- How to water the mountain knapweed?
- Does the flower require additional nutrients?
- How do I prune the perennial properly?
- How hardy is the knapweed?
The mountain knapweed adorns the colorful bed or the romantic cottage garden with rural charm. In order for the native perennial to show its full beauty, only a few care measures are important. Read here how to properly water, fertilize, cut and overwinter the Centaurea montana.
The pretty mountain knapweed requires only the essentials of care
How to water the mountain knapweed?
Water a mountain knapweed plentifully when it is dry without causing waterlogging. Since the natural beauty loses its abundance of flowers in dry soil, please check daily in summer whether there is a need for watering. Apply regular tap water directly to the root disk until the soil stops absorbing moisture.
Does the flower require additional nutrients?
Organic fertilizer is very welcome to a mountain knapweed. From May to September you can spoil the unusual perennial with compost and horn shavings every 4 weeks. At the end of September, please stop giving fertilizer so that the plant matures before winter.
How do I prune the perennial properly?
A cut at the right time is one of the mainstays of a professional care program. How to prune the Centaurea montana wisely:
- Cut off wilted flowers promptly to prevent seed formation
- After the first flowering, cut back all the stems to 10 cm to encourage an autumn follow-up flowering
- Before the first frost, cut the mountain knapweed down to the ground
To give the blue fringed flowers in the vase a rural ambience, cut off the prettiest stems when they have just bloomed.
How hardy is the knapweed?
As a native perennial, the mountain knapweed has come to terms with the Central European winter. If push comes to shove, even severe frost down to well below -30 degrees Celsius will not cause any problems. Special precautions for overwintering are therefore not to be taken in the bed. On the other hand, please wrap a pot in foil and place it on a block of wood.
tips
Can't get enough of the cornflower-like blossoms? Then simply double the joy of the summer blooms. To do this, pick up the root ball of your mountain knapweed in early spring, divide it into two halves and place them in the fresh, moist soil in a sunny location.