How to Grow Baby's Breath? Detailed Guide to Cultivation Methods and Precautions
Baby's breath (Gypsophila) has relatively small petals in large numbers, looking just like stars in the sky, which is how it got its name. The baby's breath commonly seen in daily life is generally dried flowers; in fact, those are all processed baby's breath. When growing it, it is the same as ordinary flowers. Today we will talk about the cultivation techniques for baby's breath.
How to Grow Baby's Breath
1. Sufficient light is needed: Light has a profound effect on whether baby's breath blooms, and this is especially obvious in winter. If baby's breath in summer is given an illumination of 80-24Klux, then all plants can bloom; the difference is that the less light the plant receives, the relatively fewer flowers it produces. In winter, those exposed to 58Klux can all bloom; while those exposed to 24Klux cannot bloom even if given a continuous 24-hour full-light period.
2. Loose soil is best. Baby's breath cultivation has low soil requirements; generally, well-drained slightly alkaline calcareous soil or gravelly loam is sufficient.
Baby's Breath Cultivation Methods
1. Water must be controlled. The growth of baby's breath has relatively high water requirements; after pinching, water and fertilizer still need to be replenished in time. To put it professionally, only when there is sufficient of everything will the plant shift from the vegetative growth stage to the reproductive growth stage. Until small flowers appear, a sufficient water supply must be ensured. After the petals appear, water should be slightly reduced to prevent the quality of cut flowers and the water uptake capacity from decreasing, and also to promote neat blooming of all flowers. Especially in hot and humid seasons, water control must be appropriate; this is the key to determining whether baby's breath cultivation succeeds.
2. Temperature must not be too high. Baby's breath grows best at a daytime temperature of 25°C; if it exceeds 30°C, it is very easy to cause deformed flowers. The nighttime temperature is best at 10-15°C; if it is below 10°C for a long time, plus the short days of autumn and winter, it is very easy to cause the plant to go dormant or become clustered.
3. Fertilize regularly. Baby's breath likes fertilizer but dislikes waterlogging. After planting, topdressing should be done regularly; in the early stage, mainly nitrogen fertilizer is used, and in the later stage, phosphorus and potassium fertilizer is gradually increased. Of course, fertilizing should be coordinated with watering; improper control of water and fertilizer can easily cause the plant to grow excessively. When the plant grows to 30 cm, watering should be controlled, especially during the bud-showing stage, and it should be even drier during the flowering period.
Precautions for Growing Baby's Breath
1. Supplement light and keep warm in winter: Baby's breath is a plant that likes sunlight. If we are growing it in winter, we need to supplement sunlight for baby's breath. We should not only maintain the necessary daytime light for baby's breath, but also supplement light at night by artificial lighting; only in this way can the flowering period be advanced. Also, when the winter temperature is low, we should pay attention to keeping baby's breath warm. Otherwise, under low temperatures, baby's breath will go dormant and not bloom.
2. Avoid heat and cool down in summer: Although baby's breath likes sunlight, excessively strong sunlight and excessively high temperatures are also not suitable for the growth of baby's breath. Therefore, in summer when the sunlight is too strong and the temperature is too high, we should place the baby's breath plant in a place where the sunlight is not so strong and the temperature is suitable, and also always pay attention to watering it to maintain sufficient moisture.
Cutting Propagation Method for Baby's Breath
1. The first thing to do is pruning: in spring, cut about 10 cm from the new branches of the plant. Cut 3-4 of the same kind and place them in a sand bed, spraying water to keep them moist. In about 15 days they will produce roots, and then they can be cultivated further. After about 20 days they can be transplanted into soil. At the same time, if it is the plum rain season, we can choose relatively tender branches for cuttings, and they will also take root in the following 2-3 weeks.
2. However, the rooting rate of cuttings is not very high, so we should choose cuttings with 4-5 pairs of leaves. In addition, in order to promote rooting, rooting powder or other auxins can be used for treatment. It is not limited by season, but the best periods are from mid-to-late March to early July and from late September to early November. When the temperature is above 15°C, roots will develop after about 20 days.
Growing baby's breath is relatively simple. First, you need to understand its growth habits, and then carry out the soil mixing work. In the later stages of cultivation, fertilizer and water management need to be strengthened. If you want baby's breath to grow better, you can propagate it; the most common method is cutting propagation.