If there are plants that brighten our day in winter, there is no doubt that the Erica, or rather, the heather, is one of them. What you may not know is that there are different varieties: gracilis, arborea, cinerea, and Erica vagans are just a few examples.
Although almost all of them have the same care, there are always peculiarities. For this reason, this time we are going to focus on the care of Erica Vagans, a lesser-known variety but just as flowery in autumn and winter. Want to know more about her?
The most important care of Erica vagans
Erica vagans is also known as Erica multiflora and is characterized by having many more flowers than other species. These can be pink or purple and are combined with long, lance-shaped leaves.
But, What do you need to develop correctly? Follow our recommendations with this plant and you will see that in a short time it adapts to its new home and you can see it grow much more until it becomes a shrub that gives color to your house.
Lightning
Like any other heather, the Erica vagans you need to place it in full sun. It is necessary that it receives the greatest amount of light, and if it is direct, better. That is why when it is located inside the house you run the risk that the flowers will fall off very quickly and the plant will wither.
In case you live in a temperate climate, or if the summers are too hot, you could place it in a semi-shade place, at least the first year so that it adapts to the temperature that you usually have in an annual cycle.
Temperature
It is not usually picky about temperature because withstands both descents and ascents well. It is true that if there are frosts it can suffer, especially if they are very intense or for a long time. But he is able to bear it.
As for high temperatures, it is much more capable of tolerating it.
Tierra
The substrate of the Erica vagans does not differ much from that of any Erica. Actually, It adapts to whatever you throw at it, be it sand, clay, acid soil…
Now, if you have it in a pot and you want it to be very healthy, it is best to mix it with a universal substrate and perlite (or similar) so that it can breathe and the soil does not clog it.
If you are going to plant it in the ground, in principle you will not have a problem that it takes on any type and gets ahead, sometimes even reproducing itself and covering more ground than where you planted it.
Irrigation
Erica vagans is not a plant that requires moderate watering, but it shouldn’t stay dry either. Keep in mind that, being in full sun, the water evaporates quickly, so it would be a good idea to You will water it regularly but without the water accumulating (because it would be detrimental to its roots).
Even so, it can tolerate periods of drought without problem.
Regarding irrigation, we recommend that you do it either first thing in the morning, or last thing in the afternoon, mostly in summer. Otherwise, the water drops could act as a magnifying glass to the sun and burn the leaves, flowers, and even the entire plant.
Subscriber
Erica vagans is a plant that does not require fertilizer planted in the ground, but it does need to be fertilized in a pot since its nutrients and freedom are more limited and it cannot find food. That is why we recommend that At least once a month You fertilize it a little to provide it with extra vitamins so that flowering is more intense and prolific.
pruning
In general, Erica vagans is not a plant that needs pruning, although it is true that, when spring arrives, if it still has its flowers, you should see if they are withered or not. If you have, maybe pass your hand through the different rods so that they fall off completely and can, during the summer, produce new flowers.
Plagues and diseases
We are not going to tell you that it is a delicate plant, because in reality it is not. But you should keep in mind that there are certain pests and diseases that can be the cause of your plant not being well.
With regard to pests, special care must be taken with mealybugs and mitessince these tend to suck the sap from the stems or young shoots and will prevent the plant from growing.
To treat them, it is best to take a cotton pad and alcohol and wash the entire plant and then spray an insecticide that is effective against these pests.
In the case of diseases, there are a couple that you should be very careful about. We talk about powdery mildew and rustwhich will cause the leaves to wither, the flowers to drop and you will find it so weak that in the end it will only lead to the death of the plant.
you should also monitor watering and humidity since, if it is too wet, it can suffer from the attack of the fungus Verticillium sp. and contract verticillium wilt. This is a problem that completely rots the roots and you will only notice something happening when the leaves start to wither and the stem turns black (as if necrotic).
Multiplication
Finally, we come to the reproduction of Erica vagans. In this case, the best way to multiply it is through the seeds that you can collect from the hundreds of flowers it has.
It’s advisable plant them when winter ends (or the most stable temperature arrives), more or less around 10-18 degrees Celsius. During the spring and summer it will grow and will surely flower that same year it is planted. This already tells you that it is fast growing.
As you can see, the care of Erica vagans is not complicated to carry out and in return you will have a very grateful plant that will give you flowers that will last during the winter with a colorful pastel that you will love to see in your garden or balcony. Would you dare to have it at home?
