Taller summer asters are ideal as cut flowers. Smaller summer asters look pretty in stone beds and in perennial borders. No matter what variety it is – every summer aster needs a bit of care.
How do you properly care for a summer aster?
In order to properly care for a summer aster, it needs moist soil and nutrient-rich soil. Regular watering in dry seasons and summer is important. Use liquid fertilizer rich in phosphorus and avoid fertilizers rich in nitrogen. Plants should be disposed of in the fall and grown in alternate locations.
What role does watering play?
Summer asters need moist soil to grow and bloom profusely in the summer months. If these perennials are outdoors, they should be watered during the growing phase and during dry periods. When growing in pots or balcony boxes, watering is necessary regularly. In summer it becomes an everyday procedure.
Are summer asters dependent on fertilizer?
A nutrient-rich soil is a basic requirement for summer asters to grow well. It is therefore best to enrich the soil outdoors with compost before planting. Even after you have disposed of the plant in the fall, it is recommended to add compost to the old planting site.
Here are some more tips:
- Use liquid fertilizer for potted plants (€9.00 on Amazon)
- It is not advisable to use artificial fertilizers
- do not choose fertilizers that are too rich in nitrogen
- it is better to have a lot of phosphorus
- Too much nitrogen makes summer asters susceptible to mildew
- You can also use manure or herbal decoctions
Which disease is more common in summer asters?
It is the so-called aster wilt that does not stop at many summer asters. It means the imminent end of this plant. This is a fungal disease. The fungi cause both the base of the stem and the root collar to turn brown.
The fungal pathogens close the pathways in the stems. As a result, you can water as much as you want. The leaves and flowers wilt and look dried out. The entire plant later dies.
In case of aster wilt infestation:
- Pull up plant
- immediately dispose of in household waste
- do not plant summer asters in this location in the next few years
- choose a new location every year
How do you deal with summer asters in autumn?
Since summer asters are not perennial, you can pull up the plants in the fall and compost them. Even if you covered it with brushwood etc. in the fall, the plant wouldn't survive the winter.
Tip
If you have already had bad luck with aster wilt several times, it is better to choose resistant varieties of summer aster!
