Glockenheide, Erica tetralix & gracilis - plants and care


The Content Of The Article:

The Glockenheide impresses with its bright flowers many a hobby gardener who likes to plant the perennial plant in a moor-bed or in window boxes. The best known species of bell heather are Erica gracilis and Erica tetralix, Both are of different origin, even if they have the same care claims.

  • Erica gracilis is native to the Cape region of South Africa, while the circulation of the Erica tetralix is ​​in Europe.
  • Erica tetralix blooms between June and September and Erica gracilis between August and October with white, pink or red flowers.
plants
The best planting season for the bell heather is from September to November or from March to May:
  • Immerse bales in water beforehand
  • Loosen soil well before use
  • dig deep plant hole
  • Root balls must be covered 0.5 cm with substrate
  • Press rootballs well and water well
If there is no rain after planting, you need to water abundantly daily so that the bell heather grows well.
Location
The bell heather loves a sunny to partially shaded spot. However, she does not like direct sunlight, otherwise her leaves will dry up very quickly. Erica tetralix & gracilis are also suitable for planting outside the garden:
  • grave planting
  • window boxes
  • troughs
ground
In a moorland next to rhododendrons, azaleas, cranberries and cranberries, the bell heather feels most comfortable. The substrate in the moorland consists of lime-free, humus-rich, acid and moist sand or peat soil. For example, rhododendron earth from the trade is well suited for a moor bed. If you want to put together the substrate yourself, you can use a part of peat or peat substitute, one part of peat soil and three parts of coniferous earth and mix everything with a little sand. In the case of heather and all other bog plants, it is very important that they stand in moist soil, but can not form waterlogging.
to water
For Erica tetralix and Erica gracilis to flower for months, they need regular and abundant watering. The plants dry up quite fast if they get too little water. This often occurs when planting in the pot or balcony box. When it comes to water quality, care must be taken to ensure that it is lime-free, preferably rainwater. Tip: The root ball of the bellhide must always be slightly moist and must never dry out, no matter whether it is in the bed or in the pot or bucket.
Fertilize
Although the nutrient requirements of the bellhide are low, fertilizer commonly used in moorland, for example for rhododendrons or azaleas, does not harm them. On the contrary, they are stimulated to grow. In the pot kept bellflower should receive at regular intervals of 4 weeks fertilization with liquid flowering plant fertilizer.
To cut
The dwarf shrubs should be cut back annually after flowering, so that they get a nice bushy shape and do not flake inside. Tip: Cut the plant back to 2/3 in the first year and only slightly above the previous year's height in the following years.
multiply
Erica tetralix and Erica gracilis are usually propagated by cuttings, division or subsidence. Propagation by seed is possible but very difficult and has therefore not established itself as a standard method.
cuttings:
For the propagation of the Erica you can use shoot or head cuttings, which are already slightly woody. Take good care not to crush the stems when cutting them. The cuttings are inserted in Moorbeeterde or even attached peat plant substrate. Pots and bowls are best suited for this purpose. Put a foil over it to develop a good growing climate and air every now and then. If you like, you can immediately put the cuttings into the moor-bed without having to grow them in pots. However, the small cuttings can quickly dry up while the big plants have already stored enough water in their roots, should you ever forget to water the moorland.

Division:

The root ball of the heather can be separated with a sharp knife to get two or more parts. Always make sure that there are strong shoots and roots on all parts. The cuts are simply planted in a new place in the moorland or cultivated in pots.

Absenker:

  • put strong side shoot on the floor
  • Shoot the shoot or weigh it down with stone
  • pour regularly
overwinter
Hibernating Erica gracilis in the bed is hardly worthwhile in cold regions, as it freezes at temperatures below -6° C. It is therefore better to take them out of the bog and to spend the winter in the house. With the Erica tetralix hobby gardeners could be more fortunate as they are considered hardy.But even here it rarely succeeds, as it is often forgotten to water them in the garden in winter. Because the Erica must never dry out, even in winter! In the house, the heather is overwintered at temperatures between 5 and 10° C. The winter location should be bright. A sunny to half shady place in the house is ideal. Keep the plant substrate moist even in winter. But do not pour too much as the roots can rot!
planting combinations
As a typical peat plant, the bell heather is very compatible with plants that have similar demands on soil and sunlight, such as:
  • Lavendelheide
  • bogbean
  • Irish heath
  • rhododendrons
  • Outdoor azaleas
  • narrow-leaved cotton grass
  • bilberry
  • cranberry
  • Kalmus
  • Sumpfporst
  • Windflower
  • lungwort
  • bearberry
  • Corydalis
Diseases and pests
The bell-heather may sometimes suffer from mildew or gray mold, but it can also attack pests such as heather bug beetles or aphids.
Mildew:
You can counteract the mildew with a milk-water mixture. For this you use a mixture of 10% whole milk and 90% water. The liquid is sprayed onto the affected Erica plants with a nebulizer.
Gray mold:
When gray mold, it is advisable that you outplant or pest the infested plants. Cut off all affected parts of the plants and allow the plants to dry in the air for a very short time. Then you take fresh plant substrate and fresh, germ-free pots or balcony tubs, if you keep the Erica in pots. If you have gray mold in the bog, it is advisable to cover the bed completely with a new substrate. In the meantime, plant the infested plants in germ-free pots and germ-free substrate. Only put the plants back into the new bed when no gray mold is left. If the gray horse has progressed too far, unfortunately only the disposal of the plants will help, so that the mold does not spread any more.
Heather leaf beetles and aphids:
In addition to common biological sprays with garlic, stinging nettle, horsetail, tansy or siamese seeds, songbirds also help in the destruction of pests, provided they find sufficient nesting sites in your garden.
Conclusion of the editorship
Taking care of the bellhide, also known as moorland heath, is basically not that difficult if you make sure that your root ball stays moist and never dries out. This is especially important for pot farming. Waterlogging is just as harmful as drought. If the bell-heather is planted in combination with other marsh plants, it feels most comfortable.
Worth knowing about the Glockenheide in brief
Location
  • The bell heather likes a bright location, but without direct sunlight.
  • With too much sun, the leaves dry up quite fast and fall off.
  • Temperatures should not be too high, between 7 and 11° C.
  • The humidity must be high if possible.
  • If the plants are protected, they can withstand frosts down to -5° C.
plant substrate
  • The plant substrate should be absolutely sour and humus.
  • Ideal is a mixture of three parts of potting soil, 1 part of peat soil, 1 part of peat and a little coarse sand.
  • But you can also simply take unit earth and peat in equal parts.
Pouring and fertilizing
  • The bell heather needs plenty of water, then it blooms for months.
  • If she gets too little water, she dries up quickly. It is best to use rainwater.
  • Calcified water is not tolerated. It can lead to the death of the plants.
  • The root ball should always be slightly moist. He is not allowed to dry out.
  • It is fertilized every 4 weeks with a liquid flowering plant fertilizer.
overwinter
  • Usually the wintering of the bell heath hardly pays off.
  • But if you want to try it anyway, give the plants a bright winter quarters at temperatures around 5° C.
  • The root ball should be slightly moist and should never die off. That kills the plant. Too much wetness, however, too.
To cut
  • The bell heather is cut directly after flowering.
  • In the first year is cut back to 2/3, then later only a little above the previous year's average height.
multiply
  • Propagation by seeds is difficult, but possible.
  • In addition, one can cut head or partial cuttings and multiply the plant from side shoots.
  • Head cuttings are also possible. Do not take woody cuttings and these should not be crushed.
Diseases and pests
  • Glockenheide suffers occasionally from iron deficiency.
  • Gray mold and mildew may occur, but rarely.
  • As weeds, weeping weevils, heather beetles and aphids occur.

Glockenheide, Erica tetralix & gracilis - plants and care

FAQ - 💬

❓ Where does Erica tetralix grow?

👉 Erica tetralix, the cross-leaved heath, is a species of flowering plant in the family Ericaceae, native to western Europe, from southern Portugal to central Norway, as well as a number of boggy regions further from the coast in Central Europe such as Austria and Switzerland.

❓ What is the difference between Erica tetralix and Erica cinerea?

👉 The distinction between E. tetralix and the related species Erica cinerea is that the linear leaves are usually glandular and in whorls of four, while those of Erica cinerea are glabrous and borne in whorls of three. The leaves of Calluna vulgaris are much smaller and scale-like and borne in opposite and decussate pairs.

❓ Is E tetralix a perennial?

👉 In bogs, wet heaths and damp coniferous woodland, E. tetralix can become a dominant part of the flora. It has also been introduced to parts of North America. It is a perennial subshrub with small pink bell-shaped drooping flowers borne in compact clusters at the ends of its shoots, and leaves in whorls of four (whence the name).

Video Board: Erica tetralix vřesovec čtyřřadý.

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