Planting and caring for Steller's wormwood

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The fragrant weed Steller's wormwood is today used as an ornamental plant for landscaping in garden and summer cottages. There are several species that are planted to create compositions; caring for Steller's wormwood does not require special costs.

Planting and caring for Steller's wormwood

Varieties

Artemisia stelleriana is considered one of the most popular Asteraceae plants of the Asteraceae family, with which they decorate personal plots. In total, the wormwood genus has about 400 species. Some varietal varieties of Steller are planted for decorative purposes:

• Moris Form - the description says that it reaches a height of no more than 15-20 cm and grows up to 0.5 m wide, forming sterile shoots with dense foliage of an oval or spatulate shape. There is white fluff on the foliage, flower stalks appear in July. It is characterized by yellow inflorescences. Sunlit places and poor soil are well suited for Maurice, therefore she is often used to decorate borders and stone compositions;
• Silver Brocade is a plant up to 30 cm high with openwork silvery foliage, which has a pinnately cut shape. The leaves are similar to deer horns, the leaf blades and stem of Silver have fluff, the flowering period begins in June, blooms with inconspicuous yellow inflorescences. The plant is popular in landscaping due to its rapid growth;
• Boughton Silver, or silver brocade - reaches a height of 20 cm, growing in diameter up to 0.5 m, has low-planted openwork foliage.

Landing

Steller's wormwood is planted in several ways, which depend on the type of planting material.

Before planting Steller's wormwood, a suitable place for the plant is chosen:

• open areas well lit by the sun;
• hills where there is no stagnation of moisture;
• rocky or sandy soils.

The soil for planting should be depleted, without a large proportion of humus and nutrients in it. Steller's wormwood grows poorly on clay and waterlogged soils, which lead to decay of the plant root system. For looseness, sand is added to the soil, the amount of fertilizer is minimized, limited only by humus.

Planting seedlings

Before buying ready-made saplings of Steller's wormwood, make sure that there are no dried and rotted fragments on them, there should be no mold in the containers.

Seedlings are transplanted into open soil in late April and early May, when the heat has settled. For them, pits are prepared a little larger than the roots at a distance of 25-30 cm from each other and 0.5-0.6 m between the rows.

The bottom of the pits is laid out with mulch from fine gravel or stones, which creates additional drainage for the outflow of excess moisture.

If you want to limit the growth of the plant, slate is placed in the pits around the perimeter or other limiters are installed.

Planting seeds

When planting seeds, seedlings are initially grown, and only grown seedlings are placed in soil.Seeds are sown in April, maintaining adequate light and moderate temperatures.

Steller's wormwood shoots appear after 2-2.5 weeks.

The grown seedlings are planted 1-3 in separate containers at a distance of 10 cm. They are planted in a permanent place of growth in open soil in the last days of May-June.

Seedling care

Plants are easy to care for

Steller's wormwood does not require careful maintenance:

• watering - during the initial 2 weeks after planting, then watering is reduced to a minimum or completely stopped, resorting to it only during the dry period, because due to an excess of moisture, the plant loses its decorative appearance;
• mulching and loosening - each variety is required, because removing weeds and providing oxygen to the roots;
• top dressing - not required;
• pruning - involves pruning fast-growing shoots to maintain the required shape, pruning is carried out at the initial stage of flowering, while the peduncles are also pruned;
• disease and pest control - not carried out.

Reproduction

In the process of leaving, reproduction is important, by means of which the planting area is increased. The root system of the plant is formed in the form of a thick creeping rhizome used in the process of propagation of garden culture. Steller's wormwood is also propagated by cuttings and by dividing the shrub.

Propagation by cuttings

When Steller's wormwood is propagated by cuttings, a large mass of planting material is obtained. The procedure is carried out during the period of active growth of the bush, which usually occurs in May-June. Young and last year's plants, including the tops and central part, are suitable as a source for reproduction.

Cutting process:

• the starting material is cut into small pieces (cuttings) of 8-10 cm;
• the lower cut is made at an angle, which makes it possible to subsequently determine the top and bottom of the planting material;
• prepare soil from sand and humus;
• cuttings are planted to a depth of 3-4 cm, maintaining a distance between seedlings of 5-8 cm;
• from above the planting is covered with glass or film, which makes it possible to speed up the process of formation of the root system;
• 2 weeks after the appearance of the roots, the covering material is removed.

Further care of seedlings is reduced to moderate watering. They are planted in a permanent place of growth for the next season.

Reproduction by dividing the bush

Propagated by dividing the shrub more often, because this procedure rejuvenates the plant, which must be done every 2-3 years. The division is carried out in the spring, starting in April, or closer to autumn, in August.

Division process:

• they dig up a bush, shake off the roots from the soil;
• divide it into parts so that each of them has a root and 2-3 strengthened shoots;
• the cuts are sprinkled with charcoal;
• the separated parts are planted and watered abundantly.

Root propagation

Artemisia stelleriana is often propagated by rhizome, which makes it possible to quickly obtain new seedlings. Propagation begins in April or August:

• dig out the bush, freeing the roots;
• cut off the root part;
• the cut off area is divided so that there are 1-2 kidneys on each part;
• delenki are planted in a permanent place of growth.

Conclusion

Artemisia stelleriana is used as an ornamental plant for landscaping. The plant is unpretentious to care for. You can propagate by cuttings, rhizome and division.