Asters can be grown from seed, but germination can be uneven. If desired, plant seeds outside in the fall, or start them indoors in winter in flats and refrigerate them for 4 to 6 weeks to simulate winter dormancy. Seven to 8 weeks before planting, place the pots/flats in a sunny spot with a temperature of 60º to 62ºF.
How do you take care of asters in the winter?
Fill the holes with soil. Water the ground around the asters well before it freezes. Make sure the ground is moist but not soaked. Cut the asters down to the ground after the ground freezes. Cover the asters with 2 to 3 inches of mulch to protect the roots during the winter.
How do you pinch asters for Blooming?
You will pinch off the growing tips and the first sets of leaves on stems of the plant. Pinch them off just above the node for the best results. Pinch asters from mid-spring to early-summer. Pinching promotes the growth of more blooms because it encourages more branching in the aster plant.
How do you get rid of Aster clumps?
Aster roots are tough, so you will need to use a sharp spade to cut the clumps into pieces. Water thoroughly immediately after replanting and feed the divisions with bone meal to provide phosphorus for immediate root growth.
What is the best way to prune asters?
Pruning asters is best done in the summer. According to Burpee Seeds and Plants, prune your asters in early summer with hedge clippers to about 18 inches high, which will encourage the plant to branch out and will also encourage more blooms. Asters can survive with no pruning, according to American Meadows.
Do you cut back asters in fall?
M.B.: You don't have to do anything in the fall but enjoy your asters. Leaving the faded blooms and frost-blackened stems later in the season actually helps protect the roots from winter freezing. If you are a tidy gardener, it's OK to cut asters back completely after they bloom.
Do asters need to be cut back for winter?
Care for Asters The Old Farmer's Almanac suggests cutting them back after the foliage has died, or leaving the stalks through winter to give your garden some off-season texture. Cut the yellowing foliage back to about 2 inches from the ground for best aster winter care, American Meadows recommends.
How far do you cut back asters in the fall?
Cut back aster plants in late autumn, after the first hard frost. Snip off the stems 1 to 2 inches above ground level. Rake up and discard the pruned matter into a green waste bin to discourage insect pests from colonizing the soil around the asters.
How do you care for asters in the fall?
Plant into a full sun to part sun location in loamy, well-draining soil. Keep new plantings moist and continue watering until blooms cease. Appropriate care of aster includes watering at the base and not splashing the foliage.
Do you cut aster to the ground?
To thin your aster, cut off entire stems at the base in the spring. About one in three stems is a good general rule for cutting back asters. Pinching is the aster plant pruning strategy to use if your main goal is to maximize the number of flowers you get from one plant.
Do asters survive winter?
Asters have good winter hardiness, reliably surviving winters in Zones 4 to 8. As with most perennials, winter survival hinges on having aster plants in the right type of soil. Tuck asters into soil that's fertile and well-drained. Soil that stays wet and drains poorly in winter can kill aster plants.
Do asters come back every year?
Asters that are planted in your garden in the spring will bloom in the fall. For late-season planting, you can purchase them already in bloom for fall color. They'll more than likely return next year, as long as you get them in the ground about six to eight weeks before the ground freezes in your area.
Do asters need dead heading?
do you deadhead asters? There's no need to deadhead asters, but removing faded flowers will keep the plant looking fresh.
How do you care for perennial asters?
Asters prefer areas with cool, moist summers, as well as cool nights, in sites with full to partial sun. In warmer climates, they do not like the hot midday sun. Give plants plenty of water at the time of planting. Add mulch after planting to keep soil cool and prevent weeds.
Will asters spread?
Will Asters Spread? All asters have the potential to spread. They are rambunctious plants that spread by underground rhizomes. While they make for excellent ground cover and very rarely cause any real problems in the garden, they can occasionally become quite weedy.
Are asters cold hardy?
All asters are frost hardy, and Tatarian will survive winter well in zones 3 through 9. It produces masses of 1-inch, light lavender flowers on plants that grow 3 to 6 feet high. Despite its height, Tatarian aster does not need staking.
Will aster cuttings root in water?
Alternatively, you can place the stem cuttings in water to root. Change the water daily. Once you see a proliferation of roots, the stem is ready for transplant into the garden. Set it into the soil at a depth of two to three inches, fertilize, and maintain even moisture.
When should you cut back asters?
Asters make a big splash in summer and fall on their own, but you can extend the season even further by “pinching” (pruning or using hedge shears) aster stems back by about one-third in early June in the North and late June in the South.
Do asters come back every year?
Asters that are planted in your garden in the spring will bloom in the fall. For late-season planting, you can purchase them already in bloom for fall color. They'll more than likely return next year, as long as you get them in the ground about six to eight weeks before the ground freezes in your area.
Should you deadhead asters?
Deadheading also prevents the plant from self-seeding and helps keep the plant confined to its designated area. Deadheading asters involves pinching or snipping the wilted bloom, along with the stem down to the next leaf, stem or bloom. If you want the plant to self-seed, leave a few wilted blooms on the plant in fall.
Do asters need dead heading?
do you deadhead asters? There's no need to deadhead asters, but removing faded flowers will keep the plant looking fresh.
Aster Care
While you can grow aster flowers from seeds planted in the springtime, it may take several years for them to mature into full-sized plants. More often, asters are planted from potted nursery specimens. They do best in loamy, well-draining soil, and desire a good amount of space around the plants to allow space for their roots to expand.
Types of Asters
The taxonomy of asters is somewhat complicated, as it now includes several genera of plants, all within the Asteraceae family. Most gardeners do not need to worry too much about the taxonomical details, as all these plants are sold as asters and all have the familiar daisy-like flowers and perform the same way in the garden.
Pruning
Pruning asters is simple: pinch off the dying flowers to make room for new growth. Remove dead or wilting stems promptly. For the simplest pruning, cut the flowers when they are almost in full bloom and bring them inside to enjoy in a vase.
Propagating Asters
Asters can be propagated by collecting seeds or rooting stem cuttings, but by far the easiest way is by simply digging up the root clump and dividing it into pieces for replanting (the woody center portion of the clump should be discarded).
How to Grow Asters From Seed
While asters can be grown from seed, germination can be difficult. Depending upon the variety, you might also wind up with something that looks nothing like the parent plant. For those reasons, propagating from division is the recommended route.
Overwintering
When autumn rolls around and the asters stop blooming, give them a good amount of water - about 1 to 2 inches - a few weeks before the first freeze. Cut down the foliage after that frost (or let the asters stand until spring so wildlife can enjoy them). Cover the asters with a few inches of mulch to protect the roots during the winter period.
Common Pests and Plant Diseases
Rust and powdery mildew disease can affect aster foliage. Follow proper plant spacing recommendations to improve air circulation and avoid splashing water to prevent these problems.
Do Asters Need to Be Pruned?
Asters do not strictly need to be pruned, but there are some good reasons to do it. One is simply to maintain a shape and size that you like. Especially if you have rich soil, these flowers will grow abundantly. Pruning them back can prevent the need to stake them and give the plants more pleasing shapes.
How to Prune an Aster Plant
There are several ways to prune perennials, but asters respond best to two strategies: thinning and pinching. Thinning is the best strategy to prevent mildew if this is a concern in your beds. To thin your aster, cut off entire stems at the base in the spring. About one in three stems is a good general rule for cutting back asters.
Pruning Asters Properly
The best time to prune asters is not in the fall after they've bloomed. Pruning asters is best done in the summer. According to Burpee Seeds and Plants, prune your asters in early summer with hedge clippers to about 18 inches high, which will encourage the plant to branch out and will also encourage more blooms.
Care for Asters
You can cut your asters back each fall after they've bloomed. The Old Farmer's Almanac suggests cutting them back after the foliage has died, or leaving the stalks through winter to give your garden some off-season texture. Cut the yellowing foliage back to about 2 inches from the ground for best aster winter care, American Meadows recommends.
Divide Your Asters
Every three to four years, you should divide your asters to keep them from growing too large, American Meadows recommends. Do this in spring after the ground thaws, and the plant has started to grow. Either divide the plant into roots of 6 to 8-inch in diameter, or separate parts of the roots from the main plant.
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Taxonomy
- The family Asteraceae contains the genus Symphyotrichum, which encompasses the 90 or so recognized aster species. Asters also go by the name Michaelmas daisy, a nod to the Feast of St. Michael, which falls on September 29, when asters are in peak bloom.
Description
- Perennial asters grow on mounding or upright plants with lance-shaped foliage, producing autumn blooms in shades of blue, red, white, and pink. The flower is welcome in the fall garden to complement mums, which arent available in blue shades.
Preparation
- Asters make a good cut flower for fall arrangements. Cut the flowers late in the evening to avoid contact with avid bee visitors. Take stems when about 1/5 of the flowers are open for the longest vase life.
Culture
- Choose an area with full to partial sun for your plants. Too much shade will cause lanky plants. Asters appreciate soil on the slightly acidic side, with a pH ranging from 5.8 to 6.5. If your soil is alkaline, you can correct it by adding organic matter such as well-rotted manure, leaf mold, or compost. Although asters are common in garden centers ...
Prevention
- Gardeners often blame the death of an aster the following year on hardiness issues, but many asters perish over their first winter due to heavy soils and poor drainage. If you have heavy clay in your flower garden, plant your asters in raised beds or consider double-digging the soil. Most insect pests leave asters alone, but lace bugs can be a bother. You're more likely to notice the d…
Cultivation
- Asters are moderate feeders, and they appreciate a balanced flower fertilizer given twice a month from spring until the blooms begin to open. Excessive nutrients can shorten the blooming time, so stop fertilizing asters in August. As is the case with many flowers with wildflower heritage, asters are somewhat drought tolerant; certainly more so than mums. However, long periods of drought …
Management
- Rust and powdery mildew disease can affect aster foliage. Follow proper plant spacing to improve air circulation, and avoid overhead watering to prevent these problems.
Features
- Because asters and mums bloom at the same time, you can plan several attractive garden schemes with these two fall perennials. Plant blue asters beside yellow mums; these opposites on the color wheel pop. Combine purple asters and white mums in a garden container. Pair the dainty blooms of a pink aster variety with the larger double flowers of a pink or purple mum for te…
Uses
- Some people are surprised to learn that the aster is an edible flower. As such, they are welcome members of the vegetable garden, where they will draw bees to pollinate the end of the season harvest. Sprinkle fresh aster flowers in salads, or use the petals as a finishing garnish on cooked meats or vegetables.