Phlox subulate: photo planting and care in open ground

Phlox awl-shaped planting and care photo

Carpet plantings are often found in garden plots. Ground cover plants can quickly disguise empty parts of a flower bed or rock garden, giving them a luxurious look. One of the popular representatives of perennial ground covers is phlox subulate; planting and care photo of the plant; you will find recommendations for caring for it in this article. If agricultural techniques are followed, fluffy bushes can delight you with bright blooms twice a season, and their unique aroma is hardly comparable to anything.

Care

Phlox subulate variety "Aurora"

Growing and caring for phlox subulate includes traditional procedures.

Watering

Moderation when watering is one of the conditions for the successful development of the plant. This beautiful subshrub is hardy and can tolerate short dry periods. Excess moisture becomes more problematic for the plant and can lead to root rot and plant diseases. Therefore, water the flowers sparingly after the top layer of soil dries out. In dry summers, watering is done once every 2-3 days; the rest of the time, it is enough to water phlox subulate once a week.

Weeding

Growing and caring for decorative shrubs is not complete without systematic weeding. The soil is cleared of weeds before planting, trying to remove the roots present in the soil mixture. In the future, the plant is weeded regularly.

Top dressing

During the season you need to fertilize the phlox several times. This will prolong flowering and make the plant strong and hardy. Most often, gardeners feed the plant with liquid manure; a small amount (25 g) is diluted in 10 liters of water. You can also use mineral fertilizers.

Trimming

In spring, you can prune the plant. This will allow you to form a beautiful bush. When pruning at other times (summer, autumn), the buds present on the shoots are removed, which leads to problems next year. Timely removal of corollas that have bloomed and dried out ensures a second flowering (August - September).

Video “Phlox awl-shaped - planting, care and reproduction”

Phlox awl-shaped description, photo

Phlox subulata belongs to the cyanaceae family. The genus got its name thanks to the botanist Carl Linnaeus. He compared wild shrubs to a bright flame, because this is how the name of the genus is translated from Greek. They began to call it awl-shaped because of the shape of the leaf blades, similar to a stationery tool.

Wild relatives are common in North America. These perennials grow in dry areas on talus and sandy hills, sometimes found among sparse thickets of shrubs.

Know! Exotic garden cultivars have good frost resistance. Even if damaged from too cold a winter, they are able to recover quickly.

Exotic bushes are evergreen mats; the color of the foliage does not change even under a layer of snow cover. The height of this low-growing subshrub is only 15-17 cm. The plant has creeping, densely leafy shoots. The stems are highly branched and consist of many short internodes. When they come into contact with the ground, they send out roots and grow quite quickly. The foliage cover is very dense and tough. The length of the plate is 2-2.5 cm. The leaves are narrow, lanceolate, without a petiole, arranged in opposite order.

The root system of the perennial is fibrous and lies superficially. It penetrates into the soil no more than 15 cm. Reproduction is both seed and vegetative.

Funnel-shaped flowers are located at the end of the stems, 5-7 pieces in an inflorescence. The corolla consists of five divided petals with a small notch along the edge. The diameter of the bud does not exceed 2-2.5 cm. The color of the petals can be snow-white, cream, pink, lilac and transitional shades. Often there are cultivars with a contrasting eye, the shape of which can vary. It differs from other cultivated representatives of its genus in its early flowering. The first wave is abundant, occurs in May and lasts 1-1.5 months. Secondary flowering is less abundant and occurs in August and September.

This is interesting! Due to the similarity of phlox subulata buds to carnation flowers, North Americans nicknamed it moss carnation.

Despite the small size of the buds, the bush is highly decorative. There are so many tiny fragrant inflorescences that during the flowering period the stems and foliage are practically invisible. After wilting, an oval box is formed, inside which are brown seeds.

White Delight

White Delight is a snow-white awl-shaped phlox that will decorate borders, rockeries and alpine slides in your garden with its blooms for 3-4 weeks in late spring - early summer. Like other phloxes of this species, it is not picky about soil acidity and care, but prefers sunny areas.

Types and varieties

The first specimens of phlox subulata reached Europe in 1746. Breeders considered this event very successful for their work. The first attempts at hybridization helped to develop garden forms of the plant that differed in bush height and flower color. Even the most noble gardens in England could only boast of the presence of wild specimens that had undergone a process of natural mutation.

The painstaking work of flower growers has made it possible to create a mass of garden hybrids over two centuries. Unfortunately, it was not possible to preserve the genetic ancestors - the natural mutation of the perennial played a role. Garden cultivars bred by breeders have acquired a compact shape, rapid growth, resistance to the vagaries of weather and diseases, and their decorative properties have increased. Domestic breeders cannot boast of success - due to harsh climatic conditions, heat-loving exotics do not form seeds. All commercially available seed material is made abroad. The main producers of phlox subulata seeds are Holland, Germany, England, Japan, USA and France.

Know! You will not be able to get seeds from your moss carnation plantation.

For their combination of beautiful appearance, unique aroma and unpretentiousness, gardeners are very fond of the following varieties of the American guest:

1. Aurora. The variety is of great value to gardeners. Lovers of abundant flowering will definitely be pleased with this cultivar. It forms lush “drifts” of a pale pink hue, which from a distance looks like white. The star-shaped buds reach a diameter of 2.5 cm. The total height of the bush is 10-12 cm. The variety is ideal for carpet planting and beautifying empty areas of the garden.
2. Amazing Grace. It has white buds 1.5-1.8 cm in diameter. In the central part of the corolla there is a purple eye. The height of the cultivar is 12 cm.
3. Coral eye. Has stars of a light pink hue. Near the tube there is a scarlet star-shaped eye. The variety is characterized by fast growth and good survival rate. Forms cushions 12 cm high.
4. Thumbelina. A variety with cool pink petals framing a dark red eye. Rugs grow very quickly and have a height of 10-15 cm.
5. More perfect. The owner of small, dazzling white, wheel-shaped flowers. Their diameter does not exceed 1.5 cm. The bushes themselves are also short, 8-10 cm in height. The hybrid is most common among white varieties.
6. Tellaria. It has lilac buds with a scarlet star-shaped eye. The diameter of the bud is 2-2.3 cm. It stands out among its relatives for its long flowering period. Plant height 12 cm.
7. G. F. Wilson. The petals are painted in a delicate bluish-lavender hue. They have the shape of a star with a diameter of 1.5-1.8 cm. Landscape designers prefer this strong, hardy and tall (among other varieties) hybrid. It forms thick cushions up to 20 cm high.
8. Temiskaming. One of the most popular varieties. It differs from its garden counterparts in the density of the bush and dark leaves with a burgundy tint. The flowers are dark crimson with a diameter of 2 cm. The mat reaches a height of 15 cm. It takes root well during vegetative propagation.
9. Vivid. Dense low pillows have rich pink round buds.
10. Candy Stripes. The owner of white petals with a pink stripe in the center. The diameter of the buds is 1.7-2.0 cm. Low mats (10 cm) have gained the love of gardeners for their unusual coloring and abundant and long-lasting flowering.

Know! The cultivar “Netteleto Variegata” compares favorably with its counterparts with its beautiful foliage. The plates are painted in a dark green shade and have a pink border along the edges, due to which the hybrid is used in landscaping as an ornamental foliage plant.

Atropurpurea

An unpretentious ground cover plant that forms a dense carpet of dark green, needle-like leaves. It grows well. Prefers light, loose soil, preferably loam. Drought-resistant, does not tolerate excess moisture. A creeping bush, strewn with carmine-pink flowers with a purple eye, looks very impressive in mixborders, in crevices between stones in rockeries, and decorates retaining structures.

Planting phlox subulate in the garden

Each garden crop requires a specific approach to planting. The success of cultivation and obtaining abundant flowering depends on the chosen location.

Choosing a landing site

Despite the unpretentiousness of the moss carnation, it will need to create conditions that best match its natural habitat. At home, the perennial prefers to bask in the rays of sunlight, so choose an area of ​​the garden with maximum illumination.

The awl-shaped phlox will easily tolerate a slight drought, but excess moisture in the soil will destroy it. In addition to susceptibility to various fungal diseases, waterlogging threatens loss of decorativeness and gradual decline in growth. A bush planted in an area with nearby groundwater will certainly die. You should worry about creating a good drainage system in advance. In addition, the area should be well ventilated.

Important! Avoid planting flowers in lowlands. Choose a place where there is sufficient snowfall in winter.

Soil preparation

The North American visitor is accustomed to growing in poor soil. It will happily settle on fertilized soil, but it will not bloom. The plant will use all the nutrients absorbed by the root system to form green mass.

The soil for planting should be loose and not absorb too much moisture. To give it such properties, add sand to the prepared area. The heavier the soil, the more it will be needed. There is no need to specially enrich the substrate with humus, but you will have to adjust the pH value.

The soils of Central Russia are characterized by high acidity. From acidic soils, exotic plants will not be able to fully absorb the microelements necessary for the successful development of flower stalks. Before planting, the area should be limed with dolomite flour. The application rate will directly depend on the acidity of the soil. As a rule, 200-400 grams per square meter of planting will be sufficient.

Remember! The liming process will be successful only when dolomite flour is mixed with earth. Carefully dig up the area and level it with a rake.

Technology of planting awl-shaped phlox

Before planting, the prepared area should be carefully examined for the presence of weed roots. Field bindweed is especially dangerous. This stubborn weed will certainly grow through the turf of the bush and ruin its appearance. Other weeds are no less dangerous - in addition to fighting for nutrients, if you try to pull them out of the flowerbed, you can easily damage the root system of the moss carnation. Like other ground covers, its roots lie very close to the surface of the earth.

Planting is done in small holes. Their width depends on the degree of development of the root system. Keep in mind that the roots in the hole will need to be carefully straightened. The planting step is at least 40-50 cm, because the perennial will grow in one place for about 5-6 years and during this period the bushes will expand greatly in width. Planted specimens are watered and the top layer of soil is mulched with peat.

The planting time will directly depend on the type of planting material. So, seedlings are planted after the frosts have subsided, cuttings with heels in early spring, and cuttings in late August or early September.

Planting in open ground

Subulate (Phlox subulata) phlox is a frost-resistant species, but can freeze in cold winters and can be quite capricious. Therefore, plants should be planted in the spring, when they are well developed and the risk of frost has passed. You can plant phlox in the fall, if you have a month left before frost, preferably in early autumn.

Before planting phlox, you need to thoroughly clear the area of ​​weeds; if it is lowland, it is worth making drainage so that the water does not stagnate, which is detrimental to the plants. If phlox used to grow on the site or there were plants sick with powdery mildew, it is worth pouring boiling water over the planting holes. Fertilizers are not needed when planting.

The plant looks better in greater density. To get the effect of a colorful carpet, seedlings are planted at a distance of approximately 30 × 30 cm or 20 × 30 cm.

After planting, there is no need to fertilize phloxes, only watering is necessary.

Caring for a plant in the garden

Caring for our tropical guest is not particularly difficult. The exotic is so unpretentious that even a novice gardener can cope with its cultivation. In addition to standard weed removal, flower growers should take care of the correct watering schedule and timely fertilizing.

Watering

The North American does not tolerate excess moisture, so the watering regime should be as moderate as possible. The procedure is carried out in the absence of sun - early in the morning or after sunset. Watering should be done strictly at the root, because water that gets on the buds and leaves can cause burns and spoil the fragrant flowers. In hot weather, maintain a moderate watering regime, but make it abundant. For 1 meter of planting you will need about 15-20 liters of water.

Important! You can water awl-shaped phloxes only with warm water. Cold liquid, especially on hot days, will cause the stems to crack.

Top dressing

In order for the bushes to please with the splendor and abundance of flowers, it is worth taking care of feeding. Follow the following fertilization schedule:

1. Beginning of the growing season. After hibernation, fertilizing with humates is carried out. They stimulate growth and will help phlox recover faster.
2. During the budding period, a potassium-phosphorus complex is introduced. These microelements will have a beneficial effect on the formation of flower stalks.
3. After flowering ends, you can fertilize with a full complex.
4. During the entire growth period, root and surface fertilizing with an ash solution can be carried out. It contains no nitrogen, which promotes abundant foliage growth but has a detrimental effect on flowering.

To prepare an ash solution, boil 300 grams of ash in two liters of water. Boiling time 10 minutes. The prepared extract must be cooled, filtered and the volume brought to 10 liters.

On a note! An ash solution can prevent pest attacks. Feel free to use it as a foliar feeding.

Scarlet Flame

During flowering, the bushes of this awl-shaped phlox are covered with fairly large flowers with a diameter of about 2 cm. The name of the variety translates as “scarlet radiance,” but the flowers of Scarlet Flame are more of a dark pink hue.

Among the special care requirements of these phloxes, one can highlight only sufficient lighting (sun or partial shade) and high water permeability of the soil - subulate phloxes react poorly to waterlogging.

Bush formation

Another important measure for caring for ground cover is the formation of a bush. Be sure to remove damaged branches and wilted inflorescences. This will promote rapid growth and help avoid diseases. To stimulate the formation of next year's flower buds, completely remove the shoots after flowering ends (in July). In autumn, pruning cannot be carried out; awl-shaped phloxes overwinter green.

Violet Pinwheels

The jagged and inverted petals of this phlox resemble the blades of a pinwheel - this shape gives the variety its name. The flowers are a soft lilac color with thin petals. Forms clumps that are soft to the touch and resemble a pillow. Like all awl-shaped phloxes, it does not tolerate excessive watering, so the soil should be loose and well-drained. In deep shade it withers and stops blooming. Perfect for a well-lit rock garden, rocky hill, mixborder. Growing on a slope, it will be free from the problem of stagnant water.

Features of cultivation, flowering of awl-shaped phlox

There are several important nuances in the process of cultivating an American guest, which will be discussed in this section of the article.

How long does the plant bloom?

Moss carnation is extremely decorative. Its emerald greenery pleases the eye throughout the entire growth period. Even the awl-shaped phlox leaves for the winter in a green outfit.

During the flowering period, lush mats are completely covered with delicate fragrant buds. Even their small sizes do not affect their high decorative value. At the end of May or the first ten days of June, your garden will begin to smell fragrant and be covered with bright pillows. The formation of new buds lasts for 4-6 weeks, after which the above-ground part withers and requires radical pruning.

Know! With proper care and a long, warm, dry autumn, colorful buds will again appear on the fluffy rug in early September.

Bavaria

Bavaria is a variety of phlox with unusual elegant colors. The flowers of this plant are two-colored: the white petals at the base are colored with purple “rays.”

These phlox bloom twice - in late spring - early summer and in late summer - early autumn. True, the second flowering is more sparse.

Crop rotation

For our exotics, an important factor in proper growth is compliance with crop rotation. This is due to the increased risk of nematode infection. A microscopic worm that infects strawberries will easily move to the tender shoots of moss cloves. To avoid infection with nematodes, use for cultivation those areas where garden berries have not grown over the past 2-3 years.

Marigolds and calendula will help protect the American guest. Nematodes cannot stand the aroma of these garden inhabitants, so these plants are the best predecessors on the site.

How to plan a flower bed

A naturally beautiful plot or flowerbed will not work if you don’t plan everything in advance.

Considering that phlox is a creeping shrub, it needs to be given an appropriate role. If you are planning a flowerbed in which there will be nothing except phlox, then there is nothing special to plan, you just need to plant it in accordance with the recommendations.

But if the flowerbed is located on an artificial hill, next to a fountain and other elements, it is important to give the phlox its due place. For example, a popular solution is when the subulate frames the perimeter of the flowerbed. If the flowerbed is elevated, it beautifully plays with the shape and continues to spread downwards.

Important! Phlox should be planted away from water - excess can adversely affect development.

Phlox flower bed

Shelter of awl-shaped phlox for the winter

The American guest is quite winter-hardy. In the southern regions, it will calmly overwinter without shelter. Colder climates will require careful management of the dormant period.

With the onset of frost, the root collar of the perennial should be mulched with peat. In addition to serving as a warm blanket, it will be an excellent top dressing next spring. To protect the rhizome as much as possible from the cold, cover it with spruce branches.

Take it into service! If the winter has little snow, you should try to add snow to the flowerbed. Provided there is a snow cover more than half a meter high, the exotic will survive even the harshest winter.

Damping off with the onset of an early thaw is much worse for shoots. Even if the shoots are severely damaged, the perennial will recover fairly quickly. Fertilizing with potassium humate stimulates growth.

Botanical description of the plant

Awl-shaped phlox is a spring-blooming perennial ground cover crop. The miniature variety does not exceed 10-15 cm in height. The stems are densely covered with bright green needle-like foliage, which is how the species got its name. The root system is located near the soil surface.

The perennial is good because from early spring until frost its turf remains emerald green, even under snow it retains its greenery. Lush flowering pleases 2 times per season (from the end of May to the last days of June and from the beginning of August to mid-September). At the tops of the stems, star-shaped flowers open in various shades of white, pink, blue, red or purple.

Methods for propagating awl-shaped phlox

The heat-loving perennial reproduces well vegetatively. For these purposes the following can be used:

• green cuttings;
• cuttings from the rhizome;
• cuttings with a heel (layering).

In addition, some gardeners grow phlox from seeds. It is unlikely that you will be able to get them from your own plot, but buying them at a garden center is not difficult.

Propagation by cuttings

Your green pet reproduces well from cuttings. They take root quite quickly without any treatment. It is enough to cut off the top of the shoot 8-10 cm long, remove the lower leaves from it and plant it in a pot. Use a mixture of peat and sand as a substrate. Cuttings can be done before budding or after the appearance of new foliage in August.

It is very easy to get layering. To do this, creeping shoots should be pinned and covered with earth. They will quickly take root, and after a while it will be possible to separate them from the mother plant and plant the cuttings in a permanent place.

This is interesting! Experienced gardeners recommend breaking off branches for cuttings rather than cutting them. So, they take root faster.

Purple Beauty

Forms turf in the form of a lush cushion. It blooms from mid-May to mid-June; in August-September a second wave of flowering is often observed, but it is more sparse. The flowers are lilac in color with dark purple “strokes” at the core of the corolla. Prefers stony and rocky slopes, hilly places, well lit by the sun. Flowers need soil that is not too fertile, but loose and without excessive moisture. In a mixborder, rock garden, or just on the lawn, these phloxes will become a bright color accent.

When to sow awl-shaped phlox seeds for seedlings

Those wishing to grow seedlings are advised to sow them in March, but sowing can be done before winter. The seeds are placed on the bed in increments of 3-4 cm and sprinkled with a little soil. Seedlings will appear in the spring. After throwing out 3-4 leaves, they can be planted into holes in increments of 15-20 cm. In the second year, the seedlings will bloom.

On a note! Experienced gardeners consider growing moss carnation by seed a waste of time. This method is used in practice only by breeders.

What is the best place to plant phlox?

First you should choose a site for planting phlox. It is best to choose a place where there will be a lot of sun and little water. As for the soil, here it should be dry, loose and infertile. Neutral soil is suitable for acidity.

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In the event that you want to plant plants on black soil that is constantly moistened, you will get quite a lot of greenery, but there will be no flowers.

The planting depth is 15 cm, because the roots of the plant are short. The distance between individual bushes should be maintained within 30 cm.

How to properly divide a five-year-old phlox bush

To obtain cuttings, five-year-old bushes are used. As they grow, the stems become lignified in the middle part, forming a bare area. Dividing the bush promotes its rejuvenation.

This operation is carried out in mid-August. Carefully remove the rhizome from the ground and divide it into several parts so that each has a sufficient number of stems and a developed root system. Use the same planting algorithm as described above, only add a little humus or rotted compost to the hole. It will help better rooting.

Candy Stripes

Phlox flowers Candy stripes resemble beautiful candies: the petals are painted with white and pink stripes and fuchsia spots. This beauty does not require special care; it can withstand even the most severe frosts. It is enough to plant it on the southwestern side of the site, water it moderately and feed it periodically.

Pests and diseases

With proper agricultural technology, an unpretentious exotic plant is unlikely to be susceptible to the fungal diseases listed below:

1. If, when examining the leaves, you find a whitish coating of powdery mildew, treat with copper sulfate or Bordeaux mixture.
2. Rust is also caused by a pathogenic fungus. The disease manifests itself by the appearance of reddish-brown spots on the leaves, which blur over time and lead to the death of the plate. The affected parts should be removed and treated with Topaz.
3. Phoma causes fragility of shoots and drying out of leaves. This is the work of a microscopic fungus, which a colloidal sulfur solution will help destroy.
4. Septoria is another fungal disease that can be identified by the appearance of brown spots on the leaf blades. If the disease is not stopped, the spots will begin to grow and interfere with photosynthesis, causing the perennial to die. Preventive treatments with copper-containing preparations will help in the fight against fungus.

Remember! Compliance with the rules of agricultural technology, preventive examinations and spring treatment with Bordeaux mixture are the main measures for the prevention of fungal diseases.

Variegation is a plant virus. It manifests itself as a change in the color of the corolla, which becomes covered with stripes. At the first symptoms of the disease, remove infected specimens and burn them.

Among the pests, nematodes and caterpillars are dangerous. When attacked by stem nematodes, the color and shape of the leaves change and growth slows down. It is better to take preventative measures in the form of crop rotation than to try to fight the parasite. Caterpillars can be collected by hand and destroyed, or infected specimens can be treated with any insecticide against leaf-eating insects.

Choosing a place and soil for planting

Phlox loves sunny places. But it will also feel fine in the shade. The main condition is less moisture. In wetlands the plant dies.

If possible, it is better to dilute the soil with sand. A drainage type of soil is welcome, however, this item is not necessary due to the unpretentiousness of the plant. The only thing worth considering is that if you plan to plant in black soil, which will often be moistened, you can’t really count on flowering.

It is also worth noting the plant’s love for the wind. Phlox should not be planted between tall plants or walls, because of which air masses will not pass through it.

Phlox awl-shaped in landscape design, combination with other plants

Thanks to their incredible endurance, winter hardiness and unique appearance, fragrant bushes have earned the love of landscape designers. Low-growing annuals are used to decorate rockeries, create bright cushions on the lawn, and fill empty spaces in a mixborder or on an alpine slide. The moss carnation looks great along paths, buildings, and borders. It will become a beautiful filling for the discount.

Other ground covers will be good neighbors in the flowerbed - alyssum, young, sedum. In the background you can plant ornamental grasses or low-growing coniferous, decorative and deciduous shrubs. The combination of awl-shaped phloxes with primroses, irises, asters, and snapdragons looks very harmonious.

Bonita

Bushes of the Bonita variety cover the flowerbed with such a lush carpet of flowers that in a few years they can turn your front garden into a real sea of ​​lavender. The flowers of this phlox have a pleasant pink tint; the plant has excellent winter hardiness and is easy to grow.

Forum: reviews, growing tips

Experienced gardeners highly appreciate the unpretentiousness and winter hardiness of moss carnation. They note the luxurious appearance of the flowering mat and recommend it for growing even on depleted soils.

Natalya admires the ease of caring for such a beautiful and fragrant representative of garden flora. While dividing the bush, she accidentally damaged several branches. The gardener decided to dig them in and received new planting material, which bloomed the very next year.

Victoria raises Native American in balcony boxes. The gardener claims that you can get a luxurious flowering pillow on a sunny balcony, the main thing is to monitor the condition of the soil and apply fertilizing.

Valeria decided to grow phlox through seedlings. She noted the capriciousness of the seedlings and their susceptibility to various diseases. But the nurtured bushes made excellent queen cells, which made it possible to quickly fill the garden with bright spots.

Nikolay works as a landscape designer. He recommends planting each variety at some distance from its neighbor. The moss carnation grows quickly and its shoots intertwine, forming a not very aesthetic multi-colored spot. Free-standing pillows look much more impressive.

Conclusion

After reading this article with bright photos, you will probably want to add awl-shaped phlox to your garden, especially since planting and caring for it is unlikely to cause any difficulties.

Growing conditions

Subulate varieties of phlox do not have any special requirements other than lighting. The most important factor is to provide them with a highly sunny position. In partial shade they bloom poorly or not at all, become very thin, lose their good shape, and may begin to hurt.

The perennial has no special soil requirements. The natural habitat of the plant is sandy soils. In the garden, ordinary garden soil is sufficient for it, if it is permeable.

Phlox grows better on soils:

• water-permeable;
• sandy;
• fertile;
• moderately humid.

Phloxes do not like soil:

• very wet;
• cold;
• heavy;
• clayey.

Plants do not have exorbitant needs for water and tolerate temporary drought well, although they look more beautiful and grow better if they are watered regularly.

Although awl-shaped varieties of phlox are considered resistant to diseases and pests, in unfavorable conditions they can get sick, become weak, and vulnerable. A shaded area often leads to the development of fungal pathogens.

How to fight powdery mildew on phlox

In the fight against powdery mildew, a biological method can be successfully used - spraying phlox plants with slurry. To prepare it, well-rotted manure is poured with water (1:3), left for three days and diluted three times. Spraying is carried out in the evening. Bacteria present in the slurry destroy the mycelium of the pathogen. Before you fight powdery mildew on phlox, you need to choose the most effective remedy for these purposes.

Currently, high performance in the fight against powdery mildew disease is achieved by preventive treatment of plants with solutions of systemic fungicides Topsin-M, Skor (Chistotsvet) or Topaz. Spraying is carried out from the beginning of the plant growing season (May) with an interval between treatments of 10 - 12 days.

Particularly valuable plants can be treated with a solution of the Abiga-Pik fungicide

When transplanting phlox, areas must be dug deeply. In autumn, cut shoots are collected and destroyed.

Gray rot. The causative agent of the disease is the fungus Botrytis criperea

The fungus attacks flowers, buds, leaves and stems, on which light, growing spots form. The disease manifests itself on weakened plants, into which the pathogen penetrates through wounds or damaged tissue. Throughout the growing season, the development of the disease is facilitated by high air and soil humidity, insufficient lighting, lack of normal ventilation due to plant density, and excess nitrogen nutrition. Different varieties of phlox have different resistance to the disease.

The fungus persists in plant debris and soil for 1-2 years. Spreads through the air, with raindrops, contaminated plant parts and soil.

All measures aimed at creating normal humidity conditions help reduce the disease: thinning thickened plantings, proper watering without waterlogging the soil, loosening.

In case of severe spread of the disease, it is recommended to spray fungal-affected plants with solutions of fungicides Abiga-Pik, Vitaros, Skor (Chistotsvet), Topaz, Topsin-M, Khom.

Fomoz. The causative agent of the disease is the fungus Phoma phlogis

With this disease, the root collar and base of phlox shoots are affected, where numerous spots appear. First, the disease affects the lower part of the shoots, mainly the oldest leaves. Quite large, vague yellowish-brown rounded spots with a thin border are formed on them. Small black dots (pycnidia) form on the spots. The leaves gradually curl and dry out. Then the disease spreads upward, the affected tissues (leaves and shoots) become fragile, crack, and break easily; the bush gradually becomes bare, the plant weakens, lags behind in growth, blooms poorly, and sometimes dries out before it has time to form an inflorescence.

The source of infection is plant debris affected by Phoma, in which the causative agent of the disease can persist for up to two to three years, as well as infected planting material, from which mass infection of plantings can occur. It is also possible to spread the infection through seeds.

There have been cases where diseased seedlings developed from diseased seeds and died at the very beginning of the growing season.

The development of Phoma is favored by high air humidity (60-80%) and warm weather. Infection is facilitated by mechanical damage to the tissue by humans and insects, which facilitate the penetration of infection into the plant. First of all, plants weakened by unfavorable conditions (heavy, too acidic soil, excess moisture, damage by soil insects, etc.) are affected. The disease is also promoted by damage to the root collar, deep planting, prolonged exposure to water during heavy rains and stagnation of irrigation water in the hollows of the site.

When the first signs of disease appear, plants are traditionally sprayed with a 1% solution of Bordeaux mixture with an interval between treatments of 10 - 12 days. Usually two treatments are sufficient. With severe development of the disease, the number of sprays is increased to three or four. You can also use other fungicides, for example copper-containing ones - Abiga-Pik or Khom. Spring preventive treatments are effective.

Good results are obtained by pre-planting treatment of rhizomes and phlox cuttings in solutions of fungicides Vitaros, Maxim or in a solution of biofungicide Fitosporin-M. Phosphorus and especially potassium fertilizers increase the resistance of plants to Phoma; excess nitrogen fertilizers, on the contrary, increases their susceptibility.

How to treat phlox against diseases in spring

When studying phlox diseases and how to combat them, it is worth noting that they are affected by various pathogens that suppress their life processes. Under the influence of pathogens, plants can experience physiological and structural changes, as a result of which the decorative value of phloxes decreases and the biological aging of plants accelerates. If the infection is severe, the phloxes die. You need to know how to treat phlox against diseases so that even the slightest signs of infection are not noticed throughout the summer.

Disruption of physiological processes is manifested in weakening of photosynthesis, disruption of the intensity of respiratory processes, disruption of the transport of water and nutrients in the plant, as well as photosynthetic products, disruption of the synthesis of growth and storage substances. Structural disorders include deformation of leaves, shoots and flowers. Necrotization of infected cells may occur.

There are various methods for diagnosing diseases. The simplest, accessible to both specialists and amateur flower growers, is visual.

The nature of the symptoms of plant damage by diseases mainly boils down to the appearance of lighter or darker areas on the leaves. Usually, pale green or yellowish spots and stripes of different lengths appear along the leaf veins; black, brown or brown-red spots of various configurations, as well as rings, streaks, grouped together or randomly scattered throughout the leaf blade. The strokes can be arranged in chains along the veins or at an angle to the central one.

With severe damage, the leaves die, the plants are suppressed, and the number and size of flowers decreases. Very often, phloxes are affected not by one disease, but by several at once. Such complex infection creates some difficulty in identifying the nature of the infection.

The mechanism of spread of the infectious agent is varied. Its penetration into the plant can also occur in various ways. Transmission of infection occurs at all stages of cultivation. Further on the page, several options are offered for how to treat phlox against diseases in the spring, from which you can choose the most effective and safe means.

The main reservoir of diseases is wild (weed) plants. Particularly dangerous in this regard are perennial weeds, which ensure the continuous spread of numerous infections from year to year. In addition, insects that carry infections overwinter on weeds and go through some stages of their development, so it is important to constantly remove weeds. As a rule, diseased phloxes also become foci for the spread of infections.

Fungal diseases

Very often, phlox diseases are associated with parasitic fungi, the development of which requires moisture and a certain temperature. A favorable combination of humidity and temperature determines their massive development and, accordingly, the appearance of diseases. The spread of fungal infection occurs with the help of wind, water, insects, and people who care for plants. The infection persists on affected plant debris, in soil, in seed and planting material, as well as on perennial weeds.

With the strong development of powdery mildew in phlox, the leaves dry out, as a result of which not only the decorativeness of the plants, the quality and flowering period are reduced - in diseased plants all physiological processes are also disrupted, which negatively affects their general condition.

It should be noted that the degree of susceptibility of different types and varieties of phlox to fungal diseases varies.

To carry out preventive (preventative) measures, it is necessary to know the signs of the main diseases of phlox, and diseases of fungal origin, as a rule, are mainly characterized by the appearance of various kinds of spots, necrosis and plaques on the leaves and shoots of plants.

The most common and harmful fungal diseases that affect phlox include:

Verticillium wilt (caused by the fungus Vnticillium albo-atrum)

Powdery mildew (caused by the fungus Erysiphe cichoracearum f. phlogis)

Phomasis (pathogen: Phomaphlogis fungus)

Also, diseases associated with leaf spots are caused by a number of pathogenic fungi: Altemaria tenuis, Septoria phlogis, S. phlogina, S. divaricatae, S. drummondii, Phyllosticta decussatae, Cercospora omphacodes.

Strict adherence to agrotechnical practices for caring for plants - proper watering, the use of mineral fertilizer with increased doses of potassium, timely preventive measures - increases the resistance of phlox to phytopathogenic fungi.

Verticillium wilt. The causative agent of the disease is the fungus Verticillium albo-atrum. The wilting of phlox shoots is associated with damage to the plant's conducting system. A soil pathogen that, through the root system damaged during planting or tillage (for example, cuts during loosening) or wounds caused by pests (for example, wireworms), penetrates the vascular system of the plant. Then it spreads, clogs it and poisons it with its toxins, as a result of which there is a sudden wilting of leaves and shoots. The leaves turn yellow, turn brown and dry out, remaining hanging on the plants.

Species and varietal sensitivity to the pathogen is observed. The fungus can affect all or part of the blood vessels. The nature of leaf wilting depends on this - general or one-sided. Plants are severely stunted in growth, rarely form normal inflorescences or die.

Most often, the symptoms of powdery mildew are characterized by drooping leaves and tips of individual shoots on a phlox bush, which is associated with a loss of turgor in the cells and tissues of the plant. The main reason for the death of shoots is the lack of nutrients and water in the plant, which is caused by the cessation of their supply through dead vessels. Externally, withering leaves and shoots usually look healthy and the disease resembles wilting and drying out from a lack of water, but on transverse sections of shoots one can notice darkening and necrosis of blood vessels, and under a microscope a mycelium is found in them.

Powdery mildew is focal in nature and is especially pronounced on acidic and light soils due to their weak microbiological activity. On rich humus soils with high biogenicity, the disease is less pronounced. The temperature favorable for the development of the disease is about 25° C, so the spread of the pathogen intensifies in July and August, and with cold weather in September, new healthy shoots sometimes develop at the base of the stem. Application of large doses of nitrogen fertilizer also promotes the development of the pathogen. According to some experts, the development of the disease can be provoked by waterlogging of the soil.

The primary source of infection is contaminated planting material, seeds collected from diseased plants, poorly rotted manure, compost and sawdust. It has been noted that strawberries, nightshades and pumpkins are especially susceptible to Verticillium albo-atmm and are its accumulators.

The pathogen in the form of mycelium is preserved in plant debris, and in the form of microsclerotia in the soil it remains viable for up to 15 years. Distributed everywhere.

Good results in the fight against verticillium are obtained by adding the biofungicide Trichodermin to the soil during the growing season at a dose of 2 g per plant or its analogues, for example, Glyocladin (one tablet is applied to one plant). Particularly valuable plants can be watered with a solution of the biofungicide Fitosporin-M (strictly following the manufacturer’s recommendations); diseased plants can be treated with the same solution, after which they are planted in a new place. To treat rhizomes, you can also use 0.2% solutions of Vitaros or Maxim fungicides.

In case of mass infection and death of plants from powdery mildew, it is not recommended to occupy these areas with phlox and other crops susceptible to this disease for 10 years.

It is necessary to collect and necessarily destroy all affected plant debris at the end of the growing season.

Diseases of perennial phlox and their treatment (with photos)

Sometimes phloxes experience longitudinal cracking of the stems. This is not an infectious disease. There may be several reasons - too acidic soil, sudden changes in day and night temperatures, watering plants with cold water in hot weather, as well as applying only nitrogen fertilizers in the spring.

In some cases, cracking of phlox stems may be a characteristic feature of the variety, for example, in the 'Maria Fedorovna' variety, cracking of the lower part of the stem is observed more often than in other varieties.

Very often, when cracks form, the stem tissues are exposed, and the phloxes break. Cracking of stems on old, overly thickened baits has also been observed.

Drying of leaves at the bottom of the stem may also not always be the cause of an infectious disease. This is usually due to a lack of moisture in the soil, with the lower leaves first drooping, then turning yellow and drying out. But we will continue to study the diseases of perennial phlox and their treatment using effective modern means.

With good care, treatment of phloxes is not required since they get sick much less often. To reduce the risk of phlox becoming infected with diseases, comprehensive protective measures are taken. It is necessary to follow agricultural practices (weed and pest control, regular watering, fertilizing and sanitary treatments). It is important to ensure that phloxes do not grow in the same place for many years in a row, as microorganisms accumulate in the soil, which can cause plant death. To reduce the intensity of the spread of diseases, spacious planting and the absence of a monoculture of phlox are of great importance. Site hygiene is of great preventive importance.

It should be remembered that the application of phosphorus and potassium fertilizers increases the resistance of phlox to diseases, and excess nitrogen makes them more susceptible to them.

In most cases, phlox diseases are caused by plant parasites, as well as unfavorable soil and climatic conditions. Viral and mycoplasma diseases, which manifest themselves in different ways, pose a great danger. Fungal diseases are also harmful.

Look at the photo of phlox disease and its treatment with simple and affordable means that every gardener has at his disposal:

How to replant phlox

It is better to replant phloxes at the time recommended for replanting peonies, that is, in late summer or early autumn. This is due to the fact that in early spring, when it is still cold, their roots are already beginning to grow.

In fact, phlox can be moved to another place even in the summer, during their flowering. You just need to do this very carefully, leaving as large a lump of earth as possible on the roots.

High-quality rooting of transplanted plants largely depends on the condition of the soil. Flowers love soils containing a lot of organic matter. Flowers need frequent watering and this must be taken into account when choosing a planting location.

After the bush is planted, sprinkle it with soil and immediately water it so that all the voids are filled with soil. The top of the flower must be well mulched with humus or compost. All weeds must be removed from the flowerbed in a timely manner, and the soil must be kept loose. Feeding after transplantation should be carried out on a regular basis for 1-2 months.

Nematode

The most dangerous pest of phlox is the phlox race of stem nematode Ditylenchus dipsaci var. phloxidis. This is a small translucent worm that settles mainly in the stems of phloxes and feeds on their juice. The development cycle lasts from several days to several weeks, depending on air temperature and humidity. The optimal temperature conducive to the reproduction of nematodes is 18-240C, and at temperatures above 400C the nematode and its eggs die. Therefore, today the main method of combating nematodes is thermal . But this method is not suitable for phlox; its divisions do not survive after treatment with hot water.

The insidiousness of the disease is that in the early stages it is quite difficult to distinguish a diseased plant from a healthy one; signs of nematode damage are clearly visible only in late June - early July. The main symptom is the threadlike appearance of the apical leaves, thickening of the stems, the plant becomes as if squat. Sometimes diseased phloxes even bloom, but the inflorescences look rather ugly. If a nematode infection is detected, first of all, it is necessary to avoid watering the plants from above; it contributes to the rapid spread of the disease, especially in warm weather.

A severely affected plant dies. Not only phloxes, but also other plants suffer from stem nematodes. In nature, the nematode infects 400 plant species and has powerful digestive glands. In general, the nematode is the scourge of phlox. Developers of plant protection products have not yet proposed anything radical to combat this disease in private farms. Nematicides approved for use on farms are so dangerous that I won’t even give their names, so as not to take it upon myself.

In the literature, it is recommended to cut the upper parts of the shoots in May to improve the health of collections and save valuable varieties. Current research allows us to conclude that early spring cuttings or harvesting cuttings in the fall in order to improve the health of varieties should be carried out at soil temperatures less than 100C . Analyzes of phlox stems for nematodes in the spring show that there are no nematodes yet in stems 5 cm high. The nematode is already present in the lower part of the stem at a height of 6-7 cm, but is not yet present in the apical part. At this altitude and soil temperature below 100C, you can cut the tops of phloxes in the spring to preserve the variety and get rid of the nematode. When the stem height is 9-10 cm, the nematode has already reached the top of the phlox.

The most effective way to combat nematodes is manual culling of plants. Inspect your plantings regularly; if you see one or two diseased stems in the bush, immediately break them as close to the roots as possible, and into the fire.

Peas, mustard, parsley, dill, marigolds, and calendula are trapping plants. They accumulate nematodes. Alternate planting phlox and marigold. In the fall, carefully dig up the marigolds with roots and burn them. It’s even better to sow dill between phloxes; infection with nematodes and other diseases is sharply reduced. Dill can be eaten or the seeds collected from it; the nematode does not harm people. Weeds are nematode reservoirs, so try to keep dandelion, sow thistle, nettle, and woodlice out of phlox plantings. Slugs eat diseased leaves and secrete nematodes.

The nematode does not live in the ground. Its larvae are surprisingly tenacious. They overwinter in renewal buds, at the base of shoots, in rhizomes and in dry plant debris. Therefore, in the fall you need to carefully clean the beds. In spring, nematodes penetrate the growing stems and rise up with them, infecting the plant.

Treatment of phlox in spring against mycoplasma diseases and powdery mildew

In recent years, especially in the north-west of Russia, infection of phlox with mycoplasma organisms in combination with powdery mildew is almost total. Plants affected by mycoplasmas can be found in Moscow, St. Petersburg, Ryazan and their environs, Kiev, Minsk, Chelyabinsk, Yekaterinburg, Ufa, Perm, Voronezh, Volgograd, Rostov-on-Don. There are reports of the spread of infection in Krasnodar, Omsk, Novosibirsk, Bashkiria, Kharkov, Yalta and other regions. Treating phlox in the spring against diseases helps prevent the spread of mycoplasma throughout the area.

The symptoms caused by mycoplasmas are similar to those observed with a viral disease. Mycoplasma organisms are close to viruses, but differ from them in cellular structure. Their reproduction occurs by division or decay into a number of daughter cells.

The greatest harm to phlox is caused by the causative agent of aster jaundice (Leptomotropus callistephi), a parasitic mycoplasma microorganism.

The host range of this disease is extensive and includes more than 200 plant species from 60 families. It can be detected by the symptoms of the disease, which are specific in nature and can manifest themselves in the form of various anomalies throughout the growing season. It is usually combined with infection by the powdery mildew pathogen.

The spread of infection throughout the plant is systemic. Symptoms of the disease are observed on leaves and flowers. The highest degree of manifestation of powdery mildew disease is observed during budding and flowering. Therefore, only treating phlox against powdery mildew in spring and mid-summer can help prevent massive damage to buds.

In some cases, the disease begins with lightening of the veins of a young leaf, then general chlorosis (yellowing) of the leaves occurs. Sometimes, in the early stages of development, affected plants acquire a mosaic coloring. Older leaves may turn reddish; newly growing ones are almost white (discolored). Sick phloxes are significantly stunted in growth, increased branching of shoots is often observed (many thin shoots of the second order are formed) and a tendency to increased bushiness. The leaf blades are often curled up or down. The development of the inflorescence is usually delayed, the buds are characterized by greening, and the opened flowers have greenish petals, sometimes with a slight browning depending on the variety. Observations have shown that seeds do not form on affected phlox plants.

The main spreader of the disease is considered to be leafhoppers of the genus Macrosteles. These are small (2-3 mm) winged sucking insects that feed on the sap of a variety of plants, including infected ones, and, flying to healthy ones, infect them. A particularly large migration of leafhoppers occurs when mowing weeds or lawns, then they move to phlox bushes in search of food. The disease does not appear immediately after infection, but after 30 - 60 or more days, and very often (with late infection - at the end of July or August) it does not appear until the next year. This depends on the growing conditions of phlox.

Many other insects can also be carriers of the infectious agent - for example:

Thrips

Ticks

Psyllids

Nematodes

The pathogen multiplies in the body of the carrier. Transmission of infection has also been recorded during vegetative propagation of phlox.

Many types of mycoplasmas live in weeds (dandelion, plantain, field thistle, chicory, horse sorrel, chamomile, clover, etc.), which serve as their reserve. Mycoplasma organisms overwinter only in living tissues—in the rhizomes of cultivated and weed plants.

Effective measures to combat mycoplasma diseases, as well as viral ones, have not been established. It is possible to limit the spread of mycoplasma organisms only by carrying out timely agrotechnical and phytosanitary measures, as well as the destruction of pathogen carriers and diseased plants. Affected phloxes are dug up, trying to capture the entire root system, and destroyed.