How to Grow White Lilac Flowers and Care Tips
White lilac flowers are the blooms produced by the white lilac tree. They can be used to make tea and have the effects of detoxifying and reducing swelling, and relieving indigestion. Many people like to keep a few pots at home, so how do you grow white lilac flowers?
1. How to grow white lilac flowers?
1. Division propagation
So-called division propagation means digging out the small shoots at the base of the original lilac roots together with their roots and soil, and planting them separately into flower pots. This is usually done as heel-in planting in autumn. Heel-in planting means that after the plant is dug up and transplanted, it is not yet certain where it will be permanently planted, so to keep the lilac from dying it is temporarily planted for a period of time to make later transplanting easier. In fact, lilac seedlings bought from the birch market are generally already in a heeled-in state; as long as you take them home, choose a good spot, and plant them, they will continue to grow.
2. Cutting propagation
Take healthy one- to two-year-old lilac branches and insert them into soil or sand. Once the new branches have taken root, they can be replanted, and in this way a splendid new lilac is born.
3. Layering propagation
So-called layering propagation means burying a lilac branch in moist soil. Note that at this time the branch is still not separated from the original parent plant. After the branch has taken root, it is then cut away from the mother plant. This method not only requires time and patient waiting (it takes two to three months), but also involves a bit of technical skill: before layering, the branch must undergo a small operation of ring-barking, and then growth hormone is applied to encourage root growth.
2. What are the care tips for growing white lilac flowers?
1. Choosing a pot: Lilac plants are relatively large and their roots are fairly sturdy, so a deeper ceramic pot should be chosen, whether square or round. The pot color is best in light blue or light yellow, which matches white and purple lilacs better.
2. Potting: Choose healthy small lilac seedlings and pot them in February to March. Before planting, trim the root system a little, keeping more fibrous roots. When planting, make sure the roots spread out, press the soil firm, and let the soil closely contact the roots. Then water thoroughly.
3. Watering: Lilacs are highly adaptable and their care is relatively simple. Usually you only need to weed promptly and water when the potting soil is dry, without letting water accumulate, and they can grow normally. As for watering frequency, there is no strict requirement; water when dry.
4. Temperature: Lilacs like a warm, humid environment. They originated in the equatorial rainforest climate and have a certain cold tolerance. The best growing temperature is 15-20°C. When the temperature is below 3°C, the plant will suffer frost damage and die. Lilacs like plenty of sunlight and tolerate slight shade, so be careful to place the plant in a sunny spot for care.
5. Repotting and pruning: Lilacs need to be repotted every 2-3 years. Take the plant out of the pot, trim the root system, cut off the old roots, and replace with new growing medium to encourage the growth of new roots. Every year in mid-March, before lilacs sprout, they should be pruned by cutting off overly dense, weak, diseased, and pest-damaged branches, and cutting back vigorously growing branches midway. After leaf fall, shaping can also be done once to keep the crown round and attractive and to benefit growth and flowering the following year.
6. Weeding: In July, September, and October each year, promptly remove the weeds around the lilacs, but do not use a hoe to turn the soil, as this may damage the lilac roots. Pull the weeds out by hand together with their roots.
7. Pruning: After 3-4 years of planting, lilac branches age, so the aboveground part should be heavily pruned, that is, the trunk should be cut off 30 cm above the ground. After trunk cutting, sturdy branches will quickly grow, making the crown full, and abundant flowers can be produced the following year.