Carnation - One of the most common flowers among modern gardeners. Growing a garden carnation is not a difficult task, but to achieve the most beautiful flowering, some knowledge is still needed.
Did you know? In ancient Greece, the carnation was called the "flower of Zeus".
Conditions for growing carnations in the garden
Carnation has a wonderful aroma and an amazing variety of colors. Due to this, carnation takes the second place in popularity after roses.
Lighting Requirements
There are about 400 varieties of carnations, and they all adore the sun and sunshine. Artificial lighting will also accelerate flower growth. Thanks to the good light, the carnation starts to bloom faster.
At home, due to the change in the duration of the clove lighting, it is possible to regulate the quality and timing of flowering, which is especially important during the late autumn, winter and early spring.
In winter, carnation blooms worse. To improve flowering, you need to increase the lighting up to 14 hours a day. Using the quality of lighting and the length of daylight, you can adjust the transition to the flowering carnation and the rest of its growth.
Soil composition requirements
Like all flowers, carnation loves a neutral and well-fertilized soil. The flower germinates best on light, well-drained and moisture-permeable soil.
These include non-acidic, friable and fertile sandy loaves. If the soil in your area is "sour", then dilute it with dolomite flour, this will replenish the reserves of magnesium and improve the quality of the soil.
Important! Carnations are absolutely not suitable peatlands.
Care of garden carnations
Although carnation is an unpretentious plant, there are still some nuances concerning its cultivation:
- the flower needs loose soil and constant watering;
- the more often you feed the flower, the better it will grow;
- remove the flowering inflorescences, this will prolong the period of clove blooming;
- in winter, it is better to transplant the carnations into containers and bring them into the house.
Pinch the tops: do you need it?
Pinching cloves promotes good development and stimulates abundant flowering. Pinching a carnation during growth of lateral stems, you contribute to the formation of more flowers.
It is very important to pinch the flowers if they grow to cut. This method allows you to make the flower more bushy, and with the help of pinching you can influence the height of the plant.
After the flower grows to 16 cm and has six swollen leaf nodes on the stem, you need to pinch off the top of the stem above the sixth leaf node.
Did you know? Leaf knot is the compacted part of the stem from which leaves appear.
After the first pinching, you will notice the appearance of lateral shoots. You can repeat the process after the shoots reach 12 cm in length. After pinching a plant, it should be well supported with a rope and a pivotal support.
It can be concluded that pinching is a useful procedure, but it should be stopped immediately after the start of the formation of leaves. Keep in mind that strong pinching can delay flowering. To keep the flowering season long, pinch only half of the side shoots, so you can get two flowering waves.
Soil care
High-quality care of a carnation is impossible without care of the soil. It is necessary to irrigate the soil often, but not abundantly, after which it should be loosened. As with most flowering plants, the soil for cloves should be well fertilized with mineral and organic fertilizers.
Add to the soil fertilizers containing potassium, but make sure that chlorine is not available in the fertilizer. If you harvest soil mix, then mix peat, earth and river sand. In the same mixture, add nitrophoska.
Important! Feeding the soil with fresh manure for cloves is contraindicated.
Garter plants
If your carnations have tall stems, from 30 cm, they need to be tied to a support, otherwise heavy inflorescences will break off the stem. To support medium-sized plants, one 60-centimeter stake is enough for you.
Carnations should not be tied tightly to support stakes. If you use a new stake to bind each individual stem, it is best to use wire rings or tie up at several places at the same time.
Trimming and preparation for winter
In order to protect the carnation from the winter frosts, it is customary to cut it. There is no need to cut the flower completely, it will be enough just to cut off the aerial part that has faded and promulgate the soil where the flower grows.
Due to this, the plant will accumulate nutrients in the root system, which will support the flower during the cold season. If woody stumps from the stalks are present, they should be left, as they will retain the snow cover.
Plant reproduction at home
Perennial garden carnation is propagated by cuttings, dividing a bush or grafting. All these methods can be implemented at home.
Layering
Only those types of carnations that have long vegetative shoots can be propagated by layering. To do this, on the underside of the stem, make an incision, place the stem in the ground and constantly moisten it.
When roots are formed, then new shoots are formed. At this time, you can separate the new plant and transplant it from the mother liquor. Another way to get cuttings is to fill the bush with wet soil.
Dividing bush
You already know how the garden carnation propagates with the help of layering, let's consider the following method. With this method, very few varieties of carnation can be propagated, which form easily rooting shoots.
These varieties of carnations include Turkish carnation and grass. It is recommended to produce division in the period of early spring, as the plant, divided in this period, will bloom in the first season.
To breed carnations by dividing a bush, you need to dig a plant with a root and divide it into parts. It is important that the root and the kidney as well as the adult shoot be well developed on each separate part.
Cuttings
Let's see how to propagate the carnation by cuttings. With this method you can multiply all types of cloves. To cut a flower, you need to use perlite or calcined sand, because cloves can easily pick up fungal infections.
The best time for grafting is the end of spring and the beginning of summer. At this time, the vegetative shoots can already be well distinguished from flower stalks. To root the stalk, use vegetative shoots up to 10 cm long and with at least four pairs of leaves.
Remove the leaves from the lower nodes and make longitudinal cuts with a knife along the entire internode. Incised cuttings need to be dipped in the substrate and dig up with a can or film. 
Diseases and pests of garden carnations, how to fight
Even if you constantly monitor and care for your carnations, they will still be subject to attacks by pests and diseases. The most malicious enemies of a carnation are aphid, mite and gray rot.
In order to get rid of ailments qualitatively, you need to use chemical means, but you should not forget about traditional methods. For example, knowing how to feed a carnation in the spring, you can protect it from the influence of pests.
To get rid of plants from pests can be planted next to the cloves brothers and calendula. In order to avoid fungal diseases, control the soil moisture, it should not be overwetted. In addition, you need to constantly break through the soil and remove weeds.
From time to time, change the place of planting carnations garden. For the prevention of disease can be practiced by transplanting cloves in the spring to a new place, this will significantly reduce the risk of disease.
Remember that regular inspection and timely identification of the problem will keep your flower garden beautiful and healthy.
