Autumn in the shady park… The gold of the maple tree lies on the water of the pond. The leaves are turning, the birds are silent… In the cold sky, it looks like there is an asteroid, a radiant asteroid.
Aster is a relatively unpretentious plant, but very sensitive to irrigation: excessive soil moisture and prolonged drought can cause damage.
Another weakness of Aster is its susceptibility to fungal diseases. Bacillus cereus, for example, can destroy Aster in just one day once it enters!
To prevent bacterial and viral diseases, the area under Aster should be initially “hardened”: splash it with boiling water or build a fire.
- What seeding techniques will protect your Aster from the insidious Fusarium?
- Why not store your favorite Aster seeds for a long time?
- How do chrysanthemums interact with marigolds and Aster?
- How to grow perennial Aster?
Let’s discuss it together.
ASTER PLANTING AND CARE
Planting: Early spring (March) or open field sowing under winter, or seedlings in late March. seedlings are set in April or May.
Flowering: Summer, autumn.
Light: Bright sun, semi-shade.
Soil: Fertile, loamy soil cultivated to a depth of 8inch (20cm).
Watering: Moderate. In hot weather, less often but more often.
Fertilizer: 3 times per season: after germination, during germination, and one week during early flowering.
Propagation: annuals by seed, perennials usually by vegetative propagation (bush divisions and cuttings).
Pests: salivary weevil, spider mite, leaf nematode, and gall nematode.
Diseases: powdery mildew, ringspot, gray flower rot, verticillium, and viral jaundice.
Aster (lat. Aster) – a genus of annual and perennial herbs of the Asteraceae family, or Asteraceae, with various numbers of views from 200 to 500 species, most of which grow in North and Central America.
In Europe, Aster was secretly introduced from China by a French monk in the 17th century. Aster means “star” in Latin.
There is a Chinese legend that two monks climbed the highest mountain in Altay for many days in order to reach the stars, but when they reached the top, the stars above were as far away and out of reach as they were in the sky.
Then, disappointed and without food or water, they spent many difficult days on the road and returned to the foot of the mountain to see a wonderful meadow with beautiful flowers in bloom.
“Look,” said a monk, “we are looking for the stars in the sky, and they are living on earth!” The monk dug up some flowers, brought them to the monastery, began to plant them, and gave them the star name “Aster”.
In China, from very early times, Aster has been a symbol of beauty, elegance, modesty, and charm. Aster is the flower of Virgo, a symbol of unknown dreams, a gift from God to man, his talisman, his guiding star ……
BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION
Aster – a rhizomatous plant with simple leaves, inflorescence – basket, gathered in panicles or shields, marginal flowers in which – ligulate of all possible colors, and central – tubular, small, almost always yellow.
Since the seventeenth century, since the cultivation of Aster flowers in Europe, scientists have successfully cultivated their cultivated varieties of stunning beauty, of which there are copies of various colors and shapes.
Aster is propagated by seeds. Depending on the quality of the inflorescence and the height of the stems, Aster can be used in borders, group plantings, pots, cradles, or as decoration for balconies and terraces. Very beautiful Aster is used in bouquets and can be kept for a long time.
GROWING ASTER FROM SEED
How to sow seeds
Grow Aster from seed, using both nursery and non-nursery methods. Aster flowers are sown in early to mid-March, and you can start seeing flowers in July. For later cultivars, sow in late April or early May when the temperature is at least 50°F (10°C). Note, however, that seedless Aster blooms later than those you start in the greenhouse.
Sow Aster in shallow furrows (no more than 1.6inch-4cm deep), water well, cover with soil, and in dry weather, mulch or cover the planting site with mulch until seedlings emerge.
Thereafter, mulching material should be used only in case of frost. When the seedlings have two to three true leaves, thin them out so that the spacing between seedlings is 4-6inch (10-15cm). Transplant the excess seedlings to other locations.
When to sow seeds
Early varieties of Aster bloom 90 days after planting, medium and early varieties – within 110 days (early August), late – within 120-130 days (late August – mid-September).
That means that before sowing Aster you need to do some simple calculations. Late varieties of Aster can bloom until frost.
Sow Aster not only in spring but also in late autumn, under winter, directly in furrows on the frozen ground – in this case, the plant is practically not damaged by Fusarium.
When sprouts appear