Tree radish cultivation methods: water thoroughly but do not let water accumulate; stop fertilizing in summer

SummarySoil: choose high-humidity humus soil that does not accumulate water; you can mix in cake residue and bone meal as a base fertilizer. Temperature and humidity: tree radish is cold-tolerant but not heat-tolerant, and needs shading in summer. Watering: when the soil is completely dry, water thoroughly at one time, and mist the leaf surface to keep it moist. Fertilizing: fertilize once every 10 days in spring and autumn, stop fertilizing in summer, and apply additional fertilizer appropriately in winter. Pest and disease control: when humidity is too high, use carbendazim to control leaf rust, root rot, and so on. Propagation methods: use cuttings propagation or tuber propagation.

Tree Radish Cultivation Methods

Tree radish, also called lantern flower, is an epiphytic evergreen shrub. Its leaves are elliptical with a leathery feel; the upper edges have fine serrations and are hairless; the veins on the front are not obvious, while the veins on the back are obvious; the petiole is covered with fine down. The flowers grow singly in the leaf axils; the pedicel is covered with gray short soft hairs and white glandular soft hairs; the calyx limb is 4mm long; the calyx has bristles and can split into triangular lobes; the corolla is cylindrical; the style is slender and hairless; the fruit is very small.

Flower Pot Selection

Tree radish is an epiphytic plant, so it can be cultivated by imitating its wild environment artificially, such as by growing it on wood or stones, or by using pots with strong air permeability, such as plastic pots, purple clay pots, earthenware pots, and so on.

Cultivation Soil

Tree radish likes high-humidity humus media. The soil for cultivating tree radish must have strong moisture retention, strong air permeability, and must not accumulate water. If cultivating it in an artificial imitation of the wild, you can attach tree radish to trees or stones and pile fully decomposed bark, coconut shell, or moss and other strongly moisture-retentive materials around its roots. If growing it at home in pots, you can choose granular soil, pine needles, humus soil, sandy soil, and so on, mix them in proportions, then mix in an appropriate amount of cake residue and bone meal as a base fertilizer.

Temperature and Humidity

Tree radish likes to live in a warm and humid climate. It is cold-tolerant but not heat-tolerant, so shading treatment should be carried out appropriately in summer, and in winter it should also be maintained indoors and can get more sun. The temperature should not be lower than 10°C. The most suitable temperature for tree radish is 20°C-26°C, and the humidity is 60%-80%. Under this temperature and humidity, tree radish can grow robustly.

Watering Methods

Tree radish itself is relatively drought-tolerant, but it likes to be in a humid environment, so when the soil surface is not dry, do not water. If it is completely dry, water thoroughly at one time. Also, frequently mist the leaf surface with water to maintain the humid environment it needs. For wild-imitation cultivation, spray water twice a day. For pot cultivation, spray water once every two or three days in spring and autumn, and spray water every day in summer. At the same time, pay attention to shading and ventilation treatment. In winter, increase light and reduce the frequency of water spraying.

Fertilizing Methods

During the growth process of tree radish, nutrients must be supplemented. In spring and autumn, you can spray with decomposed cake fertilizer water once every ten days. In summer high-temperature weather, stop spraying fertilizer. In winter, when the temperature is suitable, you can apply a small amount of additional fertilizer.

Pest and Disease Control

When planting tree radish, if the humidity is too high and water accumulates, leaf rust, root rot, leaf spot disease, and so on are likely to occur. Carbendazim and thiophanate-methyl can be used for spraying. Tree radish has relatively few insect pests, only a small number of red spiders, longhorn beetles, scale insects, and so on, which can be directly killed by spraying insecticide. When planting tree radish, there must absolutely be no water accumulation, and daily maintenance and management must also be strengthened.

Propagation Methods

Tree radish is very easy to propagate and has a high survival rate. Generally, cuttings propagation and tuber propagation are used. In cuttings propagation, both new branches and old branches can survive, but one-year-old growing branches are best. Cuttings can be taken in both spring and autumn. The cuttings should be cut to about 12cm, retaining three leaf buds on the branch, and the lower half of the branch should be cut into a horseshoe shape to increase the area for rooting. The cutting bed can use sandy soil. After cutting, keep the cutting bed moist. After one month, the branches will begin to root, and after two months, they can be potted.

Tuber propagation is done by cutting apart tubers with sprouting branches, then coating them with healing agent or plant ash, drying them slightly, and directly potting them. After watering to settle the roots, place them in a cool place. After one week, when the leaves begin to revive and survive, normal management can be carried out directly.