- How is it poured?
- How is fertilized?
- How is it cut?
- How is the snapdragon overwintered?
- vermin and diseases
Snapdragons have been cultivated in our gardens for hundreds of years. With its diverse flower colors and the shape of the blossoms reminiscent of a snapdragon, the robust plant fits perfectly in natural cottage gardens, but also looks extremely good in bowls and window boxes. Properly cared for, snapdragons bloom from June until well into autumn.
Snapdragons are not particularly thirsty
How is it poured?
When it comes to water, the following applies to snapdragons: less is more. Water only when the top inches of soil feel dry. Waterlogging must be avoided at all costs, as the plant reacts extremely sensitively to this. The snapdragon doesn't like lime either. Therefore, water with stale water or, even better, with rainwater.
How is fertilized?
Mix ripe compost and horn shavings (€32.93) into the substrate in spring. The snapdragon is frugal and does not need any other fertilizers. Potted plants whose limited amount of substrate cannot store as many nutrients are supplied with a commercially available liquid fertilizer every two weeks.
How is it cut?
In order to stimulate the bushy growth of the snapdragons, the shoot tips of the young plants are shortened by a few centimetres. If you don't want to harvest seeds for the next year, flowers that have faded are cut off immediately so that the perennial can produce new flowers quickly.
How is the snapdragon overwintered?
Depending on whether they are hybrids or "real" snapdragons, the plant is cut back and dug up in autumn or allowed to hibernate with the foliage. The plant is relatively hardy, a normal winter protection from leaves and brushwood is sufficient.
vermin and diseases
Occasionally, the snapdragon is attacked by aphids, fungus gnats and other harmful insects. These can be easily treated with home remedies or commercially available insecticides.
In certain weather conditions, there is a risk of powdery mildew or downy mildew. Remove affected parts of the plant immediately to prevent the fungus from spreading. Both types of mildew can be effectively controlled with fungicides.
If the plant is exposed to waterlogging, there is a risk of root rot. There are no flowers, the leaves fade and the plant dies as a result. Moderate watering is the best prevention here. The plant is relatively hardy, a normal winter protection from leaves and brushwood is sufficient.
tips
If you leave a few seeds on the snapdragon, the plant will often self-seed and release itself into the wild.