Erica is a genus of roughly 860 species of flowering plants in the family Ericaceae. The English common names heath and heather are shared by some closely related genera of similar appearance. The genus Calluna was formerly included in Erica – it differs in having even smaller scale-leaves (less than 2–3 mm long), and the flower corolla consisting of separate petals. Erica is sometimes referred to as "winter (or spring) heather" to distinguish it from Calluna "summer (or autumn) heather".
This tough little plant often blooms when it’s too cold for anything else to show any color and can thrive in soil that’s too acidic for most other plants. Heather fits into many small corners in the landscaping design, but buying a number of plants can be expensive. Heather plant propagating is relatively simple, if quite slow. Propagating heather plants can be done in a variety of different ways, depending on how many plants you want to produce.
Temperature: The plant is kept in summer at a temperature of + 64,4-77 ° F. Like azaleas, this plant does not tolerate too high temperatures. In the heat, regular airing is required, since in too hot dry conditions leaves quickly fall off. However, a draft is harmful. In winter, a cool content (+ 46,4-53,6 ° F) is necessary. Very poorly tolerate both heat and lower temperatures
Humidity: At high temperatures, constant spraying is necessary, which also prevents the appearance of pests. But too humid air of greenhouses does not suit a plant.
Lighting: Erica prefers bright sunlight, at least 6 hours of direct sun, a south or south-west window.
Soil: It needs acidic soil with a pH of 4.5-5.5. Use a mixture of peat soil (5 parts), perlite (2 parts), garden soil, sand and compost (1 part). It can be added to the soil, and a bed of pine forest, pine needles and spruce bark. As a ready-made substrate, soil mixture for azaleas can be used. Requires good drainage.
Watering: Watered as the substrate dries to a depth of about 5 cm. Do not allow the plant to dry out. While it dumps buds and leaves, the plant may die after repeated over-drying. When watering, we must try to get water on the leaves, which prevents the occurrence of fungal diseases.
How to fertilize: Does not require a lot of fertilizer. It is desirable to occasionally apply top dressing for azaleas diluted with respect to the recommended dose. A large amount of fertilizer is harmful to heather. The plant does not fertilize during flowering.
Seed Propagation
If your experimental gardener’s mind is wondering, “How do I propagate heather with seeds?” you should take a look at the likely results before starting the project. Like many other woody plants, heather will not reproduce true to the parent plant with seeds. This means that your seeds will produce some sort of heather, but there’s no guarantee what it will look like. The height of the plant, its spread and even the color of the flowers is completely random. If you like that sort of mystery in your plants, then heather seed propagation is for you.
Heather sprouts best after a wildfire, so you need to prepare the seeds to imitate these conditions. Place the seeds on a tray and place them in a 250 degree F. (121 C.) oven for 30 seconds. This is hot enough to begin the germination process, but not hot enough to damage the seed germ. Some growers have a theory that smoke helps with sprouting heather seeds, so place them in a smoker, if you have one, for about two hours.
This tough little plant often blooms when it’s too cold for anything else to show any color and can thrive in soil that’s too acidic for most other plants. Heather fits into many small corners in the landscaping design, but buying a number of plants can be expensive. Heather plant propagating is relatively simple, if quite slow. Propagating heather plants can be done in a variety of different ways, depending on how many plants you want to produce.
Temperature: The plant is kept in summer at a temperature of + 64,4-77 ° F. Like azaleas, this plant does not tolerate too high temperatures. In the heat, regular airing is required, since in too hot dry conditions leaves quickly fall off. However, a draft is harmful. In winter, a cool content (+ 46,4-53,6 ° F) is necessary. Very poorly tolerate both heat and lower temperatures
Humidity: At high temperatures, constant spraying is necessary, which also prevents the appearance of pests. But too humid air of greenhouses does not suit a plant.
Lighting: Erica prefers bright sunlight, at least 6 hours of direct sun, a south or south-west window.
Soil: It needs acidic soil with a pH of 4.5-5.5. Use a mixture of peat soil (5 parts), perlite (2 parts), garden soil, sand and compost (1 part). It can be added to the soil, and a bed of pine forest, pine needles and spruce bark. As a ready-made substrate, soil mixture for azaleas can be used. Requires good drainage.
Watering: Watered as the substrate dries to a depth of about 5 cm. Do not allow the plant to dry out. While it dumps buds and leaves, the plant may die after repeated over-drying. When watering, we must try to get water on the leaves, which prevents the occurrence of fungal diseases.
How to fertilize: Does not require a lot of fertilizer. It is desirable to occasionally apply top dressing for azaleas diluted with respect to the recommended dose. A large amount of fertilizer is harmful to heather. The plant does not fertilize during flowering.
Seed Propagation
If your experimental gardener’s mind is wondering, “How do I propagate heather with seeds?” you should take a look at the likely results before starting the project. Like many other woody plants, heather will not reproduce true to the parent plant with seeds. This means that your seeds will produce some sort of heather, but there’s no guarantee what it will look like. The height of the plant, its spread and even the color of the flowers is completely random. If you like that sort of mystery in your plants, then heather seed propagation is for you.
Heather sprouts best after a wildfire, so you need to prepare the seeds to imitate these conditions. Place the seeds on a tray and place them in a 250 degree F. (121 C.) oven for 30 seconds. This is hot enough to begin the germination process, but not hot enough to damage the seed germ. Some growers have a theory that smoke helps with sprouting heather seeds, so place them in a smoker, if you have one, for about two hours.
