Lilac growing and care in the garden. Lilacs in the country are an effective agricultural technique for growing. Indian lilac: cultivation

Lush lilac bushes in spring impress with their blooms and aroma. Walking past such beauty, you want to break a bouquet and put it at home. But it’s better to plant a bush on your site, especially since spring is the best time to make up your mind and choose a variety not from a photograph, but in person. Lilac is winter-hardy and drought-resistant, and in terms of care it does not cause any problems. Growing a shrub and then propagating it is not at all difficult; the main thing is to avoid making gross mistakes.

Varieties and varieties

The lilac in the photo, which is most often found in gardens and parks, is the common lilac. Since this species has amazing variability, it is the one that holds the record for varieties - there are about five hundred of them. These varieties differ in appearance and other characteristics, but do not differ in growing and growing conditions. There are other types.

Among the variety of varieties, pay attention to the following:

• Primrose is the only representative that has yellow flowers;
• Amurskaya is a fragrant variety with very small white flowers;

• Red Moscow - a variety with striking inflorescences purple. Red Moscow is a rare variety of domestic selection with piercingly bright flowers.

Advice. Hybrids are often superior to their parents. They bloom earlier and grow faster, they do not have root shoots.

Planting lilacs

If all factors are taken into account when planting, then the lilac will not need your attention in the future. Unsuccessful experience in growing lilacs is often associated with the wrong planting location. The place should be well lit and protected from the wind. In the shade, lilac blooms weakly or may not bloom at all. Places that are flooded in spring or autumn, as well as wetlands, are not at all suitable for planting. Young roots of the bush, even with minor flooding, begin to die.

Lilac loves fertile soils; very heavy or sandy soils are not suitable for it. Lime must be added to acidic soil. However, ordinary lilac easily tolerates the vicissitudes of the climate, because initially this shrub grew in the mountains, where the soil is not fertile and the weather can be quite harsh.

The planting hole is prepared according to the size of the root ball, and the soil is filled with wood ash fertilizers. Specimens grafted onto ordinary lilac are planted with the root collar raised to avoid the appearance of unwanted root shoots. Ordinary seedlings are planted, leaving the root collar at soil level. After landing trunk circle mulch. But seedlings grafted onto privet need to be buried, on the contrary, so that the bush switches to own roots, since the lifespan of privet is much shorter than that of lilac.

The area of ​​the plots very rarely allows for arranging a syringaria garden and placing many varieties of lilacs, since this is a rather large shrub that requires living space. If your plot is large, then leave about three meters between the bushes, more is possible. But not less than 1.5 m, although it is with this step that hedges are planted less.

Advice. Since lilac is a native of the mountains, in the spring, when there is a large amount of precipitation, the bush blooms, and in the summer it goes into hibernation, and in the fall it can bloom again. Therefore, in central Russia, the best time for planting is from mid-summer to early September, when the plant is dormant. Planted in spring or autumn, lilacs do not take root well.

Lilac care

Lilac care will only be required in the first few years, while the plant gains strength. In the future, human participation is reduced to periodic pruning. Young seedlings need to be watered during prolonged drought, especially in August, when the second wave of growth begins. An adult lilac will provide itself with moisture.

Sanitary pruning is carried out at any time of the year. In grafted forms, root shoots are regularly removed. Faded branches are removed immediately after flowering. Lilacs are prone to thickening, so one or two old branches of mature bushes are cut out annually, forming a spreading bush. Excess young growth is also removed. Self-rooted specimens are pruned at soil level, and grafted ones to suitable branching, so as not to inadvertently remove the entire scion.

• If the seedling produces weak growth and branches poorly, development is stimulated by short pruning, and the skeleton is formed the next year. The branches of grafted plants are cut off above the third bud from the grafting site.
• In the second year, all shoots that are directed inside the bush are removed, and annual shoots are shortened by half their length.
• In the third year, the pruning operation is repeated. When the crown is formed without voids and thickening, the annual growth is not shortened. Flower buds are formed on last year's shoots, so that the lilac blooms, the shoots are not shortened.
• In the future, the shape of the crown is maintained by removing excess shoots.

Advice. The acidity level of the soil and its characteristics directly affect the color of lilac flowers.

Fertilizer and feeding

The nutrients added during planting will provide the plant with nutrition over the next couple of years. In subsequent years, lilacs are fed with nitrogen fertilizers in the spring, and after flowering, phosphorus and potassium are added once every three years. Phosphorus-potassium fertilizers have a beneficial effect on the formation of flower buds. An increased dose of nitrogen will provoke the growth of vegetative mass to the detriment of flowering.

In addition to organic and mineral fertilizers, you can apply chelate fertilizer from a sprayer on the leaves.

Lilac propagation

Lilacs reproduce in the same way as many other shrubs:

• cuttings;
• layering;
• seeds.

Reproduction method layering least labor-intensive and will allow you to get a good quality product in one season annual seedling with a well-developed root system, completely ready for replanting. In the spring, make a furrow near the bush with a hoe and bend a branch into it. Fill with soil so that a few apical buds of the shoot remain on the surface. By autumn the young bush will be ready; next year it can be transplanted to the designated place.

The middle part of semi-lignified shoots in July is cut into cuttings. Selection of cuttings can be combined with summer sanitary pruning. Privet, ordinary or Hungarian lilac are used as rootstocks. The simplest method of grafting is copulation, when the cutting and rootstock are cut at an angle of 45 degrees, aligned with cuts and tightly wrapped.

Seeds They are collected in mid-autumn, dried and sown in a school. When sowing in spring, preliminary stratification will be required. Seed germination varies from 14 days to several months, depending on the type of lilac. Propagated by seeds wild species, young seedlings of which can then be grafted.

Diseases and pests

Lilacs are rarely affected by diseases or harmful insects. Varietal specimens are also resistant, but mistakes made in agricultural technology can greatly weaken the plant and put it in danger. Heavy soil and deep planting of shrubs can provoke vascular wilt or fusarium. Various root rots, leaf spots and necrosis are caused by a lack of potassium in the soil. Acidic soil and stagnant moisture, excess nitrogen and damage to branches are fraught with the appearance of rot on the shoots.

Infectious diseases can be bacterial in nature, or caused by phytopathogenic fungi. The first signs of diseases appear in early spring, especially on young bushes.

Unfortunately, viral and mycoplasma diseases are almost impossible to cure. If the disease is at the initial stage, then the affected shoots can be cut out; if this does not help, the bush is uprooted and burned, and the soil is disinfected. You cannot take cuttings or collect seeds from diseased plants.

Acacia false scale, lilac mite (bud and leaf), leafhoppers and weevils, moth moth, lilac moth and hawk moth - this is the main list of pests, although other insects can also cause harm. They are fought with chemicals.

How to care for lilacs: video

Growing lilacs: photo

This is a genus of shrubs that is a representative of the Olive family. To date, the exact number of species included in this genus is unknown. Relying on various sources, we can conclude that there are about thirty or even more. IN natural environment lilac can be found in the mountainous regions of the Eurasian continent.

It grows on the Balkan Peninsula, in the Southern Carpathians and the lands along the lower reaches of the Danube River. For decorative purposes it is used as garden shrub or to strengthen slopes that are subject to collapse or erosion.

Lilacs were brought to Europe by the ambassador of the Roman Empire from Constantinople.. This happened in the middle of the sixteenth century, since then it began to be considered European horticultural crops. Nowadays, lilacs are grown almost all over the world. In Turkey it goes by the name “lilac”, and in Austria and Germany it is called “Turkish viburnum”.

Lilac is a deciduous shrub with many trunks ranging in height from two to eight meters. The trunks can be quite thin or reach up to twenty centimeters in diameter. Young plants are covered with smooth gray-brown or gray bark. The bark of old trees most often has cracks and bumps.

The buds bloom quite early, the leaves last until the first severe frost. Their length can reach twelve centimeters. They can be whole or pinnately separate; on the shoots they are located in pairs on one node. Depending on the type of species, leaves can have different shapes:

• oval;
• ovoid;
• elongated with a sharp tip;
• heart-shaped.

The crown is colored dark or light shades green.

When does lilac bloom?

The inflorescences have the shape of racemes or panicles up to twenty centimeters long. Consist of large quantity small flowers, their shape resembling stars. They have a strong but pleasant aroma and can be purple, blue, white, violet, purple or Pink colour. The flowers consist of a long tubular corolla, two stamens and three to four petals.

Blooming like this decorative tree may begin in early April, May or June. This primarily depends on the climate of the area, weather conditions specific season and type of lilac. It is accompanied by a gentle, subtle and very pleasant aroma, so you are unlikely to miss the flowering of this wonderful plant.

Lilac fruits look like small boxes with two doors; they contain a small number of light, winged seeds.

If the place for the plant was chosen correctly and the conditions environment If you are completely satisfied with it, then such a tree can live up to a hundred years. Today, lilac is very common ornamental shrub. Many gardeners and flower growers choose it to decorate their plots. This popularity is quite justified; this tree does not require complex care and is not at all afraid of frost, which makes it suitable ornamental plant For climatic conditions middle zone and Moscow region.

Planting lilacs in open ground

Planting lilacs in the spring is not advisable, since, unlike other shrubs, they take root better in the second half of July or August. On your site, choose for a tree comfortable spot with good lighting. Keep in mind that this plant only likes moderately moist and organic-rich soils with an acidity of 5.0–7.0 pH.

When purchasing seedlings, first of all pay attention to the condition of the root system. The roots should be well developed and sufficiently branched.

Before you start planting lilacs, treat the seedlings.

1. Roots that are too long should be shortened. Their length should not exceed thirty centimeters.
2. Remove broken, dry and diseased roots.
3. If the shoots are very long, they will need to be trimmed.

How to plant lilacs

There should be a distance of two to three meters between planted plants, depending on the species and variety of seedlings. Before you start planting, you will need to prepare planting holes with steep walls. If your site has good and fertile land It is enough to dig holes measuring fifty by fifty centimeters. If the soil has a high sand content or is very poor in nutrients, the planting holes should be made larger, since they will have to be filled with fertile substrate.

To prepare the substrate you will need the following ingredients:

• twenty kilograms of compost or humus;
• thirty grams of superphosphate;
• three hundred grams of wood ash.

If your garden plot is satisfied acidic soil, double the amount of ash.

When all the preparation comes to an end, it’s time to start planting. To plant lilac seedlings in open ground, follow the plan:

1. Bottom landing pit cover with a generous layer of drainage material. This quality can be used broken brick, crushed stone, small pebbles, expanded clay, crushed foam.
2. Place fertile soil or freshly prepared substrate in the form of a mound onto the drainage layer.
3. Place the seedling on the resulting hill, straighten the root system and fill the planting hole with soil or substrate. Make sure that the root collar of the plant is always three to four centimeters above the soil surface.
4. Water the plant generously, and when the moisture is absorbed into the soil, mulch the area near the trunk using peat or humus. The mulch layer should be at least five to seven centimeters.

How to care for lilacs

Caring for lilacs will not bring difficulties even to novice flower growers.. It's pretty unpretentious plant which can grow on its own. In cities and towns you can often see these ownerless trees, which feel great even without human intervention and delight all passersby with their blooms every spring. But if you planted lilacs in your garden, they will still need your participation.

In the first half of summer, after the soil dries out, lilacs require abundant watering. Twenty-five to thirty liters should be spent on each bush at a time. The soil in the tree trunk requires weeding and removal of weeds. It will also need to be loosened to a depth of four to seven centimeters. Three or four such procedures are enough in one season.

In August and September, the plant no longer needs frequent watering. It will only be needed during prolonged drought and a long absence of rain. In about five to six years, your small seedling, which does not require special care, will turn into a lush and strong bush.

When caring for lilacs, it should be taken into account that they need to be fed periodically. For the first two to three years, only a small amount of nitrogen should be applied as fertilizer. From the third year, the bush is fed with fifty grams of urea or seventy grams ammonium nitrate.

Experienced gardeners recommend replacing these fertilizers with organic fertilizers. Based on observations, we can conclude that manure is much more effective on lilacs. It should be taken at the rate of one to three buckets of slurry per bush. To obtain a solution, take one part of cow dung to five parts of water and mix well. To apply such fertilizing, a shallow furrow is dug along the perimeter of the entire tree-trunk circle, no closer than half a meter before the plant, into which the resulting solution is poured.

Phosphorus and potassium fertilizers should be applied once every two to three years, thirty to thirty-five grams of potassium nitrate and thirty-five to forty grams of double superphosphate per adult bush. The granules are placed to a depth of six to eight centimeters, and then the soil is well watered.

But the best complex fertilizer for lilacs is rightfully an ash solution: two hundred grams per eight liters of water.

Transfer

Experienced gardeners always replant lilac bushes one or two years after planting. This is a mandatory procedure, since lilac very quickly absorbs all nutrients from the ground, even if you fertilize it regularly. Therefore, after two years, the soil no longer has the amount of energy and value that the plant needs for development, growth and abundant flowering.

Young bushes should be replanted at the end of spring, after the last inflorescences have faded, otherwise they simply will not be able to take root. Three-year-old plants and older are transplanted no earlier than August.

How to make a transplant correctly:

1. Prepare the planting holes according to the same principle as when planting seedlings.
2. Inspect the bush, remove all unnecessary, dry or damaged shoots and branches.
3. Dig around the perimeter of the crown, remove their soil along with a lump of earth.
4. The rolling method is perfect for transplanting this plant. Place the dug bush on an oilcloth spread on the ground and drag it to a new hole. This way you will not damage the bush and its fragile root system.
5. The volume of the new pit should be larger than the earthen clod, since it will still need to be placed drainage material and nutritious soil.

Young bushes up to two years old do not need pruning. They have not yet formed “skeletal” branches. Be prepared for the fact that it will take two or three years to form the crown. This process can be started in the third year of the plant’s life.

Pruning should be done in the spring, before the buds swell and sap flow begins. To do this, mark five to seven beautiful branches located at an equal distance from each other, the rest are considered unnecessary and will need to be cut off. Root shoots should also be removed.

Next season, about half of the flowering shoots are cut off. No more than eight healthy buds should remain on each skeletal branch; the rest of the branches are cut off so as not to overload the lilac during the flowering period. At the same time as formative pruning, sanitary pruning should be carried out, that is, all improperly growing, diseased, frozen and broken shoots should be removed.

If you want to give the bush the shape of a tree, you need to prepare for this process when planting. For this, seedlings with strong and straight vertical branches are selected. It is shortened to the height of the trunk, and then, with the help of regrown shoots, five to six skeletal branches are formed, clearing the trunk and trunk circle of growth. When standard tree will be ready, you only need to thin out the crown annually to maintain the required shape.

In spring, when the weather for a long time will remain warm, a subtle aroma of lilac will begin to spread throughout your area, which is very attractive to beetles. You will have to collect them from plants manually.

During the period of active flowering, about sixty percent of flowering shoots should be cut off. This pruning is called “for a bouquet”; it is necessary for a more intensive appearance of fresh shoots and the formation of flower buds for the next season.

If you want a bouquet of flowering lilac branches to stand in water for as long as possible, cut them early in the morning and split the ends of all branches. When the flowering period comes to an end, remove all faded tassels from the plant.

Diseases and pests

From our article you learned how to properly plant lilacs in open ground and what care they need. Now you have the opportunity to decorate your garden or vegetable garden with beautifully flowering and fragrant shrubs.

With the onset of spring, lilac is one of the first plants that pleases the eye with its beautiful blooms. It is also to the liking of many gardeners who want to decorate their country cottage area. The name of this shrub is Greek language translated as "tube". The frequency of lilac flowering depends on its type. Thus, its most common variety, Primrose, begins to bloom at the end of May. Lilac is a plant from the olive family. The bush has many trunks. Each of them can reach a height of 7-7.5 m. Today there are about 35 species of this shrub. We will tell you more about the varieties of lilac, planting and caring for this plant below.

Lilac is one of the most beloved shrubs, the flowering of which is associated with the real onset of spring. The divine aromas emanating during this period fascinate and make you fall in love with yourself. Thanks to its thick, lush crown, the plant is often used to form green walls that shield a certain area from prying eyes.

Belonging to the olive family, lilac is one of the main inhabitants of gardens and personal plots. Externally, this luxurious shrub is characterized by large purple, pink or white flowers, collected in paniculate inflorescences located at the ends of the branches. The fruit is a bivalve dry capsule. The leaves are green, most often entire, less often pinnately divided; fall off for the winter. Lilac, planting and caring for which in household practically reduced to a minimum, has high hardiness, grows well in the open air.

The most popular types of lilac

By variety, lilacs, which are quite easy to plant and care for, are divided into simple and double. The most widespread is the common lilac, a native of the Balkan Peninsula, on the territory of which it grows at high altitudes and clings with its roots to steep rocky slopes. Blooms in May with purple and white flowers. There are multiple varieties.

Persian lilac. Characterized by fragrant purple flowers. Some of its varieties have pinnately split leaves. The flowers are white.

Chinese lilac. It is a hybrid of common and Persian. Characterized by large red-purple flowers.

Hungarian lilac. The flowers are purple, with a subtle aroma. Flowering occurs in late May - June.

Lilac: planting and care in open ground

The landing site should be well lit; with a lack of sun, plant growth will be slow and there may be no flowering. Strong sunshine can cause lilacs to produce small and quickly flowering inflorescences. The optimal place for planting is a sunny place well protected from the winds.

Lilacs should be planted in late summer - early autumn, preferably in the evening or in damp, cloudy weather. The depth of the planting hole, previously dug 2-3 weeks in advance, is recommended from 0.5 to 1 meter with the same width. Be sure to add organic fertilizers to the soil when planting. wood ash or humus (up to 20 kg per planting hole).

High-quality flowering will be observed with normal growth, which depends on how well the lilac is maintained. Planting and care (the photo shows all the beauty of your favorite plant), if carried out correctly, in combination with love for the plant, will determine its continuous gorgeous flowering and active growth.

Every autumn, the soil must be dug up to a depth of about 12 cm, carefully so as not to damage the roots of the plant. During the winter, the dug up soil should be left unleveled so that the weed seeds in it freeze out over the winter.

Lilac feeding is carried out in early spring, as soon as shoots begin to grow. Under one bush, a mineral complex is added, consisting of 20-30 grams of ammonium nitrate, 30 grams of superphosphate, 15-20 grams of potassium chloride; The placement depth is 10-15 cm. It is recommended to fertilize with mineral fertilizers simultaneously with the application of mullein or slurry.

The second feeding is carried out during the period of bud formation with the same composition.

How to prune lilacs correctly

Planting and care, pruning are important factors contributing to the quality growth of this crop. The purpose of pruning is to form the crown and maintain the shape of the bush, causing annual abundant flowering.

In the first two years from the moment of planting, the growth of lilacs is quite weak, so the nature of pruning is sanitary and thinning. In the third year, when the growth of the bush intensifies, drastic pruning is required. In early spring, it is necessary to select about 10 strong shoots from the crown, giving the bush a spreading shape and as far apart as possible from each other. Subsequently, it is these branches that will become trunks; the remaining shoots should be cut off. Small branches directed inward to the crown must be cut out completely, stronger branches directed outward must be shortened. If lilacs are pruned in the fall, they will not bloom the following spring. Also around the lilac bush it is necessary to regularly remove root shoots and rhizomatous shoots.

Lilac propagation

Lilac propagation is carried out by root shoots, cuttings and grafting, used mainly for garden forms. For cuttings, you need to take well-leafed, semi-lignified shoots; In this case, the leaf blades need to be reduced by half. Make the lower cut oblique, under the internode, and the upper one above the leaf node. To root, cuttings need to be planted in coarse sand, sprinkled on the nutrient soil of the greenhouse in a 3-5 cm layer. After planting and spraying the planted branches with water, the greenhouses need to be covered with frames, providing the plants with diffuse light and temperature +25-30 degrees. As they take root, the cuttings are gradually accustomed to the open air. Cuttings rooted in greenhouses are left for the winter, having previously covered them with leaves or spruce branches. They can also be stored buried in the basement in winter. In the spring, plant in the beds.

You need to cut it early in the morning, removing most of the leaves from the branches, because they evaporate a lot of moisture. Lilacs cut from young bushes last longer than from old ones. The inflorescence must contain at least 2/3 of open flowers, because the buds will no longer bloom when cut. Before placing the bouquet in a vase, you need to refresh the oblique cuts by making new ones under water. Tricky, but effective technique: crush the ends of the shoots with a hammer. It is recommended to add 2-3 grams of vinegar or citric acid. A wilted bouquet can be refreshed by placing it in very hot water.

Plant diseases and pests

For those who want to acquire a chic, pleasantly smelling plant on their own plot, it is worth knowing everything about this crop: what is involved in a plant such as lilac, planting and care, its diseases, timing of pruning and watering regime. Pests and diseases affect lilacs quite rarely. This is a lilac leaf miner that targets shrub leaves. After exposure to this insect, the lilac looks as if burned and practically does not bloom the next year. This pest should be combated by deep digging the soil under the bush in the fall and spring (in order to destroy the pupae that have settled in the soil), cutting out and burning the affected shoots.

Also, lilac, planting and caring for which brings true lovers of beauty a lot of joy, is sometimes affected by bacterial necrosis; This happens in early August. The disease is transmitted by irrigation water, insects, and planting material. Determine availability of this disease possible by graying of leaves and browning of shoots. IN in this case the use of drugs aimed at pest control, removal and disposal of damaged parts of the plant, uprooting and burning of heavily affected bushes is required.

Lilac is a shrub native to the Olive family. Today there are more than a dozen of its varieties, most common in South-Eastern Europe. Lilac varieties differ in flower color and different care rules. Very popular in Russia: people grow it on their plots, gardens and local areas. Planting lilacs is a simple procedure. The main rule is properly prepared soil, fed with special fertilizers.

Description of the bush

Lilac has entire opposite leaves that fall off in the winter. The flowers are pink, purple or white. They are located in panicles ending the branches. Cup small size bell-shaped with 4 teeth. whisk cylindrical, which has a four-part bend. Lilac has two stamens, which are well attached to the tube. There is one ovary with a double stigma.

Today, one of the common types of lilac that is used for planting is the common lilac. Such a shrub has luxurious look, captivates not only beautiful flowers, but also a pleasant smell. Lilac is easy to plant, unpretentious in care, takes root well in open ground.

Today, more than 10 varieties of lilac are known.

Landing place

The best place to plant lilacs is moist soil with neutral acidity. Lilac bushes love sunlight, so most of the time it should be under the sun.

This plant does not grow in swampy areas; too much water causes rotting of the root system. If there is no other place for planting, then it is recommended to plant lilacs on hills that are well lit by the sun. The plant blooms poorly in the shade.

When to plant

Experienced summer residents It is recommended to plant lilac bushes in late summer and early autumn. This way the seedlings will take root well and will most likely survive the winter well. The time for landing is selected in the morning or evening. It is not recommended to plant a bush in the scorching sun; cloudy weather will be the best time. In order to plant lilacs, the soil should be prepared in advance.

Preparing lilacs for planting

To properly plant lilacs, you need to prepare in advance. 2-3 weeks before planting, dig deep holes - about 40 cm in diameter, 30-45 cm in depth. In addition, it is important to properly prepare the soil for planting. Each hole is filled top layer fertile soil, to which you need to add rotted peat and humus. Next, about 20 kg of organic fertilizer is added. If the soil is acidified, add 2 kg of lime. Sandy soils contain little magnesium, therefore calcareous tuff is introduced into such soil in the form dolomite flour. Mineral fertilizers are also added to each hole:

• - 1 kg;
• phosphate rock - 0.3 kg;
• potassium sulfate - 100 g;
• wood ash - 800 g.

After mixing all the fertilizers, it is necessary to apply them to the soil so that the main part falls into the very bottom of the hole.

Planting lilacs

By planting lilacs in your dacha, you can not only admire the enchanting beauty in your area, but also enjoy the pleasant aroma of its flowers. Planting can be done in spring or closer to autumn. Experienced summer residents recommend planting bushes in the fall.

Before you begin the planting process, you need to inspect the root system for damage. If the root of the plant is damaged, trim it with garden shears. After pruning, the root must be dipped in a mixture of clay and manure.

If the holes are not prepared before planting lilacs, then they are filled to the middle and compacted well. Next is done small slide from the ground where the plant root is located. Root system it is important to direct to different sides. To avoid deepening of the bush after the soil settles, the root neck is placed 5 cm higher from the ground level. After sprinkling the root with a 5 cm layer of fertilized soil, the hole is filled with the remaining soil, carefully trampling it with feet. Compaction should be done with care so as not to damage the plant root. A roller of earth 10-20 cm high is made around the bush, forming a hole for good watering. One bush uses 20 liters of water. After the moisture is absorbed, a layer of dry soil is laid down and mulching with peat is carried out - 5 cm. Planting lilacs in the soil must be done according to all the rules, otherwise there will not be abundant flowering.

How to care

Lilac is an unpretentious plant and does not require any special rules of care.

It is recommended to plant bushes in early spring or autumn. It is best to plant in September. The only important rule in caring for a plant is regular watering. This is especially true for young bushes. Adult plants are watered during dry periods.

Lilac pruning

In spring, the bush requires pruning of dried branches and those branches that grow inside the plant. Panicles that have already bloomed are also cut off, but very carefully, without damaging the shoots - soon new flowers will appear on them. Such bushes do not require special maintenance conditions, but regular watering and pruning are important rules.

If you prune lilacs in the fall, they may not bloom the next year.

By mistake, you can cut off shoots with formed buds, which can cause poor flowering or no flowering at all.

Bush formation

To properly form a bush, you need to create a foundation. A lilac bush is formed from 3-4 stem branches. In the first year, branches that grow crookedly must be removed.

The following year, only those shoots that grow inward are pruned. In this way, the crown of the plant is evenly overgrown without voids. Once this is done, it is not recommended to prune the lilac.

Top dressing

The plant needs fertilizing, but not all of it. You should be careful with nitrogen and, otherwise the plant will not bloom and will not tolerate winter frosts well.

The best fertilizer for lilacs is the application of complex fertilizers in the spring and potassium phosphate fertilizers after flowering. Loosening the soil is done with care, trying not to damage the root of the plant.

Reproduction

Lilac bushes can be propagated in several ways:

• seeds;
• cuttings;
• root shoots;
• vaccination.

Propagation by seeds

Wild lilac reproduces by seed. It is recommended to sow them in autumn or spring. Before planting, the seed undergoes two months of hardening at a temperature of 2 to 5 degrees. Such lilacs are planted in spring in March in boxes with well-steamed soil. The first shoots appear already on the 10th day. When leaves form, the plants are transplanted into seedling boxes. Later the seedlings are picked. After picking, the bushes are planted in May - early June.

Before planting seeds, it is necessary to carry out a hardening procedure.

Propagation by cuttings

Lilacs of other varieties are propagated by cuttings closer to spring, and grafting and branching methods are also used. Cuttings are carried out at the beginning of flowering. Such a cutting should have one node and two buds. A cut is made at the bottom, having first retreated 1 cm from the kidney, lower leaves deleted.

Planting material can be treated with a growth stimulating agent. The cuttings are planted to a depth of 1 cm.

Reproduction by root shoots

The first shoots should separate in early summer. Before you begin propagation using this method, the soil should be well moistened. It is better to do the procedure on a cloudy day to avoid drying out the roots. The length of such roots should be no more than 5 cm. Wet peat or sand is placed at the bottom of a special picking box. Seedlings are planted in boxes and sprayed with a spray bottle. Next, the boxes are sent to a cool place.

Graft

The grafting is done with a dormant bud or cutting. You can bud a plant with a dormant bud in the summer, or with a bud that has just begun to awaken in the spring. When budding for spring, cuttings should be prepared in February and stored in the cold in small bunches wrapped in newspaper. The survival rate of such cuttings is 80%. They will survive the winter well and will not be susceptible to disease.

The rootstock begins to be prepared in mid-summer. To do this, the high side branches of the plant are cut to 15 cm and the shoots are removed.

It is worth taking into account: it is not recommended to prune lilacs before budding, since the cut areas may not have time to heal.

The thickness of the root collar of the rootstock should vary from 0.5 to 1.5 cm. The bark of the plant should be well separated from the trunk. Therefore, a week before grafting the bush, it must be well watered.

On the day on which budding is planned, the rootstock is unplanted, and the place where the branch will be grafted is wiped with a wet cloth. Cuttings are prepared for budding as they mature. Good thickness one cutting 3-5 mm, length about 30 cm.

Such cuttings are stored in the cold for 10 days with damp moss or sawdust.

From a mature shoot you can fully obtain from 10 to 15 buds. The best time for budding is mid-July.

Disease and insect control

Like any plant, lilac is susceptible to diseases. Some of the most dangerous for this plant are lilac moth and bacterial necrosis.

Lilac moth

The disease affects the green part of the bush - the leaves. At the beginning of the disease, they become covered with brown spots, and then curl and dry out. This bush is very similar to a burnt one. Unfortunately, the leaf miner completely kills the plant, and the next year it no longer blooms.

Fighting moths is not difficult at all. To do this, it is recommended to carry out preventive digging of the soil around the bush. Damaged shoots should be cut and burned in a timely manner.

Bacterial necrosis

Most often found in August. The disease is transmitted through water, poor quality planting material or with the help of insect pests. Bacterial necrosis overwinters in the tissues of diseased branches and fallen leaves. Lilacs affected by this disease have gray leaves and brown shoots. At the beginning of the disease, the green part of the plant and the upward shoots are affected, then the disease progresses downwards.

To protect lilacs from such a disease, it is important to carry out timely prevention against pests. Also to preventive measures include burning fallen leaves and diseased branches of the bush. If the bush is completely affected, it is recommended to dig it up and burn it, otherwise the disease will affect everything around it.

Bacterial necrosis is a dangerous disease for lilacs. Do not neglect preventive measures.

Transplanting lilacs

Not many people know that a plant like lilac requires replanting. During the period of active growth, the bush takes from the soil all the elements it needs. The process of absorbing substances is quite active, even regardless of whether fertilizers were applied during planting.

Before the transplantation process, a hole is prepared. Preparation is carried out according to the same principle as for planting - the soil is fertilized with mineral fertilizers.

Before transplanting, the bush is inspected for the presence of dry branches that need to be removed. After inspection, the bush is placed in a deep hole.

The place for transplantation should be fertilized in advance and well lit by the sun.

It is worth remembering: the root of the plant must be branched in different directions.

Transplanting a lilac bush promotes active growth and abundant flowering bush.

Lilac is a plant that is unpretentious in care, but requires important rules in content. Proper care for the plant - will provide the gardener beautiful bushes in an area with abundant flowering.