How to Grow a Potted Osmanthus Tree: Cultivation Methods and Precautions
The osmanthus tree is surely familiar to many people; it can be seen in many places and is a relatively common and well-known tree in our country. Nowadays many people like to grow osmanthus trees in pots at home, as they are highly ornamental. However, during the process of growing them, many people encounter many problems due to technical issues, so mastering cultivation techniques is very important.
How to Grow a Potted Osmanthus Tree
1. Light and temperature: South of the Yellow River, it can overwinter outdoors. North of the Yellow River, it needs to overwinter indoors, placed in a sunny spot, with the indoor temperature kept above 5 degrees, but not exceeding 10 degrees. In April of the following year, move it outdoors, first placing it in a sheltered, sunny spot for care, and after stable growth, gradually move it to a ventilated, sunny place. Insufficient light during the growing period affects flower bud differentiation.
2. Potting soil: Osmanthus does not have high soil requirements. The potting soil can be a mix of humus soil or peat, garden soil, and sandy soil or river sand (ratio 5:3:2). After preparation, the pH should be maintained at 5.5-6.5. Before potting, disinfect the growing soil with a 0.1% potassium permanganate solution.
Cultivation Methods for Potted Osmanthus Trees
1. Watering: Watering osmanthus should follow the principle of not watering until dry, and watering thoroughly when you do. Spray the leaves with clean water once a day. After Qingming Festival, move the osmanthus to the open air and water it thoroughly once. In summer, water in the morning and evening; in winter, water around noon. Be careful not to let water accumulate.
2. Fertilizing: Since osmanthus is mainly grown for its flowers, it should be supplied with sufficient fertilizer. When new shoots emerge, apply nitrogen fertilizer 1-2 times; before flower bud differentiation and flowering, mainly apply phosphorus fertilizer. Before fertilizing, the potting soil should be slightly dry, and it is best to loosen the soil first. Water once the day after fertilizing.
3. Repotting: Osmanthus usually needs to be repotted and have its soil changed once every 2-3 years. Cut off some old roots and dead roots, place a layer of river sand or vermiculite at the bottom of the pot to facilitate aeration and drainage, and place decomposed cake fertilizer as base fertilizer. Be sure to press the added soil firmly.
4. Overwintering: The room temperature for overwintering osmanthus should be 0-5°C, with relative humidity of 50-80%. In winter, the cold room should have good light; especially before the buds begin to sprout in early spring, sufficient sunlight is required. The following year, after Grain Rain, arrange to move it outdoors; after moving out, first place them together in a sheltered, sunny spot outdoors.
Precautions for Potted Osmanthus Trees
1. Potted osmanthus is not tolerant of smoke and dust. If it is allowed to grow in places with polluted air, it will lead to poor growth, smaller leaves that easily fall off, and few or no flowers. Therefore, during cultivation, prevent the osmanthus from being polluted by smoke and dust.
2. Osmanthus is a long-day plant and likes strong light. If the plant cannot get sufficient light during the growing period, its branches and leaves will grow excessively, affecting flower bud formation and resulting in failure to bloom. Therefore, do not shade it excessively during cultivation.
How to Prune a Potted Osmanthus Tree
1. No pruning of the whole plant. That is, delayed pruning, suitable for the initial stage of shaping young osmanthus trees. It mainly includes twisting shoots and bending branches. The former is to manually make the young shoots in the early growth stage soft, so as to change the growth direction and adjust the position. Branch bending is for thick one-year-old branches; by using wire and driving wooden stakes into the ground, the growth direction is controlled.
2. Small-scale pruning. First is pinching, removing the tender shoot at the very top of a branch with 3 or 4 small leaves, to promote more branching; suitable for growing vegetative branches. Note that you must pinch the branch; if you only pinch off the leaves, it will have no effect. Next is short cutting, which is done on one-year-old growing branches. After pruning, retain more than half of the branch, which can promote the growth of some buds on the upper part of the branch and encourage more branching. Then heavy pruning is retaining less than half of a one-year-old branch. After pruning, it can activate dormant buds on the lower part of the branch, which may later form new long branches or become flowering branches. Finally, retrenchment is for a long branch more than two years old: cut off the part grown in the previous year, replace the branch group, promote more branching, and also effectively control the flowering position so it no longer extends outward year by year.
3. Large-scale pruning. This method is suitable for renewing old osmanthus trees. After the first two types of pruning, the overall tree shape will not be greatly affected, but large-scale pruning may make the original tree shape unrecognizable. It can also be used in combination with grafting.
When growing potted osmanthus trees, be sure to pay attention to temperature control, and take protective measures when temperatures are low in the north. The amount of watering also differs in different seasons. If you want the osmanthus tree to grow well, timely pruning is also very important. There are some detailed introductions above, and I hope they can be helpful to everyone.