Spring flower growing: miss these 6 and you miss a whole garden
Fellow flower lovers, I'm sure you get a headache choosing flowers when you walk into a flower market! Faced with so many flowers, your eyes go dizzy and you still can't pick one you love. Better to just grow the following six flowers.
NO1: Gardenia
Recommended reason 1: Fragrant flowers
Gardenia has lush branches and leaves, foliage that stays evergreen all year round, and flowers that are fragrant, simple and elegant; green leaves with white flowers make it especially fresh and lovely. Placed in the living room, it is nothing less than a beautiful scene, and everyone loves it! And you should not underestimate what gardenia can do.
How do you care for a newly bought gardenia?
1. Because a newly bought gardenia has not yet adapted to the change in environment, it is not advisable to repot it right away. It is best to first place it in a cool, ventilated spot to settle in for a week, then gradually move it to a balcony or a slightly brighter place.
2. After bringing it home, check the dryness and moisture of the potting soil in good time, and water promptly to prevent the leaves from drooping or turning yellow. Gardenia likes acidic soil; to avoid the soil being too alkaline, you can water the plant once every 20 days with a 1000-fold ferrous sulfate solution or a diluted white vinegar solution to prevent the leaves from yellowing.
How do you get a gardenia to bloom more?
Of course, during the bud or flowering stage, do not spray water, to prevent bud drop or buds turning yellow and aborting. Gardenia likes fertilizer, but a newly bought gardenia should not be fertilized; after the adaptation period, you can water it once every half month with fermented rice water, applying light fertilizer frequently (it is recommended to dilute with water at 50 times), to ensure a sufficient nutrient supply during its flowering period.
NO2: Money Tree
Recommended reason: Wealth rolling in, bringing in treasure
How dazzling the word "wealth" is! I believe fellow flower lovers will also grow a pot of Money Tree. Though growing one does not guarantee wealth, there is nothing wrong with inviting a good omen. Keeping one at home means everyone will prosper! Flower lovers can give it a try!
How do you care for a Money Tree?
1. The Money Tree is highly adaptable, likes light yet tolerates shade, and grows well in full sun, partial sun or shady spots. For indoor cultivation and viewing, it is best placed somewhere with some scattered light.
2. The Money Tree's root system is very underdeveloped; for many flower lovers, the cause of death is mostly root rot. Generally speaking, watering a Money Tree once a month is not too little; of course, you can choose to spray more and water less. When fertilizing, you can use some common foliage fertilizers, but remember to keep the fertilizer light.
A good-looking Money Tree
How do you propagate a Money Tree?
1. Small Money Trees are not suited to pruning. For one under 30cm in height, you should prune its side buds to let it grow taller and thicker, and when its base is thick and sturdy enough, cut off its top
2. The best time for cuttings is in May and June. Cut sturdy branches with sprouting buds and insert them into sand, while paying attention to moisture retention and shading; they will root and survive in one month
3. Note that the branch's soil should be fertile and drain well, preferably containing sand and gravel, to help new buds root. That way a new Money Tree appears before your eyes.
NO3: Pothos
Recommended reason: Absorbs formaldehyde, makes indoor air cleaner
When it comes to pothos, flower lovers will surely think that pothos is a must for renovating a new home. Pothos has an extremely strong air-purifying function and has the fine name of "green purifier." It is a popular flower suitable for indoor display.
How do you care for pothos?
1. Grown at home, pothos vines can reach several meters long; it twines strongly and has well-developed aerial roots. You can let it climb a column tied with palm fiber and place it in an entrance hall or hotel, or train it into a hanging form and place it in a study or on a windowsill.
2. Pothos likes moisture; for cultivation, keep the potting soil moist and avoid the soil being too dry, otherwise its leaves will turn yellow and it will look unattractive. Nor should you water too much and cause waterlogging, otherwise the roots will rot and the leaves will wither.
How do you propagate pothos?
1. Leaf handling: use a thin blade to cut healthy leaves from the middle and upper part of a pothos stem (if they carry dormant buds, they will sprout faster and grow vigorously). Rinse them clean with water and leave them in a cool place to dry for twelve hours
2. You can use fine sand and charcoal crumbs. A week before planting, expose them fully to the sun. When inserting, use a bamboo stick to make a hole, then spray enough water and cover with plastic film. Pay attention to humidity and ventilation. The root system grows quickly and the survival rate is also very high.
NO4: Chinese Rose
Huahua's recommended reason: Blooms every month, keeping flowers in the home all year round
The Chinese rose blooms in all four seasons and is a commonly used flower in courtyards and gardens; it can fill seasonal gaps. Many people also grow Chinese roses at home, so hurry and grow a pot at home!
How do you care for a Chinese rose?
1. Throughout its entire growth and development, the Chinese rose cannot lack water; both insufficient and excessive water will inhibit its growth and development. You can place it on a balcony or roof for easy moving, and when the flowers are in full bloom, put it in a certain spot for viewing.
2. Pruning the Chinese rose is essential, and when pruning, be sure to cut off the spent flowers to prevent them from consuming nutrients, which encourages more new flowers to bloom.
How do you get a Chinese rose to bloom every month?
1. The main growing season of the Chinese rose is spring; at this time you can apply a nitrogen fertilizer once, or fermented cake fertilizer, or you can use homemade flower fertilizer. Also, at this time it is best to repot the Chinese rose, adding an appropriate amount of base fertilizer when repotting, which will encourage more blooms.
2. For Chinese roses grown in the open ground, if you can provide good soil and water and fertilizer management, they will grow strong and bloom. Just remember to use loose, breathable soil rich in organic fertilizer to plant Chinese roses.
NO5: Mosquito Repellent Plant
Huahua's recommended reason: There are many mosquitoes in spring and summer, and it repels them wonderfully
Spring has come, can summer be far behind? At the mention of summer, flower lovers think of mosquitoes and insects. If you have a pot of mosquito repellent plant at home, you need not fear any mosquitoes.
How do you care for the mosquito repellent plant?
1. The mosquito repellent plant survives at temperatures above -3 degrees; this plant is especially full of vitality and can live both outdoors and indoors. Generally, the higher the temperature, the stronger the fragrance the mosquito repellent plant releases, and the better its mosquito-repelling effect. Planting it in spring and autumn makes it easier to survive.
2. It likes warmth and water. The mosquito repellent plant can survive at temperatures above -3°C, with 10-25°C being the suitable growing temperature; temperatures below 7°C and above 32°C are unfavorable for growth. Water thoroughly once every 3-6 days, but do not let water accumulate. It likes neutral to slightly acidic soil, and generally fertilize once every 15-20 days.
Lovely mosquito repellent plant
How do you propagate the mosquito repellent plant?
1. Choose sturdy branches; from the stem tip downward, take every 4 to 6 leaves, or measure a length of about 7cm to 10cm, down to the height at which plants are routinely heavily pruned after flowering. Insert the cuttings into pots prepared in advance with growing medium. After inserting, water thoroughly, and afterward follow "see dry, see wet"; they will root after 3 weeks.
2. After the mosquito repellent plant has been propagated by cuttings many times, its mosquito-repelling effect is greatly reduced, and in the end the mosquito repellent plant is of little use.
NO6: Succulents
Huahua's recommended reason: High visual appeal, easy care
As potted plants, succulents are widely popular around the world. I believe the common types flower lovers currently see mostly belong to the Crassulaceae and Cactaceae families, and succulents are also the easiest to grow, so give them a try!
How do you care for succulents?
1. Spring is the best season to repot succulents. As the succulents keep growing, repotting can give them a more ample growing space and let them grow better. Don't you also want to give your beloved succulents a beautiful and comfortable "new home"?
2. Compared with other plants, succulents have relatively few pests and diseases. Ensure succulents have a good cultivation environment, regularly clean the cultivation area, and create suitable temperature, humidity, light and good ventilation for the succulents.
How do you propagate succulents?
Most succulents are propagated by leaf cuttings.
1. When you remove a succulent leaf, first put it in a ventilated, cool place to let the wound dry, and do leaf cuttings after about 7 days. Lay the dried leaf flat on clean wet sand, placed flat, with the wound side close to the sand but not touching the sand. Just leave them in a ventilated, cool place and wait for them to grow new plants.
2. Then you can slowly wait for more than 20 days, and the succulent leaves will root.