Instead of sending blessings, send health-giving potted plants; for the elderly, growing them promotes longevity and relieves stress

In recent years, as living standards have risen, more and more friends like to keep some potted plants at home. They not only green up the home environment, but also cultivate character and calm the mind, and can even make people feel happy and mentally healthy. Especially for retired seniors, tending potted plants and watering flowers at home in their spare time, forgetting their worries and reducing stress amid the moving and lifting, makes their leisure life richer. It could hardly be better, and it has far-reaching significance for longevity. So which potted plants are suitable for the elderly to grow? Below we introduce some potted plants suitable for older people. Of course, this is just one opinion; everyone can choose whatever potted plants they prefer to give to the elderly. Now let's take a look.

I. Japanese honeysuckle (Lonicera japonica)

Choosing Japanese honeysuckle is not only because its flowers are beautiful, but also because it has high medicinal value and is very suitable for elderly people who are weak or have chronic illnesses to grow. Japanese honeysuckle potted plants can be planted in all four seasons, with planting in late autumn and early winter being best. To make the potted Japanese honeysuckle grow well, you can plant a successfully rooted cutting in late autumn or early winter in an ornamental pot appropriately sized to the root crown, then cultivate it with prepared fertile humus loam, spread green moss on the surface, and water immediately to help it establish. Potted Japanese honeysuckle can develop and grow normally only with sufficient fertilizer and water, but it must not be allowed to grow unchecked. During this period, depending on its growth, flexibly and promptly withhold water, control the tree shape, increase flower quantity, prevent excessive vegetative growth, encourage the stems and vines to mature, shorten the internodes, and dwarf the plant shape. Generally, in addition to applying a decomposed cake fertilizer once a week, also spray the leaves 2-3 times with a 0.2% potassium dihydrogen phosphate solution. Before flower buds form, apply little or no nitrogen fertilizer, and increase phosphorus and potassium fertilizer. After the branches stop growing, during the bud stage, appropriately apply nitrogen fertilizer to encourage larger and more vivid flowers. For potted Japanese honeysuckle, promptly remove the vigorous, twining shoots and buds that would tangle the tree shape in the future. During growth, especially control the vigorous shoots and buds firmly. Remove weak shoots and buds that will not be able to bloom later, so as not to affect ventilation and light penetration. Keep only the buds of ordinary growing branches that can bloom normally later. Generally, after they become branches, cut them back at about 20 cm. Most branches can bear flowers, and bear many. For the occasional long branch that affects the tree shape, you can first pinch off its growing tip to keep the tree shape compact, ventilated and light-permeable, with no tangled branches at all.

II. Kalanchoe (Kalanchoe blossfeldiana)

This is a flower whose very name suggests longevity. It has a very auspicious meaning, and caring for it is also very simple, making it very suitable for the elderly to grow. For growing kalanchoe, the flowerpot should preferably be small and well ventilated; loose, breathable sandy loam is suitable. Kalanchoe grows best in a well-ventilated earthenware clay pot, but placed indoors it is not attractive, so it can be slipped into a plastic or porcelain pot, or planted directly in a small purple clay pot or plastic pot. When growing kalanchoe, put a layer of crushed charcoal pieces or crushed hard plastic foam pieces at the bottom of the pot to improve ventilation. Moderate water control makes kalanchoe's leaves lush; more phosphorus and potassium fertilizer makes its flowers vivid. Kalanchoe is a succulent plant with a relatively high water content in its body, so it is fairly drought-tolerant and afraid of waterlogging. Under the dry-air conditions of high-rise buildings, it grows well. In spring and autumn, after the potting soil dries, water thoroughly about once every 3 days, and usually keep it only slightly moist. In summer, water less; once every 5 to 7 days is best. For kalanchoe grown outdoors, avoid rain soaking during the rainy season. Too much water easily causes root rot, leaf drop, or even death. With appropriate water control, keeping the potting soil dry then wet, the branches will be lush and the flowers abundant. After bringing it indoors in winter, it is best to water with water close to room temperature in the afternoon, about once a week. Kalanchoe likes fertilizer. 15 days after young seedlings are potted and established, or 15 days after old plants are divided, apply 2 to 3 times a mainly nitrogen liquid fertilizer to promote stem and leaf growth. After flowering, apply once a mainly nitrogen liquid fertilizer to help it recover vigor.

III. Clivia (Clivia miniata)

Clivia has relatively high ornamental value. In addition, its leaves have many stomata and fine hairs, and it has the effect of absorbing dust and harmful substances from the air and keeping indoor air clean. Therefore, it is also quite suitable for the elderly to grow. The native habitat of clivia is under large trees in the forests of the high-altitude regions of southern Africa, where its roots are anchored in leaf-litter layers accumulated over many years. For clivia care, use loose, fertile neutral or slightly acidic humus soil. The growing soil can be mixed from 65% humus soil, 20% clean sand, and 15% fine stove ash, with relative humidity preferably around 40%. Clivia should not be too dry or too wet. Each watering must be thorough, and after buds appear, water a bit more. About every 20 days, in combination with watering, apply once fermented soybean cake water, diluted fishy water, or water from soaking water chestnuts, combining watering and fertilizing. When room temperature is low, control watering to prevent the potting soil from becoming too wet. Too-wet potting soil will cause the plant to rot at the roots and die, but the potting soil must not be allowed to become too dry either. In winter, apply a solid fertilizer once to clivia; apply less nitrogen fertilizer and more phosphorus and potassium fertilizer. Eggshell powder and thoroughly decomposed fishy water are very good phosphorus fertilizers, while bran ash and tobacco ash are readily available potassium fertilizers. You can also apply a compound fertilizer of nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium to encourage it to sprout more new plants and leaves. Fertilization must be moderate. Never apply concentrated fertilizer or raw fertilizer that has not been fermented and decomposed, otherwise the leaf tips are easily scorched or rot.

IV. Orchid

Orchid leaves are emerald green and have a subtle beauty, and orchids are also known as the gentleman among flowers, making them very suitable for the elderly to grow. Watering orchids depends on the species, growth condition, and local climate. Achieve moist but not wet, dry but not parched. Do not water too much or too little, and grasp the principle of not dry in autumn and not wet in winter. In winter, when temperatures are low, the plant is in a dormant state, so watering should be controlled. Generally, water once every 5-7 days. However, Cymbidium sinense, which blooms in winter, needs more water. In spring and autumn, water once every 2-3 days. In summer, water on average 1 to 2 times a day. For orchid topdressing, liquid fertilizer or foliar fertilizer is mostly used, and the concentration should be lighter than for other flowers. Generally, during the growing season, apply a fully decomposed dilute cake fertilizer water of about 15%, or 0.1% urea fertilizer water plus 0.2% potassium dihydrogen phosphate fertilizer water, once every 15-20 days. From before flowering to the flowering period, spray the leaves 2-3 times with 0.2% potassium dihydrogen phosphate or plant ash water to promote the development of roots, stems, and flowers. Orchids have fleshy roots, so do not apply fertilizer that has not been decomposed, to avoid root rot. During orchid cultivation, the plant must be pruned. For example, when old leaves turn yellow and withered, they all need pruning, which both helps the other leaves grow and improves ventilation. Diseased leaves especially need timely pruning to prevent spread. In addition, the scissors also need to be disinfected to prevent infection.

V. Jasmine (Jasminum sambac)

Jasmine flowers are elegantly understated, and their fragrance is pleasant. Put a pot of jasmine in a room, and the whole room is filled with fragrance. Not only that, jasmine flowers can also clear heat and detoxify, and treat symptoms such as colds and fever, making them very suitable for the elderly to plant at home. Jasmine is non-toxic, and the fragrance of jasmine is also non-toxic, provided one is not allergic to jasmine pollen. Jasmine's fragrance is a relatively light scent, not heavy. Smelling it can relax a tense mood and cultivate character. At the same time, jasmine can be placed in the bedroom. The fresh scent of jasmine can help people relax, which is good for sleep. The whole plant is also safe and harmless to the human body. The plant's respiration at night will absorb oxygen and release carbon dioxide, and whether this causes low oxygen content in the room. Jasmine's stems and branches are short and small, and their carbon content is very limited, so the carbon dioxide produced has a negligible effect on the room's air quality. Placing jasmine in the bedroom should not be excessive, nor should it be placed too close for too long. Floral fragrance can treat illness and support health, and likewise can cause illness and harm the body. If the floral scent in the air is too strong, it will stimulate the human body to hyperventilate, reduce the oxygen content in the blood, and cause symptoms such as headache, dizziness, and nausea. Jasmine is not drought-tolerant, but it also dislikes waterlogging. In the rainy season, promptly pour out accumulated water in the pot, otherwise the leaves easily turn yellow. In summer, on hot sunny days, water twice a day, once in the morning and once in the evening. If the leaves are found curling and drooping, spray water on the leaves to promote growth.