Flowers traditionally recommended for balconies, such as geraniums or petunias, are sensitive to frost and are usually not planted until the end of May. Our balcony does not have to be empty earlier, because from the beginning of spring it can be decorated with flowering bulbs. First, however, we will have to deal with the wintering of onion flowers in balcony boxes and pots.
How to winter onion flowers on the balcony?
Crocuses can welcome spring in balcony pots.Varieties with different colors of flowers can be planted - blue, purple, yellow or white, as well as multi-colored. At a later date, we will be able to admire tulips, which in balcony boxes look great in combination with daffodils and sapphires.
In pots and containers, low and early flowering tulips from the group of single early and full early tulips will work best. It is also worth remembering about botanical tulips. The dwarf, yellow-blooming narcissus 'Tete a tete' will perfectly match the low red blooming tulips, recommended not only for containers but also for rock gardens and for creating small groups on lawns. You can also plant sapphires in such a way that they constitute borders for tulips and narcissus, or we can also plant these plants in clumps, alternately.
This way, very vivid, colorful compositions will be created in balcony containers. Let's just remember that the bulbs of individual species require planting at slightly different depths.Typically, the planting depth is determined by the size of the onion. Inpots, flower bulbscan be planted somewhat less deep than in the garden, usually 2 times the height of the bulb. You also need to ensure a sufficient thickness of the substrate below the onion, at least 3 centimeters.
The standard planting date for spring flowering bulbs is autumn. Bulbs must experience the winter cold in the ground in order to start growing properly in spring. However, excessive temperature drops can harm them, which is not difficult in balcony pots. Well, in pots, boxes and other balcony containers, the volume of the substrate is limited and therefore it dries up and freezes quickly. Usually, the soil temperature in containers is much lower than in the garden. In turn, in the early spring, the increasingly warmer rays of the sun heat up the soil in the pots much faster, which means that we are exposed to premature plant growth.This phenomenon can also occur when winter is delayed and the confused begin to vegetate before winter comes. That is why our actions towards bulbs grown on the balcony should focus on keeping the substrate moisture to a minimum and preventing excessive temperature fluctuations.
The first way is to move the pots with plants to a frost-free room, e.g. a basement. This can be done as long as the temperature in the basement remains between 0 and 8 ° C. In this case, we can also allow ourselves to delay plantingflower bulbseven until the second half of November, because there is no fear that they will not have time to take root before the onset of frost. It's also a smart way to take advantage of the off-season sale of bulbs in garden stores and buy bulbs at a reduced price.
Whenstoring containers of onionsin the cellar, make sure that the soil is moderately moist throughout the storage period.For this purpose, the substrate is moistened just before planting the bulbs, and then watered every 2 weeks as needed. It is also worth covering the ground with an additional layer of sand, which will prevent rapid loss of moisture from the ground and limit the possible access of light, which in turn will prevent premature plant growth. The lower the temperature we manage to keep in the basement, the slower the growth of the plants will be and the easier it will be to protect our bulbs from spring frosts after moving to the balcony.
And the boxes are usually moved to the balcony in April, not earlier than the beginning of this month. Protection against spring frosts may still be necessary on the balcony. For this purpose, during the night, the pots are covered with catons or balcony boxes turned upside down, a thick layer of paper or agrotextile. These materials do not stain the floor, they can be quickly put on and taken off, and unnecessary cardboard boxes and papers can be found at home.
If we do not have a cellar or it is too warm in it, the boxes with bulbs must bestored on the balconyThen planting bulbs should not be delayed, they must be completed before mid-October for the plants to start they took root before the frosts came. Place the boxes on the floor of the balcony or terrace, preferably in the back, next to the very wall of the building. Cover the soil with an additional layer of sand, and before the onset of severe frosts, the entire boxes must be covered with thick cardboard or polystyrene. This is easy to do with rectangular boxes, while round pots are easier to wrap with agrotextile or thick layers of paper. The tops of the containers are also covered with agrotextile or tunics. Stroisz, i.e. twigs of conifers, works well, and at the end of autumn it is easy to buy, because it is used first to decorate tombs at All Saints' Day, and then for Christmas decorations. As in the basement, on the balcony you need to remember to keep the substrate moist and water the plants during the thaw periods.In April, mailboxes are also set up or suspended to their destination.