Snapdragons are one of the tireless bloomers that adorn the garden with their attractive flowers from May to October. The plant is undemanding and easy to care for, just keep a few basic things in mind.

The exotic-looking snapdragon is surprisingly undemanding

The right location and soil

In order for the snapdragon to develop many buds, you should give it a place in full sun. Light penumbra is also tolerated.

The flowering plant prefers a nutrient-poor, slightly acidic substrate. To get a good start, you can improve the topsoil with rhododendron soil or compost.

sowing and planting

Snapdragons are very easy to propagate, as they often self-seed and keep coming back to the same spot. Alternatively, you can pull the plants indoors forward and thus move the beginning of flowering a little earlier. By the end of April at the latest, they will be used outdoors and planted out in early May.

In specialist shops you can get snapdragons in many color nuances. From the beginning of May, these are planted at about the same depth as they were in the pot before. It looks particularly pretty when you arrange the busy bloomers in small, colorful groups of three to four plants.

Water and fertilize

Snapdragons don't like wet feet. Therefore, only water when the top centimeters of soil feel dry and avoid waterlogging. Since the plant is sensitive to lime, you should always use rainwater or stagnant water.

Mix compost, horn shavings (€32.93) or a commercially available fertilizer for flowering plants under the substrate when planting, so the snapdragon does not need any further fertilizer.

winter protection

The flowering plant is frost-resistant, so normal winter protection from brushwood or leaves is sufficient. It is only cut back in spring, as the foliage serves as a natural protection against frost.

vermin and diseases

Occasionally, the snapdragon is attacked by aphids, fungus gnats and other harmful insects. You can tackle this with home remedies or commercially available, ecologically effective insecticides.

Depending on the weather conditions, there is a risk of powdery mildew or downy mildew. Remove affected plant parts immediately and dispose of them with household waste so that the fungus cannot spread.

If you mean too well by watering or if the water cannot run off, root rot often occurs. The following signs are typical of this plant disease:

  • Missing flowers.
  • Withering, discolored foliage.
  • If you dig up the plant, the root ball smells unpleasantly putrid.
  • The root system is not crunchy, but soft and mushy.

Unfortunately, infested snapdragons can rarely be saved. The best prevention is therefore moderate watering. Make sure that the water can run off well when you set it down with a drainage layer of gravel or sand.

tips

In order for the snapdragon to bloom tirelessly, it is important to regularly cut out everything that has faded. If you want to harvest seeds for next year, only allow a few flowers to mature.

Category:

Vegetable garden