Lilacs are trees that, due to their beautiful flowering and their growth, which can be easily controlled, invite us to wonder if there is the possibility of growing them in pots throughout their lives. And the answer is yes, since with a few small prunings carried out at the end of winter -and not every year- it will be relatively easy to have beautiful and healthy specimens.
But of course, for the plants to look like this we have to know how to care for potted lilacs. This implies knowing their needs for light, water, nutrients and other things that we are going to tell you about.
What type of pot is the most suitable for lilacs?
The pot is a very useful element for lilac that are going to be cultivated in them; not in vain, it is in them where they will find the land that we will irrigate and fertilize whenever we consider it appropriate. But they can also cause problems if the right ones are not chosen. That's why, we are interested in acquiring some that have holes in their base.
If you have been following us for a long time, surely you are tired of reading this, but the fact is that the pots that do not have a single hole through which the water can come out, should only be used for aquatic plants, because all the others can die in a matter of days as a result of the water that accumulates inside the container, precisely where its roots are.
But besides having holes, they have to be wide and tall. More or less, and bearing in mind that lilacs do not grow very fast (in fact, I would say that they are quite slow when they are young), I recommend planting them in a pot that is at most four inches wide and taller than normal. which measures the one you currently have. It is important that it is not too big, because the more land it has, the more water will have to be used for irrigation and, therefore, the greater the probability that it will suffer from excess water.
How often do you have to transplant them?
Continuing with the theme of the pot, we must be clear that, from time to time, our lilacs must be transplanted so that they can continue to grow. This is especially important if our intention is to prune them in such a way that we turn them into small trees. Therefore, we will plant them to larger ones every 3 years approximately, as long as the roots come out of the holes.
It has to be done in spring, when they still do not have leaves but their buds have already begun to wake up. In this way, they will hardly suffer when removing them from the "old" container and planting them in the new one.
What substrate to put on the lilacs?
Lilacs grow in almost any type of soil, but when they are planted in pots, you should try to put a substrate that is light, spongy, and that filters the water well. There are many brands of these, but from my own experience I recommend the following: Westland, Flower, fertiberia. If you want one, just click on the link.
Sometimes we buy one that, yes, is very cheap, but it may not be the most suitable, since it may have insects, pieces of dry branches, or even eggs. Others, at first glance, look very good, but if it dries completely, it becomes a block of impermeable earth that has a hard time absorbing water, for which you have to put it in a basin with plenty of water and leave it there for, at least half an hour.
For all this it is often better to spend a little more money and get a higher quality substrate.
When to water potted lilacs?
Lilacs do not require heavy watering. Yes it will be necessary to water them especially in summer, and even more so during a heat wave since the earth dries much faster, but they are not really plants that need to be rehydrated daily, far from it.
What's more, I have one in Mallorca (where the climate is Mediterranean, with temperatures of up to 35ºC in summer and -2ºC in winter, and a period of drought that can last up to six months) and I only water it twice a week. But yes, when you water them, pour plenty of water on them until it comes out of the holes in the pot.
What is the best time to pay them?
Both in spring and summer it will be a good time to pay lilacs in pots. During those months is when they are growing, and they can even bloom. Therefore, it is advisable to give them "extra energy" by fertilizing them with fertilizers, or with liquid fertilizers, such as guano (for sale here) or the algae fertilizer that you can get in this link.
But as I will never get tired of repeating, you have to follow the instructions on the package. We do not have to fall into the mistake of thinking that by adding more quantity they will grow more or faster, because that will not happen. In fact, when an overdose of manure or fertilizer occurs, the roots burn and die. Hence, you have to follow the instructions on the packaging, always.
Do lilacs in pots need to be pruned?
If we take into account that the lilac is a plant that, if kept in the garden, can reach 6 meters in height, if we want to keep it in a pot throughout its life, we will have to prune it from time to time. Maybe not every year, this will depend on the size of our plant and if we want it to be a low-growing shrub or a small tree, but it is something that will have to be done. The ideal time will be at the end of winter, when its leaves are not yet sprouting.
The way to proceed is as follows:
- First, branches that are dry or broken will be removed.
- Then, if you want to form it as a small tree, you have to remove the lower branches; If you are more interested in having it as a compact bush, you have to see if it has any branch that is growing a lot, and cut it.
- In order to have a more branched crown, regardless of the shape you want to give it, the ideal is to take some anvil pruning shears, and cut two or three centimeters -always above a bud- all the branches.
Remember to clean and disinfect tools before and after using them. Thus, you can have healthy potted lilacs.