Wintering black-eyed Susanne properly

The very decorative climbing plant Black-eyed Susan is actually an annual plant. This means that after flowering in summer it wilts in autumn with the first frost and is therefore usually completely removed with the roots. But there are ways to bring Thunbergia alata over the winter. However, this requires a little skill and effort on the part of the hobby gardener so that the plant sprouts again after the winter and does not have to be sown again.

Annual plant

Black-eyed Susanne is one year old

The Thunbergia alata is actually an annual plant that grows in spring Sown garden beds and remove them in autumn after the leaves have withered and dried up will. Because neither the long tendrils nor the roots are hardy. The decorative plant dies even at slightly low temperatures below 8 ° Celsius. Because of its origin in Africa, it is not used to colder temperatures and therefore not hardy in our latitudes. For this reason, it is usually only cultivated as an annual here in the gardens at home.

Overwinter

Black-eyed Susanne hibernates

Even annual plants can actually be overwintered. But this of course requires a little effort to get the non-winter-hardy climbing plant well through the cold season. Therefore, if you intend to keep Thunbergia alata for more than a year when planting or sowing, you should use the Cultivate the plant in a container from the start so that it can be moved to a place in a winter quarter can. Because if the climbing plant was cultivated in a garden bed, it will be difficult to plant and move it again.

preparation

Before the plant is to move, it should be prepared. It is particularly important to examine the plant for pests or diseases so that they do not move into the winter quarters. Then proceed as follows to prepare for wintering.

• remove all dried and yellow leaves
• Cut the plant back to a total of 50 cm
• if pests show up, use insecticides
• remove all affected areas in the event of illness

Cutting back the plant is particularly helpful in order to carry the container well to the new location can, because with tall, climbing plants this would prove to be a difficult undertaking turn out. However, since the climbing plant is a very fast-growing one, it will quickly sprout again and become high in the spring after moving from the winter quarters to the summer location.

Winter quarters

The winter quarters for the not hardy black-eyed Susanne is a bright room that, above all, has to be frost-free. Likewise, constant temperatures should prevail here, which should be around 10 ° Celsius. It should therefore not be too warm in winter for the annual plant. The following locations are therefore suitable as quarters for the cold winter months.

• a bright staircase
• a bright hallway with a window
• an unheated winter garden

Basement rooms with little light, a boiler room or a garage are not suitable for wintering Thunbergia alata.

wintering

If the temperatures fall below 8 ° Celsius in autumn, then it is time to spend the black-eyed Susanne inside. A little care needs to be taken here, but the climbing plant does not need much at the wintering location. Therefore, the following should be noted.

• do not fertilize
• pour only a little
• Above all, avoid waterlogging
• Do not let the soil dry out either
• continue to regularly check for pests and diseases

If Thunbergia alata is largely left to itself over the winter months, it can happen that it is attacked by pests or diseases that are too late for the hobby gardener stand out. Then the plant could have suffered irreparable damage.

After wintering

Procedure after wintering

Already in the last winter months around February it is time to get Thunbergia alata used to the sun again. So it should now be moved from its winter quarters to a location that is also bright and where sunlight can fall for several hours. Nevertheless, frosty temperatures must still be observed and the plant must remain in a frost-free place.

However, if you have a south-facing balcony or a sheltered terrace on the south side, you can use the Put the bucket in the sun over midday when the temperature is more than 8 ° Celsius be. This ensures that flowers are formed in good time. Furthermore, the following is maintained in the transition phase.

• fertilize regularly again
• water regularly
• Provide climbing aid

If the temperatures rise significantly in May after the ice saints and then no more night frosts can be expected the black-eyed Susanne will be brought outside to her original location and will be standing there from now on stay.