Planting and caring for phlox

Location

Depending on the variety it feels phlox in full sun or in the Penumbra well. Give it a light, airy place so that the leaves dry off quickly after a downpour. This will help prevent an infestation mildew before.

Soil claims

• Varieties that are native to floodplains prefer a nutrient-rich, well-drained substrate. Moist underground does not harm them. However, you should ensure that the water drains well through a drainage layer, as waterlogging also leads to root rot in phlox.
• The large-leaved phlox gets away with the competition Tree roots and drought cope well and thus provides splashes of color in garden corners where other plants are taking care of.
• Carpet phlox spreads rapidly on sandy soils in a sunny spot.
• Phlox stolonifera is not as assertive as the other variants. Give it an open spot in partial shade. Competing weeds should be removed regularly.

planting

Since the flame flower is almost always sold in pots, you can get the pretty permanent bloomer

Use throughout the gardening season. Phlox is extremely vigorous. It is therefore imperative that you adhere to the recommended distances when planting.

Water and fertilize

The water requirement varies depending on the species. You can't go wrong if you water the phlox enough whenever the top centimeters of the substrate feel dry.

Fertilize You perennial phlox in the spring with compost, Horn meal or a portion of high-phosphate, low-nitrogen Complete fertilizer. Annual flame flowers are hungrier and should be given liquid fertilizer several times.

Cut back

Remove everything that has withered regularly. This means that early-blooming varieties create a second flower pile. You can leave the foliage on the plant in autumn. It serves as natural winter protection.

Diseases and pests

That is relatively common Powdery mildew infestation, which shows itself through a white mushroom lawn on the leaves. It can seriously damage the perennial. The fungus can be contained well by spraying a mixture of raw milk and water.

Foam leafhoppers are found quite often on the phlox. You can recognize the sucking pest by the drop of foam in which it hides. Rinse the animals as quickly as possible with a medium-hard water jet.

Stem nematodes establish themselves in the shoots. The animals can be identified by the unnatural thickening of the leaf stalks and deformities of the foliage. Cut off the affected branches close to the ground and dispose of them in the household waste.