Liatris

Cultivation : It can be easily grown from corms. To plant with corms, bury it in the soil for about 2 inches and not more than that. When you bury it too deeply there won’t be plant growth at all. You can even reduce the depth in case you are covering it with mulch. While burying more corms place them 12 to 15 inches apart. Note carefully that the corms not buried in an inverted manner (i.e. upside down) hence there won’t be any growth of plant if buried in this manner. Soil must be moist and should be well-drainage and never prefer waterlogged areas which results in decay of corms and hence affect growth of plant. Always prefer sunny location hence inadequate sun light lead to unhealthy flowers and it also lead to no flowering. It can also withstand in some light shades.

It can also be grown in container, fertilizing is must when grown in container. Prefer early spring for planting in container. Cover the plant in winter with some organic materials to protect the plant from winter frost.

It can also grow with seeds. Hence planting with seed takes more time period and need more patience. To grow with the tiny seed of liatris sow seed in soil and press it down tightly and growing through seed requires a cold period to produce bud. Plants grown from corms generate flowers in a year and those grown from seed take 2 year time period to produce flowers.

Propagation : Liatris can be propagated by dividing aged plants in spring period. We can also grow liatris by cutting the leaves in spring, but production of corms by this process take long time and flowers produced by following this method will be lesser in lenght than its parent plant. It can also be propagated from seeds, liatris can be grown by sowing seed in soil in spring but Propagating with seed will be time consuming. Propagating using seeds are difficult to implement since it requires more care and attention. The better way to propagate is by replanting the strong corms lifted from soil.

Varieties : All varieties of Liatris last for at least three seasons, and a similar erect stems and bottlebrushed shaped flower. Except one variety known as Liatris aspera the flowers bloom from bottom to top and in all other varieties flowers bloom from top to bottom on the flower spike. Liatris consists of around 40 species and the major species are three, they are liatris spicata, liatris pycnostachya, liatris aspera. Among all the species liatris spicata variety is very easily available one and it can grow 3 to 6 feet tall and produce purple flower. Liatris pycnostachya variety grows up to 5 feet height and it flowers in either purple or white colour and liatris aspera grow 6 feet tall and it produces purple flowers.

There are more species in liatris, some of its name are Liatris cylindracea, Liatris graminfolia, Liatris cymosa, Liatris patens, Liatris pilosa, Liatris tenuis Liatris gramnifolia, Liatris punctata, Liatris pycnostachya, Liatris pycnostachya alba, Liatris scariosa, Liatris virgata, Liatris tenuifolia, Liatris pilosa, Liatris cokeri and so on.

Disease and Cure : Decay of leaves and reduction in the life time of plants are caused by fungal diseases and water stress. Care should be taken to protect the flower from fungal diseases by using fungicides hence control of this problem is very difficult. This problem usually occur plants grown in outdoor.

Liatris are not much damaged by insects. Choosing well-drained soil will surely prevent diseases attacking the plant.

Brown spots appearing on the leaf spreads throughout the stem and damage the whole plant. Use fungicides in corms to prevent rotting of corms.

These plants are not ethylene sensitive; so don’t need to worry about the ethylene gas content in surrounding air.

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