A Detailed Guide to Common Varieties of Periwinkle Seeds and Seedling Methods
Periwinkle is surely quite familiar to everyone; it can bloom continuously all year round, pretty and verdant, delicate and elegant, and is thus cherished by the vast number of flower lovers. Periwinkle has not been introduced into our country for long; it is mostly cultivated in flower beds south of the Yangtze River, and in the north it is grown indoors in pots, and the varieties and flower colors of periwinkle are also very diverse, but the difficulty of care is about the same for all of them. So what common varieties of periwinkle seeds are there? And how should seedlings be raised? Let's find out together.
What common varieties of periwinkle seeds are there?
There are more than ten common varieties of periwinkle, mainly distinguished by the color of the petals and the flower eye, such as the red-eye series Little Bit, Apricot Delight, and Ice Pink; the white-eye series Blue Pearl and Balcony Purple; the yellow-eye series Enthusiasm and Parasol; and the purple-eye series Caribbean Purple, and so on. Different periwinkle varieties differ greatly in flower color, and the size and height of the plants are also different, but all of their flowers have five petals and grow very neatly, which is also one of the characteristics of periwinkle. Of course, no matter which variety it is, before care you must choose the variety according to its growth habits and the geographical environment conditions.
What are the seedling methods?
1. Cutting propagation
Periwinkle generally uses the cutting propagation method; usually in spring or early summer, cut tender branches 8-10 cm long, remove the lower leaves, keep 2-3 pairs of leaves at the tip, insert them into a sand bed or leaf mold soil, keep the cutting medium slightly moist, at a room temperature of 20-24°C; they root 15-20 days after cutting.
2. Cutting time
Cuttings are mostly taken from April to July; when propagating by cuttings, choose tender branches from strong, pest- and disease-free mature plants as cuttings. Use a mixed medium of plain sand, vermiculite, and peat as the cutting substrate, wrap a small ball of mud around the base of the cutting, insert it into a cold frame, at a room temperature of 20-24°C, and after about 20 days they will root.
3. Sowing propagation
Periwinkle seeds number between 700 and 750 per gram. The sowing time is mainly concentrated from January to April. For sowing, use a relatively loose artificial medium; you can sow in beds or boxes for seedling raising, and if conditions permit, plug trays can be used.
4. Seedling management
Stage one: 4-6 days after sowing, the radicle emerges. Initially keep the seedling medium moist, no fertilization needed, and keep the temperature at 25-26°C.
Stage two: As soon as the radicle emerges, moisture content must be controlled; watering after the medium dries slightly can promote germination and control disease. At this stage, light also needs to be increased so that the daylight hours reach 12-18 hours per day.
Stage three: This stage lasts about 14-21 days. A warm and dry environment needs to be maintained, the soil pH value controlled at 5.5-5.8, and the EC value less than 1. Fertilization can be applied every 5-7 days, alternating 100-150 ppm of 20-10-20 and 14-0-14 water-soluble fertilizer.
Stage four: Water again after the medium has properly dried out, apply 100-150 ppm of 14-0-14 water-soluble fertilizer, strengthen ventilation, and prevent leggy growth. This stage lasts about 7 days.
The cultivation and care of periwinkle can be considered fairly simple; its soil adaptability is broad, and its vitality is also tenacious. Periwinkle is mostly propagated by sowing and cuttings; because the seedlings from cutting propagation do not grow as well as seedling plants grown from seed, it is seldom used in large-scale cultivation, and ordinary households can adopt the cutting propagation method.
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