The complete May flower care manual, teaching you to easily tend to this month's flowers and plants

Flowers & Gardening Jan 1, 1970 0 views

May's climate characteristics: temperatures continue to rise, rainfall gradually increases from south to north across our country, and after each rainfall the temperature rises noticeably. There is a lot of continuous spring rain. After the spring rain ends at Xiaoman, the weather turns muggy, marking the imminent arrival of summer. Therefore, May, at the turn of spring and summer, is a key period for growing and caring for flowers, and it plays an important role in laying the foundation for the summer and autumn growth of potted flowers. From south to north in May, flower care mainly involves the following tasks:

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I. Flower propagation

1. Sowing

The main types of flowers and ornamental woody plants that can be sown in May, freshly harvested and sown immediately, include: Primula obconica, Fatsia japonica, Mahonia bealei, loquat, and so on. When sowing and raising seedlings in May, pay attention to the following three points: first, keep the sowing seedbed moist, neither waterlogged nor too dry and dehydrated; second, cover the sowing seedbed with grass to retain moisture, to prevent sudden changes between dry and wet in the seedbed that cause the seeds to "sprout back"; third, after emergence, remove the covering grass in several stages, and promptly set up a shade frame to avoid scorching the seedlings.

Fuchsia

For osmanthus, the ripe blue-black fruits can be picked at the end of May, mixed with sand and rubbed to remove the flesh, rinsed clean, and then stored in moist, clean fine sand, where they can be kept until February of the following year. Only when the seeds crack and the tip of the radicle emerges can they be sown in the ground. During storage, be careful to prevent rodents from stealing and eating them, and keep the sand moist.

When sowing loquat, the soil covering should not be too deep, generally no more than 2-3 cm is appropriate.

2. Cuttings

The flower species suitable for cutting propagation in May include: scarlet sage (pink, purple, white), globe amaranth (white), marigold, French marigold, snapdragon, Impatiens hawkeri, coleus, begonia types, sulfur cosmos, Chinese rose, azalea, dahlia, fuchsia, coral flower, poinsettia, geranium, bougainvillea, hibiscus, coral tree, nasturtium, Jasminum multiflorum, jasmine, Chloranthus, Acalypha wilkesiana, deutzia, hydrangea, kerria, pomegranate, rose of Sharon, butterfly bush, trumpet creeper, gardenia, epiphyllum, Rhaphidophora, Epiphyllum hybrid, jade plant, gem flower, Magnolia sieboldii, Magnolia biondii, Chaenomeles speciosa, umbrella plant, Lantana camara, Excoecaria cochinchinensis, shrimp plant, Pachystachys lutea, Clerodendrum thomsoniae, Aglaonema modestum, Cordyline fruticosa, pothos, Schefflera, oleander types, firethorn, Mahonia, and Buddha-belly bamboo with aerial roots, etc.

3. Grafting

In May, use potted 1- to 2-year-old seedling or cutting-propagated plants of Magnolia liliiflora to propagate Michelia alba and Michelia figo by approach grafting; use 1- to 2-year-old seedling plants of Acer palmatum to propagate red maple, feather maple, and weeping maple by bud grafting; use vigorous 2- to 3-year-old cutting-propagated plants of Rhododendron mucronatum to propagate Western azaleas by cleft grafting; use wild rose as the rootstock to propagate superior varieties of Chinese rose by bud grafting; use Artemisia annua as the rootstock to propagate superior varieties of chrysanthemum by grafting; use 2-year-old seedling plants of wintersweet as the rootstock, and graft superior varieties of wintersweet by softwood grafting, or use potted rootstocks for approach grafting. In addition, cactus and triangular cactus can be used as rootstocks to propagate Christmas cactus by grafting.

4. Layering

The ornamental woody plants that can be propagated by air layering in May include: Michelia alba, rubber tree, Aglaia odorata, Western azalea, camellia, croton, Michelia figo, red maple, etc.; those that can be propagated by ground layering include: plum blossom, wintersweet, Chinese rose, gardenia, Podocarpus macrophyllus, osmanthus, trumpet creeper, etc.

II. Potting and transplanting

1. Potting

For potted flowers used for street decoration during National Day, the vast majority of types must be potted and established in May. After 3 to 4 months of careful care, they can bloom on schedule by the end of September and early October, thereby creating a joyful, lively, colorful festive atmosphere. The main types include: scarlet sage (pink, white, purple), globe amaranth (white), cockscomb, crape myrtle, sulfur cosmos, China aster, Kochia scoparia, marigold, snapdragon, asparagus fern, Impatiens hawkeri, coleus, begonia, etc.

2. Transplanting

At the end of April and the beginning of May, when white magnolia has finished flowering and is just about to sprout and unfold its leaves, transplanting gives the highest survival rate. Some ornamental woody plants that sprout later and are easy to transplant successfully can also be transplanted and established with a soil ball in early May, such as crape myrtle, rose of Sharon, redbud, pomegranate, silk tree, etc.

III. Flower management

1. Watering

As temperatures continue to rise, potted ornamental plants will gradually need more water. In addition to combining root watering with foliar spraying, attention must also be paid to the quality of the water used for irrigation and spraying. It is best not to use tap water directly, especially not tap water that has been treated with bleaching powder. For this purpose, tap water can first be poured into a water tank or small vat, and then an appropriate amount of acidifying substance can be added to increase the acidity of the water, such as ferrous sulfate, with the concentration kept between 0.1% and 0.2%. The main types of potted flowers suitable for acidic water quality include: camellia, sasanqua, plum blossom, azalea, Rhododendron simsii, gardenia, Daphne odora, clivia, chrysanthemum, begonia types, Camellia chekiangoleosa, etc.; foliage plants include: sago palm, Philodendron bipinnatifidum, Monstera deliciosa, Rhapis excelsa, rubber tree, ferns, Podocarpus macrophyllus, croton, red (green) gem, Ficus 'Green Giant', Philodendron 'Green Emperor', Syngonium podophyllum, Calathea, bromeliads, Dracaena fragrans, Pachira aquatica, Schefflera, etc.; fruit-viewing plants include: bitter orange, firethorn, kumquat, Buddha's hand, lemon, Nandina domestica, winter cherry, Ardisia crenata, etc.

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2. Pruning and bud pinching

For pruning, when shortening and pruning Michelia alba shortly after it is moved out of doors, special attention must be paid because its branch pith is loose, and the cut surface easily loses water, dries out, and extends downward. For this reason, consider making the cut 8 to 10 cm above the bud eye to be retained, and never too close to the bud eye. For potted Chinese rose, prune after flowering, and lower it moderately by 10 to 20 cm; only bud eyes located in the middle part of the branch can develop flower buds.

For bud pinching, when pinching buds on potted wintersweet plants, also pay attention to the location of bud pinching. Generally, it should be 3 to 5 cm above the selected leaf bud site; otherwise, the wound will dry out and shrink, affecting the selected leaf bud downward. For Chinese rose potted in the current year, promptly pinch off the terminal bud to promote the formation of a good plant shape.

3. Shading

After entering May, potted plants that prefer semi-shade or shade should be moved under a shade frame or under tree shade. Types include: Monstera deliciosa, Rhapis excelsa, Calathea, Philodendron bipinnatifidum, Ficus 'Green Giant', red (green) gem, Philodendron 'Green Emperor', pink lady leaf, Livistona, Syngonium podophyllum, orchids, azalea, bird of paradise, camellia, sasanqua, etc.; for light-loving ornamental woody plants, full light must be provided, such as wintersweet, sago palm, Chinese rose, firethorn, jasmine, Michelia alba, etc.; bonsai plants, such as Chinese elm, Sageretia thea, trident maple, water willow, oak, Serissa japonica, black pine, dense pine, etc., require full light; while Podocarpus macrophyllus, Damnacanthus indicus, Syzygium buxifolium, Sabina chinensis, five-needle pine, etc. can be appropriately shaded.

4. Fertilizing

For camellia, azalea, sasanqua, plum blossom, Aglaia odorata, jasmine, Michelia alba, gardenia, wintersweet, Chinese rose, Daphne odora, clivia, orchids, begonia, etc.; after flowering, remove the spent flowers and stalks one by one, and apply a compound fertilizer mainly of nitrogen and supplemented with phosphorus, once every half month, to restore their vegetative growth while laying a good foundation for producing flower buds again; for mainly foliage types, such as rubber tree, Monstera deliciosa, Ficus 'Green Giant', red (green) gem, Philodendron 'Green Emperor', Philodendron bipinnatifidum, Aspidistra, ferns, etc., apply a thin, fully fermented cake fertilizer solution once every half month; for foliage plants with colored spots or patterns, such as golden-edge snake plant, colorful bromeliads, golden-heart Dracaena fragrans, croton, Caladium, Syngonium 'White Butterfly', pink lady leaf, etc., a 0.2% potassium dihydrogen phosphate solution can be applied as a foliar feed, which can make their leaf color appear even more beautiful and vivid.

5. Pest and disease control

For Chinese rose, rose, and rugosa rose, etc., pay attention to controlling powdery mildew and brown spot disease. For leaf-eating pests that appear, promptly spray pesticide to kill them; for the leaf-eating pest that commonly appears on bitter orange, kumquat, golden bean, Buddha's hand, lemon, rue, etc. -- the citrus swallowtail butterfly larva -- spray pesticide early to kill it.

IV. Bonsai shaping

The ornamental bonsai plant types that can still be shaped in May include: plum blossom, small-leaf gardenia, Gardenia jasminoides, Podocarpus macrophyllus, Serissa japonica, Sabina chinensis, water willow, Galium odoratum, ginkgo, etc. It is worth noting that when shaping, you must be careful and cautious, and try not to damage the bark and structure of the branches and trunk; otherwise, it will affect the normal growth of the plant.

·END·

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The complete May flower care manual, teaching you to easily tend to this month's flowers and plants

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