How to Grow Variegated Giant Reed? A Detailed Guide to the Latest Cultivation Methods
Variegated giant reed (Arundo donax var. versicolor) is a perennial emergent herbaceous foliage plant of the genus Arundo in the grass family. Its stems are tall and upright, resembling bamboo, and its underground rhizomes are thick and multi-noded. In early spring the leaves are striped with alternating yellow and white bands, later gaining green stripes. It is mainly used as background material in waterscape gardens, and can also be dotted around bridges, pavilions and waterside pavilions; it can be potted for courtyard viewing. Let us take a look below at how to grow variegated giant reed!
Growth Habits of Variegated Giant Reed
Variegated giant reed is native to Guangdong, Hainan, Guangxi, Guizhou, Yunnan, Sichuan, Hunan, Jiangxi, Fujian, Taiwan, China, Zhejiang, Jiangsu and other places in China. It grows along riverbanks and roadsides on sandy loam soil, and has been introduced and cultivated in gardens throughout the south. It grows beside rivers, ponds and lakes, often forming large reed marshes. It likes warmth and light, tolerates moisture and is fairly cold-hardy, but in the north it needs protection to overwinter. In subsurface-flow constructed wetlands it has a good purifying effect on domestic sewage.
Propagation Methods for Variegated Giant Reed
1. Rhizome propagation: Dig out the underground stems, wash off the soil and old roots, and cut them into blocks with a sharp knife, each block with 3 to 4 buds for propagation.
2. Cutting propagation: Carry this out in late August and early September. After cutting the plants, they must not be taken out of water; cut and plant them immediately. The water level of the cutting bed or pond should be 3 to 5 cm, and roots will form in about 20 days.
Cultivation Methods for Variegated Giant Reed
1. Potting: For potting variegated giant reed, choose a non-leaking flower pot with an inner diameter of 50 to 60 cm. After planting, keep the soil in the pot moist or with shallow water.
2. Weeding: During the growing season of variegated giant reed, remove weeds promptly so they do not compete with the seedlings for nutrients.
3. Misting: In Wuhan and the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River, when the temperature in the hot summer reaches 42°C, spray water on the leaves of variegated giant reed to prevent sunscald.
4. Fertilizing: During the peak growing season, apply 1 to 2 topdressings of fertilizer to variegated giant reed to improve its growth and development capacity and ornamental value.