onset of spring.

Biological features of chrysanthemums

More than 20 species of chrysanthemums are known in culture (not counting varieties and hybrids), but all of them are plants of short daylight hours, that is, they enter the flowering phase when the duration of the daylight period is reduced to 9-10 hours. By and large, they can bloom in pots in early spring - a good gift for March 8, isn't it?

For the normal development of plants, a certain temperature regime is required: in the summer - 20-23 ° C, in the fall - 15-18 C, in winter (dormant period) - 3-8 ° C.

Chrysanthemums are moisture-loving, but they do not tolerate waterlogging of the soil, so they need to be watered as the top layer of the soil substrate dries up. Plants are demanding on air humidity - this criterion should be paid special attention to if you intend to keep your pets in pots in winter.

How to save chrysanthemums: strategy and tactics

If you intend to save plants from your own flower garden in pots, then this point can be ignored. It's a different matter if you have purchased chrysanthemums. First, you need to find out from the seller what kind of soil substrate is used. If this is a common nutrient mixture, there is no need to replant the plants. If a peat substrate is used, then it is advisable to transplant them. As a soil substrate, you can independently prepare a mixture, for example, from sod land, humus and coarse sand in a ratio of 2: 1: 1, respectively. In order to prevent diseases, the soil mixture must be disinfected, for example, pour boiling water, and after it dries, transplant the chrysanthemum.

Ideally, it is better to keep plants in pots in a bright and cool room, for example, on an insulated balcony (veranda). At the end of flowering, the bushes are cut to 10-15 cm above the soil level and the pots are taken out to a cool (temperature 3-8 ° C) and bright room. Watering is reduced to a minimum, the earth is moistened only after it dries to a depth of 8-10 cm (about 2 phalanges of the middle finger), this is approximately 1 time per month.

You can keep potted chrysanthemums in winter and on windowsills. In general, the technique is similar to storing plants on the balcony.

Chrysanthemum wintering can also be organized in the cellar - this technique is practiced by flower growers for winter storage of soil plants, but it can be successfully applied to pot culture. The bushes, as in the previous case, are cut to a height of 10-15 cm. 2-3 days before laying for the winter, the soil substrate in the pot is watered so that by the time the chrysanthemum is placed in the basement, the earth remains slightly damp.

If you stick to these guidelines, you can effortlessly save your potted plants during the winter.