Liver balm is a popular plant for beds and window boxes. There are a few points to consider when caring for the beautiful permanent bloomer. Balanced watering of the plants is particularly important.
Characteristics
- Botanical name: Ageratum houstonianum
- Plant family: Asteraceae
- Origin: Mexico, Guatemala, Belize, tropical regions in the southern United States
- Height: 15 - 20 cm
- Growth form: shrub-like, forms cushions
- Flower colors: white, pink, blue
- Flowering period: May - October
- Flower shape: dense, in clusters
- Leaf shape: ovate
Location
Although the liver balm comes from warm regions, it prefers sunny to partially shaded locations. The plants do not like extreme heat. Despite frequent watering, the plants in such locations let their leaves hang down to protect themselves when it is very hot. The formation of flowers also suffers from this stress.
Tip: On a south-facing balcony, you should shade the plants during the greatest midday heat.
It shouldn't be too shady for the plants either. Ageratum also grows in shady locations, but hardly develops flowers there.
floor
The plants are sensitive to waterlogging. Although they can tolerate slightly loamy soil, if the soil is too dense, you should always work a drainage into the soil. Expanded clay or lava granules, for example, are suitable. When cultivating in a balcony box or pot, a drainage hole is always required for excess water. Commercially available potting soil is ideal as a substrate.
sowing
The plants are not hardy and will freeze off with the first frost. However, they can easily be propagated by sowing, which is why they are often only cultivated as annual plants.
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Instructions for sowing:
- Fill the seed tray with seed compost
- Distribute the seeds evenly
- Just press the seeds on
- pour on
- light up
After around four weeks, the seedlings can be pricked out. Use a substrate that contains more nutrients than potting soil, but is not too rich. That would lead to the plants having a tendency to ginger. A mixture of one part potting soil and one part potting soil is ideal.
Planting
The liver balm is very sensitive to frost. He is only allowed outside when there is no longer any threat of night frost. This is usually the case in mid to late May. Before the plants are permanently outside, they should be hardened. They slowly get used to the UV light and the temperatures outside.
Start by placing the plants in a shady spot during the day. After a few days, you can put the liver balm in the sun for a few hours. Make sure, however, that it is not exposed to the greatest midday heat.
Note: When planting out, make sure there is a distance of at least 25 centimeters. If the plants are planted too densely, they tend to grow rapidly and produce fewer flowers.
fertilization
During flowering, Ageratum should be supplied with liquid fertilizer every two weeks. A fertilizer for flowering balcony plants is ideal. Since the plants are popular with bees, it is advisable to use an organic fertilizer. If you pick up preparations from the market, you can also use a self-made nettle manure for fertilization.
Instructions for making a liquid manure:
- Coarsely chop the nettles
- Fill the bucket 2/3 full with cabbage
- fill up with water
- Cover container
- put in the partial shade
- stir every two to three days
Once the herb has largely decomposed, you can use the manure for watering. Dilute the liquid manure in a ratio of 1:10 with water.
to water
The liver balm is very sensitive to watering. He needs a constantly slightly moist soil. If the plant is too dry, it hardly develops any flowers. If it is too moist, the roots begin to rot and the plant dies.
It is important for Ageratum that it is watered regularly, especially if it is persistent drought. On very hot summer days, it may even be necessary to water it several times a day. If the plants are too dry, this can also shorten the duration of flowering.
Cut back
A pruning is generally not necessary. You can remove bloomed inflorescences. However, this only promotes the formation of new flowers to a limited extent. With good care, new flowers quickly cover bloomed inflorescences.
However, if too many withered inflorescences have collected, you can cut back the plants a little more generously. Remove the shoots up to the first leaf axis. This promotes the formation of new shoots that bloom vigorously.
wintering
The liver balm is not hardy and is usually not overwintered, as it can be grown very easily from seeds. If you still want to try to overwinter the plants, cut them back by about a third to half in autumn. You should transplant bedding plants into large pots in good time.
The winter quarters should have the following properties:
- Frost free
- bright
- Temperature between 10 - 12 ° C
An unheated, frost-free winter garden, for example, is suitable. In winter, the plants are only moderately watered. The substrate is allowed to dry out on the surface, but the root ball should always be slightly moist. To check this, just do the finger test. To do this, drill a finger-deep hole in the earth and use your finger to check whether the earth feels damp.
Note: The liver balm is not fertilized in winter. The plant is only brought into the heat shortly before planting and you can start fertilizing.
The overwintering only favors that the plants get more robust basic shoots. In terms of flower formation, there is hardly any advantage over plants that began preculturing at the end of February. Occasionally, however, the denser shoot formation can also lead to an increased formation of flowers, which are very popular with bees.
Diseases
The liver balm is only susceptible to Root rot. Plants in are particularly at risk for this
Window boxes or pots. If the plants let their leaves droop permanently, check the root area. If the roots feel mushy or if the soil smells rotten, repot the plants immediately.Instructions for transplanting:
- Completely remove the substrate from the root ball
- Rinse off roots
- remove broken roots
- Clean the pot and saucer with hot water
- Fill in drainage made of expanded clay or lava granulate
- Fill in fresh potting soil
- Plant the plant carefully
Check that there is still enough root mass for the plants to continue growing. If this is not the case, they have little chance of survival and the plants can be disposed of. Pour the substrate only moderately and give it sparingly in the first week so that the root rot does not progress any further. If the substrate is already moist enough, you can do without watering altogether.
Pests
The liver balm is a popular bedding plant because it is hardly susceptible to Snails is. Only very young plants are occasionally eaten by snails, flowering plants are usually no longer attractive to them in the bed.
There are a few other pests that can cause problems. This includes first and foremost Aphids. They prefer to settle on weakened plants that have been incorrectly cared for.
Use preferred for fertilization Nettle manure, which also strengthens the leaf structure and thus the plants are no longer so attractive to the aphids. One Mixed culture with lavender or other Mediterranean herbs such as thyme or oregano also quickly drives away the aphids. If the infestation is mild, you can use a solution of soft soap, which you can use to simply wash off the lice.
Instructions for making and using a soft soap solution:
- 15 g lubricant or Finely grate curd soap
- Dissolve the soap in one liter of lukewarm water
- optionally mix in 1 teaspoon neem oil
- Fill the solution into a spray bottle
- Spray plants in the evening
- Leaves and shoots should be dripping wet on the top and bottom
If the location is too dry, spider mites tend to settle on the liver balm. This problem can easily be combated by regularly spraying the plants with water. Also try to moisten the underside of the leaf. This creates a moist environment in which the spider mites do not feel comfortable.
Tip: If the infestation is severe, you can also use the soft soap solution against the spider mites. When spraying, make sure that you mainly treat the underside, where the spider mites predominate.
