Miscanthus is a perennial herb from the Bluegrass family. Miscanthus is sometimes also called a fan and is considered the closest relative of sugar cane. There are about forty species of this perennial cereal plant and many different varieties. Gardeners often use miscanthus to decorate ponds and lawns, and florists also add perennials to dry flower arrangements. The article will tell you how to properly plant, grow and care for muscanthus outdoors.
Description of the miscanthus plant
Miscanthus can reach a height of 2 m, it all depends on the species and variety. The root system, receiving and in search of water, can grow up to 6 m. The stems are erect, thin, but very strong and strong. Leaves are scaly, oblong and narrow. At the end of the stem there is a fan-shaped spikelet that can grow up to 30 cm. Miscanthus is a very hardy, strong and powerful perennial. Unpretentious in care and environmentally friendly. The plant is used not only to create original landscaping, but also as an ecological fuel in power plants.
Planting miscanthus outdoors
When to plant miscanthus
The best time to plant miscanthus is late March to mid-May. At this time, the snow has already melted, and the soil has warmed up quite enough to plant the plants. Miscanthus is a thermophilic and light-loving herb, therefore it must be planted in a well-lit part of the garden so that the sun warms the herbaceous perennial with its warmth during the day. The plant also loves moisture very much, so it is best to plant it near water bodies. In order for miscanthus to grow well, you should not plant it in sandy and clay soil.
How to plant miscanthus
For planting, it is best to use already grown perennial seedlings, it is best to give preference to already one-year-old plants, they are stronger and will best take root in a new place. Miscanthus is thermophilic and grows only at a temperature of 25 degrees, because of this, the growing season lasts long enough. Young saplings rarely endure cold weather, as they do not have time to gain strength before their onset, because of this, many of them can die in winter due to cold weather. Therefore, the best option is adult, fairly strong and strong miscanthus seedlings. They will take root faster and easily endure even severe frosts.
In order to plant a plant, you need to dig a hole, which will be slightly larger than the root system in size. A layer of fertile soil should be placed at the bottom of the pit, and then a seedling should be planted. The roots need to be well covered with soil and tamped a little. After planting, it is imperative to carry out abundant watering and mulch the soil with a thin layer of peat, sawdust, straw or dry leaves.This will not only help retain moisture in the soil, but also limit the growth and development of harmful and annoying weeds.
Miscanthus care
Miscanthus does not need any complex and special care, it is quite unpretentious. But in order to grow a healthy and strong plant, you still have to follow a few simple rules for caring for miscanthus outdoors.
Watering
Miscanthus is a very moisture-loving plant. It is necessary to water the perennial regularly and abundantly so that the topsoil does not have time to dry out.
Top dressing and fertilizers
Also, the plant needs special feeding, but moderate, since an overabundance of some substances can lead to a disruption in the development of the plant and to its death. You should start feeding miscanthus only in the second year; in the first year, the plant does not need any fertilizers. You need to feed the plant in the second year twice in one season. Fertilizers with a high nitrogen content should be applied in May. In the second half of summer, the plant should be fed with fertilizers containing potassium and phosphorus. You can easily buy such balanced mineral fertilizers in any special store for summer residents and gardeners.
Weed control
The first two years will have to constantly deal with annoying weeds. After the plant gets stronger and grows, there will be no place for weeds and it will not be necessary to carry out regular weeding, it is enough to occasionally remove the weeds that have appeared.
In order for the perennial not to grow over the entire territory of the garden, it is necessary to make special limiters. To do this, before planting the plant, pieces of iron or slate should be dug into the soil, this will help control the growth of miscanthus and will not allow it to interfere with the development of other plants that will grow with it in the neighborhood with its root system.
Since at the end of summer, miscanthus begins to lose its lower leaves and its appearance from below loses its decorativeness and beauty, it is best to plant some low-growing flowers next to the plant, which will cover these parts of the plant.
This is how you care for miscanthus outdoors. Everything is quite simple and without any complications.
Preparing miscanthus for winter
There are types and varieties of miscanthus that are sufficiently resistant to frost, there are also more delicate ones, it is these varieties that should be insulated for the winter with the help of special materials. Such delicate varieties are very sensitive and even suffer from sudden changes in temperature. Therefore, delicate miscanthus should be carefully insulated, for this you need to make a structure out of sticks that will look like a hut, and cover it with plastic wrap on top so that the air can get a little under the covering material from below. One film is sometimes not enough, therefore, before covering the plant with a film, it is necessary to thoroughly mulch the soil around the plant with sawdust, peat, hay or dry leaves.
Reproduction of miscanthus
After several years, dead stems and leaves accumulate inside the bush, and in order to remove them and give the plant a beautiful and fresh look, it is necessary to transplant the plant to a new place. Together with the transplant, you can combine such a way of reproduction of miscanthus as dividing a bush. This type of reproduction of this plant is considered one of the most reliable. It is best to propagate muscanthus in this way at the end of spring, this time is considered the most suitable. It is necessary to carry out this procedure with extreme caution, since the plant moves away from the transplant for a very long time and painfully gets used to its new habitat.
There is another way to reproduce miscanthus - seed. This method is used much less often, since the plant germinates for a long time and takes on its beautiful appearance and decorativeness only in the fourth year. With seed reproduction, you have to be patient and spend a lot of time.
Diseases and pests
Miscanthus is a fairly strong and so healthy plant that at present there has not been a single case when it was affected by various diseases or attacks of harmful insects.
Types and varieties of miscanthus
Miscanthus giant - a rather complex hybrid, the origin of which is practically unknown. Perennial stems are thin, but very strong and can reach a height of 3 m. Leaves are dark green with a white vein in the middle, can reach up to 25 cm in width, grow quite sprawling. The perennial blooms at the end of summer, small pale pink flowers bloom on fan-shaped columns, which eventually turn silvery. Such a perennial needs marking of the lower part, since the leaves from below at the end of summer begin to wither and fall off.
Miscanthus chinese - This type of miscanthus has a short rhizome and a fairly sprawling and lush bush. The stems can reach a height of about 3 m. The leaves are long, about 1.5 cm wide, rough, dark green in color with a gray vein in the middle. Spikelets are spreading, not long. This type of miscanthus is not cold-resistant, therefore, it must be thoroughly mulched at the root and covered with a special covering material. This species has more than 100 different varieties that differ in color and size, as well as in the shape of leaves and spikelets. The most popular of them are: Blondeau, Variegatus, Miscanthus Zebrinus, Ferner Austin, Morning Light, Strictus.
Miscanthus sugar-flowered or sugar-flowered - this species is very hygrophilous. The stems of this perennial are bare, without leaves. Leaves are green, narrow, about 60 cm long. Fan-shaped spikelets can grow up to 20 cm. Flowers are small, light pink or silvery, located all over the spikelet. This species is distinguished by a long flowering period, which begins in early summer and lasts until late autumn. Miscanthus sugary is quite cold-resistant, for warming it is enough just to thoroughly mulch the soil around the plant with sawdust, peat, hay or straw, there is no need to cover the plant with a film. The most popular variety of this species is Robustus. This variety is larger than the main species and more frost resistant.
If you follow all the rules for planting, caring for and growing miscanthus in the open field, then the herbaceous perennial will grow quite lush, strong and healthy. Thanks to the many different species and varieties, it will be possible to make an unusual and original garden landscape design, as well as collect the most beautiful flower arrangements.
