Is Wallflower Easy to Grow? A Detailed Guide to Planting Methods and Precautions

Wallflower (Erysimum cheiri) is a flowering plant introduced to China from abroad. It is currently distributed in many parts of China and is a relatively common plant. Because of its high value, wallflower is deeply loved by consumers, and many people want to grow it. However, many people worry about not being able to grow it well.

Is Wallflower Easy to Grow?

Whether wallflower is easy to grow mainly depends on your own planting skills. If some people take good care of it after planting, it will survive easily. If some people care for it improperly, the survival rate will not be high.

Wallflower Planting Methods

1. Choosing the cultivation site. It is best to choose a plot with sufficient sunlight, loose soil, and good drainage that has not previously grown other cruciferous plants. Shade is needed in midsummer. Because wallflower has very few fibrous roots, it needs to be transplanted with the original soil around its roots. Planting should not be too dense, so as not to affect ventilation and light penetration.

2. Autumn sowing is preferable, generally carried out in September, using the method of broadcasting in the open field. Before sowing, apply sufficient base fertilizer to the ground, rake it evenly, level it, and make beds. The bed width is 1 m, and the length depends on the amount of seed sown, but it should not be too long, otherwise it is not easy to level the bed. Irrigate the prepared ground thoroughly. After the water has completely seeped into the soil, evenly scatter the seeds on the bed, cover with a thin layer of soil, and then cover with grass on top to reduce evaporation of soil moisture.

3. If the soil is found to be dry, water it in time. To avoid washing out the seeds, water can be poured onto the grass. Keep the temperature at around 20°C. Seedlings will emerge in about a week. After going through the low temperatures of winter, they will bloom profusely in the following spring. In the north, it is cultivated as a biennial.

4. The sowing period is in early September. First sow in an open-field seedbed. Because seedlings are not tolerant of transplanting, they should be lifted before winter and stored in a cold frame with cold-protection equipment to overwinter. Spring planting should be done as early as possible to prevent the seedlings from producing new roots in the cold frame after temperatures rise; transplanting at that time easily damages the roots and affects survival.

5. Fertilizing and watering. When the weather turns warm, wallflower grows relatively quickly. Apply a dilute liquid fertilizer once every 15-20 days, and pay attention to watering. During the flowering period, control moisture and do not fertilize. In the rainy season, prevent waterlogging and drain promptly after rain.

6. Pinching and pruning. To increase the number of flowers, pay attention to pinching when the seedlings are strong to encourage lateral branches to sprout. After flowering, in order to make wallflower bloom again, promptly cut off the branches with faded flowers, apply a quick-acting fertilizer, and pay attention to watering and summer cooling. In this way, it can bloom again in September-October.

Precautions for Wallflower

1. Transplant with the original soil: If wallflower needs to be transplanted, be careful to keep the original soil around the roots when transplanting, because wallflower has relatively few fibrous roots and needs the original soil to provide nutrients.

2. Shade in midsummer: Although wallflower likes sunlight, the sunlight in summer is too intense, which is unfavorable to its growth and may cause leaf scorch, so some shading is necessary in midsummer.

3. Control water and fertilizer during flowering: During the flowering period, wallflower should have watering controlled and fertilizing stopped. In the rainy season, prevent waterlogging and drain promptly after rain.

4. Pinching and pruning: To increase the number of flowers, pinch the new seedlings to promote the sprouting of lateral buds. After flowering, in order to make wallflower bloom again, cut off the old branches and keep the new shoots and buds.

Pest and Disease Control for Wallflower

1. Black spot. Control method: At the very beginning of planting, choose excellent disease-free and disease-resistant varieties. After autumn, promptly remove fallen leaves and withered leaves.

2. Aphids. Control method: If the number is small, handpick and kill them. In the early stage, spray with 80% dichlorvos emulsifiable concentrate at 1500 times dilution.

3. Red spider mites. Control method: In the early stage of the disease, promptly remove diseased leaves once found. When the plant is severely affected, it needs to be pulled up and burned. In severe cases, spray evenly with 1.8% abamectin emulsifiable concentrate at 7000 to 9000 times dilution for control; or use 15% pyridaben emulsifiable concentrate at 2500 to 3000 times dilution, both of which have relatively good control effects.

To grow wallflower well, the most important thing is to master planting techniques. When planting, be sure to do a good job of site selection, and then sow at the appropriate time. In the later stages of planting, field management needs to be strengthened, and timely fertilizing and pruning are essential.