Clerodendrum thomsoniae: Pruning Branches and Leaves, and Cutting Propagation Methods

Clerodendrum thomsoniae is a plant that stirs the imagination, at least judging by its name. The dragon is a highly sacred creature, and a plant that can be called "dragon spitting pearls" must be deeply loved by people, so we can guess that the appearance of Clerodendrum thomsoniae must be very beautiful. And for someone who is already beautiful, loving to dress up is only natural.

How to Prune Branches and Leaves of Clerodendrum thomsoniae

1. When to Prune Clerodendrum thomsoniae

To shape an elegant plant form of Clerodendrum thomsoniae, when a potted cutting or seedling has grown to 15 cm, cut the branch 10 cm above the pot rim to encourage the sprouting of robust new branches.

During the growing season, strictly control the height of the branches and pay attention to pinching and topping to achieve neat branching and dense flowering in the future. Half a month after pinching, apply daminozide or chlormequat chloride to control plant height, achieving a short plant, lush leaves and abundant flowers.

When repotting each spring, prune and shorten the above-ground branches to make the plant round and neat, with more branches and more flowers.

2. How to Prune Clerodendrum thomsoniae

Clerodendrum thomsoniae is a climbing evergreen small shrub. To maintain its attractive plant shape, pruning must be strengthened. Generally, when repotting in early spring in April, cut the plant at 10-15 cm above the pot rim, remove the upper part, and encourage the sprouting of robust new branches.

During growth and development, pay attention to pinching to control the height of the branches and keep them neat. After each flowering, promptly cut off the flower stems to make the plant shape low and full. Adopting such heavy pruning can both promote abundant flowers and lush leaves the following year and save the trouble of setting up supports.

3. Treatment of Clerodendrum thomsoniae as a Cut Flower Material

When Clerodendrum thomsoniae is used as a cut flower material, you need the branches that are thick and bear abundant flowers after pruning. Only gardeners planting on a large scale need to pay attention to this point.

Clerodendrum thomsoniae has deep green leaves, jade-white calyxes and crimson corollas, full of poetic charm. Potted plants adorning a windowsill or balcony have a graceful posture, bright and novel.

During storage and transport, the flowers are sensitive to ethylene. 10 days before storage and transport, spray a 0.4 mmol/L silver thiosulfate solution. Flowering plants not sprayed with silver thiosulfate, when transported in darkness for more than 1 day at a transport temperature of 20°C, will drop their flowers.

Cutting Propagation Methods for Clerodendrum thomsoniae

1. Timing of Cutting Propagation for Clerodendrum thomsoniae

Cutting propagation of Clerodendrum thomsoniae is best carried out in spring and autumn.

2. Selection of Cuttings for Clerodendrum thomsoniae

The roots of the plant easily produce adventitious roots. You can look for sprouted seedlings, dig out broken roots, remove the leaves and use them as cuttings.

3. Cutting Methods

When using stem cuttings, simply insert the prepared softwood or hardwood cuttings into the soil.

When using root cuttings, cut off a section of a strong root from the mother plant. Make the lower cut at an angle to avoid inserting the root cutting upside down. Or, if you cannot tell top from bottom, lay the cutting flat on the medium and cover with soil.

Watering Methods for Clerodendrum thomsoniae

1. How to Water During the Growing Season

During the vigorous growth period of Clerodendrum thomsoniae, an adequate water supply is needed, but this does not mean watering heavily. You only need to keep the potting soil in a moist state, not dry, to meet the water needs of Clerodendrum thomsoniae during the growing season.

2. How to Water During the Flowering Period

During the flowering period, Clerodendrum thomsoniae has very little need for water. Not only does it not need much watering, but you must also prevent the petals from getting wet. Especially in rainy and stormy weather, gardeners must move Clerodendrum thomsoniae placed outdoors or on open balconies indoors; otherwise the flowers will wither and the flowering period will end early. Generally, gardeners can simply judge by the potting soil, following the principle of neither too dry nor too wet.

3. Seasonal Watering

Taking the most representative summer and winter as examples: in summer, because of high temperatures and relatively high evaporation, water replenishment should be timely and more generous. In winter, the opposite of summer applies. After all, Clerodendrum thomsoniae also goes dormant in winter, so water should naturally be reduced to ensure it safely passes through the cold, long harsh winter.

4. Harm of Improper Watering

Many gardeners often overwater when cultivating Clerodendrum thomsoniae. Once overwatered, the plant will show excessive growth of branch vines that do not flower, or the leaves will turn yellow and drop, and the root system may become severely waterlogged and even rot. Gardeners can judge based on the above symptoms, stop watering promptly and carry out remedial treatment.

How to Fertilize Clerodendrum thomsoniae

1. Fertilization Methods

Clerodendrum thomsoniae has no excessive demand for fertilizer, so gardeners should not fertilize too much. Generally, more fertilizer is needed during the flowering season. If using phosphorus and potassium fertilizer, apply once every 10 to 15 days; if using relatively dilute fertilizer water, apply once every 7 to 10 days, and keep this up for three or four consecutive cycles. At ordinary times, simply judge according to the plant's growth condition and just master the amount of fertilizer. There is another situation that requires fertilization: when the plant's leaves show yellowing lesions due to a lack of fertilizer, you can appropriately add some fertilizer at that time. In winter, remember that no fertilization is needed at all.

2. Which Fertilizer to Apply

Although Clerodendrum thomsoniae does not have overly high or refined fertilizer requirements, this does not mean gardeners can apply fertilizer at will. When adding fertilizer to Clerodendrum thomsoniae, attention must be paid to the ratio and content of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. Generally, it is preferable to choose an efficient compound fertilizer that both ensures the nutrition the plant needs and achieves a health-promoting, healthy effect. The microorganisms it is rich in can also help the plant's metabolism, making the stems, branches and flowers of Clerodendrum thomsoniae look more lustrous and enhancing its ornamental value.

So for the beautiful Clerodendrum thomsoniae, we need to take some measures to maintain its beauty, just like making a beauty's antioxidant capacity stronger so that she can stay beautiful longer. And the means to make Clerodendrum thomsoniae beautiful for longer are nothing more than pruning, shaping, or giving appropriate nutrients.