Winterwort hibernate - winter care from AZ

• preparatory work
• Conditions in winter quarters
• winter care
• pests
• end of winter
• pruning
• repotting
• Bedding plants after the winter

Does it break the gardener's heart to dispose of the graceful lantana in late autumn ">

If the summer lavender flowering festival is coming to an end in the fall, you are quite reluctant to dispose of the enchanting shrub. Despite its pronounced sensitivity to cold, the tropical Verbena plant has the floral power for perennial cultivation. In fact, only in the course of the years, the colorful flower and leaves dress unfolds in all its splendor. Carrying the summery beauty of flowers through the cold season in a healthy and lively manner is less elaborate and delicate than it seems. Read here how to successfully hibernate Lantans. This winter care from AZ illuminates all relevant details.

preparatory work

If the mercury column falls permanently below the 10-degree mark in autumn, the preparatory work is on the program. While the change to winter quarters is a straightforward process for lavender in the pot, bedding plants require a little more effort. How to do it right:

• Dig out bedding plants together with root ball
• plant in a bucket filled with a potting soil mixture
• between the substrate and bottom opening some potsherds spread as drainage against waterlogging

If possible, do not cut back your exotic flowering shrubs in autumn. For all Sommerblüher a comprehensive form and maintenance cut after hibernation is beneficial for vitality and abundance of flowers. If there is enough space for your floral winter guests, remove only the withered flowers in the fall. In this way you stop the power-consuming growth of the poisonous berries at the same time.

Tip: They make it easier for you and your Lantana in the bed to move to the winter quarters in the autumn with this gardening trick: The young plants are planted in a bucket filled with nutrient-rich, loose garden soil, which has two handles. In this way, you simply get the ornamental wood from the garden floor before the first frost.

Conditions in winter quarters

As an evergreen ornamental shrub, the lantana decays into a quiet growth with the beginning of the cold season. In order for the plant to find its deserved rest on the one hand, and yet joyfully expel it again next spring, neither an Egyptian eclipse nor a sunny, warm location are advantageous. These framework conditions are desirable:

• a bright location without direct sunlight
• cool temperatures between 10 and 15 degrees Celsius

These uncomplicated requirements for the ideal winter quarters are very easy to fulfill in the unheated conservatory, the bright cold-storey, the cool bedroom or a light-flooded staircase without heating. Avoid a place on the windowsill of the cozy living room, perhaps directly above an active radiator. Instead of enjoying his well-deserved rest, put the vervain plant at this location in a month-long stress, with fatal consequences for the vitality and willingness to flower.

Tip: It is not a drama when the lantern in winter quarters partially or completely drops its leaves. Follow our tips for winter care, drive the plant back with spring busy.

winter care

In the bright, cool location, the Lantana camara is frugal and undemanding. With this mini-care program, the ornamental wood safely through the winter:

• reduced pour with lime-free water
• Do not allow the substrate to dry out
• the cooler and darker the winter quarters, the lower the need for casting
• do not fertilize from October to March
• Check for diseases and pests every few days

Adjust the water supply to the local conditions. If the leaves dress is preserved, the evaporation continues at a low level. If the Lantana discards its leaves, the demand for water drops proportionately. Ideally you only pour after a finger test. To do this, press your thumb or forefinger into the substrate. If the upper 2-3 cm feels dry, it is poured until the first drops run out of the bottom opening. The water collected in the coaster is poured out after 15 minutes to prevent unwanted waterlogging.

Tip: Fill the coaster with pebbles and water. The evaporating moisture increases the humidity, for the benefit of the evergreen leaves dress and as a defense against common pests in winter quarters.

pests

Its toxicity unfortunately does not protect the lantana from infestation with pests during the hibernation. If it comes to health problems, usually the following culprits are behind it:

White flies

The 1-2 mm small, white-winged insects sting the epidermis to suck the sap. At high pressure, whole swarms of white flies rise above the plagued wood. Their nefarious activity causes yellow leaf spots and foliage covered with sticky honeydew, which dries up and dies off. Do not let it come to that. Look for the pests on the top and bottom of the leaves every few days. If the tiny animals emerge, they can be captured with sticky traps. To do this, hang the yellow boards in the middle of the plant. Alternatively you can get help by robbery mites. Used successively, the varieties Phytoseiulus persimilis and Amblyseius californicus kill the whiteflies. In addition, the classic lubricious soap solution has proven to be a home remedy for combat well. Add 1 tablespoon of pure soft soap and a few drops of alcohol to 1 liter of lime-free water

end of winter

From the middle / end of February you will initiate the transition phase into the new vegetation period. Gradually increase the incidence of light until the Lantana takes a sunny spot, in warmer temperatures between 18 and 20 degrees Celsius. At the same time, you increase the casting rate, although a previous thumb sample is still recommended. Your winter guest is now grateful for a lukewarm spray of lime-free water.

pruning

Lantans flower on this year's wood. As the shoots set in under normal conditions in April, the March offers an optimal date for the form and maintenance cut at the end of hibernation. Now you can certainly go to work, provided the wood has assumed unwanted dimensions. This is how you proceed professionally:

• shorten all twigs by up to 2/3
• put the scissors just above a sleeping eye (thickening under the bark)
• Thoroughly clear the ornamental wood by cutting off deadwood at the base
• remove all intersecting, rubbing or inward branches

The stronger the pruning, the more abundantly branched and blooms the tropical Verbena plant. Use only freshly sharpened and meticulously disinfected tools. Squashed shoots and unclean scissors open the door to malicious pests and fungal spores for an infestation.

Tip: Lantana is poisonous in all its parts. Therefore, wear gloves during all planting and care work.

repotting

As a rule, the lantana has completely rooted its bucket within a year. The end of the winter break is therefore a good opportunity to repot the plant following the pruning in a larger vessel with fresh soil. As a substrate, we recommend a high-quality potting soil compost with a low peat . Add a few handfuls of lava granules or perlite respiratory flakes for a continuous oxygenation of the roots. How to make the right turn:

• in the new bucket over the water drain some potsherds or pebbles spread
• lay a fleece that is permeable to air and water, so that the drainage does not get muddy
• then pour in a first layer of the fresh substrate to push a trough with your fist

Now spit out the pruned Lantana. Take a closer look at the root ball on this occasion. Puny, foul roots can now be cut off. Shake the discarded substrate as completely as possible or over-shower the root ball briefly with soft water. While maintaining the previous planting depth, put the wood in the soil. A small pouring edge prevents later no soil-water mixture spills over.

Tip: Nutrient supplies in pre-fertilized substrate are sufficient for 4-6 weeks. A repotted lavender will therefore be fertilized only from the end of May / beginning of June, so that there is no overdose.

Bedding plants after the winter

The lavender plants, excavated in the autumn and wintered in a pot, experience the same care program as their colleagues in a permanent bucket culture. This applies to the gradual hardening from February as well as to the pruning in March. The only exception is the repot, which is unnecessary here. Instead, water the plants regularly and apply a liquid fertilizer every 14 days from mid-March. If no more late ground frosts are expected in May, plant the flowering shrubs back into the bed in a sunny, warm and sheltered location.

Here you will find more general care tips and important information about Lantana: Lantana - Care

Tips for quick readers

• Dig up the bedding plants, place them in loose potting soil
• only remove withered flowers
• Prevent debilitating growth of poisonous berries
• bright winter quarters with 10-15 degrees Celsius
• Do not allow the substrate to dry out
• do not fertilize from October to March
• regular inspection for diseases and pests
• prone to white flies
• Control with yellow boards, predatory mites, soft soap solution
• Brighten up from February and increase the casting rate
• Pruning and repotting in March
• Maintain bedding plants until mid-May and plant out
• Wear gloves during all planting and care work