How to Grow Hollyhocks: Planting Methods, Precautions and Variety Introductions

The key points of growing plants can never escape factors such as light, heat, water, soil and fertilizer, and the difference in growing different plants lies in matching these factors to the plant itself, thereby meeting the plant's normal growth needs. So when growing hollyhocks, what will the ratio of these factors be?

Hollyhock Planting Methods and Precautions

1. Light

Hollyhocks prefer a sunny environment and tolerate partial shade. When growing them normally, hollyhocks should be placed in a spot with direct sunlight so they can receive sunlight.

2. Temperature

Hollyhocks are cold-hardy. In winter, the above-ground branches wither and die, but the underground perennial roots can overwinter naturally in the open field and sprout new shoots the following year. In North China they can overwinter safely in the open field.

The growing temperature for hollyhocks is 25℃—30℃, and the most suitable temperature during the flowering period is 26℃—28℃. An average monthly temperature below 17℃ affects flowering, and growth is poor when the nighttime temperature is below 14℃.

3. Watering

Pay attention to watering normally to keep the soil moist, but do not water excessively, as hollyhocks are afraid of waterlogging. During the flowering period, hollyhocks should be watered appropriately to extend the flowering period and increase the number of flowers.

4. Soil

Hollyhocks have strong adaptability to soil and strong tolerance to salinity and alkalinity; they can still grow in soil containing 0.6% salt. They grow best in loose, fertile, well-drained sandy soil rich in organic matter.

5. Fertilizing

Before planting hollyhocks, deeply turn the soil and add base fertilizer to the soil. During the growing period, apply liquid fertilizer based mainly on nitrogen and potassium fertilizer once or twice. After the flower buds form, apply liquid fertilizer based mainly on phosphorus and potassium fertilizer once or twice.

6. Precautions

After hollyhocks bloom, promptly cut off the above-ground parts, and new shoots can still sprout.

In summer, because the sunlight is strong, hollyhocks should as much as possible not be exposed to blazing sun, so as not to affect plant growth; they should be properly shaded to absorb scattered light.

To dwarf the plant, root cutting can be used to control height, that is, during the growing period, use a milling cutter to vertically cut the root system at 10 cm to the left and right of the plant base, and 2—3 weeks after cutting, cut the front and back two places in the same way. The more times the roots are cut, the shorter the plant becomes, making it suitable for pot cultivation.

What Varieties of Hollyhock Are There

1. Mixed-type hollyhock

The Giant Sunflower is a very typical variety of mixed-type hollyhock. In addition to the ornamental value of hollyhocks, it also has edible value. This kind of hollyhock is very special and basically blooms all year round, so its ornamental value is extremely high. In addition, mixed-type hollyhocks also have a high oil content. Its seeds can not only be eaten directly but can also be used to press oil, truly achieving two things at once, satisfying both the appetite and the eyes.

2. Ornamental hollyhock

This type of hollyhock, as the name suggests, has low edible value and is all used for ornament. The colored sunflower (abbreviated as colored sunflower) is a classic variety of ornamental hollyhock. This type of hollyhock is suitable for growing in moist, mild places with sufficient light. It has very strong vitality, so it does not have high requirements for soil, but it grows even more beautifully in fertile land.

Sowing and Propagation of Hollyhock

After the seeds mature in August and September, they can be sown, and they will bloom the following year. If sown in spring, they are not easy to bloom in the same year. The south often sows in autumn, while the north mainly sows in spring.

Depending on the number of seeds, you can choose to sow in an open-field seedbed and then transplant, or directly sow in the soil and not transplant again. For the soil, leaf mold and field soil are generally used. Before sowing, the soil should be disinfected to prevent and control the occurrence of pests and diseases.

Under normal conditions, they can germinate in 7 days, and when 2—3 leaves have grown, transplant them. It is best to transplant on cloudy and rainy days. Thinning can be done, which is extremely beneficial to plant growth.

The germination capacity of hollyhock seeds can be maintained for 4 years, but sown seedlings will decline in growth after two or three years. Seedlings are very prone to damping-off, so seedbed management should be strengthened, and appropriate drugs can be added to the soil.

The Flower Language of Hollyhock

The flower language of hollyhock is “dream”. Legend has it that Christianity had the habit of combining saints with specific flowers. This is because when the church commemorates saints, it often decorates the altar with blooming flowers. In the Middle Ages, in Catholic monasteries, all kinds of flowers were planted like gardening centers. Over time, the Christian church combined the 366 days of saints with different fresh flowers respectively, forming a flower calendar.

At that time, most monasteries were located in Southern Europe, and Southern Europe has a Mediterranean climate, which is very suitable for planting flowers, grass and trees. Hollyhock is a plant of the genus Alcea in the family Malvaceae, and ultimately Saint Stachys was chosen to be commemorated with hollyhock.

Saint Stachys was stoned to death by the Jews while preaching to the crowd in Palestine about how Jesus was killed. Later, Saint Stachys appeared in a dream to the Christian bishop, so people found the remains of Saint Stachys in 415 AD. Therefore, the flower language of hollyhock is “dream”.

Anyone born on this day will be a child who loves to dream. They will fantasize that their love is like a novel, with rising and falling climaxes and brilliant, peerless plots.

Hollyhock is the embodiment of dreams, like a child who loves to dream. He weaves some of himself into the dream, and then locks himself in the dream as well. Therefore, people who like hollyhocks must also be people who love to dream and are destined to be connected with dreams. That is why hormones that match hollyhock are produced.