How to grow freesias well? Latest care methods and tips

Freesia leaves are like swords and its flowers are like golden bells, with a strange and beautiful form and a rich fragrance. It has both the delicate scent of orchids and the sweetness of osmanthus. One pot indoors is fresh and soothing. Common varieties include white freesia, pale yellow freesia, and red freesia. It is a flower of the genus Freesia in the iris family, also known as fragrant snow orchid, small iris orchid, small kudzu orchid, small bud orchid, scissors orchid, plain fragrant orchid, wheat orchid, fragrant iris, and foreign tuberose.

Choose corms that are long ovate or conical, relatively large and plump, with flower stems 30~40 cm long, 7~13 flowers per spike, flower length 4 cm, diameter 3~4 cm, and when purchased at 1/3 open, that is, the rear 2~3 flowers of the spike are fully open, the middle 3~5 flowers are just opening, and the front 2~3 flowers are in bud; at 15~20°C they can be kept in a vase for 2~3 weeks. In water, cut off a small section of the stem base from the end of the flower stem with a sharp knife at a slant, and immediately insert it into a vase or floral foam. Use a ceramic or glass vase, not a metal vase. Soak a new container in water for 12 hours. Before inserting, scald for 10 seconds with boiling water, use cool boiled water or purified water, and remove all leaves and young shoots below the water line. During the day, place it in a cool, ventilated spot with scattered light; at night, move it outdoors where there is no wind and there is dew. Indoors, avoid smoking and placing fruit nearby.

Freesia likes warmth and fears cold. The suitable growing temperature is 18~20°C, night temperature 14~16°C, and overwintering temperature 6~7°C. It likes light; short days form flower buds, and long days bring flowering. For pot cultivation, plant from mid-September to early October. Use a 15~18 cm pot, planting 5~7 corms per pot. Use a potting mix made of leaf mold, garden soil, compost, and sand in a 2:5:2:1 ratio. Put bone meal, barnyard manure, or cake fertilizer at the bottom of the pot, fill the potting soil to 4 cm below the pot rim, water thoroughly, then cover with 2 cm of soil, and place in a ventilated, cool spot. Just after potting, water once every 5~7 days. Seedlings can emerge in 10~15 days. Move the pot to a place with ample sunlight and keep it slightly dry to harden the seedlings. As the plant grows, increase the amount and frequency of watering. When it enters the flower bud differentiation stage, apply cake fertilizer water plus 0.5% potassium dihydrogen phosphate once every 10 days, with 8~10 hours of light daily, to promote flower bud differentiation.

During the bud stage of freesia, keep it at 15~20°C during the day and around 10°C at night, place it on an enclosed balcony, and frequently apply dilute cake fertilizer water. After frost, bring it indoors and place it in a spot with ample sunlight, starting at 10°C and gradually raising it to 15~20°C. With 10~12 leaves it can bloom. During flowering, maintain 16~20°C. During the bud stage, keep the potting soil moist and water appropriately. Apply 0.2% potassium dihydrogen phosphate once every 15 days. Each plant can produce 15~20 flowers. After the inflorescence is extracted, set up a support in time and tie it with fine string. When it enters the flowering period, control water and fertilizer. After flowering, cut off the flower stalks. For dwarfing freesia, soak the bulbs in 70~80 mg/L paclobutrazol for 15~20 hours, remove them, rinse with clean water, and pot them; plant height can be reduced by 1/3 and leaf width can double.