A Detailed Guide to Growing Blanket Flower: Methods and Precautions
"Stunningly beautiful as a celestial being" is a very high compliment we give to a person of extraordinary beauty. People often believe that fairies in heaven cannot be compared to mortals, so if a person is beautiful, we can say she is a celestial being from heaven, or "tianren" for short. However, in our daily life, beautiful people are common, but celestial beings are hard to come by. In the plant kingdom there is also something called "tianren" - why not join us and take a look at its beauty.
How to Grow Blanket Flower
Blanket flower is relatively easy to grow. It is fairly drought-tolerant and heat-tolerant, likes high temperatures, but is not cold-tolerant. As for sunlight, it likes light and can also tolerate partial shade.
When choosing soil for blanket flower, sandy soil is generally sufficient, and it requires good drainage. During cultivation, it needs timely fertilizing.
Blanket Flower Growing Methods and Precautions
1. Light and temperature
Blanket flower likes a growing environment with high temperatures and plenty of sunlight. It can tolerate heat, is slightly intolerant of cold, and its suitable growing temperature is between 15°C and 35°C. It requires sufficient sunlight, though it can tolerate partial shade.
2. Soil
To grow blanket flower, you need to choose suitable soil. Generally, you need to choose soil with good drainage and a loose texture, but be careful not to choose acidic soil, as it will cause poor plant growth.
3. Watering and fertilizing
Blanket flower has a relatively high demand for fertilizer. It is fairly drought-tolerant and dislikes being drenched by rain, but it also needs a certain level of air humidity. Generally, blanket flower should be watered and fertilized in small amounts but frequently. During the growing period, fertilizing should be done early, with more phosphorus and potassium fertilizer applied. After fertilizing, keep the plant dry, and appropriately control water and fertilizer during the flowering period.
4. Propagation methods
The propagation methods for growing blanket flower are usually sowing and cuttings. Sowing is done in summer. Before sowing, the soil needs to be sterilized, and after sowing, attention should be paid to care and management. Cuttings can be done in combination with pinching, using the pinched-off stems directly for cuttings. After cutting, pay attention to the management of light, temperature, and humidity.
5. Potting up
When potting up blanket flower seedlings, first place broken tiles or coarse sand grains at the bottom of the flowerpot as a drainage layer, then sprinkle on some decomposed fertilizer as a base fertilizer, place a layer of prepared soil on top of the base fertilizer, and finally set the plant in place. After potting up, water the pot thoroughly once and keep it in a shaded environment for a period of care.
6. Pinching and pruning
Pinching and pruning are very important for the growth of blanket flower. When the seedlings have grown more than 6 leaves, pinch off the growing tips to promote branching. After that, pinch once more during the growing process to shape the ideal plant form and encourage more blooming.
Growing Blanket Flower from Seed
Sowing propagation is often chosen to be done in summer. Before sowing, the seeds and the growing medium need to be prepared. The medium should be sterilized to achieve the effect of killing pests and diseases. The seeds should first be soaked in warm water for 3~10 hours, depending on the situation - as long as the seeds swell up. Some seeds are relatively small and difficult to sow by hand, so you can use tweezers to place them on the surface of the medium. After all sowing is complete, cover with a layer of medium, about 1 cm thick.
After sowing, you can choose to use a spray bottle to gently moisten the medium, which can avoid the seeds being washed out due to too much force when watering. Finally, cover with plastic film. After sowing is complete, when the seedlings emerge, remove the plastic film, and regularly let the seedlings receive light, being careful to avoid strong light - for example, they can receive light before 9 o'clock.
When Does Blanket Flower Bloom
Blanket flower generally blooms in summer and autumn. Its flowering period is from July——October, and it sets fruit after flowering, with the fruit generally maturing in August——October. The blanket flower plant is actually not very tall, and a single flower is usually a whole cluster. This single flower contains many ray florets and tubular florets, and the colors are quite vivid. Generally, the ray florets surround the inner tubular florets. After the ray florets fade, the inner tubular florets develop into fruit, and once the fruit matures, seeds can be obtained.
A celestial being must be as beautiful as a flower, so although calling blanket flower the celestial being among flowers is somewhat undeserved, it is at least a beautiful flower, so it is not excessive to exaggerate and call it a celestial being. But even a fairy from heaven has to eat grains once it comes to the mortal world, so blanket flower also needs people's dedicated cultivation!