How to cover a yucca for the winter and take care of flowers in the cold
Content
Varieties
Yucca is found in the northeastern United States. The plant feels great on the warm coast of the Black Sea and in Central Asia. There are over 30 varieties of this evergreen shrub of the Agave family. The flower attracts attention not only with delicate white or yellowish bell-shaped inflorescences, but also with glossy lanceolate leaves.
In the middle lane, in particular in the Moscow region, filamentous (garden) yucca and gray are grown. You can also find another, Latin, name for filamentous - filamentous. Some botanists distinguish blue-gray yucca as a separate species, others consider it a garden variety.
Blue-gray yucca has leaves about a meter long and a short trunk. Inflorescences are branched and small, with yellowish or greenish-white flowers. It tolerates frost and drought perfectly, but dies when waterlogged.
The filamentous variety has xiphoid leaves more than half a meter long and a huge, about 2 m, peduncle with drooping pale beige or white bells. The leaves on the sides are framed by protruding threads, thanks to which the plant got its name. In care, the flower is unpretentious and quite frost-resistant.
Video "Preparing yucca for wintering"
This video will show you how to prepare a yucca for the winter season.
Rules for a successful wintering
The key to successful wintering of a flower is adequate autumn care and preparation of the flower for the cold weather. Recommendations on how to prepare a garden yucca for winter are simple and even a beginner grower can do. They insulate and choose the type of shelter for the flower, depending on the climatic conditions and the characteristics of the cold period in the region.
You need to prepare the yucca for winter as follows:
- remove dried inflorescences and leaves, damaged parts of the plant;
- feed the plant with mineral fertilizers;
- cover the flower with a dense cover, which will allow you to maintain the temperature that is optimal for the plant, will not let the cold and the formation of dampness.
The main thing to remember is that garden yucca normally tolerates frost down to -20 ° C. Therefore, if the winter in the region is much warmer, you should not be especially zealous - the plant can mature and rot under cover. Also, you do not need to pour the yucca and make a large amount of top dressing. The flower is drought-resistant and does not need large doses of fertilizers. You need to think about future wintering even when planting and choose a sunny, but protected from winds and drafts place.
Shelter
It is important to know not only how to insulate a yucca for the winter, but also what. Even before the onset of the first hard frosts in dry weather, it is recommended to tie the main part of the leaves in a bundle around the trunk. The resulting bundle is tightly wrapped so that it does not bloom. The lower layer of leaves is left on the ground to protect the root system. Additionally, the leaves can be covered with dry foliage, pressing it with something. You can tie all the leaves, and cover the roots with an additional layer of soil and mulch. For a mild continental winter, this shelter will be enough.Young, immature plants can be covered with plastic containers, which should be well pressed into the ground.
In conditions of severe winters, it is recommended to cover both young and old plants with an additional frame method. In this case, wooden square or cone-shaped frames are built, which are wrapped with agrofibre or spunbond. In Siberia, yucca is covered with wooden boxes, which are insulated with a special material, and on top with an additional layer of snow. After removing the shelter in the spring, you should not immediately cut off the yellowed and frozen leaves - the plant needs a period of adaptation. Only when the yucca begins to throw away young leaves can you start sanitary pruning.
Suitable temperature and humidity
Yucca tolerates drought normally, but excessive frequent watering can be detrimental to her. Even in summer, the plant is watered infrequently, and in the fall the amount of watering is reduced to a minimum. For the winter, they moisten the root zone well and mulch it in order to retain moisture for the entire period of the shelter. A gradual decrease in temperature is also normal for a flower. For the dormant period of the plant, the temperature in the shelter should be several degrees higher than the outdoor temperature and not rise above 10 ° C, otherwise the yucca will squeeze. Therefore, at the established minimum positive temperature, the shelter must be removed.
Top dressing
Yucca does not need frequent fertilization. Usually the flower is fed twice a year before and after flowering. Nitrogen-containing fertilizers are not recommended at all. For feeding, mineral fertilizers for succulents, compost or humus diluted with water are optimal. Top dressing can be foliar. For this, the leaves of the flower are sprayed with fertilizer.
Despite its southern origin, yucca tolerates winter well.
The main thing is to provide the flower with adequate care and take care of the shelter. And then she will delight not only with beautiful flowers, but also with a pleasant aroma.