How to grow Cotoneaster horizontalis? A detailed guide to the latest cultivation methods
Cotoneaster horizontalis, also known as creeping centipede, little-leaf cotoneaster, dwarf red cotoneaster, etc., is a semi-evergreen prostrate shrub of the genus Cotoneaster in the rose family. As an excellent material for rock gardens, courtyards, green spaces, wall edges and corners, it can be used as ground cover and for making bonsai, and its fruiting branches can also be used for flower arranging; it can also be used for foundation planting or made into bonsai. Now let us take a look at the cultivation methods for Cotoneaster horizontalis!
Growth habits of Cotoneaster horizontalis
Cotoneaster horizontalis prefers a warm, humid, semi-shaded environment, tolerates dry and barren land, does not tolerate damp heat, has a certain degree of cold resistance, and fears waterlogging. It is distributed in Shaanxi, Gansu, Hubei, Hunan, Sichuan, Guizhou and Yunnan in China, growing in shrub thickets or on rocky slopes at an altitude of 2000-3500 m, and is also distributed in Nepal.
Propagation methods of Cotoneaster horizontalis
1. Sowing: Cotoneaster horizontalis is commonly propagated by cuttings and seeds. Seeds can be sown in autumn or stored in damp sand and sown in spring. Fresh seeds can be sown immediately after collection, while dry-stored seeds should be sown in early spring in January to February. Transplanting is best done in early spring, and large seedlings need to be moved with a soil ball.
2. Cuttings: Cotoneaster horizontalis can be propagated by cuttings in spring or during the plum rain season. Spring cuttings require warmth retention and moisture retention, using mountain soil or peat soil as the substrate. Cuttings taken during the plum rain season especially need a substrate with good air permeability, and softwood cuttings in summer have a high survival rate.
Cultivation methods of Cotoneaster horizontalis
1. Transplanting: Keep the temperature in the seedling shed at about 28°C and the humidity above 90%. Spray water once each day at 8:00-9:00 and 16:00-17:00, but do not make the soil too wet; keeping the leaf surface moist is sufficient. To prevent infection by pathogens, spray a 0.2% carbendazim solution once on the 7th day after cutting for complete disinfection. Start hardening the seedlings after 40 days, and transplant after 5-6 days of hardening.
2. Humidity: Cotoneaster horizontalis likes a humid or semi-dry climate environment and requires the relative air humidity of the growing environment to be 50-70%. When the relative air humidity is too low, the lower leaves turn yellow and fall off, and the upper leaves lose their luster.
3. Temperature: Cotoneaster horizontalis is native to subtropical regions, so it has strict requirements for winter temperature. It stops growing when the ambient temperature is below 8°C.
4. Light: Cotoneaster horizontalis has a strong ability to adapt to light. When keeping it indoors, place it in a spot with bright light as much as possible. After keeping it indoors for a period (about one month), move it outdoors to a shaded place (with warmth retention conditions in winter) for a period of care (about one month), and alternate in this way.
5. Fertilizer and water: During ordinary care of potted Cotoneaster horizontalis plants, appropriate fertilizer and water management should also be carried out. During the winter dormant period, the main task is to control fertilizer and water, with an interval of about 3-7 days. The interval is shorter on sunny days or during high temperatures, and longer or no watering on cloudy and rainy days or during low temperatures.
6. Pruning: In winter, when Cotoneaster horizontalis enters dormancy or semi-dormancy, cut off weak, diseased, pest-affected, dead and overly dense branches. Pruning can also be combined with cutting propagation to tidy up the branches.
7. Repotting: As long as Cotoneaster horizontalis is cared for properly, it will grow very quickly. When it grows to a certain size, consider giving it a larger pot so that it can continue to grow vigorously. For the potting soil and component ratio used for repotting, one of the following can be chosen: vegetable garden soil: cinder = 3:1, or garden soil: medium-coarse river sand: sawdust (mushroom residue) = 4:1:2, or one of paddy soil, pond mud, or leaf mold.