How to grow moss rose? Transplant it this way for an easy, pot-bursting display
Back when succulents were not yet so popular, moss rose had already won a large batch of “devoted fans” with its fleshy stems and leaves and its bright, varied flowers. Nowadays, as the pace of life speeds up, moss rose, as a representative of the “easy-to-grow” flowering plants, has become practically a must-have for lazy gardeners. So then, how do you grow moss rose? How do you transplant it so it easily bursts out of the pot?
1. How do you grow moss rose?
When caring for moss rose, you need to pay attention to the following aspects:
1. Light
Moss rose needs to grow in an environment with very ample light, because its places of origin are mostly distributed in Brazil, Guangdong, Fujian, Guangxi and other regions with strong light. When caring for it yourself, you should follow its natural growth needs. During long stretches of weather without sun, you can supplement its light artificially.
2. Temperature
The optimal growing temperature for moss rose is 20-35°C. It is a flowering plant that rather likes warmth and tolerates drought; even in very hot summer, there is no need to worry that it will die of drought. But when winter comes, keeping moss rose warm is very necessary. You can wrap a ring of foam around the soil of the plant, or move it to a relatively warm place.
3. Water
Moss rose does not have very high water requirements. In fact, it is a flowering plant that cannot tolerate too much water. Even in the hot summer, generally watering once a week is enough, but note that you must water thoroughly and loosen the soil. In winter, just water once before winter sets in, and afterwards there is no need to water. When watering, it is best to add fertilizer as well, which can help moss rose store enough nutrients to prepare for the next year's growth.
4. Soil
Moss rose is relatively tolerant of drought and poor soil, so ordinary garden soil or sandy loam is quite suitable for planting moss rose.
5. Fertilizing
Moss rose does not need much fertilizer. When it is about to bloom, apply some phosphorus fertilizer and potassium fertilizer, and also apply a good “winter fertilizer.” For the “winter fertilizer,” a compound fertilizer is best.
6. Pest and disease control
One important reason moss rose is so easy to manage is that it has very few pests and diseases. You only need to watch for aphids and scale insects. Before sprouting, you can spray a 4000-5000 times dilution of imidacloprid for prevention.
2. How do you transplant moss rose?
If you did not buy the plants directly at a flower market, but grew them yourself by sowing seeds or rooting cuttings, then transplanting is very crucial to whether they will later burst out of the pot.
1. Transplanting moss rose into a flower pot
If transplanting into a flower pot, you can transplant the moss rose seedlings at a spacing of about 4 cm according to the size of the pot. Keep the soil that comes with the seedlings, then firm it with new soil, water thoroughly, and place it in the sun.
2. Transplanting moss rose into open ground
If you grew them in seedling cups and need to transplant them into open ground, then simply plant the entire moss rose plant from the seedling cup into the open ground.
Note that before transplanting moss rose you must not water; water only at the time of transplanting. And after the transplanted moss rose has survived, you need to pinch off the tips, so that the moss rose will grow out more and faster and achieve the “pot-bursting” effect.