The Latest Four-Season Flower Cultivation Techniques and Methods Tutorial
The four-season flower (Cornus kousa, also known as kousa dogwood) is an extremely beautiful garden ornamental prized for its flowers, foliage and fruit, with alternative names such as stone jujube, sheep plum and mountain lychee. It is a deciduous tree of the genus Cornus in the family Cornaceae, named for the 2 pairs of yellow-white petal-like large bracts outside the inflorescence that shine in all directions. It has a handsome, neat tree form, and its bracts are beautiful and conspicuous, giving it considerable ornamental value. Let us take a look at the cultivation techniques for the four-season flower!
Growth Habits of the Four-Season Flower
The four-season flower prefers a warm climate and a shady, humid environment, and is suited to fertile, well-drained soil. It is highly adaptable and can tolerate a certain degree of cold, drought and poor soil. It likes light but also tolerates partial shade, prefers a warm climate and a shady, humid environment, and is suited to fertile, well-drained sandy soil. It tolerates low temperatures of -15 degrees C and can be planted in the open in the Jiangnan region, though leaf tips tend to dry out in summer.
Propagation Methods of the Four-Season Flower
1. Division: Propagate the four-season flower by division in late spring when buds sprout or after leaf fall in winter. Separate the small suckers growing beneath the plant and transplant them for establishment.
2. Cuttings: Propagate the four-season flower by cuttings during the growing season. In March to April, select 1- or 2-year-old branches, cut them to 5-6 cm lengths, insert them into pure sand or sandy soil, cover with a shade net and maintain humidity; roots can form in about 50 days.
3. Sowing: Soak four-season flower seeds in warm water to encourage germination 20 days before sowing. Sow early in spring; germination occurs 3 months after sowing. Strengthen field management during the seedling stage, taking care to water, loosen the soil, weed and fertilize in a timely manner to promote root growth.
Cultivation Techniques for the Four-Season Flower
1. Land preparation: When planting the four-season flower in urban green spaces such as parks and courtyards, choose a wind-sheltered, sunny, warm and humid spot and plant it in blocks. Prepare the land in autumn or the following spring. For “four-side” planting (around homes, villages, roads and water), prepare the land and plant as you go. For mountain planting, choose the middle and lower parts of a semi-sunny slope, with loose, deep sandy loam or loam being best.
2. Planting: The four-season flower can be planted in both spring and autumn. In spring, plant before the buds swell; in autumn, plant after leaf fall. When planting seedlings, it is best to keep the soil ball intact, mound the soil 1-2 cm above the root collar, let the roots spread out naturally, and firm the plant upright. For block planting, the row spacing should be 3×4 mi.
3. Fertilizer and water: For 2-3 years after planting the four-season flower, loosen the soil and hoe weeds 2-3 times each year. Each year before flowering, budding and fruiting, loosen the soil, apply topdressing and water according to tree size. Fertilize regularly 3-4 times a year and water 5-6 times a year; this promotes good growth, a long flowering period, and large, beautiful flowers.
4. Pruning: Prune the four-season flower generally after leaf fall in winter or before buds break in spring each year, following the principle of even branch distribution and robust growth. Pruning mainly involves cutting back branches, and secondly removing dead branches, diseased and pest-infested branches, inward-growing branches, weak branches and poorly growing branches. In addition, during growth, gradually remove basal branches and cut back the central leader to enhance upward growth. Because the four-season flower has poor sprouting ability, heavy pruning is not advisable; simply maintain a rounded, umbrella-shaped tree form.
Pest and Disease Control for the Four-Season Flower
1. Angular leaf spot: Angular leaf spot mainly harms the leaves of the four-season flower. In May, spray Bordeaux mixture at 1:2:200 three times in succession, with 10-15 days between sprays; or in the early stages of the disease, spray 5% wettable Likjunt (a fungicide) at 800-1000 times dilution and 75% chlorothalonil wettable powder at 500-8020 times dilution 2-3 times in succession, with 7-10 days between sprays.
2. Moths: The moths that harm the four-season flower are mainly slug moths and bagworms, which gnaw the leaves and tender branches. Use 90% trichlorfon at 1000 times dilution or 50% phoxim at 1000 times dilution for timely control.
3. Aphids: Aphids mainly harm the tender leaves, shoot tips, flowers and young buds of the four-season flower. Spray with 40% dimethoate emulsion at 1500 times dilution, 70% wettable Mieyaling powder at 800-1000 times dilution, 50% wettable kangya powder, or 50% pirimicarb aqueous solution at 1000-2000 times dilution.