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The checkered flower, which blooms in April and June, is adorned with strikingly patterned flowers. The perennial lily plant from Eastern Europe is relatively undemanding and easy to care for.
Checkerboard flowers like to have wet feet
pour
Unlike many other garden plants, the checkered flower loves wet feet and must therefore be kept evenly moist. This also applies to the summer rest phase, in which the chess flower pulls in all parts of the plant above ground. However, avoid waterlogging so that the onions do not rot.
Fertilize
Fertilize the plants in the bed with compost at the beginning of the growing season in March. A second application of fertilizer does no harm, but it is also not absolutely necessary.
If you take care of the chess flower in the pot, special liquid fertilizer for flowering plants should be given every two weeks during the flowering phase.
To cut
At the end of May, the flowering period of the checkerboard flower is coming to an end. Any faded flowers should be cut out at this point.
The stems with the leaves remain standing until they have turned yellow. This is important because the chess flower transfers important nutrients from the above-ground parts of the plant to the bulb after flowering.
repot
If you cultivate the checkered flower in a pot or as a companion plant under a bonsai, it must be repotted into commercially available substrate every two to three years in spring.
wintering
The checkered flower is very robust and absolutely hardy. Even the deepest sub-zero temperatures cannot harm the fragile plant. Therefore, no special winter protection is required.
The plant is only endangered by drought, which threatens in winters without significant rainfall. In the event of a frost, proceed as follows:
- Water well on frost-free days.
- Use cold water. Warm water could stimulate the onions to sprout and the checkered flower would freeze to death.
pests and diseases
The checkered flower is extremely robust and is rarely attacked by pests or diseases.
Snails endanger plant health, as many species like to eat the leaves of the chess flower. Defecation prevents the plant from storing the nutrients in the bulbs before the dormant phase. Therefore, fight snails consistently.
Sometimes lily beetle eat the leaves. Since the larvae of the bright red beetles can cause massive damage to all lily plants, they should be fought quickly. Has proven itself:
- collecting adult beetles
- sprinkling off the larvae
- Sprinkle rock flour (14.13€) or coffee grounds
When the infestation is severe, it is sometimes necessary to use an insecticide.
tips
If you want to propagate the plant yourself, you should not remove everything that has faded in May. Let some capsule fruits ripen and only cut them off if you don't want to self-seed.