How to Grow Freesia? Detailed Guide to Cultivation Methods and Precautions
Freesia gets its name because its flowers are pure white like snow and its fragrance is as delicate as that of an orchid. This plant not only has a beautiful, poetic name, but is also quite eye-catching in appearance, looking very noble and extremely endearing. Many flower enthusiasts grow it at home to decorate their living environment. Now follow along with the editor to learn its cultivation methods.
How to Grow Freesia
1. Before planting freesia, the corms need pretreatment such as disinfection, breaking dormancy, and promoting root development. When disinfecting the corms, soak them in a 500-800 times dilution of carbendazim or thiophanate-methyl or other fungicide for 1-2 hours; once the time is up, scoop them out and dry them in the shade. Root-promoting treatment should be done so that planting occurs after roots have emerged; do not let root forcing go on too long, otherwise the roots are easily damaged during planting.
2. From after planting until sprouting, the soil must be kept moist. After flower buds appear, gradually reduce watering appropriately and try to keep the soil surface dry, which can effectively lower air humidity and prevent disease. At early flowering, use 0.2% potassium dihydrogen phosphate as a foliar fertilizer, but it is best to avoid topdressing before and after bud emergence.
3. During the cultivation of freesia, especially at the seedling stage and flowering stage, appropriate shading is needed. During the first leaf growth period, appropriate shading can lower soil temperature and promote root development. Before flower bud differentiation, giving about 10 h of short-day treatment helps promote flower bud differentiation and increases flower stem length as well as the number of flowers on the inflorescence and the number of lateral spikes.
Freesia Cultivation Methods and Precautions
Cultivation Methods
1. Soil preparation
Freesia likes sandy soil that is loose, has strong water retention, and drains well. Before planting, disinfect the soil by watering it with a solution prepared from quintozene, methyl bromide, and carbofuran. After disinfection, let it sit for 5-7 days before use.
2. Fertilizer and water management
From after transplanting until sprouting, keep the soil moist. After budding, gradually increase or decrease watering, try to keep the soil dry, lower air humidity, and reduce pests and diseases. From planting to flowering, the base fertilizer in the soil can basically meet the plant's growth needs, but if the plant is weak and spindly, apply a topdressing once when it has grown 2 to 4 leaves. Do not fertilize at budding, so as not to cause excessive leaf growth that affects flowering.
3. Temperature management
When the plant has grown 4 leaves, maintain the temperature at around 13-14°C to promote leaf growth. During flower bud differentiation, control the temperature at 10-25°C; after budding, appropriately raise the temperature within this range to promote flowering. After flowering, lower the temperature to 15°C to extend the flowering period.
4. Light management
When the first leaf grows, provide appropriate shade. After flower bud differentiation, appropriately extend the light duration to promote inflorescence development and earlier flowering.
2. Precautions
The corms must be disinfected before planting. Soak the corms in an 800 times dilution of thiophanate-methyl or carbendazim solution for 1-2 hours, scoop them out, and dry them in a cool place. Place them in a relatively warm environment to promote rhizome growth and break their dormancy period. Once the roots have grown 2-3 cm, they can be transplanted.
How to Fertilize Freesia
1. Topdressing
This plant's bulbs are not large and do not store much water or nutrients, so when the plant has grown 2 to 4 leaves, topdressing is required. Liquid fertilizer is mainly used for topdressing.
2. Base fertilizer
Before planting, some granular fertilizer can be buried in the soil; this will increase the soil's nutrients as well as its looseness and air permeability, and most importantly, it can make the plant grow more robustly.
3. Precautions
The fertilizer concentration must not be too strong; rather be dilute than strong, and you can apply thin fertilizer frequently. When applying liquid fertilizer, try to apply it along the edge of the pot, and do not pour it directly close to the roots, as this will cause fertilizer burn and harm the plant's healthy growth.
On rainy days, control fertilization or temporarily stop fertilizing, so as to prevent the soil from becoming too wet and causing root rot.
How to Dwarf Freesia
1. Control the surrounding environment: specifically, three elements mainly need to be controlled, namely water control, fertilizer control, and soil control. Among these three, fertilizer control has a relatively obvious effect. By doing this, its growth rate can be effectively suppressed, thus achieving the goal of making the plant shorter.
2. Pinching: as we all know, the plant's main stem generally grows relatively tall first, which can be very troublesome. So, to solve this problem, we can pinch the main stem when it has grown to a certain height, letting the side branches grow and inhibiting the growth rate of the main stem. When the side branches have grown very long, they can be pinched back, and the treatment repeated.
3. Pruning: this can be done in all four seasons. Cut off all excess branches, especially overly long ones. In this way, the growth of its branches can be promoted. Through continuous pruning, the goal of dwarfing it can be achieved.
4. Use chemicals: when potting in autumn, mix the chemical evenly with water. Then, soak its corms in it for fifteen to twenty hours. Then, scoop them out, rinse them, and they can be potted.
Freesia is a bulbous plant, and for this kind of plant, when to plant and the soil quality for cultivation are quite important aspects. So when growing it, everyone needs to ensure the basic requirements of looseness, good drainage, and fertility.