Pike plant. Meadow soddy or pike

Caring for a personal plot often takes a lot of time, so sometimes gardeners simplify their lives and plant perennial herbaceous plants. They are unpretentious, grow on almost any type of soil, create spectacular greenery, give the garden a well-groomed appearance and delight the eye for more than one year. These plants include the so-called meadow pike (aka soddy meadow grass), which causes many problems for livestock feed stockists in their natural habitat, namely in fields, along roads, streams, in low-lying ravines. The fact is that with uncontrolled growth, it forms large bumps and clumps, thereby changing the once flat terrain.

On the contrary, transferred from the fields to the garden, cultivated by man, this culture shows itself from a completely new perspective: lush green bushes with fine leaves and a golden panicle give special sophistication and harmony to the "abandoned" corner of the garden.

Soddy Meadow is a representative of the vast Cereal family. This is a perennial herbaceous plant, from 20 cm to 1.7 m high, depending on the variety. The leaves are narrow (0.5 cm), strong, rich green in color. On the outer side of the sheet there are slightly noticeable spikes, giving it a characteristic rigidity.

The inflorescence is a panicle, consisting of many silver spikelets. At the beginning of flowering (end of June), they look slightly drooping, blooming more and more every day, add in volume, and become like a fluffy ball. Pike flowers are characterized by a change in color as they ripen, as well as in general, for the whole plant - with the approach of autumn, the leaves and stems acquire a golden-straw hue, then fade and so go to winter. Another feature of this plant is that the period of active growth falls on a period with low temperatures - autumn and spring; in summer, when the temperature is high enough, it is at rest.

Leaves, stem and roots form a turf tussock, so it is not recommended to take wild grass and transfer it to the garden, such forms quickly adapt and multiply like a weed, the process is difficult to control. For cultivation on a personal plot, special, less aggressive and more decorative varieties of soddy meadow grass have been bred.

Species and varieties most suitable for growing in the garden:

• "Goldschleier", tall, up to 1.7 m, erect stems, golden panicles, but quickly lose their attractiveness.
• "Goldgehange", similar in appearance to the previous variety, is distinguished by drooping peduncles and a lower height, up to 1.2 m.
• "Bronzeschleier", height up to 1.7 m, one of the most beautiful representatives of its kind. Panicles, when flowering, have a green color, after changing it to bronze or brown. Decorativeness persists for a long time, almost until spring.
• "Goldtau", height up to 1 m, a characteristic feature is slow growth, therefore it is more often used to create regular compositions. It has beautiful green foliage with reddish tips.
• "Goldstaub" undersized variety soddy meadow, up to 0.7 m tall. It features a contrasting combination of dark green foliage and light yellow panicles.
• "Northen Lights", the smallest (up to 20 cm tall), representative of extraordinary beauty. On green leaves there are light, beige stripes, which change color to pink when the temperature drops. In relation to other varieties, it is characterized by slow growth and infrequent flowering.

Selecting a landing site

When choosing a place for planting, first of all, you need to decide what the plant is grown for. The fact is that if you need to get lush greenery, then it is better to choose a slightly shaded, moistened area.

If the purpose of planting is a powerful flowering - sunny. Only in this case the desired result will be obtained. In general, absolutely any soil and place is suitable for a soddy meadow, it is unpretentious, it will grow everywhere, but it is more demanding on humidity, therefore, with good lighting, frequent watering will be necessary.

Reproduction methods

Reproduction of pike does not cause any particular difficulties, it is possible both by dividing the bush and by seeds, without growing seedlings.

Vegetative reproduction

In autumn or spring, daughter bushes, at least 10 cm in size, are separated from the main bush with a sharp shovel. Young growth is laid out in a trench prepared in advance so that all roots are underground, sprinkled with soil and watered abundantly. The distance between adjacent plants is 1-1.2 m, because they grow rapidly.

Reproduction by seeds

The sowing of the soddy meadow grass is carried out in open ground, before winter. Seeds are placed in the dug up soil, embedding is not required. They have a very high viability and germination, so they are not afraid of frost. There is also a negative quality of such "survivability" - a high possibility of self-seeding, due to which a flower bed can turn into a real weed. This process can be controlled by cutting the panicles in time, or, if you want to keep the decorative effect until the end of the season, by annual digging of the soil before winter. In this case, the seeds move to the lower layers of the soil, when planted more than 15 cm, they lose their germination capacity.

Care during growth

Plant care consists in timely watering and autumn or spring pruning. When all the leaves and stems have turned yellow, have lost their decorative effect, all the old parts are removed with a sharp pruner, with the exception of the root. If the removal occurs in the spring, you should not feel sorry for the green part of the foliage remaining after wintering - it will be replaced very quickly by young, juicy, green, bright shoots. If you do not cut the meadow at all, such a bush will not look very aesthetically pleasing.

Diseases and pests

The soddy meadow is not susceptible to diseases and pests did not like it. The only thing that can be difficult is the appearance of rust on the leaves. It is the result of incorrect (not short enough) pruning of foliage, as a result of which it cannot cope with the summer heat.

Lugovik, at proper care, is able to amaze with its beauty, riot of colors, power, rigidity and at the same time refinement, tenderness. Often it is used in the so-called Moorish lawn, which is a mixture of herbs, cereals and flowers. It looks good as part of a regular flower bed, for example with roses, or irises, lilies. Some craftsmen make incredible compositions from dry panicles, which continue to delight the eye not only in the garden, but also on winter evenings, decorating home interior and a reminder of the approaching summer.

A simple and familiar herbaceous plant pike captivates with its naturalness. It can often be found in the forest belt, in fields and meadows, in city parks and squares, along the banks of rivers and lakes, along roadsides. The plant is ubiquitous in Central Asia, Western and Eastern Europe, in the mountains of the Caucasus, North America, Australia, Africa. Soddy pike or meadow grass is a common harmful weed of fodder plantations. At the same time, the plant is very often used in the design of personal plots in the Moorish style, as well as for landscaping gardens, giving the site a cozy, simple and natural look.

Soddy pike is a perennial herbaceous plant of the genus Lugovik, family Cereals. Forms tussocks or dense sods. When describing soddy pike and other species and varieties of meadow grass pay attention to the height of the plant, the size and shade of the inflorescence, the length and thickness, the color of the leaves, the height of the stems.

Many gardeners and landscape designers use various plant flowers to decorate the garden, including pike. At the same time, the meadow has a number of advantages. Compared to other decorative garden plants this perennial is able to germinate in one place for many years, is quite unpretentious and undemanding to care, forms a hummock - turf. Also, the plant has a very simple decorative look that lasts almost year-round and fits into any landscape design.

The height of the bush, depending on the variety, varies from 20 to 170 cm. Leaves for the most part basal, dark green or gray-green, long, flat or folded lengthwise, with entire margin, narrowly linear, about 0.3-0.5 cm wide. The back side of the sheet has a sharply rough surface, due to which the sheet acquires a more rigid structure. With the onset of cold weather, the leaves do not die.

Inflorescences are spike-shaped sprawling panicles, the length of which varies, depending on the variety, from 7 to 25 cm. They are formed on long bare (up to 100 cm) stems. The inflorescences consist of often planted, almost perpendicular, two or three-colored spikelets 2-5 mm long, brilliant green, yellow, pale lilac. When ripe, they acquire a golden wheaten or reddish-brown color.

All above-ground parts form a turf tussock. It takes 4 years for a pike to grow to its full size. For 1-2 years, the plant grows to half its height, an abundant green mass is formed. In the next two years, several internodes are formed, a rosette of the second tier is formed, including stems.

Only after the formation of the second tier, the plant is able to bloom and bear fruit. In the process of development, bumps form over time from a dense dense turf.

The root system is fibrous, in fields and meadows up to 60-80 cm penetrates into the soil, in wetlands up to 10-20 cm.

After flowering, a grain-fruit is formed: an oblong shape, up to 3 mm in length and 0.7 mm in width. One plant is capable of producing 500-3000 seeds. In early spring, the first shoots appear, in early summer the bush begins to bloom. The plant bears fruit in July.

Species and varieties

Breeders have bred about 40 different varieties of pike based on natural species. When propagating, plants use two methods - seed and vegetative (bush division). wild forms propagated by seeds, hybrid varieties - by dividing the bush. Despite the fact that adult plants actively bear fruit, active self-seeding occurs, however, parental signs in hybrid varieties are not reproduced.

Soddy meadow and winding meadow have many varietal forms that are quite similar. The Antarctic meadow has recently conquered more and more territories, but in terms of prevalence it is not as popular as the winding or soddy one.

Antarctic meadow grass

Antarctic meadow grass

It is found in Antarctica, which is why the species got its name. Also in the natural environment can be found in the northwestern part of the Antarctic Peninsula, on the South Shetland, Malvinas and other islands, in southern Chile and Argentina.

because of global warming climate, the distribution area of ​​the plant has expanded significantly. Meadow antarctic prefers light, warm areas on the slopes of the mountains, as well as stony soil. Plant height no more than 20 cm. Very frost-resistant appearance, the cold period of time does not affect the flowering of the bush. The bush has a short growing season. The beginning of the growth stage falls on November: seeds germinate, last year's torments “wake up”. Panicles begin to bloom in December.

soddy meadow

soddy meadow

It is a typical species. Numerous ornamental varieties have been bred on its basis.
Soddy meadow grass is common in Europe, Asia, North America, the Far East.

Grows up to 30-100 cm in height. The leaves are basal, dark green, narrow, no more than 5 mm wide, long, rough on the upper side, hard. Panicles up to 10-20 cm long, consist of dense sprawling spikelets.

Light-loving, frost-resistant look. Flowering occurs at 4-7 years of age. Soddy meadow is able to live and bear fruit in one place for several decades.

winding meadow

winding meadow

The height of thin smooth stems is about 30-60 cm, the rhizome is short, creeping. The leaves are thin, long, hair-like or needle-shaped, die off as they grow, lie down, thereby forming a curtain (tussock) up to 20-40 cm in diameter. The inflorescence is a loose panicle, branched, after flowering it acquires a brown, very rarely whitish color.

It grows in sparse forests, fields and meadows throughout the northern hemisphere (in Europe, Asia, Japan, China, North America). The winding meadow easily propagates by self-sowing, thus it can become a malicious weed in the garden.

Turchanin's pike

Turchanin's pike

The plant is endemic to the vicinity of Lake Baikal, listed in the Red Book. Meadow Turchaninov - perennial, forms dense turf. Stems 20-60 cm high, glabrous, straight. The leaves are narrow, 0.1 cm wide, folded lengthwise, glabrous. Panicle oblong-ovate, flowering period June-August.

plant care

The bush grows very quickly. To give it a neat, beautiful shape, in the spring, at the initial stage of growth, it is necessary to cut the stems and foliage with secateurs under the "hedgehog". Otherwise, the tussock may look "gray" due to last year's old leaves, thereby losing its decorative appearance.

+ 25 ° is considered a comfortable temperature, higher temperatures adversely affect the plant.

Regular watering is required only for young plants and in very dry weather.

Meadow winding, pike soddy, meadow antarctic produce a lot of seeds, as a result of which they provoke regular self-seeding, clogging the nearest territory. To prevent self-seeding, the stems with the inflorescence are removed before flowering. As soon as the stems reach 20-30 cm in height, they are cut as close to the soil as possible.

If the bush has become “bald” and untidy over time, it is dug up or divided into new bushes.

Pike is a plant of a cold-seasonal nature: it begins to grow at low spring temperatures and high humidity soil. In summer, when sultry hot weather sets in with temperatures above + 25 °, the bush falls into dormant mode. In autumn, when the temperature drops and the rainy season begins, the meadow "wakes up" and begins to grow again.

Pike in spring

Lighting

For regular growth, development and abundant flowering, the plant must choose a well-lit place. In the shade and partial shade, the bush is able to actively grow, but due to lack of lighting, the plant rarely blooms.

The soil

The plant is unpretentious and undemanding to the soil, able to grow on any soil composition. However, when organic and mineral fertilizers are applied, its decorative properties only improve: the bush actively responds with a lush, elegant green mass and abundant flowering.

How to plant a pike in the garden

The bush can be propagated by seeds that retain good germination. Even pike seeds not buried in the ground are able to germinate, but not all seedlings survive due to lack of moisture, lighting, and heat.

To obtain a new beautiful lush bush, plots from adult plants are used. They retain all the decorative qualities of the mother plant, while when propagated by seeds, you can get a bush that is completely different from the parents.

Landing

The best time for planting is spring and autumn. The plot must be at least 15 cm in diameter. Dig a hole wider and a little deeper than the size of the bush requires. The plot is set in a hole, buried in the ground, slightly deepened, well watered. Regular watering is required in the first two weeks after planting.

Transfer

It is carried out in the spring (April - May) or in the fall. It is highly not recommended to transplant a bush at an outdoor temperature of + 20 °. Old bushes that stick out of the ground and have lost their decorative effect are dug up, cut with a shovel or knife into small pieces. The main thing is that they keep their roots.

Breeding

Divide only mature plant with a well-developed rhizome and well-formed turf. You can buy a ready-made bush in a pot (plot with an open root system) in a specialized flower shop. If the bush is bought in the summer, then it will quietly stand in a pot in the shade with regular watering. As soon as the temperature outside becomes comfortable for transplanting, the bush is planted in a permanent place.

You can separate the plot from the bush without digging it out. To do this, with the help of a shovel or a knife, a part of the bush is separated from the edge (1-2 plots). This procedure does not affect the decorativeness of the plant. An empty place is covered with earth, rammed, watered abundantly.

Medicinal properties

The medicinal properties of the soddy pike are actively used in the manufacture of medicines, and are also used in home use(baths, decoctions, infusions).
Assign in the early stages of the manifestation of infectious and viral diseases, skin ailments, herpes, hepatitis, rheumatism, neuroses. Dried roots have a diuretic, diaphoretic property. They are prescribed in the treatment of diseases of the digestive system, kidney diseases.

Soddy pike can quickly help with poisoning. It is enough to chew a few fresh leaves in your mouth to reduce signs of intoxication.

Contraindications

Lugovik soddy and all dosage forms based on it are not recommended for allergies, peptic ulcer of the stomach and duodenum.

Use in landscape design

Antarctic meadow, winding meadow, other species and varieties will fit perfectly in the garden in a variety of flower ensembles with different ornamental plants having leaves and inflorescences of a different shape. Soddy pike goes well with heather, iris, buzulnik, daylilies, astilbes.

Thanks to the lush, plentiful, numerous pike grass, it looks good along fences, walls, paths, singly and in groups on the lawn, in stone gardens, among trees, along reservoirs.

In addition to simplicity, decorative appearance, abundant green mass, numerous panicles, the soddy pike forms hummocks. This is the reason for the change in the surface structure. land plot, which acquires an uneven, bumpy surface. This feature must be taken into account when landscaping the backyard.

Soddy pike or soddy meadow grass(lat. Deschampsia cespitosa) - a species of perennial herbaceous plants of the genus Lugovik families Cereals or bluegrass (Poaceae). This plant forms dense sods and tussocks. Meadow soddy is a fairly common plant throughout the forest belt. It can be found in Western and Eastern Europe, Asia, North America, Australia, Africa. For growth, it prefers crops of fodder perennial grasses, marshy and wet meadows, the banks of various reservoirs and swamps, as well as in forests, fields, pastures, edges and along roadsides on roadsides. Pike is a harmful weed of fodder plantings, especially on wet pastures and fields.

Description of the pike soddy

The roots of the soddy pike go deep into the soil (in the floodplains of the rivers and in the meadows, the roots grow up to 70 cm, and in the swamps their length is approximately 20 cm). The stems of the soddy meadow grass are bare, straight, they can reach up to 100 cm in height. The leaves are 0.5-3 mm wide, flat, narrow-linear, with protruding rough veins. Elongated tongue about 8 mm long. The inflorescence is presented in the form of a multi-spike panicle. The panicle is relatively sprawling, large in size, about 25 cm long. The inflorescence consists of almost horizontally deflected spikelets, which are densely arranged. Spikelets of two or three-flowered, small size (3.5-5 mm in length). Spikelet scales are uneven, lanceolate, they can be purple at the base, and yellow-green along the edges. Floral scales are shorter than spikelets. Floral scales are light purple in color, they are of equal size, with jagged edges, the lower part with an awn.

The fruit of the soddy pike is a caryopsis, which is enclosed in flower scales. The filmy caryopsis is characterized by an oblong shape, 2-2.5 mm long and 0.7 mm wide. The lower floral scale is serrated at the apex, with an awn and glabrous on the back. The awn is almost equal to the scales, slightly twisted, has a whitish color. The upper lemma is approximately the same length as the lower one. The stem, which departs from its base, is expanded at the top, cylindrical, straight, covered with hairs over the entire surface.

The first shoots of the soddy pike appear in early spring at a certain low temperature. At the beginning of summer, the flowering period begins, the first fruits appear in July. Soddy pike propagates with seeds and short shoots. One plant is capable of producing from 500 to 3000 seeds. Seeds crumble easily and clog the soil. This plant unpretentious, the grains usually germinate very well with sufficient moisture practically from the earth's surface. The minimum germination depth is 0.5 cm, when planted in the soil to a depth of more than 5 cm, the seeds will not germinate at all. In the first year of growth, the soddy pike bushes and forms many leafy shoots. In the second year, stems develop that are able to bloom and bear fruit. These stems grow from high speed with new shoots. As a result of this development, the plant forms dense tufts, which eventually turn into bumps.

The main harm from the soddy pike is manifested in the formation of tussocks, which entails a change in the soil surface in meadows and pastures. The surface becomes bumpy, uneven, unsuitable for mowing. Also, the leaves of old pike plants are saturated with silica, which lowers the quality of hay and can cause irritable reactions in the digestive processes of livestock and domestic animals.

Measures to combat the soddy pike

Land reclamation or drying of wet fields and meadows is the main way in the fight against this weed. Since the soddy pike does not withstand trampling, areas clogged with this species must be pitted. Animals are able to dig up old plants and leave them to dry out. In the fight against pike in heavily overgrown areas, plowing with special plows will help. Also, the soddy meadow grass is destroyed by timely mowing before flowering.

Use of turfy pike

Soddy pike is a very beautiful, decorative, cereal plant. It is often used in decorating personal plot. Since the plant develops quite quickly, it needs to start trimming the stems and foliage in the early stages of growth, simulating nice shape. If pruning is carried out out of time, then you can get a sloppy bump.

Flexible and long straws and meadow grass leaves are used to stuff pillows and mattresses; craftsmen weave hats from such raw materials.

Soddy pike photo

Above - an ear of a soddy pike closed form (lat. Deschampsia cespitosa cespitosa); at the bottom of the spike pike soddy open form (lat. Deschampsia cespitosa holciformis)

This plant is also called soddy meadow - lat. Deschampsia cespitosa, belongs to perennial herbaceous plants of the Meadow genus, Grass or Bluegrass family. The name of this herbaceous representative says a lot about him. It is called soddy, because in the process of growth it forms dense sods and bumps. BUT the best places for the life of the meadow grass are, respectively, meadow areas with high humidity, swamps and reservoirs, forests and fields, does not bypass pastures and roadsides, fodder plantations. Concerning Agriculture, then the pike is the brightest representative of a harmful weed, but for landscape design is one of the options.

Characteristics of the soddy meadow

Soddy meadow, as already mentioned, refers to perennial grasses. On average, the height of a bush can vary from 20 cm to 2 m. The leaf plate is dense, rigid, elongated, has a narrow shape, no more than 0.5 cm wide. Small grooves are located on top of the sheet, running parallel, the reverse side of the sheet is even.

Pike inflorescences look like panicles, the main components of which are miniature spikelets of a horizontal shape. Different varieties of meadow grass have different length panicles, in total it ranges from seven centimeters to twenty-five. Different varieties differ not only in the size of the panicles, but also in color. The main color scheme is golden brown. Panicles during blooming have a drooping appearance, at the peak of flowering they seem to be very branched due to the presence of many spikelets.

Meadow - a simple culture for a flower bed

Lugovik is one of the most ornamental crops. She is not a rare guest of our latitudes. Its dark green leaves look like a small bump about thirty centimeters. Somewhere in the month of July, at the peak of their flowering, panicles can reach up to one and a half meters. The flowering period is very short. A plant from the category of unpretentious and unpretentious, develops under any conditions, but does not tolerate heat and dry places. Although at sunshine blooms better, however, requires abundant moisture.

At the end of the summer period, the flowers of the plant, and the leaves too, acquire a yellowish tint, reminiscent of the color of hay.

Deschampsia, or soddy pike, belongs to the number frost-resistant plants. The growth process begins in early spring, when the air temperature is quite minimal; in summer period it is in a state of rest, and already in autumn, when weather differ in rainfall and a decrease in the mark on the temperature thermometer, it again begins a period of revival.

Description of the meadow in the video

Pike soddy varieties

Despite its simple appearance, the soddy pike grass can boast of its huge variety of varieties. For example, the most popular ones are:

Bronzeschleier

The parameters of this variety are up to one and a half meters high and up to one meter wide. Inflorescences are initially green in color, and then bronze-brown. A beautiful decorative look is preserved until spring. This representative is characterized by special stability.

Goldschleier

The dimensions of this variety are somewhat smaller: height - 1 m, width - 0.5 m. Panicles spreading golden yellow. The leaves are dark red at the tips. The growth process is very slow. In its mature state, it is a great option for decorating the garden.

Soddy meadow grass (lat. Deschampsia cespitosa Goldschleier)

Goldtau

Medium size with spreading inflorescences. At the peak of flowering golden hue.

Soddy meadow grass (lat. Deschampsia cespitosa Goldtau)

Schottland

This variety is quite strong, has dark green foliage and greenish flowers, and is also distinguished by vertical peduncles. Height can reach one meter.

Tardiflora

A meter tall plant, a characteristic feature is late flowering.

One of the close relatives of the soddy meadow grass is the winding meadow grass. The countries of the European continent, Asia Minor, Japan, and China are considered its native side. Unlike the soddy pike, this representative of the flora loves arid forest areas that are not particularly overgrown. This plant prefers pine forest, sparse or old spruce deciduous. As for the plant itself, it forms loose tufts; average height is about 50 cm, the trunk is thin and smooth. The leaves are very thin, due to their growth they acquire a creeping shape, while creating a kind of miniature flower bed with a diameter of thirty or forty centimeters. Panicles loose, branched, whitish. This representative of the Meadows is a considerable pest in the garden.

Relative of Meadow grass - Meadow winding

The flowers of the plant bloom in the evening at a temperature not higher than 25 degrees. Humidity should be high enough - from 60-85%. Inflorescences bloom for about four days. AT winter period the leaves of the bush do not change their color, remaining green.

Features of cultivation and care

The planting process can be carried out both with the help of seeds and with the help of a part of the plant, separated from the main bush. If seeds are planted, then this case it is important to remember that the grown plant can be strikingly different from the original, because cultivated species are most often hybrids. Therefore, to get the desired result better breeding by dividing the bush. The best time for this is the spring or autumn season.

The best place for regular and abundant flowering of dechampsia is a place well lit by the sun, a shady area can prevent this process in principle. As for the soil, due to its unpretentious root system, the plant is able to develop in soil of any composition, however, in order to achieve a more decorative form and neat appearance, it is worth feeding the soil with a small amount of mineral or organic fertilizers.

To plant a plant, you need to dig a hole, a little deeper than the size of the bush requires. Then install the desired part of the plant in the hole (deepening a little) and sprinkle with earth, after which it is important not to forget about abundant watering. The “newly made” plant needs regular abundant moisture for the first 14 days, then it is worth watering when the summer weather does not particularly indulge in precipitation. It is worth remembering that in summer the grass of the soddy pike is at rest, and if you do not give the plant the necessary moisture, then the autumn growth process familiar to it may not begin at all.

In order to avoid self-seeding, the meadow must be rid of flower stalks and sometimes cut the tussock. If over time it seems bald, then it becomes necessary to separate it.

Application

If a soddy meadow is used as a garden decoration, then it is in perfect harmony with other representatives. flora, for example, with families of lilies, with irises, with and buzulniks, etc. Keeping in mind the rapid development of some varieties, it is possible to prune the leaves and stems in the early stages to obtain a beautiful shape.

Soddy pike is often used in folk medicine. Being the main component of decoctions and various infusions, this plant in the early stages is able to treat the manifestations of colds and flu-like diseases, and also fights skin problems. It is actively used in pharmaceuticals in the manufacture of drugs against acute respiratory viral infections and hepatitis.

It is interesting that hats can be woven from long straws, and they can also be used as an internal component of pillows or mattresses.

Its name speaks for itself: soddy pike, or soddy meadow.

Botanical description

Did you know? It was called soddy for its ability to form peculiar bumps and rather hard sods, which over time make it difficult for air to enter the soil, lead to its waterlogging and make it difficult to mow grass.

Speaking about the description of the soddy pike, first of all, it should be noted that it has leaves, due to which it attracts Special attention. It is her leaves that form rather neat bumps almost round shape up to 30 cm high. Narrow leaves - up to 3 mm, but quite thick and stiff, can grow in length a little less than half a meter. They are almost even from below, and their upper part is covered with parallel longitudinal grooves and barely noticeable spikes. The leaf is rough to the touch. There are not too many leaves on the stems, so the stems look smooth.

The inflorescence of the soddy pike is a panicle of many spikelets. Beautiful silvery spikelets are quite variegated in appearance, they are characterized by a slight peculiar shine. The spikelets are very small in size, it is even difficult to see them. All this gives the soddy meadow extraordinary. Flowers on this herbaceous plant begin to appear at the end of June, as they mature, they tend to change their color. When the pike descends, its panicles are characterized by a drooping appearance and some compression, but when it blooms, it becomes slightly loose, lush, like a cloud. Constantly staying in the sun, the turfy meadow can grow in height by more than one and a half meters. AT autumn period it acquires straw shades and retains them until it is covered with snow.

Important! The soddy pike has an unusual feature: it begins to grow at low temperatures (in early spring and closer to autumn cooling and the rainy season). In summer, at sufficiently high temperatures, it is at rest.

This plant is suitable for almost any climatic conditions, except for excessive heat and drought, it still loves moisture.

Varieties for cultivation

Soddy pike varieties are not always easily distinguishable. They have different lengths of leaves, height, various shades of spikelets.

One of the tallest varieties (up to 170 cm), characterized by high resistance and beautiful view. Panicles can be either green during opening, or brown with a bronze sheen and are able to retain a decorative appearance almost until early spring.

A variety that is more unusual than attractive. This self-propagating variety, it gives miniature, young plants ready for reproduction instead of seeds. Height up to 90 cm, in diameter - up to 60 cm.

Variety with yellow panicles with a golden hue. Height up to 130 cm, diameter - up to 60 cm.

One and the most high grades(up to 175 cm), erect and slender, but it can lose its decorative effect quite quickly - in a month and a half.

Variety up to 75 cm high with very dark leaves and light panicles in yellow tones.

The variety, whose height is up to 1 m, has a rather interesting foliage with dark red tips. It grows relatively slowly, so it is convenient for use in decorative compositions.

Variety up to 90 cm in height with golden yellow foliage.

A low-growing variety (up to 25 cm), with leaves with longitudinal stripes of white with a creamy tint, they can turn pink in cool weather. Grows rather slowly, blooms infrequently. Leaves may show signs of rust.

Powerful upright variety more than a meter tall with dark green leaves and slightly greenish panicles, turning yellow over time.

A late flowering variety that thrives best in a cool and shady spot because it gets rusty at high temperatures.

A variety up to one meter high, which blooms worse than all the others, has rapidly yellowing panicles with a blue tint when blooming.

The least heat-affected variety up to 90 cm high, which is recommended for cultivation in southern climates.

Where to plant

Soddy pike can be found everywhere: in meadows with a sufficient level of moisture, on roadsides, in forest glades, near reservoirs and swamps, in pastures.

Lighting and location

The plant is very picky: it will grow both in the sun and in a shady area, although it blooms much better in a bright sunny place. Preference is still given to humid places. Soddy pike feels good in any light, only in a sunny bright place it blooms better, and in a cool shady place it is more comfortable for her to grow up. Optimum temperature for her +25 ° С. Very high temperatures can adversely affect the plant.

Soil for pike

Soddy meadow is able to grow in almost any: in clay, acidic sandy, neutral, alkaline, depleted. But of course in fertile soil he feels himself the best and therefore grows more rapidly. To plant a soddy pike, they dig a hole of such size that it can fit there together with a whole bump and go deep enough. Then it will no longer need to be transplanted and rejuvenated. After that you need to plant and soil abundantly. The first two weeks, especially if there is no rain or the soil is sandy, it is necessary to water frequently. In general, the plant is necessary, especially in a dry season or when grown in sandy soil. In the spring, a soddy meadow will not interfere with universal nutritious or.

How does a plant reproduce

Soddy pike reproduces both with the help of without cultivation, and with. Seeds are planted in open soil before winter. Seeds germinate well, without difficulty and quickly. It should be noted that adult plants give self-sowing, then it becomes difficult to distinguish between varieties, so if such a process is undesirable, then the inflorescences must be cut in time during re-flowering. When breeding, the pike bush is divided in early spring or in autumn. Old unsightly bumps can be dug up, cut with a shovel, keeping the roots, into several separate parts with a diameter of a little more than ten centimeters. They are planted at a distance of a meter and a half, not forgetting to water abundantly.

If an adult plant has not lost its decorative value, then one or two pieces can be separated from its bump with the same shovel without causing damage to the donor. The hole formed near it must be covered with earth, watered and compacted. Both methods are quite simple and guarantee the success of the breeding process.

Features of agricultural technology

The soddy meadow grows very early after winter, because of this, its stems and foliage “under the hedgehog” are needed as soon as possible.

Important! If the meadow after winter is not cut in time, then you can get an ugly bush, which green leaves mixed with dry old ones.

Over time, young foliage will completely cover last year's, but leaves that have survived after wintering are very vulnerable, as a result of exposure to heat and appearance on them. There is no need to feel sorry for the green leaves left after the winter, because after pruning, new young ones will grow very quickly, and they will periodically have to be cut more than once for purposes. In the summer, the soddy pike temporarily stops growing until autumn, but it still needs to be watered. Before winter, plants can be pruned, they do not need to be specially covered.

Application of decorative properties

For agriculture, the soddy meadow is a harmful weed, but for