Daylily can become a real decoration of the garden. But this requires competent care, otherwise the decorative qualities of hybrids deteriorate, the flowering time is reduced.
To prevent this, you need to know how to feed daylilies before flowering, how to water it properly and what conditions it needs to provide at different stages of growth.
What trace elements does daylily need
Gardeners who have just begun to plant this flower need to know that a lack of nutrients in the soil causes the plant to develop chlorosis. That is, development is slower, flower stalks are not formed sufficiently viable and their number is reduced.
Daylily in the garden
To prevent this, you need to know how to fertilize daylily. It is also important to choose the correct period for making certain types of dressings.
Here are some basic tips:
- in spring, when it is necessary to start intensive plant growth, it is important to add nitrogenous substances. The fact is that this element takes an active part in the formation of proteins, chlorophyll and nucleic acids that are found in different parts of daylily;
- as soon as buds begin to form, it is advisable to add phosphorus and potassium. A small amount of nitrogen may also be added. The root system will respond favorably enough to such top dressing and begin to develop more intensively, going deeper into the soil. Thus, the plant itself will be able to produce an increasing amount of nutrients;
- phosphorus and potassium should be added in late summer or early fall. But nitrogen should be abstained. This will enable the flower to accumulate energy for the next year.
Important! It is necessary to take into account the seasonality of fertilizing and the selection of the right trace elements. Only in this case, you can achieve the most attractive appearance of the flowers.
When it became clear how to feed daylilies, you need to find out how to feed. Allowed:
- root watering with diluted nutrients in it;
- spraying with a liquid having a lower concentration than in the case of irrigation.
Spraying plants
If possible, it is better to combine watering and spraying - so you can achieve maximum effect.
Varieties of fertilizers for daylilies
In order for feeding daylilies to be complete, use:
- organics - horse, cow or bird manure include nitrogen in large quantities, and in smaller amounts of potassium, calcium and phosphorus.
- wood ash obtained by burning plant debris (and, when burning deciduous plants, potassium and calcium are obtained in ash, while phosphorus is obtained from conifers).
Wood ash
Note! Use ash can be strictly dosed. Otherwise, the acid level of the soil can be drastically reduced.
As a fertilizer for daylilies, you can use store compositions and mixtures. These include:
- "The owner of the priest" - in its composition the most important trace elements, such as potassium, nitrogen and phosphorus, contained in correctly selected proportions. The action of this substance is long-lasting;
- "Bucephalus" contains horse manure mixed with the main trace elements that flowering plants need, including daylily;
- An “ideal” is biohumus, which has a beneficial effect on both the growth of green mass and the quality of flowering.
In addition to the above, feeding daylilies during budding may include the following trace elements and chemically important substances for the plant:
- carbamide or urea is rich in nitrogen. These substances are quite soluble in water, so you can make the right proportion of the solution, both for spraying and for watering;
- potassium sulfate can be used both in the composition of solutions and in dry, granular form. This substance is ideal at a time when the plant is setting and opening buds. Most often it is used as watering;
- Calcium nitrate contains nitrogen and calcium, in approximately equal proportions. If the soil is prone to acid reaction, then this particular fertilizing will become optimal for the plant. It will be able to neutralize the excessive effect of iron and manganese in the soil;
- superphosphates are best combined with organic fertilizers. They can be added to compost or manure.
Note! In the spring, when the plant should actively gain green mass, it is better to introduce growth stimulants.
The following drugs are suitable - Zircon, Epin, Peat Oxidate.
Another good option is complex fertilizers. Most often, these are complex preparations, which include micro and macro elements in the form of chelates. It is this composition and concentration that helps to be absorbed as much as possible. Complex daylilies very often spray daylilies. If we talk about the specifics of the composition, then the main two active substances are nitroammophoska and potassium nitrate.
Which fertilizer is better to choose
First of all, you need to focus on the time of year and use only those active substances that are better suited in spring, autumn or summer.
Important! As soon as the plant begins to gain vegetative mass in early spring, it is advisable to use growth stimulants and nitrogenous agents. The same kind of fertilizer can be used during budding. But it is necessary to reduce the nitrogen content, and increase the amount of phosphorus and potassium.
Top dressing during budding
If there is no time to mess around in the country with manure, humus or fertilizers that are made independently, you will have to purchase store-bought preparations. So you can save time and your own efforts. The effect of industrial products will be more intense and faster.
Top dressing in different periods of vegetation
When choosing top dressing, the most important thing is to focus on the stage of growth in which the flower is currently located.
Spring feeding scheme
The first feeding of the flower is carried out when the soil warms up to approximately +6 ° C. In different regions, it can be either March or May.
Note! It is necessary to build on specific weather and climatic features, and not on the month.
You can also focus on the stage of flower growth. When the first top dressing is introduced, the flower usually already has leaves about 10 cm long.
At this stage, it is necessary to introduce complex fertilizer with a maximum amount of nitrogen. Phosphorus and potassium need a little.
You can water the plants once or twice, diluted in the right proportion with growth stimulants. The amount of watering should be determined, depending on the state of daylily.
Summer feeding scheme
When the plant begins to throw buds, it should be supported. For this, it is necessary to feed in June and July with such products that have a large amount of potassium and magnesium. But the nitrogen content should be reduced.
This provides a more magnificent flowering and increase its duration.
Common gardener mistakes in fertilizer application
It is necessary to bring fertilizing wisely. Pay attention to the weather conditions inherent in a particular year.
Important! If summer is full of rainfall, then irrigation with fertilizers will be ineffective. Indeed, in this case, all trace elements will be quickly washed out of the soil.
Therefore, choosing how to fertilize daylilies in the summer, abundant in large amounts of rainfall, it is better to stop at spraying the flower. It will be more effective.
Do not fertilize thoughtlessly, but you need to do this, clearly adhering to the recommended scheme.
You should pay attention to the condition of a particular plant. And only after making sure that the flower needs support, add additional growth stimulator and nutrients.
With small leaves, pale color, slow growth and sluggishly developing bush - it is worth increasing the amount of nitrogen in the feed.
Note! If the leaf on the edge has become brown - increase the potassium content.
If there is such an opportunity, it is best to analyze the soil on the site and make sure of its composition. Only in this case is it possible to correctly calculate the required top dressing. It’s better to realize this, since watering the daylily with fertilizers at random is not the best idea. After all, you can oversaturate the plant with some substances and not give it others.
Home cooking
In addition to store preparations, you can use yourself cooked. In this case, you can achieve a greater effect, but in the longer term.
Fertilizer home for plants
Here is a great recipe that is particularly effective:
- the crushed green leaves of any plant are laid in a container, filling it by about 70%;
- the remaining volume is taken up with water. You can also add 1 tablespoon of urea to the container;
- then left to ferment. It is advisable to choose a sunny place and leave the mixture for 10-12 days. It must be periodically mixed.
Then take a liter of tincture and dilute it in 10 liters of water. Water the daylilies with the obtained product, but how often, can only be determined by soil moisture and aridity of the season.
Thus, if the plant is properly maintained and fed, then daylily will decorate any garden and will delight its owners.
