Maintain elven mirror - water, fertilize, cut and more

How to maintain the elf mirror - the best tips and tricks

Plant the elven mirror

Originally from South Africa, the Elfenspiegel loves a sunny location. You can also do your plant a great favor with a place sheltered from the wind. The soil doesn't have to be particularly rich in nutrients. However, many hybrids are bred for abundant flowering, these plants are a bit hungrier than the wild varieties.

also read

How to cut back the elf mirror properly - the best tips
The ideal location for the Elfenspiegel
Can you hibernate the elf mirror?

Since the elven mirror is not really hardy, you should not plant it until late spring. With young plants, it is best to wait until after the ice saints in May before planting them out, because they are still quite susceptible to frost. Put a little well-rotted compost in the planting hole and water the freshly planted elven mirror well.

Water and fertilize the elven mirror

Keep the soil evenly moist throughout the summer and water your elven mirror regularly. However, you should definitely avoid waterlogging, otherwise the roots could rot. If you are unsure about the perfect time to water, then always water when the top soil layer has dried.

The elf mirror doesn't need much fertilizer. With many species it is sufficient to fertilize them once after pruning. Very profuse flowering hybrids can also tolerate a little more food. Here you can add a little liquid fertilizer to the irrigation water about once or twice a month.

Cut the elven mirror

A pruning not only ensures a neat appearance but also a long flowering period or a second flowering. Around July, the first glut of flowers from the Elfenspiegel is over. Now is the best time to cut back completely, as it encourages the formation of new buds.

Alternatively, you can remove the dead flowers regularly. The experienced gardeners call this “cleaning out”. Then new buds are constantly forming and there is no blooming pause as with a radical pruning.