What does "light fertilizer" mean in flower care?

Light fertilizer is not actually the name of a type of fertilizer, but a description of the fertilizer's concentration. Some beginners may not be very clear on the concept of light fertilizer, so the editor will explain in detail what light fertilizer means in flower care. If you are still unsure, you can learn about it together.

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When fertilizing flowers, especially when the plant does not appear to lack fertilizer, or when the plant is relatively small and its root system is not very developed, light fertilizer is often used. The light fertilizer mentioned here can be any fertilizer, only diluted in concentration. For example, take just a little from a whole pack of fertilizer and mix it with a relatively large amount of water, and that is light fertilizer. Because the concentration is low, there is no risk of burning the roots or seedlings.

What should be noted here is that light fertilizer is only a general term; there is no need for a specific concentration ratio. Gardeners can decide for themselves and handle it as they wish. This can be combined with what gardeners often call "weak fertilizer applied frequently" - the amount originally used at one time can be divided into several applications.

Hydroponic flower knowledge | Complete guide to hydroponic flower knowledge

Hydroponic flower knowledge | Complete guide to hydroponic flower knowledge

Ten questions on hydroponic flower techniques

1. Which flowers are suitable for hydroponics? What advantages do they have?

Answer: In theory, any flower can be grown hydroponically, but different types of flowers have different environmental requirements. For example, some varieties that need water control to promote flowering may have their flowering affected under hydroponic conditions, and some plants that are sensitive to oxygen deficiency need air pumped into the nutrient solution at regular intervals to supplement oxygen. At the same time, different types of flowers have different nutritional requirements, so an appropriate nutrient solution formula must be used. Therefore, flowers and plants must undergo proper acclimation before they can be grown hydroponically. There are many plants suitable for hydroponics, including Golden
Money Tree, Money Tree, Peperomia, Sun God, Calathea, Little Angel, Marianne, Aspidistra, Golden Barrel Cactus and other cactus balls, as well as Jewel Orchid, Snake Plant, and so on. Hydroponic flowers can go for long periods without watering and fertilizing, have no foreign leaves, are clean and hygienic, beautiful and elegant, and are the first choice for home beautification and greening.

2. What substances are contained in the nutrient solution for hydroponic flowers?

Answer: The hydroponic nutrient solution contains all the essential nutrient elements needed for flower growth, including nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, calcium, magnesium, sulfur, iron, manganese, zinc, copper, boron, molybdenum, and so on. It is a colorless, odorless, non-toxic product, so please use it with confidence.

3. Why do hydroponic flowers need two parts of concentrated solution?

Answer: The main reason the concentrated nutrient solution for hydroponic flowers is divided into two parts is that when the concentrations of metal nutrient elements such as calcium, magnesium, iron, zinc, and copper in the nutrient solution are too high, they can precipitate with each other and cause the nutrients to become ineffective. Therefore, to ensure an adequate and balanced nutrient supply, these non-toxic compounds cannot be mixed together in the concentrated nutrient solution. So, if the hydroponic nutrient solution currently sold on the market is only one part, its nutrients are often unbalanced.

4. Is more nutrient solution in a hydroponic flower container always better?

Answer: No. The depth of the nutrient solution in the container should be determined according to the growth of the flower's root system and should not be too much. Generally, when the root system is relatively developed, part of the roots should be exposed to the air above the liquid surface so that the roots can absorb some oxygen from the air, which is very beneficial for healthy root growth. Never add too much nutrient solution to the container, but it should not be too little either. If there is too little, the nutrient solution will need to be replenished frequently, causing inconvenience in management. Usually, maintaining a nutrient solution layer about 5-10 cm deep is enough.

5. Do household hydroponic flowers need sunlight?

Answer: This depends on the light requirements of the flowers being grown. If they are shade-loving species, they should not be exposed to direct sunlight. However, because hydroponic flowers placed in the home are usually in an environment with poor light, even shade-loving flowers need to be placed on a balcony with slightly stronger light at regular intervals. Generally, placing them on the balcony for one day each week is enough.

6. Do hydroponic flowers need a different nutrient solution for each type of flower?

Answer: No. There are many varieties of hydroponic flowers, but not every type of flower needs its own corresponding nutrient solution. It is enough to choose different nutrient solutions according to different major categories. Of course, a general-purpose nutrient solution can also be used. At present, the Soilless Cultivation Technology Research Laboratory of South China Agricultural University has developed five types of nutrient solutions: general-purpose, foliage type, indoor plant type, orchid type, and flowering type.

7. Can flowers grown directly in soil be converted directly to hydroponics?

Answer: Converting from soil cultivation to hydroponics must go through a series of treatments. First, take out the soil-grown flowers and wash the root system clean. Then soak the roots in a hydroponic root treatment solution for about 20 minutes before placing them in a hydroponic container for hydroponic cultivation.

8. Do fish kept together with flowers need to be fed?

Answer: No feeding is needed. This is because most of the small fish kept together with flowers only need to absorb plankton and secretions from the roots in the nutrient solution to meet their needs. If they are fed, they are more likely to overeat and die. At the same time, adding feed can also easily make the nutrient solution cloudy and reduce the dissolved oxygen content in the nutrient solution, affecting the growth of both flowers and fish.

9. When growing hydroponic flowers, should the nutrient solution be replenished or replaced?

Answer: This depends on the speed at which the plant consumes water. If the weather is dry and the plant is relatively large, the nutrient solution generally needs to be replenished about every 15-20 days, and an appropriate amount of nutrient solution can be added when replenishing. When replenishing the nutrient solution, never add too much; just add about 1/3-1/2 of the container's depth.

10. What is the shelf life of the concentrated nutrient solution for hydroponic flowers? What should be noted during storage?

Answer: The shelf life of the concentrated solution for hydroponic flowers is almost unlimited, but generally do not use any that has been stored for more than 5 years. When storing the concentrated nutrient solution, keep it away from light as much as possible and do not place it where children can reach it.
Experience talk on household hydroponic flowers

As an environmentally friendly way of growing flowers, hydroponic flowers have the following characteristics compared with traditional soil-grown flowers: 1) Water replaces soil, with no odor and no smell, clean and hygienic. 2) No need to repot or loosen soil, which can reduce the labor of growing flowers. 3) Light in weight and can be moved anytime and anywhere. 4) Flexible material selection, which can be reasonably matched according to indoor furnishings. 5) Fewer harmful microorganisms in the water, and a high seedling survival rate. The seedling survival rate can remain stable above 80%.

1. Flower varieties suitable for hydroponics. Many years of practice have proven that foliage plants are the first choice for household hydroponic flowers, such as Guangdong Dieffenbachia, Dieffenbachia, Monstera, Alocasia, Pothos, Lucky Bamboo, Asparagus Fern, Spider Plant, Aloe, Spiderwort, Tradescantia, Coleus, Brazil Wood, Miniature Coconut, Hibiscus, Fuchsia, and so on. In addition, for Scarlet Sage, Azalea, Camellia, Cyclamen, Amaryllis, Calla Lily, Crown of Thorns, Kalanchoe, Hyacinth, and other such flowering plants, the hydroponic method works well. For Boston Fern, Calendula, Petunia, Redback Excoecaria, and others as hydroponic flowers, the survival rate is not high.

2. Selection of hydroponic containers and bedding materials. 1) Container. Any beautiful container that can hold water may be used. It is best to use a transparent container, such as a beverage bottle (cut off the narrow neck), wine glass, teacup, vase, fish tank, and so on. The opening must be somewhat large to allow gas exchange. The size, height, shape, color, texture, and so on of the container should be coordinated with the hydroponic flowers. It is best to clean and disinfect it before use. 2) Bedding material. Bedding material is often placed at the bottom of the hydroponic container and mainly serves to stabilize the plant, such as pebbles, yellow sand, perlite, and so on. Small pebbles with an elegant appearance and varied shapes are best. They should also be cleaned and disinfected before use.

3. Time for hydroponics. Spring and autumn are most suitable for hydroponics, but it also varies by flower species. For example, if the indoor temperature is 15°C-28°C, foliage plants can be grown hydroponically in all four seasons. Flowering plants are best grown hydroponically when the first flower bud is about to open. For example, Cyclamen, Hyacinth, Azalea, Camellia, and so on are often grown hydroponically in early January, so that the full bloom period falls during the Spring Festival, giving people the joy of spring warmth and blooming flowers.

4. Acquisition and treatment of hydroponic materials. 1) Root-washing method. Select a potted plant with a full shape, vigorous growth, and no pests or diseases. Remove it from the pot and remove the soil. Wash the soil from the roots with water close to room temperature, and cut off root strands that are already decayed and aged; if the fibrous roots are dense, about 1/3 can be cut off, but care should be taken to avoid damaging new roots. Then soak the roots in a 50% potassium permanganate aqueous solution for 30 minutes; this not only sterilizes and disinfects, but also promotes new root growth. After that, proceed with hydroponics. This method is mostly used for larger plants and flowers that are difficult to root. 2) Water cutting method. Select strong, pest-free, semi-lignified branches of the current year and cut them off to insert into water for hydroponics. The cut is usually made two or three millimeters below a stem node. The cut should be trimmed smooth with a sharp knife (washed and disinfected in advance with white liquor), and the lower leaves of the branch should be removed. Before rooting, it is best to use an opaque container or wrap a black plastic bag around a transparent container to help the cuttings root. This method is mostly used for flower varieties that root easily and grow quickly.

5. Water used for hydroponics and water changes. 1) Water. Mountain spring water is best, as its water quality is clean, pollution-free, does not precipitate, and contains various trace elements necessary for plant growth. Cooled boiled water is second best. It is best not to use tap water, because it contains many impurities, easily precipitates, and the chlorine in it is harmful to plant growth. If rainwater or snow water can be used for hydroponics, it is even more beneficial to flower growth. 2) Water changes. Due to normal plant growth and metabolism, after a period of hydroponics, the oxygen in the water is continuously consumed. At the same time, the root system produces mucus, so the water quality is no longer as fresh as at the beginning. Much of the nutrient solution added to the water has also been absorbed by the plant, and too much residual unabsorbed elements can also harm the flowers. Therefore, the water must be changed regularly. Changes in water quality are directly related to temperature. Spring and autumn are peak growth periods for flowers, so change the water once every 7-10 days; in summer, change the water once every 4-6 days; in winter, change the water once every 15-20 days. Each time the water is changed, wash away the mucus from the roots and cut off aged roots and rotten roots. The height of the added water should be level with the root zone. Too deep can easily cause oxygen deficiency and root rot, while too shallow can easily cause the root system to lack water and affect growth.

6. Addition of hydroponic nutrient solution. Hydroponic nutrient solution is the fertilizer for hydroponic flowers. Generally, after half a month of hydroponics, new roots will appear. Along with the growth of the flowers and plants, nutrient solution must be continuously added in combination with water changes. Different types of flower nutrient solutions can be purchased on the market as needed. It must be noted that: 1) The various nutrient solutions purchased are stock solutions and must be diluted before use. The dilution ratio varies by flower species, so the instructions should be read carefully. 2) Various special nutrient solutions must be used specifically for their intended purpose to avoid mismatching. For example, if orchid nutrient solution is applied to Clivia, it will cause Clivia not to bloom or to bloom very little. Some flowers do not need nutrient solution, especially during the dormant period. Directly changing the water regularly or adding a small amount of sugar water or salt water also works well, such as for Pothos and Dieffenbachia.

Techniques for preventing and controlling pests and diseases of hydroponic flowers

Hydroponics breaks away from infection by soil-borne pests and diseases, but it does not grow in a strictly sterilized vacuum environment, so it can still be harmed by pests and diseases in the display environment. Fungi, bacteria, and viruses in the air can still infect the stems and leaves of hydroponic flowers, causing them to suffer lesions of varying degrees. Aphids and scale insects can drift indoors with the wind and land on hydroponic flowers to suck sap. Moths lay eggs on flowers, and the hatched larvae will also chew the tender leaves and stem tips of the flowers. Flowers that have been removed from pots, washed of roots, and converted to static hydroponics will likewise carry fungi, bacteria, viruses, insect eggs, larvae, and so on. If these are not carefully checked and removed, hidden dangers will remain.

Because of the particularity of their display environment, once static hydroponic flowers suffer pests or diseases, it is not appropriate to use chemical pesticides to kill insects, nor to use large doses of fungicides to sterilize. Although these chemicals can kill insects and sterilize, they can also pollute the environment at the same time.

Prevention should be the main approach to possible pests and diseases of hydroponic flowers. When choosing flowers for hydroponics, select as far as possible flowers with robust plants, vigorous growth, and no pests or diseases. If pests are found during cultivation, they can be removed by manual capture or washed away with tap water. Infectious diseases occur infrequently in hydroponic flowers; only a few leaves may have brown lesions, shriveled necrosis, or irregular round wet stain-like lesions formed by fungal or bacterial infection. Once discovered, the entire diseased leaf should be removed and burned so as not to let it spread. Prevention of non-infectious diseases. Non-infectious diseases are not caused by infection with pathogens; they are caused by unsuitable environments. Stuffily hot high-temperature weather in summer, cold winters, dry climates, scorching sunburn, poorly ventilated environments, excessive shading, nutrient solution concentration being too high, or inability to absorb it in a balanced way may all cause the leaf tips of static hydroponic flowers to scorch and dry up, and lower leaves to turn yellow and fall off. When summer temperatures are too high, because the dissolved oxygen in the solution drops sharply, root rot is likely to occur, and this is even more a common symptom of static hydroponics. For the above different symptoms, identify the corresponding causes, correct them, improve the cultivation environment, and avoid the occurrence of non-infectious diseases.

How should static hydroponic flowers with detached sections and rotten roots be cared for? Due to improper management, or root hypoxia and root rot, or infection by fungi, bacteria, or viruses, hydroponic flowers may develop leaf spot disease, with leaves turning yellow and falling off in large numbers, causing the lower end to become detached and lose ornamental value. For hydroponic flowers with detached sections and rotten roots, the method of plant renewal can be used: cut off the still healthy upper branch 3 cm below the stem node and insert it in clear water. After a period of care and management, it can grow new roots and become an independent plant. As for the lower branch with the detached section, as long as it does not rot, new buds can also sprout at the stem node, and at this point it can be switched to nutrient solution cultivation. Lucky Bamboo, Pothos, Rainbow Dracaena, Arrowhead Plant, and so on can all use this method.

Complete handbook for household hydroponic flowers

Four methods to obtain hydroponic plants

1. Remove flowers cultivated in organic substrates such as soil, or in inorganic substrates, from their pots, remove the soil or inorganic substrate from the roots, and switch to static hydroponics with nutrient solution.

2. Use flower branches as cuttings and insert them directly into still water. After they root, cultivate them with nutrient solution.

3. Some flowers produce runners (stolons) as they grow, and small plantlets grow on the runners, such as Spider Plant and Billbergia. These small plantlets can be picked off and directly grown hydroponically.

4. For flowers that produce many tiller buds, such as Clivia and Bromeliads, the method of peeling off rooted tiller buds can be used for hydroponics.

How to prepare hydroponic nutrient solution

Household static hydroponic flowers (or simply hydroponic flowers) must meet three basic conditions:

1. Choose plants that are closely related to aquatic plants, that is, plants that retain aquatic genetic genes, for use as static hydroponic flowers.

2. Choose a leak-proof cultivation container without a bottom hole that matches the size and style of the hydroponic flowers.

3. Use a low-conductivity nutrient solution with ion-balanced absorption (appropriate ratio) and complete elemental mineral nutrients necessary for flower and plant growth. The recommended formula is as follows:

(1) Macronutrients: calcium nitrate 0.27 g, potassium nitrate 0.13 g, monopotassium phosphate 0.08 g, magnesium sulfate 0.13 g.

(2) Trace elements: disodium edetate 8.0 mg, ferrous sulfate 5.0 mg, manganese sulfate 1.4 mg, boric acid 2.0 mg, zinc sulfate 0.07 mg, copper sulfate 0.04 mg, sodium molybdate 0.09 mg. (3) Purified water: 1 liter (1000 mL).

The pH value is 5.5 to 6.5, and the electrical conductivity EC is <0.5 mm/cm.

Cultivate the selected flowers in a vessel and pour in hydroponic nutrient solution for cultivation, and it becomes a static hydroponic flower with distinctive charm.

When preparing nutrient solution, it is best to use purified water. Of course, ordinary drinking tap water can also generally be used to prepare nutrient solution. Both have undergone strict treatment and are clean and hygienic, meeting the requirements of sterile (or low-bacteria) cultivation. However, full attention must be paid to the fact that purified water has fewer impurities and pathogens and basically does not contain the nutrient elements necessary for plants, while tap water contains unstable nutrient elements as the components in the water source change. Therefore, nutrient solution prepared with purified water has stable and consistent components, while nutrient solution prepared with tap water has unstable components.

Liquid chlorine is used when disinfecting tap water. If the chlorine in tap water is excessive, it is harmful to flowers and plants. A water purifier can be installed on the faucet. Let out the tap water, store it in a relatively wide-mouthed bucket for a few days, and stir it a few times with a wooden stick to remove chlorine. If water is urgently needed for changing water, 3 to 5 grains of sodium thiosulfate (commonly known as hypo) can be added to 10 kg of tap water and stirred evenly, which can also achieve a chlorine removal effect.

Most foliage flowers like a slightly acidic soil environment, and their intolerance of alkalinity cannot be changed during hydroponics. Static nutrient solution cultivation must adjust the pH of the solution to the range of 5.5 to 6.5, which can help flowers absorb trace elements, keep physiological metabolism undisturbed, grow normally, and maintain green leaf color.

How to carry out foliar fertilization

Static hydroponic flowers are cultivated under conditions of root oxygen deficiency, which will cause certain defects in the normal development of flowers. To improve the quality of flowers, the method of foliar fertilization can be used to supplement nutrient elements. During the vegetative growth period of flowers, a 0.2% potassium nitrate dilution can be sprayed on the leaves. A fine-nozzle spray bottle should be used, and as far as possible the fertilizer solution should not run off. The underside of the leaves should also be sprayed. Spray once a week, twice during the growth period, and it can make hydroponic flowers flourish with lush branches and leaves. For flowers suitable for both foliage viewing and flower appreciation, such as Spathiphyllum, Four-season Begonia, Cane Begonia, Calla Lily, and so on, during the bud stage, a 0.15% monopotassium phosphate dilution can be sprayed on the leaves once a week until the flowers open.

Temperature requirements for hydroponic flowers

Hydroponic flowers only change one method of flower cultivation; they do not change the growth habits of the flowers, nor can they change their habits. The foliage flowers and plants used in static hydroponics mostly originate from Latin American rainforests, or from tropical high-temperature, high-humidity, shaded ravine areas, and belong to cold-intolerant flowers and plants. Generally, when the temperature drops below 10°C, some varieties will suffer cold damage, with scorched leaf edges, old leaves turning yellow, drooping and falling off. Under static hydroponic conditions, the same phenomenon will also occur. Some flowers are more cold-resistant, such as Ivy, Periwinkle, and Senecio, and grow normally at temperatures of 5°C to 7°C. When the temperature is above 30°C, the leaves of some flowers lose their luster, growth becomes sluggish, and brown scorch-like spots appear on leaf margins, showing a dormant state of intolerance to high temperatures, such as Cane Begonia, Four-season Begonia, and Coleus. Above 30°C, root rot is common in static hydroponics. Of course, this is also related to the fact that dissolved oxygen in the nutrient solution decreases as temperature rises. Keeping the temperature at 15°C to 28°C is suitable for various static hydroponic flowers. In addition, understanding the temperature required for the growth of each type of flower and creating a suitable temperature condition for its growth during static hydroponics is also very important.

Light requirements for hydroponic flowers

Static hydroponics mostly uses relatively shade-tolerant, shade-loving foliage flowers and a small number of flowering flowers. The characteristic of such flowers is that they do not need strong direct light during the growth period, and some flower varieties grow well in relatively shaded environments. Generally placed indoors, in living rooms, or offices, as long as there is scattered light coming through doors and windows and indoor lamplight, their light needs can be fully met. If the light is too weak, the leaves of the flowers cannot carry out normal photosynthesis, cannot accumulate enough nutrients, and grow poorly. Some colored-leaf flowers, such as Coleus and Croton, will lose the color of their leaves in a relatively weak-light environment and become dull and lusterless. Only in an environment with relatively sufficient light but not direct strong light can such flowers maintain bright leaf color.

Plant growth has phototropism. The orientation of placed flowers should be rotated at regular intervals. This work can be completed together with cleaning the vessel and replacing the nutrient solution. After cleaning the roots, rotate the flower 180 degrees relative to its original orientation for cultivation, which will prevent the flower from growing toward one side, and the top shoot will always remain upright and upward.

Humid environment and good ventilation

The places of origin of foliage flowers are mostly warm and humid environments. Static hydroponics also needs to create a relatively humid environment for them to grow well. A simple method is to spray the leaves of the flowers (to prevent the sprayed mist from wetting furniture, this can be done on a balcony or outdoors, and after spraying, move the flowers back indoors for display). When spraying, it is best to use a fine-nozzle head so that the sprayed droplets adhere to the leaf surface and do not run off. For the leaves of flowers that are relatively firm and have a waxy film, such as Monstera and Clivia, a wet towel can be used to wipe the leaf surface, which can both increase leaf humidity and remove dust from the leaves. For larger flowers that are difficult to move, a shallow dish or basin filled with clear water can be placed beside the flowers; the evaporated water can likewise increase environmental humidity.

There must be a well-ventilated environment. This is an important condition for the normal growth of flowers. Static hydroponic flowers are placed indoors. If doors and windows are tightly closed and the air is stale, it is unfavorable for their growth. Especially when people go to work during the day and leave home, if doors and windows are not opened, and some even draw the curtains, in such a harsh environment, hydroponic flowers can neither get the light they need nor fresh air, and dissolved oxygen continuously decreases, so their growth will become worse and worse, producing symptoms such as yellowing and falling leaves and thin, shriveled new shoots. The place where hydroponic flowers are placed should have doors and windows opened at regular intervals to create air convection, allowing fresh outside air to enter the room, which can increase the dissolved oxygen content in the nutrient solution.

Rooms with air conditioning can of course achieve the temperature required by hydroponic flowers, but the air in the room is dry, which will cause scorched edges and dry tips on the leaves of flowers with thinner leaves. Air-conditioned rooms also lack fresh air, reducing dissolved oxygen content. Ventilation should be carried out promptly, which is beneficial to both the growth of hydroponic flowers and human health. Places with large hydroponic flowers on display especially need this work done well.

Pest and disease control for hydroponic flowers

Hydroponics breaks away from infection by soil-borne pests and diseases, but it does not grow in a strictly sterilized vacuum environment, so it can still be harmed by pests and diseases in the display environment. Fungi, bacteria, and viruses in the air can still infect the stems and leaves of hydroponic flowers, causing them to suffer lesions of varying degrees. Aphids and scale insects can drift indoors with the wind and land on hydroponic flowers to suck sap. Moths lay eggs on flowers, and the hatched larvae will also chew the tender leaves and stem tips of the flowers. Flowers that have been removed from pots, washed of roots, and converted to static hydroponics will likewise carry fungi, bacteria, viruses, insect eggs, larvae, and so on. If these are not carefully checked and removed, hidden dangers will remain.

Because of the particularity of their display environment, once static hydroponic flowers suffer pests or diseases, it is not appropriate to use chemical pesticides to kill insects, nor to use large doses of fungicides to sterilize. Although these chemicals can kill insects and sterilize, they can also pollute the environment at the same time.

Prevention should be the main approach to possible pests and diseases of hydroponic flowers. When choosing flowers for hydroponics, select as far as possible flowers with robust plants, vigorous growth, and no pests or diseases. If pests are found during cultivation, they can be removed by manual capture or washed away with tap water. Infectious diseases occur infrequently in hydroponic flowers; only a few leaves may have brown lesions, shriveled necrosis, or irregular round wet stain-like lesions formed by fungal or bacterial infection. Once discovered, the entire diseased leaf should be removed and burned so as not to let it spread. Prevention of non-infectious diseases.

Non-infectious diseases are not caused by infection with pathogens; they are caused by unsuitable environments. Stuffily hot high-temperature weather in summer, cold winters, dry climates, scorching sunburn, poorly ventilated environments, excessive shading, nutrient solution concentration being too high, or inability to absorb it in a balanced way may all cause the leaf tips of static hydroponic flowers to scorch and dry up, and lower leaves to turn yellow and fall off. When summer temperatures are too high, because the dissolved oxygen in the solution drops sharply, root rot is likely to occur, and this is even more a common symptom of static hydroponics. For the above different symptoms, identify the corresponding causes, correct them, improve the cultivation environment, and avoid the occurrence of non-infectious diseases.

How should static hydroponic flowers with detached sections and rotten roots be cared for? Due to improper management, or root hypoxia and root rot, or infection by fungi, bacteria, or viruses, hydroponic flowers may develop leaf spot disease, with leaves turning yellow and falling off in large numbers, causing the lower end to become detached and lose ornamental value. For hydroponic flowers with detached sections and rotten roots, the method of plant renewal can be used: cut off the still healthy upper branch 3 cm below the stem node and insert it in clear water. After a period of care and management, it can grow new roots and become an independent plant. As for the lower branch with the detached section, as long as it does not rot, new buds can also sprout at the stem node, and at this point it can be switched to nutrient solution cultivation. Lucky Bamboo, Pothos, Rainbow Dracaena, Arrowhead Plant, and so on can all use this method.

How many hydroponic flowers are appropriate for display

Cultivating hydroponic flowers indoors can help regulate mood, beautify the environment, and also purify the air. Displaying an appropriate number of plants is beneficial. If the room area is not large and too many flowers are displayed, it will cause flowers to compete with people for oxygen at night. So how many flowers is appropriate to place indoors? According to scientists' experiments, it is considered appropriate to calculate by room area and grow one or two kinds of flowers per 10 square meters. By this standard, for a room of 50 square meters to 60 square meters, displaying around 10 hydroponic flowers of different sizes can satisfy viewing needs without causing flowers to compete with people for oxygen at night.

How to choose hydroponic flower materials in winter

Hydroponic flowers are deeply loved by people for their characteristics of being clean, beautiful, and easy to care for. When choosing hydroponic flower materials in winter, you must pay attention to the following four "shoulds":

First, choose flower types suitable for hydroponics. If you buy back types not suitable for hydroponics and grow them in water, they will gradually die before long because the roots rot. Aquatic plants, wetland plants, and a group of relatively drought-intolerant terrestrial plants are all relatively suitable for hydroponics, such as Umbrella Plant, Arrowhead Plant, Pothos, Philodendron, Tradescantia, Lucky Bamboo, and so on.

Second, choose flower types with strong cold resistance. Although some flowers are very suitable for hydroponics, they need relatively high temperatures to overwinter and are difficult to overwinter safely in ordinary homes, making them prone to cold damage. Flower materials with relatively strong cold resistance that can overwinter with a little cold protection include Monstera, Purple Heart, Aloe, Spider Plant, Umbrella Plant, Miniature Coconut, Palm Grass, and so on.

Third, choose flower materials that have already adapted to hydroponic conditions. Some flower vendors take soil-grown flowers out of the soil, wash the soil off the roots, and immediately supply them to the flower market. Although such flower materials may look normal, they still need to go through an adaptation process before they can grow normally in a hydroponic environment, so careful identification is necessary when purchasing. Flower materials that have already adapted to hydroponic conditions will grow some white water roots at the roots or stem base.

Fourth, choose robust plants without pests or diseases. Plants with upright, vigorous branches and leaves and full, glossy leaves are conducive to showing the ornamental effect that flowers should have.

Advantages of hydroponics

1. Simple daily management

The hydroponic flowers of "Hydroponic Flower King" are very simple to manage in daily life. Apart from changing the nutrient solution once every 7-10 days during the vigorous growth period of plants in spring and summer, and once every 15-20 days in autumn and winter, they do not need extra care. Usually, you only need to spray water on the leaves in dry seasons or in air-conditioned environments; when there is dust on the leaves, wipe them with a clean cloth or paper towel dipped in water. It saves the trouble of fertilizing, changing soil, and watering daily, and is very suitable for the fast-paced lifestyle of modern society.

2. Clean and stylish

Because hydroponic flowers are completely free from the soil cultivation environment and grow directly in a relatively sterile or low-bacteria nutrient solution environment, they will not pollute our living environment like soil-grown flowers do because of pests and pathogens parasitic in the soil, making our homes safer, cleaner, and more reassuring. Moreover, because they are free from soil, we can use more and more beautiful vases, vessels, and materials for planting. We can not only appreciate the flowers and leaves, but also appreciate the usually unseen process of root growth and their varied beauty, which is very neat and stylish.

3. Many applicable varieties, and the technology is easy to master and operate

Because the adaptation technology for plant roots from a soil-grown environment to an aquatic environment has been overcome, "Hydroponic Flower King" does not need to be cultivated through planting baskets to produce water roots, nor does it need early computer or electric field mutagenesis. Only very simple technical treatment is needed, and soil-grown roots can quickly transform into water roots. Anyone can grow vigorous, lush hydroponic flowers. This greatly shortens the production cycle, saves production costs, gives products greater profit margins, and increases their competitiveness in the market. At the same time, because production costs are lower, more people can enjoy the lifestyle trend brought by new technology, rapidly expanding market share. Because no planting baskets are used, hydroponic flowers become more beautiful and refined.
Because rainwater will change the concentration and pH value of the nutrient solution, hydroponic flowers are not suitable for open-air cultivation. In this way, some light-loving plants are relatively difficult to grow hydroponically indoors at home, but common shade-loving and semi-shade-loving flowers can basically all be successfully grown hydroponically. The number of tested varieties has currently reached nearly more than 400. If you have a sunlight or artificially regulated greenhouse, then in theory any plant can be grown hydroponically, only with different degrees of difficulty.

4. Green and environmentally friendly, can be kept together with fish

The "Hydroponic Flower King" nutrient solution does not contain toxic ingredients, so fish and flowers can be kept together for a long time without any side effects harmful to the flowers or fish. The fish in our specialty store still grow well after long-term rearing, and some customers add the nutrient solution to aquariums to fertilize aquatic plants with very good results. Practice has proven that it is safe and reliable. At the same time, because it contains special ingredients, mosquitoes and insects are not likely to breed in the nutrient solution. Moreover, when you change the water, if you pour the discarded nutrient solution into the soil of your home's potted flowers, there will be an even more unexpected surprise. Practice has proven that the "Hydroponic Flower King" nutrient solution is a truly green and environmentally friendly nutrient solution, and its effect is very obvious.

Selection of hydroponic flower types

The growth and development of flowers require suitable conditions such as water, oxygen, nutrients, light, and temperature. The water used as a hydroponic medium contains a certain amount of oxygen. As long as light and temperature are suitable and the nutrient elements needed for plant growth are supplied in time, flowers can grow normally in water.

Due to differences in the ecological habits and tissue structure of flowers, different flowers also have different requirements for the oxygen content in water. Some flowers have air-conducting tissues in their bodies, and the oxygen produced by these plants during photosynthesis can be sent through the air-conducting tissues to the root system for respiration; some flowers have aerial roots at stem nodes, and these aerial roots can absorb the oxygen needed by the plant from the air; although some flowers do not have air-conducting tissues and aerial roots that absorb oxygen, they are very adaptable to hydroponic conditions. However, if the oxygen content in the water cannot meet the needs of normal growth and development for some flowers, then such flowers are not suitable for hydroponics. Therefore, to succeed in hydroponics, you must choose flower types that can adapt to hydroponic conditions, and do not blindly cultivate them, lest hydroponics fail.

Flower types adapted to hydroponics

Araceae

Araceae flowers have great adaptability to water conditions. When propagated by water cuttings, most can root in a relatively short time and grow rapidly, quickly forming a plant shape with a certain ornamental value; after soil-grown plants are washed with water, most of their original root systems can adapt to a hydroponic environment. Araceae flowers adapted to hydroponics include Pothos, Guangdong Dieffenbachia, Dieffenbachia, Silver King, Golden Queen, clustered Philodendron, Mini Monstera, Monstera, Spathiphyllum, Green Emerald, Philodendron, Philodendron panduriforme, Philodendron 'Green Emperor', Arrowhead Plant, Alocasia, Anthurium, Emerald Gem, and so on.

Commelinaceae

Almost all Commelinaceae flowers can adapt to hydroponics, such as Purple Heart, Purple-backed Tradescantia, Lophatherum, Tradescantia, and so on, all of which can root and grow rapidly when grown as water cuttings.

Liliaceae

The vast majority of Liliaceae flowers can adapt to hydroponics, such as Aloe, Triangular Aloe, Haworthia, Spider Plant, Cordyline, Dragon Blood Tree, Dragon Tree, Snake Plant, Agave, Golden-edged Lucky Bamboo, Sea Onion, Silver-edged Dieffenbachia, Silver-edged Ophiopogon, and so on.

Crassulaceae

Crassulaceae flowers are also relatively adapted to hydroponic conditions, such as Aeonium, Hibiscus, Silver Jade Plant, Jade Plant, Kalanchoe, and so on.

In addition, flowers that can adapt to hydroponics also include Aucuba, Umbrella Plant, Coleus, Purple Velvet Plant, Blue Chalksticks, Cane Begonia, Ox Tongue Begonia, Green Emerald, Clivia, Paphiopedilum, Croton, Dusty Miller, Senecio, Pereskia, Triangular Bamboo, Billbergia, Cryptanthus, Chloranthus, Star Jasmine, Euphorbia, Euphorbia, Variegated Periwinkle, Redback Excoecaria, Senecio, Ivy, English Ivy, Palm Grass, Miniature Coconut, and so on.

When choosing hydroponic flower types, in addition to considering whether they can adapt to hydroponic conditions, the following factors should also be noted:

Although some flowers are very adapted to hydroponic conditions, they have relatively high temperature requirements for overwintering. For example, some species of Dieffenbachia and Croton require overwintering temperatures above 15°C; Pothos, Arrowhead Plant, Golden-edged Lucky Bamboo, and Dracaena species also require overwintering temperatures above 10°C. This certainly will not be a problem for rooms heated in winter, but for most households, it is still very difficult to let these flowers safely pass through the cold winter. Although some flowers will not cause the death of the entire plant after overwintering, due to low-temperature cold damage, the leaves of the plant will become wilted and listless, lose their proper luster, turn yellow, and have scorched leaf tips or margins, or new scorch spots will appear on the leaves, even causing a large number of leaves to fall or part of the branches and leaves to die, thereby losing ornamental value. Therefore, when conditions for stable indoor heating are lacking, attention must be paid to choosing flower types with relatively strong cold resistance. Flowers suitable for hydroponics in ordinary households include:

Flowers with strong cold resistance

Such as Dieffenbachia, Star Jasmine, Palm Grass, Agave, Aucuba, Jade Plant, Sea Onion, Variegated Ophiopogon, and so on, which can tolerate low temperatures around 0°C.

Flowers with a certain degree of cold resistance

Such as Monstera, Purple Heart, Lophatherum, Aloe, Spider Plant, Silver Jade Plant, Umbrella Plant, Purple Velvet Plant, Dusty Miller, Chloranthus, Euphorbia, Variegated Periwinkle, English Ivy, Miniature Coconut, and so on, which can overwinter safely with a little protection during winter.

Of course, some flowers such as Red Emerald Philodendron, Green Emerald Philodendron, Arrowhead Plant, Pothos, Snake Plant, Croton, and so on, although relatively difficult to overwinter safely, are easy to obtain, grow quickly, and have high ornamental value, so they can also be considered for purchase and cultivation when spring is warm.

Shade tolerance issues

Because indoor light conditions are relatively poor, it is advisable to choose flower types that like semi-shade or tolerate semi-shade. At the same time, even shade-loving or semi-shade-tolerant foliage plants have different requirements for light intensity. For example, Croton, Purple Heart, and Tradescantia need sufficient scattered light, but Spathiphyllum, Green Giant, Guangdong Dieffenbachia, and Silver King all have very strong shade tolerance. Because different rooms and different light conditions within rooms vary, suitable flower types should be selected according to the light conditions of the placement location to ensure normal growth of the flowers and maintain good ornamental value. When light is insufficient, it will cause the branches and leaves of the plant to grow excessively, stems to become thin, internodes to become longer, leaves to become smaller and deformed, lose green color and proper luster, colored stripes on leaves to fade, and even cause a large number of leaves to fall, thereby seriously affecting the ornamental value of the flowers.

Techniques for growing Spider Plant in water

Spider Plant, with bright green leaf color and orchid-like leaf shape, fresh and elegant, is a common household foliage flower that people love. In addition, it has the unique effect of purifying indoor air, which is one of the important reasons people like to grow it indoors.

1. Container: The container bottle can be single-layer or double-layer. For a single-layer bottle, take a bottomless plastic bottle or a bottomless ceramic bottle and plant the spider plant in it. For a double-layer bottle, use a plastic sieve as the upper layer and a bottomless bottle as the lower layer, plant the spider plant in the upper plastic sieve, and let the spider plant roots hang down into the bottle.

2. Taking seedlings: Remove the potted or ground-planted spider plant from its pot or dig it up from the ground, remove the soil from its roots, wash its roots with clean water, cut off old roots and rotten roots, keep the fibrous roots, cut off some leaves (old leaves, diseased and pest-damaged leaves), and keep healthy leaves, generally leaving 6 to 10 leaves.

3. Potting: For the single-layer bottle potting method, insert the prepared spider plant into the bottle, tie the bottle mouth tightly with sponge and insert a plastic drinking straw, which is used for supplying water. Let the spider plant stand upright, put clean water and flower nutrient solution into the bottle, and let the spider plant roots soak in the water to grow. For the double-layer bottle cultivation method, plant the spider plant on the plastic sieve, let the roots pass through the small holes of the plastic sieve into the lower bottle, put ceramic material or gravel (large granules) into the sieve, let the spider plant stand upright, and put clean water and flower nutrient solution into the lower bottle. After potting is completed, place the spider plant indoors or in a cool place for management.

4. Management:

① Water: For single-layer container bottle cultivation, add water and flower nutrient solution once every 4 days, and input the water through the straw until it is full. For double-layer bottles, change the water once a week. When changing the water, pour out the bottle water, wash the container bottle clean, put in clean water and flower nutrient solution, and then place the plastic sieve on top of the water bottle.

② Fertilizer: While adding water and changing water, add flower nutrient solution at the same time through the roots. For foliar topdressing, spray the branches and leaves with diluted flower nutrient solution once every 3 days.

③ Pest and disease control: If pests or diseases are found, spray the leaves with all-purpose powder mixed with water.

④ Promoting flowering: The spider plant flowers half a year after potting. When flowering, do not spray water on the flowers, to prevent early flower drop. After the flowers fade, cut the flowers off from the branch tips to promote reflowering.

The outstanding choice for static hydroponics

Araceae plants include 105 genera and more than 2,500 species. They originated in tropical Asia and arose in waters or swamps in forest regions. Through a long historical evolution, the vast majority have now developed into terrestrial plants, with very few aquatic species.
Common excellent ornamental plants (genera) in Araceae include: Anthurium, Monstera, Scindapsus, Epipremnum, Zantedeschia, Dieffenbachia, Caladium, Philodendron, Spathiphyllum, Alocasia, and so on. Although the plants of the above genera are all terrestrial, they have extremely close kinship with aquatic vascular plants: some are themselves hygrophilous species, some have aerial roots, some easily produce adventitious roots, and some easily develop aerenchyma under stress environments.
In static hydroponics of terrestrial plants, root respiration is in a severe state of oxygen deficiency. The prerequisite for success is correctly selecting plant species, that is, those that have close kinship with aquatic plants. Araceae plants have close kinship with aquatic plants, specifically shown as follows:
I. Araceae plants evolved and developed around aquatic genetic genes as the center. The new Engler system holds that the most primitive member of Araceae is Acorus, and the most advanced is Pistia, both of which are aquatic plants.
Acorus is an aquatic or hygrophilous evergreen herb, the most primitive genus in Araceae, originating in the Old Tropics in the Late Cretaceous (about 100 million years ago), and first arose in aquatic environments. Pistia is almost distributed across the freshwater waters of all major continents of the Old and New Worlds, and is the most advanced monotypic genus in Araceae, a floating plant propagated vegetatively, easy to migrate and spread, with very strong reproductive capacity. In addition, Araceae also includes famous aquatic species such as Acorus gramineus, Calla palustris, and taro.
The evolved Pistia, as an aquatic plant, is not a simple repetition of the primitive Acorus, but a dialectical “negation of the negation,” a repetition on a higher basis. Although the vast majority of species in Araceae grow on land, they all come from aquatic ancestors, and phenomenally form a “negation” of their aquatic ancestors. And finally transforming into the more advanced aquatic plant Pistia, this return is another “negation,” which is the dialectical law of the “negation of the negation.” It shows that the opposing poles of aquatic and terrestrial reach unity in dialectical development. This is the unique philosophical reason why Araceae plants are the outstanding choice for static hydroponics.
II. Araceae belongs to Arales, which has only two families. The other family in the same order is the aquatic family Lemnaceae, and Lemnaceae are floating or submerged herbaceous plants. This proves that Araceae and the aquatic Lemnaceae share a common aquatic ancestor, and there is an extremely close kinship between them.
From this it can be seen that Araceae plants evolve forward around aquatic genetic genes as the center, along an approximately spiral curve.
III. The relationship of Arales in plant classification systems: The Hutchinson system holds that Arales evolved from Liliales, and a few aquatic types in Liliales have a parallel development relationship with the marsh-dwelling Najadales. The Takhtajan system holds that Arales shares a common ancestor (primitive lily-like plants) with Arecales and Commelinales, and can be traced further back to Magnoliales. The Cronquist system holds that Arales has close kinship with Pandanales and Arecales, and shares a common ancestor with Liliales. From the above classification systems, it can be inferred that Arales has kinship correlations with Liliales, Arecales, and others that contain aquatic plants.
In summary, Araceae plants evolved forward around aquatic genetic genes as the center, share a common ancestor with the aquatic Lemnaceae, and have kinship correlations with Liliales, Arecales, and others that contain aquatic species. Therefore, containing aquatic genetic genes is the direct reason that makes Araceae plants the outstanding choice for static hydroponics.

Judging and handling root rot in hydroponics

During hydroponics, plants often suffer root rot due to management and other reasons. For example, excessively low temperature, overly concentrated fertilizer, and diseases can all cause root rot, and root rot will deteriorate water quality and affect plant growth. To judge whether roots are rotten: first, smell the roots; if there is a foul odor, it proves the roots have rotted; second, smell the water; if the water has a foul odor, it indicates the root system may also have rotted and deteriorated; third, observe the appearance of the root system; if the root system turns yellow and changes color, it indicates the root system has been damaged. After the root system rots, gently pull at the root zone by hand, and its epidermis will tear off very easily, leaving only the lignified part.

After root rot appears, cut it off promptly. Generally, root rot gradually spreads upward from the root tip. After pruning, continue until normal roots are reached. After changing the water, observe carefully. If root rot continues to appear, handle it promptly.

Simple hydroponic facilities -- bottles and jars, and cultivation management

Using waste containers, such as beverage cans, wide-mouth bottles, white polystyrene hard foam boxes (cases), and so on, with slight adjustment, they can become hydroponic carriers of different sizes and shapes. This can suit local conditions, make the best use of materials, green the surrounding environment, and have a quite delightful feeling of returning to nature.

I. Bottles and jars

1. Such as metal beverage cans, glass or plastic wide-mouth bottles, paper foil-lined square beverage boxes, and so on, were originally used to hold liquids. As long as the original contents are rinsed clean, they can be set aside as hydroponic carriers.

2. Planting cup: According to the size of the mouth of the selected container, choose a plastic cold drink cup that fits just about 1/3 into the mouth, as the carrier for anchoring the plant. As shown in Figure 1, cut a “well”-shaped hole in the bottom of the cup, so that roots can extend through the cup bottom into the nutrient solution, while the plant's anchoring material will not leak out. The opening also has a ventilation function.

3. Anchoring the plant: Prepare a piece of non-woven fabric (nonwoven cloth) about 8×12 cm, used for clothing padding. Gently rinse off the soil from the seedling to be hydroponically grown or the purchased potted flower with soil, without damaging the root system. Wrap and roll the root system with the non-woven fabric, then wrap the outside with porous plastic sponge (scraps cut from shoulder pads for jackets or sofa and chair cushions, etc.), or a small amount of rock wool or glass wool (used as thermal insulation material, some yellow, some yellow with white) to thicken it, so that it can fit exactly into the plastic planting cup to anchor the plant. If none of the above items are available, floral foam can also be properly cut to serve as anchoring material. Immerse the non-woven fabric roll wrapping the root system, together with the exposed root system, into the bottle or jar containing nutrient solution. It must be noted that the nutrient solution surface should maintain a space distance of no less than 1 cm from the bottom of the planting cup. This is the key to success or failure in hydroponics. With the capillary absorption of the non-woven fabric, the nutrient solution is continuously supplied to the root system for nutrition. After about half a month, the nutrient solution gradually decreases as the crop grows and transpires. When the liquid level drops to 1/4 of the container height, new nutrient solution can be added. At this time, the distance between the liquid surface and the bottom of the planting cup can be somewhat larger, about 3 cm.

4. Cultivation management: If a transparent glass container is used, the bottle body must be covered with a light-blocking material, to avoid direct sunlight causing algae growth that competes with the cultivated plants for nutrients. In summer, to prevent the liquid temperature from rising greatly due to sun exposure, it is best to use shade measures, or place it where sunlight cannot directly shine.

II. Boxes and cases

1. Box body: Usually polystyrene-type white hard foam boxes used for packaging and shock protection, or corrugated cardboard boxes or wooden boxes with a certain strength, can all be used. Generally about 35×25×15 cm to 60×40×16 cm. If the box bottom (body) has holes, they can be leveled with wooden boards or foam boards. Line the box with black agricultural film to prevent nutrient solution leakage. If it is confirmed that the box body will not leak and is not light-transmissive, the film can be omitted. If there is no black film, other films can also be substituted.

2. Upper cover: The upper cover also serves as the planting board. Find a piece of polystyrene foam board the same area as the box and about 2.5 cm thick to serve as the upper cover and planting board. Open a certain number of planting holes about 6 cm in diameter in the board. As with bottles and jars, it is enough if the selected plastic cold drink cup can be placed in it while about 1/2 of the cup height is exposed. The number of planting holes depends on the size of the box. Generally 6 to 16 holes. In addition, on the side of the upper cover, near the inner side of the box body, open a small hole 2 cm in diameter, for peeking at the nutrient solution level and adding nutrient solution in normal times.

3. Planting cup: Material selection and preparation are the same as for bottles and jars.

4. Floating board: Take a polystyrene foam board 2.5 to 3 cm smaller on all four sides than the net inner area of the box and 2.5 to 3 cm thick as the floating board. Regularly open some small holes 1 to 2 cm in diameter on it, to increase the air content of the floating board and facilitate roots extending into the nutrient solution. Lay a thin layer of rock wool (about 1 cm dry thickness), or glass wool of the same thickness, or 25 to 50 g/sq m non-woven fabric on the floating board, to absorb nutrient solution. If these cannot be obtained at all, medical sterile absorbent gauze can also be substituted. The area of the absorbent cotton layer is about 6 cm larger on all four sides than the floating board, so that the excess part laid on the floating board can hang freely from all four sides of the floating board (like an apron) and immerse into the nutrient solution to absorb it, thereby ensuring that a moist layer with nutrient solution forms on the floating board. The plant root system can extend freely on the floating board and have more direct contact with air. Another part of the root system can still extend through the four sides of the floating board, or through the small holes in the floating board, into the nutrient solution to absorb nutrients. This method can compensate for the unfavorable environment of general static hydroponics, which cannot circulate nutrient solution and oxygenate.

5. Cultivation management:

(1) Pour the prepared nutrient solution into the cultivation box. At the time of just planting, the liquid level should be slightly higher, controlled so that the floating board just touches the non-woven fabric root roll extending from the planting cup, so that the nutrient solution can be absorbed upward. The highest liquid level must definitely leave a certain space in the cultivation box. When the nutrient solution decreases to 3 to 5 cm due to plant absorption and transpiration, nutrient solution should be added until the liquid depth is about 10 cm.

(2) When the nutrients in the nutrient solution change greatly, or there is precipitation, turbidity, foul odor, or pathogenic infection, the nutrient solution should be renewed as appropriate, until fully renewed.

The requirements of hydroponic flowers for a humid environment and good ventilation

Most foliage flowers originate from warm and humid environments. Static hydroponics also needs to create a relatively humid environment to make them grow well. A simple method is to spray water onto the flower leaves (to prevent the sprayed mist from wetting furniture, you can move them to a balcony or outdoors for the operation, and after spraying move the flowers back indoors for display). When spraying, it is best to use a fine-hole nozzle, so that the sprayed mist droplets adhere to the leaf surface and do not run down. For relatively firm flower leaves with a waxy film, such as Monstera and clivia, a wet towel can be used to wipe the leaf surface, which can both increase leaf surface humidity and remove dust from the leaf surface. For those relatively large flowers that are difficult to move, a shallow dish or basin of clean water can be placed beside the flowers, and the evaporated water can likewise increase environmental humidity.

There must be a good ventilation environment. This is an important condition for the normal growth of flowers. If static hydroponic flowers are placed in a room with doors and windows tightly closed and turbid air, it is unfavorable to their growth. Especially when people go to work during the day and leave home, the room does not open doors and windows, and some even draw the curtains. In such a harsh environment, hydroponic flowers can neither obtain the needed light nor have fresh air, dissolved oxygen continuously decreases, and growth becomes worse and worse, producing phenomena such as yellowing and falling leaves and thin, shriveled new shoots. The place where hydroponic flowers are placed should have doors and windows opened regularly to form air convection, so that fresh outside air enters the room, which can increase the dissolved oxygen content in the nutrient solution.

Rooms with air conditioning can of course achieve the temperature required by hydroponic flowers, but the air in the room is dry, which can cause scorched edges and dry leaf tips on flowers with relatively thin leaves. Air-conditioned rooms also lack fresh air, reducing dissolved oxygen content. Ventilation should be done in a timely manner, which is beneficial both to the growth of hydroponic flowers and to human health. Places with large hydroponic flowers displayed especially need this work done well.

Light requirements of hydroponic flowers

Static hydroponics mostly selects relatively shade-tolerant and shade-loving foliage flowers and a small number of flowering flowers. The characteristic of such flowers is that they do not need strong direct light during the growth period, and some flower varieties grow well in relatively shady environments. Generally placed indoors, in living rooms, or offices, as long as there is scattered light coming through doors and windows and indoor lamplight, their light requirements can be fully met. If the light is too weak, the flower leaves cannot carry out normal photosynthesis, cannot accumulate enough nutrients, and grow poorly. Some colored-leaf flowers, such as coleus and croton, will lose the color of the leaf surface in a relatively weak-light environment and become dull and lusterless. Such flowers can maintain leaf color luster only in an environment with relatively sufficient light but not directly exposed to strong light.

Plant growth has phototropism. The orientation in which flowers are placed should be rotated regularly. This work can be combined with cleaning the vessels and changing the nutrient solution. After cleaning the root system, rotate the flower 180 degrees relative to its original orientation for cultivation, which will keep the flower from growing toward one side and keep the top shoot upright and growing upward.

How hydroponic flowers safely overwinter

How hydroponic flowers overwinter

Generally, flowers enter dormancy below 5-8 degrees Celsius, and tissues will become necrotic below 0 degrees Celsius. Therefore, if the indoor temperature is above 5 degrees Celsius, hydroponic flowers can generally overwinter safely. In the south, indoor temperatures in winter generally do not fall below 5 degrees Celsius. If there are a few days of extreme low-temperature weather, it can be solved by lighting a 60-watt incandescent lamp above the flowers to create a local microclimate. In the north, because most interiors have heating, safe overwintering of hydroponic flowers can also be satisfied.

Why hydroponic flowers need water changes

Because plants absorb water and inorganic salts from the nutrient solution, the nutrients in the nutrient solution become fewer and fewer. At the same time, due to root respiration and metabolism, harmful substances in the water become more and more. Therefore, after a period of growth, hydroponic flowers need to be given fresh nutrient solution. In fact, this is the same principle as soil-cultivated flowers. Soil-cultivated flowers need fertilization and also need the soil changed once a year for the same reason. For hydroponic flowers, the water-changing interval should be shorter during the vigorous growth period of spring and summer, and can be longer in autumn and winter when growth is slow.

Hydroponic method for cyclamen

Growing cyclamen in water only began to appear in Europe in the last year or two. Because this cultivation method frees cyclamen from traditional flower pots and substrate, it is both clean and beautiful, and can endow blooming cyclamen plants with multiple cultivation and application forms. As soon as it appeared on the market, it won enthusiastic welcome from consumers. In fact, hydroponic cultivation of cyclamen is not difficult. First, choose a satisfactory potted cyclamen, and prepare the container to be used for hydroponic cyclamen. With the preparation work completed, you can begin making hydroponic cyclamen. For hydroponic cyclamen, take the purchased potted cyclamen together with the substrate (flower soil) out of the pot, place it under a faucet and rinse the substrate clean with a relatively gentle stream of water. You can also place the plant together with the substrate in a basin of water and rinse the substrate off in the water, then rinse clean with tap water. Note that throughout the entire process of removing the substrate, the movements must be gentle, trying as much as possible to avoid damaging the cyclamen root system. The rinsed clean cyclamen plant can then be placed in the previously prepared hydroponic container, add water, and a beautiful hydroponic cyclamen is made.

It should be pointed out that no fertilizer needs to be added to the water for cultivating cyclamen. The nutrients in the cyclamen corm can allow the cyclamen plant to maintain normal growth and flowering for 4-6 weeks. At the same time, the water surface height should be kept below the corm. Generally, according to the evaporation of water, add water to the container 1-2 times a week to maintain the water surface height.

In fact, in hydroponic cyclamen, the cyclamen plant is only one factor. To make hydroponic cyclamen distinctive and full of character, it also depends on the choice of hydroponic vessel and the combination method of cyclamen plants. This all relies entirely on the maker's unique perspective and flexible creativity.

Hydroponic method with exposed roots for Hoya

Hoya has always been soil-cultivated. Now, through trials of hydroponics with exposed roots, it has the following characteristics: ① saves labor; ② hygienic; ③ fewer pests and diseases; ④ simple management; ⑤ long flowering period; ⑥ roots, leaves, and flowers can all be enjoyed.

The method of hydroponics with exposed roots is:

(1) Seedling treatment: Dig up the soil-cultivated Hoya, wash it clean with clean water, cut off dead leaves and diseased and pest-damaged leaves, and soak it in diluted flower nutrient solution for half a day.

(2) Potting: Take a glass bottle or vase (without a bottom hole), put a few attractive river stones at the bottom of the bottle, move the prepared Hoya seedling onto the river stones in the vase, spread out the root system, add clean water, add flower nutrient solution, and place it indoors or in a cool place.

(3) Management: One, spray the leaves with clean water once a day, and after one or two days spray the leaves with flower nutrient solution once every three to four days; two, change the water once every fifteen days, and add nutrient solution after changing the water; three, one month after potting, inject flower nutrient solution into the head of the Hoya, half a milliliter each time, and thereafter inject once a month, to promote growth, flowering, and prolong the flowering period.

(4) About two to three months after potting, it can flower. After the flowers fade, prune the branches, change the water, add nutrient solution and inject, and it can flower again.

There is a big difference between flower hydroponics and water culture

In recent years, some water-cultured and hydroponic flowers have been favored by people because they are fresh and environmentally friendly, elegant in style, easy to maintain, and convenient to combine. On the surface, water-cultured and hydroponic flowers have the same cultivation form, namely liquid maintenance, so many people conflate the two. In fact, they are obviously different.

Flowers used for water culture generally have enlarged bulbs, which store abundant nutrients. Their growth and flowering mainly rely on the nutrients stored in themselves. During cultivation, it is only necessary to soak the root system in clean water and fix it, with no need to supply nutrients. Flowers suitable for water culture mainly include narcissus, tulip, hyacinth, lucky bamboo, and so on. To make water-cultured flowers grow luxuriantly and bloom brilliantly, the key is to select fully developed bulbs to provide the nutrients needed for their growth process; second is to change the water frequently, insisting on changing the water once every 2 to 3 days (for lucky bamboo, change the water once every 7 to 10 days), to maintain sufficient oxygen content in the water and improve root activity; third is to maintain sufficient sunlight to make them grow robustly.

Hydroponic flowers, by contrast, have the plant root system fixed on the cover board or floating board of the flower pot, with the root system soaked in water, and the water must be provided with reasonable inorganic nutrients, so flower hydroponics is also called nutrient solution culture. The habits and internal structures of flowers suitable for hydroponics are suited to normal growth in water. At present, the main cultivated varieties include clivia, spider plant, Christmas cactus, Dracaena fragrans, Dieffenbachia, clustered taro, Monstera, jade plant, Tradescantia zebrina, Bryophyllum, and other plants.

Northeastern University in China has adopted bioengineering mutation technology and, after 8 years of effort, has developed more than 500 hydroponic flower varieties in 9 series, including both herbaceous flowers and woody flowers; both cactus and succulent plants, and flowering flowers such as clivia and Phalaenopsis. With technological progress, some high-grade flowers introduced from abroad in recent years, such as bromeliads, anthurium, and amaryllis, have also successfully achieved hydroponics. Some flowers with Chinese characteristics, such as Ludisia, have also achieved hydroponic domestication.

In truly well-mutated hydroponic flower plants, the traits of the root system have already changed, the root hairs have degenerated, and most are vertically growing taproots, unlike the roots and root hairs of water-cultured plants, which are distributed in a network. After aquatic mutation, the plant's water-root genes are expressed, so the leaves of truly aquatic flower plants become larger and thicker, and the leaves and branches are more tender than those grown in soil.

The key to hydroponic flowers is to prepare the nutrient solution well. When preparing the nutrient solution, never use metal containers or containers that have held grease, acids, or alkalis. When using tap water to prepare the nutrient solution, a small amount of humic acid compounds should be added to treat chlorides and sulfides in the water. For hydroponic flowers, add or change the nutrient solution once a week, and note that the pH value should be controlled between 5.5 and 6.5. The replaced nutrient solution can be used as fertilizer for other crops.

Brief introduction to flower hydroponic technology

Flower hydroponics is a common type of soilless cultivation. There are many methods; several commonly used ones are briefly described below.

Deep flow technique: characterized by plant roots being wholly or partly immersed in the nutrient solution; the nutrient solution is flowing; the nutrient solution is mixed with air to dissolve oxygen.

Nutrient film (NFT) technique: Nutrient film technique was developed from the plastic bag technique. An appropriate amount of nutrient solution placed in a plastic bag can cultivate plants. On this basis, further improvements were made: the plastic bag was changed to plastic film, laid on a frame of a certain shape; the nutrient solution is a thin layer 0.3 to 1.0 cm thick; part of the plant root system is immersed in the nutrient solution, and part is exposed to moisture; the nutrient solution flows; the plastic film is white outside and black inside to wrap the plant, forming an internal dark space.

The advantages are: it better solves the root system's demand for oxygen for respiration; the structure is simple and lightweight, and the cost is low; plants grow quickly, management is convenient, and it is suitable for large-scale production.

Aeroponics technique: After the nutrient solution is atomized, it is sprayed around the plant root system. The mist condenses on the root surface, and the water is absorbed by the root system. The roots are continuously or discontinuously in an environment saturated with nutrient solution droplets, which well solves the supply of water, nutrients, and oxygen, and plants grow quickly. Aeroponics can also be used in cutting propagation.

Glass bottle hydroponic technique: For the aqueous solution, a glass canning jar can be used. Wrap the surroundings of the bottle with black plastic film, or coat it fully with black paint, or paste a layer of black paper, to the degree that the inside of the bottle is not light-transmissive. After light blocking, it is beneficial to root growth and avoids algae growth. In summer, wrap a layer of white paper around the outside of the black bottle to lower the temperature. In winter, tear off the white paper, use a foam plastic board as the bottle cover, open a hole in the middle, clamp the plant, cover the bottle, and the top of the cover should also be black. Pour nutrient solution into the bottle, not too full, and leave a gap for the plant to breathe oxygen. If it is water insertion to promote rooting, then there is no need to use nutrient solution; just add water, and after roots grow, change to nutrient solution. Specific operation process:

Changing liquid: For small seedlings, change the nutrient solution once every 1 to 2 weeks depending on the situation. For mature flowers, change once a week during the summer peak growth season, and change the liquid once every 1 to 2 weeks in the non-growth season.

Ventilation: Open the bottle cover for a moment every morning and evening, letting the root system be fully exposed to the air. After a period of adaptation, ventilation can be omitted for more than 1 month continuously.

Adding water: Flowers grow vigorously in summer and consume a lot of water, so water should often be added to the bottle to prevent the nutrient solution from drying up.

Preparation of hydroponic nutrient solution: Fertilizer tablets sold on the market or prepared chemical fertilizers can be used. If conditions permit, it can be prepared yourself. The formulas are as follows:

Formula 1: (pH value 6-6.5)

Monopotassium phosphate 0.44 g/L; potassium sulfate 0.14 g/L; calcium nitrate 0.59 g/L; ammonium nitrate 0.19 g/L; magnesium sulfate 0.53 g/L; trace elements 2 mL; Fe-EDTA 2 mL.

Formula 2: (pH value 6-6.5)

Calcium nitrate 1.64 g/L; magnesium sulfate 0.98 g/L; potassium nitrate 1.01 g/L; trace elements 2 mL; monopotassium phosphate 0.27 g/L; Fe-EDTA 2 mL.

Preparation method of trace element solution:

Boric acid 2.86 g, zinc oxide 0.11 g, manganese chloride 181 g, copper dichloride 0.05 g, sodium molybdate 0.025 g. Dissolve the above chemicals in 800 mL water, then make up to 1000 mL.

Multiple hydroponic methods for flowers

① Water insertion method: This is the simplest and easiest method to succeed with. From a selected mother flower plant, cut off part of the stem or branch, insert it into water, and under suitable conditions it will root and sprout and grow into a new plant. When cutting branches, cut 3-5 mm below the node, and the cut surface should be flat, with no longitudinal cracks. When cutting branches with aerial roots, protect the aerial roots well and insert them into water. Pothos, lucky bamboo, and others are all suitable for this hydroponic method.

② Root washing method: Select flowers with ornamental value, robust growth, and already formed by soil cultivation (or other media cultivation), remove the soil, wash the root system, and change to hydroponics. When washing the roots, it is best to use running water. Place the washed flowers in a prepared vessel, and pour in tap water that covers 2/3-1/2 of the root system. Initially change the clean water once a day, while also cleaning the roots and vessel. After one week, reduce the frequency of water changes. When the cultivated flowers grow new roots in the water, it indicates they have adapted to the hydroponic environment, and the water can be changed once every 7-10 days, or even longer.

③ Tiller stripping method: Suitable for flowers with strong tillering ability, such as clivia and bromeliads. The method is simple and the survival rate is high. Select a relatively large tiller, remove the upper soil to expose the part connected to the mother plant, and use your hands or a sharp blade to separate the tiller from the mother plant (protect the tiller's roots well), wash off the soil attached to the roots, and cultivate it hydroponically.

④ Runner plantlet removal method: Some flowers produce runners during growth, and the runners bear one to many small plantlets. Most of the small plantlets have a small amount of fully developed roots. Spider plants and hanging bromeliads both have this characteristic. Using this characteristic of the flowers, remove the formed small plantlets for hydroponics, which is very simple and convenient.

For hydroponic flowers, it is advisable to choose Monstera, clivia, pothos, Tillandsia, Chinese evergreen, Tradescantia spathacea, lucky bamboo, spider plant, and bulbous flowers such as tulip, lily, hyacinth, amaryllis, and gladiolus.

Guide to the difficulties of summer care for hydroponic flowers

I. Where are the difficulties in getting hydroponic flowers through the summer?

Answer: Hydroponic flowers use non-solid media (water or water with an appropriate amount of plant nutrient solution added) to cultivate ornamental plants. At present, household hydroponic flowers are mostly static water cultivation, with dissolved oxygen below 1 mg/l, and the flowers barely maintain life in an oxygen-deficient vessel. As summer temperatures rise, plant physiological metabolism becomes vigorous, microorganisms multiply greatly, oxygen consumption increases sharply, dissolved oxygen continuously decreases, and water quality deteriorates, forming many unfavorable factors for the growth of hydroponic flowers. This may cause root rot, withered branches and leaves, and even the death of the entire flower plant. Therefore, in summer, in addition to preventing extreme heat and high temperatures, increasing the oxygen content of the nutrient solution is the key to ensuring that hydroponic flowers safely pass the summer.

Water cultivation of Acorus gramineus variegatus

II. How can the dissolved oxygen content of the nutrient solution be increased?

Answer: There are many ways to increase dissolved oxygen, summarized into two categories: chemical methods and physical methods. The following are several effective methods that are easy to operate.

1. Increase the frequency of changing the nutrient solution

Changing the nutrient solution is the simplest method to increase dissolved oxygen. According to measurements, the dissolved oxygen content of fresh nutrient solution increases by 70%-90% compared with the original solution, and can promptly improve the physiological oxygen deficiency of flowers.

For flowers that have already grown water roots, it is advisable to change the nutrient solution once every 3-5 days, and at most no more than 7 days. When changing the nutrient solution, note that the temperature difference between the new solution and the original solution should not be too large; too large a temperature difference may cause physiological disorder in the flower root system.

When changing the liquid, the root system should be patiently rinsed with clean water, withered roots and rotten roots removed, and aged roots shortened to promote new roots.

If the nutrient solution suddenly becomes turbid, or mosquito egg masses or mosquito larvae breed in it, new nutrient solution should be changed immediately.

2. Oxygenation by vibration

For hydroponic flowers in relatively small vessels, as long as the root system is clear and undamaged and the nutrient solution is transparent, the vibration method can be used to increase oxygen. The operation method is to fix the flower with one hand and hold the vessel with the other hand, and gently shake it more than 10 times. After shaking, the dissolved oxygen content of the nutrient solution can increase by more than 30%.

For hydroponic flowers with turbid nutrient solution or poor root development, the vibration oxygenation method is not suitable, and the nutrient solution must be completely changed.

3. Use an automatic water changer for hydroponic flowers

According to measurements, the dissolved oxygen content in flowing water can reach 8-12 mg/l, while in static water it is only 1 mg/l. The automatic water changer for hydroponic flowers is designed and made according to this principle. The entire frame is a flower cultivation vessel, with a micro circulation pump installed inside. The outlet end of the pump is connected to a set pipeline. During operation, the nutrient solution circulates through the pipeline, increasing dissolved oxygen for the flowers to absorb. After the pump stops working, the root system maintains a certain liquid level. Cultivation with an automatic water changer is undoubtedly letting hydroponic flowers soak in an “oxygen bar,” and growth is obviously better than with static hydroponics.

For the automatic water changer for hydroponic flowers, cleaning and liquid changing are generally done once every 30-35 days.

4. Aerate into the vessel

If, while cultivating hydroponic flowers, there is also a tank of ornamental fish nearby, you can use the spare air outlet tube of the fish tank air pump, connect a rubber tube, and put the sand head into the static hydroponic flower vessel to aerate (the airflow should not be too strong, to avoid splashing the nutrient solution out). Using the flow of air to increase oxygen also has a good effect.

III. What position is suitable for placing hydroponic flowers in summer?

Answer: The flower materials selected for hydroponic flowers are mostly shade-tolerant foliage flowers and flowers for both flower and leaf appreciation. Such as Syngonium, white-edged Dieffenbachia, Spathiphyllum, Anthurium, bromeliads, and so on. These flowers like warmth and humidity, are slightly shade-tolerant, and avoid high temperature and dry heat. “Hydroponics” only changes the cultivation form, and cannot change their growth habits and required environmental factors. In summer, it is best to place hydroponic flowers in an environment with bright light, slightly higher humidity, relatively cool temperatures, and good ventilation. Avoid direct sunlight, but do not make it too shady, lest flower photosynthesis be blocked, growth weaken, stem nodes elongate, and leaf texture become thinner. This causes leaves of flowers with colored patches and patterns to lose luster.

IV. Can hydroponic flowers be placed in an air-conditioned room?

Answer: Yes. However, hydroponic flowers should not be placed directly facing the air outlet of the air conditioner. Too fast wind speed will damage branches and leaves; in mild cases leaves curl, and in severe cases edges scorch and wither. It is also necessary to consider that the flower's temperature requirement is higher in the daytime than at night. If the air conditioner is turned off at night, the environmental temperature is higher than the daytime temperature when the air conditioner is on, which is unfavorable to the growth of hydroponic flowers.

When the air conditioner is turned on, place a basin of clean water beside the flowers or spray the leaf surface to increase environmental humidity, and place the flowers farther from the air conditioner outlet. If the day-night temperature difference is not large, there is no problem.

V. What should be done if hydroponic flowers have root rot?

Answer: As the temperature continuously rises, the water temperature also rises, microbial cultivation accelerates, dissolved oxygen decreases, and water quality deteriorates. Improperly adding nutrient solution and making the dissolved concentration too high can both cause root rot in hydroponic flowers, especially in the Liliaceae plants Cordyline, Dracaena marginata (fine-leaf dragon tree), and Dracaena colorama.

For flowers with root rot, the following methods can restore their growth:

① Remove all rotten roots. If the stem has also been infected, use a sharp knife to cut off the infected part.

② Soak the pruned flowers in 0.5% potassium permanganate solution for 10-20 minutes for sterilization.

③ Take out the soaked flowers and rinse them under running water.

④ Place the cleaned flowers back into the original container and grow them in clean water (the container should be washed clean).

⑤ Change the water once every 1 to 2 days, replacing only with clean water and not adding nutrient solution. If the water is clear, the frequency of water changes can be reduced. After 10 to 15 days of care, new roots can begin to sprout.

⑥ Newly sprouted roots are still grown in clean water; once the temperature stabilizes at 18 to 25°C, cultivate with nutrient solution.

Six. What should be done if algae grow in the nutrient solution?

Answer: Algae growth in nutrient solution is a common phenomenon during the cultivation of hydroponic flowers. Especially in summer, high temperatures, good container transparency, a bright environment, or leaving the nutrient solution unchanged for too long can all cause algae to proliferate massively. Algae compete with the flowers for oxygen, and their secretions contaminate the solution, causing the quality of the nutrient solution to decline. Algae attached to the flower roots hinder root respiration and interfere with the flowers' normal physiological activities, causing great harm.

Once algae grow in the nutrient solution, decisively pour out the contaminated solution, thoroughly clean the container, brush off the algae attached to the roots, and replace with fresh nutrient solution.

At present, scientists in our country are researching a kind of “algae-eating insect” that can filter-feed on algae and is called a natural “nemesis” of algae damage. Once the experiment succeeds and it is promoted for use, placing a small amount of “algae-eating insects” into the nutrient solution of hydroponic flowers can eliminate algae growth.

Algae reproduction depends on relatively good light. Using a shield or old newspaper to cover the hydroponic flower container and avoid direct strong light will relatively reduce the chances of algae growth.

Seven. What fertilizer should be used for hydroponic flowers? How should fertilizer be applied in summer?

Answer: Hydroponic flowers are a special cultivation form, a cultivation method belonging to soilless culture. The flower roots are anchored in water (or a dedicated plant nutrient solution), so it is also called nutrient solution cultivation.

Hydroponic flowers should be cultivated with plant nutrient solution matched to them. However, different flowers need different nutrient elements at different growth stages. If five or six bottles, or even a dozen bottles, of hydroponic flowers are cultivated at the same time and the varieties are all different, it is unrealistic to buy a bottle of matching plant nutrient solution for each kind of flower. For the sake of simplicity, a general-purpose plant nutrient solution can be chosen.

General-purpose plant nutrient solutions generally contain all the nutrient elements necessary for flower growth (including macroelements and microelements), with a balanced ratio of various elements. The inorganic salts are in ionic form, the scope of application is wide, and they are suitable for the nutrient needs of different flower varieties at different growth stages. They are non-toxic, harmless, and their pH value and ion concentration are favorable for nutrient absorption.

There are many types of plant nutrient solutions sold on the market, with quality varying greatly. It is best to go to a specialized hydroponic flower shop and choose products from manufacturers with a good reputation.

In summer, opinions differ on whether to cultivate with nutrient solution or only with clean water. According to the author's experience, for flowers that are relatively tolerant of high temperatures and grow vigorously, cultivate with nutrient solution; for flowers with fine roots that are in a semi-dormant or dormant state when the temperature is around 30°C, cultivate only with clean water. For example, for white taro (Zantedeschia), pothos, mini monstera, red gem, and Philodendron, cultivation with nutrient solution is suitable for maintaining growth vigor and enhancing ornamental quality. For flowers such as coleus, begonia, and bromeliads, a bottle of clean water is enough for them to pass the summer safely.

When mixing nutrient solution, strictly follow the ratio indicated in the instructions, and do not increase the concentration at will. This is because the root tissue structure of flowers sprouted in hydroponic conditions has changed, being looser and with larger cells than in soil cultivation. The cell walls become thinner, and they directly absorb water, nutrients, and oxygen from the nutrient solution, making them extremely sensitive to the concentration of the nutrient solution; too high a concentration is harmful to the flowers. As long as the concentration of macroelements is not lower than the level of micromoles per 1 liter, a lower concentration is beneficial to flower growth.

In summer, it is advisable to replace the nutrient solution once every 5 days.

Eight. Can soil-cultivated flowers be converted to hydroponic flowers in summer?

Answer: Converting soil-cultivated flowers to hydroponic flowers is most suitable in spring and autumn, when the temperature is around 15 to 25°C, which is suitable for flower growth, and the flowers adapt easily to the changed cultivation environment. To change the cultivation form of flowers in summer, the following factors should be considered: ① choose varieties more closely related to wetland flowers. ② flowers that still grow normally and develop soundly at around 30°C. Experiments have shown that Araceae plants such as Syngonium, mini monstera, red gem Philodendron, green giant, and pothos, as well as some Bromeliaceae flowers, have a relatively high survival rate when converted from soil cultivation to hydroponics in summer. They adapt quickly to the hydroponic environment, and their roots rarely rot. After 15 to 20 days of cultivation, not only do lateral roots grow from the old roots, but water roots can also sprout from the root stem ends.

When converting from soil cultivation to hydroponics, the soil around the flower roots should be cleaned off completely. Rinse repeatedly to protect the roots from damage or minimize it. Use a container with a larger capacity for cultivation, change the water once a day, and after five days, change the water once every 2 to 3 days. When the water roots grow to 5 cm long, cultivate with low-concentration plant nutrient solution.

Hydroponic method for lucky bamboo

Liliaceae, Dracaena genus, also known as Wan Shou Zhu, native to Brazil and West Africa.

Characteristics

Evergreen shrub. The plant form is slender and upright, without branching. Leaves are long lanceolate, deep green, with sheath-like petioles. Common types include golden-edged lucky bamboo, whose leaves have yellow longitudinal stripes. Silver-edged lucky bamboo, also known as edged bamboo banana, is a compact plant with silver-white longitudinal stripes along the leaf edges.

Habits

It prefers high temperatures and high humidity, and the overwintering temperature should be kept above 10 degrees. In summer, avoid direct sunlight, otherwise it will cause leaf scorch.

Key points for hydroponic care

1: When the air is too dry, it will cause leaf scorch, so during the growing season, water should often be sprayed on the leaf surface.

2: It is suitable for sufficient scattered light. When light is insufficient, the color of striped varieties will fade.

Hydroponic method for anthurium

Araceae, Anthurium genus, also known as An Zu Hua and lampstand flower

Characteristics

Perennial evergreen herb. Internodes are short, and leaves grow from the base of the plant. Leaves are round-cordate or ovate, dark green. Flower stalks grow from the leaf axils. The spathe is upright and spreading, waxy, glossy, orange-red or scarlet, and the spadix is yellow and extends straight.

Habits

It prefers high temperatures, high humidity, and a semi-shaded environment, and avoids direct sunlight. The suitable growth temperature is 20-30 degrees, and it must be above 10 degrees for overwintering.

Propagation

Division, tissue culture.

Key points for hydroponic care

1: It is not cold-tolerant, so heating and warmth must be provided in winter.

2: It prefers relatively high air humidity and a semi-shaded environment.

Methods for obtaining hydroponic materials

Use the potted root-washing method

Hydroponic method for azalea

The characteristic of soilless cultivation is replacing soil with artificially made substrate. The Hunan Provincial Forestry Research Institute used solid substrate for soilless cultivation of azalea and obtained very satisfactory results. The variety was summer azalea. The soilless-cultivated plants had compact crown structure, more flowers; larger flower diameter, and fewer pests and diseases. It not only improved flower quality, but also greatly reduced heavy physical labor, and is a cultivation method worth vigorously promoting.

1. Preparation of substrate

Azalea roots are very fine, requiring a loose substrate to facilitate aeration and drainage. Use 1 part vermiculite, 1 part perlite, 1 part river sand, and 1 part coal cinder mixed in proportion. After mixing, sterilize the substrate with 0.1% carbendazim solution, mix it evenly into the substrate, and cover with plastic film for 1 day. Then rinse repeatedly with clean water. After air-drying, mix evenly with 0.4% agricultural compound fertilizer solution, then cover with plastic film for one month, after which it can be used for potting.

2. Preparation of nutrient solution

Azalea has relatively strict fertilizer requirements. During the growing period, apply thin fertilizer frequently. According to experiments, using agricultural compound fertilizer as the main component, supplemented with trace elements, controlling the pH value at around 5, and spraying low-concentration foliar fertilizer can achieve good results.

Preparation of macroelements: add 2 grams of agricultural compound fertilizer and 0.5 grams of magnesium sulfate to 1 liter of water as the standard solution.

Preparation of trace elements: add 20 grams of disodium ethylenediaminetetraacetate, 15 grams of ferrous sulfate, 4 grams of manganese sulfate, 6 grams of boric acid, 0.2 grams of zinc sulfate, 0.1 grams of copper sulfate, and 0.2 grams of ammonium molybdate to 1 liter of water as the mother solution. When using, add 1 milliliter of trace element mother solution to 1 liter of standard solution to make the full-strength element solution. Preparation of foliar fertilizer: add 1 gram of urea, 1 gram of potassium dihydrogen phosphate, 0.02 grams of boric acid, and 0.1 grams of V.B1 to 1 liter of water.

3. Water and fertilizer management

Because the substrate has good drainage and aeration but poor water retention, the amount of watering is generally slightly more than in soil cultivation, just enough to keep the substrate moist. At this time, it is exactly the period of bud formation and leaf bud sprouting, and the fertilizer requirement is relatively large, so water with full-strength nutrient solution about once every 10 days. From March until the flower buds open, spray foliar fertilizer about once every 15 days. After flowering, the water requirement is large, so in addition to daily watering, spray water on the leaves in the evening. At this time, the fertilizer requirement is also large, so it can be changed to watering with nutrient solution once a week and spraying foliar fertilizer once, to promote sturdy new branches and facilitate flower bud differentiation. After the dog days begin, pay attention to keeping the substrate moist and spraying water on the leaves, and the fertilization amount can be reduced to watering with nutrient solution about once every 20 days. After the weather cools in autumn, the fertilizer amount can be gradually increased, applying full-strength nutrient solution about once every half month and spraying foliar fertilizer 1—2 times, to promote healthy and robust flower bud growth. After winter begins, the physiological activity of azalea is weak, so fertilization is not suitable, and it is enough to water appropriately according to the degree of dryness or moisture of the substrate. During the cultivation process, basically no pests or diseases occurred.

Hydroponic method for broadleaf lady palm

Palmae, Rhapis genus, also known as Guanyin bamboo. Native to Guangdong, Guangxi, Hainan, Yunnan, and other places.

Characteristics

Evergreen clumping shrub. Stems are cylindrical, unbranched, with nodes like bamboo, bearing brown coarse fibrous leaf sheaths, like palm fiber. Leaves are clustered at the top of the stems, leathery, deep green and glossy, palmately deeply lobed, with 4~10 lobes. Dioecious.

Habits

It prefers a warm, shady, humid, and well-ventilated environment. The suitable growth temperature is 20~30 degrees, and in winter it should be kept above 4 degrees. It can tolerate short-term low temperatures of around 0 degrees.

Propagation

Generally carried out by division combined with repotting. Choose a plant with a large, dense clump. First lift the plant out of the pot, then use a sharp knife to divide the clump into several clumps. When dividing, try to cut as few roots as possible, and keep the divided plants with a certain plant form. Then repot them, water thoroughly, and place them in a semi-shaded, moist place, and frequently spray water on the leaves. After they resume growth, they can be transferred to normal care.

For sowing, after the seeds mature in autumn, sow them in pots immediately after collection, move them into a greenhouse in winter, and they will sprout in the following spring.

Key points for hydroponic care

1: It is shade-tolerant, but when light is too weak it easily produces yellow leaves, and when ventilation is poor it breeds parasites.

2: During the growing period, water should often be sprayed on the leaf surface.

Methods for obtaining hydroponic materials

Potted root washing is suitable. The root system of broadleaf lady palm is relatively hard in texture and is not easy to rot after hydroponics, but new roots sprout relatively slowly, requiring as long as one and a half months.

Hydroponic method for purple velvet plant

Native to Indonesia, Asteraceae, Gynura genus, also called purple velvet gynura, etc.

Characteristics

Purple velvet plant is a perennial herb or subshrub, with thick, many-branched stems. Leaves are opposite, long ovate. The leaf margins have relatively coarse double serrations. It is named for its stems and leaves being densely covered with purple-red fine hairs like velvet. Purple velvet plant has bright, beautiful, and elegant coloration, and is an excellent flower type for indoor cultivation.

Habits

Purple velvet plant likes sufficient sunlight, but during high temperatures in summer and autumn, it should be placed in a semi-shaded environment. Direct sunlight will cause leaf scorch due to sunburn, but when too shaded, the plant will fade and turn green. The overwintering temperature should be kept above 10 degrees.

Propagation

Purple velvet plant is propagated by cuttings. During growth, choose sturdy branches, cut 10 cm long shoot tips as cuttings, and after cutting, place them in a shaded, moist place. They can root in 2~3 weeks. After the cuttings grow, pinch out the growing tips in time to promote the sprouting of side branches.

Key points for hydroponic care

1: Branches can be cut and inserted into water, and water roots can grow in just over 10 days. But at high temperatures in summer, the roots rot easily.

2: Purple velvet plant grows rapidly. When the branches grow to an appropriate height, pinch out the growing tips in time to promote the sprouting of new shoots.

Hydroponic method for parlor palm

Palmae, Chamaedorea genus, also known as dwarf coconut, etc., native to Mexico and Venezuela.

Characteristics

Evergreen small tree, with a short and small plant. The stem is slender and upright, unbranched, dark green, with irregular ring patterns. Leaves are clustered at the top of the stem, pinnately compound, with 20~40 leaflets, sickle-shaped, dark green, and glossy.

Habits

It prefers a warm, humid, and semi-shaded environment. The suitable growth temperature is 20~30 degrees. At 13 degrees it enters dormancy, and the minimum overwintering temperature in winter is 3 degrees.

Key points for hydroponic care

1: Avoid direct sunlight, otherwise the leaves will turn withered and yellow, but when too shaded, the leaf color will also fade.

2: Parlor palm is most beautiful when 30~50 cm in plant form. When the plant is too tall, the lower part becomes bare and reduces its ornamental value, so when cultivating it, small plants can be grown below.

Obtaining hydroponic materials

Use the potted root-washing method. After washing in water, new roots can grow within a few days.

Hydroponic method for cactus ball

We know that cactus balls are favored by people for their unique drought tolerance and beautiful appearance, but because cactus balls use traditional cultivation methods, they have problems such as being dirty and difficult to manage, and more people kill their beloved plants because they cannot manage fertilizer and water well. Now the cultivation of cactus balls has entered a new stage: hydroponics.

1: Selecting the mother plant

First, we should choose cactus balls with sturdy bodies. The key is to choose plants whose lower root-stem part protrudes downward. Cactus balls grafted and cultivated with three-angled sword are easier to hydroponically cultivate.

2: Treatment

After selecting the mother plant, completely cut off the original dead roots under the ball body, requiring the cut to be flat. Then rinse off the soil attached to the root-stem part with clean water, and dry it in a dry place for 3 days so that the cut is completely dry.

3: Hydroponics

Prepare a glass bottle of suitable size, or process a mineral water bottle. Fix the selected and treated cactus ball at the bottle mouth with floral foam or foam, then add nutrient solution below, with the height of the nutrient solution just reaching the root-stem part. In production, we recommend making a glass water tank 60-100 cm long and 20 cm wide (transparent containers make it easy to observe the contact surface between the liquid level and the root-stem part). Prepare a children's foam puzzle board or a white construction foam board, and use a sharp knife to dig several small triangular holes in the board (for fixing golden barrel cactus, the mouth part of a discarded purified water bottle can be cut off and used upside down; note: the bottle mouth should be cut off so that the roots of the golden barrel cactus can be exposed from the cut bottle mouth, then place it in a flat body containing nutrient solution). Insert the three-angled sword into the triangular holes, and at this time all the roots of the three-angled sword just contact the liquid surface.

4. Later-stage hydroponic treatment

Buy two magnets with a diameter of 6-10 cm and put them into the container, in order to magnetize the nutrient solution, thereby speeding up the growth of water roots. (You can also buy a small wall-mounted submersible pump specially for ecological fish tanks from the market, attach it to the inner wall of the nutrient solution, and turn on the power to realize oxygen-carrying circulation through the flow of the nutrient solution.)

5: Key points for hydroponic care

Place the well-planted cactus ball in an environment with relatively strong scattered light, keep the temperature above 20 degrees, and generally water roots will emerge in 3-7 days. After water roots appear, immediately replace the nutrient solution.

Note:

During the induction process of cactus balls, it is strictly forbidden to spray water on the ball body, as it easily causes the ball body to rot and die.

What should be noted when cultivating clivia hydroponically at home

Hydroponic clivia is a hygienic and convenient cultivation method. When cultivating at home, note the following:

① Container selection. The bottom of the cultivation container should have no holes, and it is best to choose a transparent one, so that you can view the leaves, flowers, and roots. Glass bottles can be used; non-toxic plastic bottles or ceramic containers can also be used. The size of the container depends on the size of the plant, and the diameter should not be too large.

② The cultivation solution. It can be nutrient solution or clean water, but when cultivating in clean water, attention should be paid to foliar fertilization to supply the nutrients needed for clivia growth.

③ Changing the solution. Hydroponic clivia needs to have its solution changed regularly. The number of solution changes depends on the weather. When the temperature is relatively low, it can be changed about once a month; when the temperature is relatively high, it can be changed once every 10 days. When changing the solution, be careful to wash the cultivation container clean.

How to scientifically hydroponically cultivate amaryllis

In early winter, choose one or several large amaryllis bulbs that have already flowered or not yet flowered, cut off all roots and leaves, peel off the outer dark brown skin to reveal white and green, and soak them in clean water. After about 48 hours, take the bulbs out, wash off the mushy material at the cuts with clean water, dry them in the shade, and put them into a flower vessel. The flower vessel can be a bowl, basin, or narcissus pot, etc. Put in washed small stones, perlite, water-absorbing mountain stones, etc., then place the treated amaryllis bulbs on top. Then pour in clean water, preferably clear spring water (if using tap water, it must have been left standing for several days). The depth of the water should be enough to cover the small stones and other padding, or about 1 cm below the upper opening of the flower vessel. Finally, place it in a place indoors with sufficient light. Keep the room temperature at about 10°C, and in about 7~10 days it will begin to grow leaves and roots. The water in the basin should always be kept at the original water level line. When the leaves grow to 2~3 cm, fertilizer needs to be supplemented in time. Every 10~20 days, when adding water, add an appropriate amount of 1% urea solution or 0.03% potassium dihydrogen phosphate solution or other compound fertilizer solution containing nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium. In late spring of the following year, plant the bulbs with roots into flower pots for routine care. In this way, the hydroponically treated bulbs bloom slightly later than other conventionally potted amaryllis, just in time for the summer flowering gap period.

Technical management of hydroponics

1. What is hydroponics?
Answer: Hydroponics, also called soilless culture or nutrient solution culture, is an agricultural production technique that uses nutrient solution and supporting facilities instead of soil to cultivate crops. In order to fix the plants and increase air content, most hydroponic plants also use inert sand, gravel, peat, perlite, etc. as solid substrate, so it is also called sand culture, gravel culture, peat culture, etc.
Since the beginning of human planting history, crops have been planted in soil, so the English word agriculture is Agrculfure, formed from Agr (soil) and Culture (cultivation). In 1699, the British scientist Woodward used 3 different kinds of water, namely rainwater, river water, and garden soil leachate, to grow mint. As a result, the mint grown in garden soil leachate grew fastest, thus concluding that “plant growth is determined by certain substances in the soil.” Unfortunately, due to the technical limitations at the time, Woodward did not conduct further research. It was not until 1859--1865 that the German scientists Sachs and Knop first conducted precise experiments in soilless culture. They succeeded in cultivating plants with an artificial nutrient solution made from inorganic salts, and they called this method hydroponics. Sachs and Knop are therefore recognized as the founders of soilless culture technology.

◆2. What are hydroponic flowers?
Answer: Hydroponic flowers are flowers grown using soilless culture technology. Hydroponic flowers are further divided into medium-based hydroponic flowers and medium-free hydroponic flowers. Medium-based hydroponics refers to the sand culture, gravel culture, etc. mentioned earlier; medium-free hydroponic flowers are further divided into direct hydroponic flowers, floating hydroponic flowers, planting basket hydroponic flowers, atomized hydroponic flowers, nutrient film sub-irrigation drip, and many other cultivation forms. Each cultivation form has its advantages and disadvantages, but if measured only by beauty, durability, and suitability for home cultivation, direct hydroponics is the most fashionable, beautiful, and simple, so the hydroponic plants currently sold on the market are generally in direct hydroponic form.

◆3. Why is nutrient solution the key to the success of hydroponic flowers?
Answer: We all know that under greenhouse conditions, when inert substrate is used as the medium, soilless culture is already a very simple and mature technology, because computers control humidity, temperature, light intensity, nutrient solution injection time, etc. in real time, and specialized technicians use pH meters, conductivity meters, etc. to test the pH of the nutrient solution and the balance of various elements in real time. However, under home conditions, these conditions are difficult to achieve. First, if hydroponic flowers placed at home still use substrate cultivation, then there is no aesthetic difference from soil cultivation, so home hydroponic flowers should be medium-free soilless culture, and without a medium, plants are very likely to develop root rot and odor; this requires that the nutrient solution must enable plants not to rot roots, not emit odor, have no peculiar smell, and still grow normally when oxygen is lacking. In addition, the hygiene needs of the home require that the nutrient solution should not easily breed mosquitoes and insects and should be non-toxic. Moreover, home lighting cannot be adjusted at any time like in a solar greenhouse, so this requires that the nutrient solution can lower the threshold of plant photosynthesis, so that it can also grow well in office and home environments. What is more, it is impossible to require every user to have specialized botanical knowledge like a botany expert, so the nutrient solution must also be convenient to use, easy to operate, and easy for anyone to learn. Therefore, hydroponic flowers suitable for home planting have higher technical requirements for the nutrient solution.
Since humans mastered soilless culture technology, scientists have successfully researched no fewer than tens of thousands of nutrient solution formulas, but formulas that simultaneously meet the above requirements are very rare; moreover, due to commercial interests, major flower companies regard their nutrient solution technology as their top secret technology, so the nutrient solution formulas that can be obtained from public materials are only theoretical or experimental formulas, which can only serve as reference materials and cannot be used in production activities. In fact, whether a nutrient solution is suitable for home environments can be known with just one try. You only need to see whether the displayed plants grow vigorously and whether water roots grow, because as the saying goes: “Practice is the only criterion for testing truth!”

◆4. How can hydroponic flowers safely overwinter?
Answer: Generally, flowers enter dormancy below 5-8 degrees Celsius, and below 0 degrees Celsius their tissues will become necrotic. Therefore, if the indoor temperature is above 5 degrees Celsius, hydroponic flowers can generally overwinter safely; in the south, indoor temperatures in winter generally do not fall below 5 degrees Celsius. If there are several days of extreme low-temperature weather, it can be solved by turning on a 60-watt incandescent lamp above the flowers to create a local microclimate; in the north, because most interiors have heating, this can also meet the safe overwintering needs of hydroponic flowers.

◆5. Can hydroponic flowers only cultivate certain specific flowers?
Answer: In modern greenhouses, generally speaking, all our common popular flowers can be grown hydroponically. However, in a home environment, certain specific conditions cannot be met, so at present only some semi-shade and shade-loving flowers can be grown; in homes with a balcony, the suitable varieties are somewhat more numerous.

◆6. Can ornamental fish grow normally in hydroponic flowers? How should water changes and regular feeding be handled?
Answer: Because the "Hydroponic Flower King" nutrient solution is completely non-toxic and rich in various minerals, fish can grow very well in it. Every one of our specialty stores has a display of fish being kept in hydroponic flowers, precisely to convey this information to customers.
Generally speaking, only hydroponic flowers with a volume of more than one liter are suitable for keeping fish, and because the volume is limited, fish species should also be selected carefully. Some fish species with strong adaptability should be chosen, such as goldfish and small koi. Some fish with strong aggression or destructiveness are also not suitable for keeping in hydroponic flowers, because they will damage the plant roots; and some delicate fish are also not suitable, because keeping them in a dedicated aquarium is already difficult enough to succeed with, let alone in a relatively poor-condition small vase. Water changes can be done at the same time as the normal water changes for the flowers, and feeding is exactly the same as when we normally keep fish in a fish tank, with no difference at all.
Because the special substances in the "Hydroponic Flower King" nutrient solution can increase the oxygen solubility of water, which facilitates the respiration of plant roots, fish generally will not lack oxygen in the nutrient solution, so on days that are not especially hot there is no need to install aeration equipment.

◆7. What are the requirements for the water used to dilute the nutrient solution for hydroponic flowers?
Answer: Hydroponic Flower King nutrient solutions are all highly concentrated liquids and must be diluted before use; when diluting, in general, tap water fully meets the requirements, and there is absolutely no need to use bottled water or purified water. If well water or river water is used, a water quality test must be carried out to understand the mineral content composition of the water. If the content of a certain mineral in the water exceeds the standard, the nutrient solution formula must be adjusted to facilitate the normal growth of the plants.
During the dilution process, tap water can be used directly to dilute the nutrient solution without waiting for the chlorine in the water to evaporate, because the unique formula in Hydroponic Flower King will cause the chlorine in tap water to evaporate rapidly. However, if the water temperature and room temperature differ too greatly, the diluted nutrient solution should be left to stand indoors for a period of time, to prevent the plant roots from suffering root hair damage due to a sudden temperature change, which would cause the plant to wilt.

◆8. What is planting basket hydroponics?
Answer: Planting basket hydroponics is a hydroponic cultivation method that uses the principle of plant root hydrotropism. The principle of hydrotropism is that the root tips of plants always grow toward the direction with sufficient moisture. This is shown when a plant's surface soil lacks water; in order to protect itself, the plant's root tips will grow toward deeper soil, to absorb the water needed for the plant's growth and development and adapt to natural changes. At this time, root growth has a very obvious directionality. However, plants growing in swamps or water will not lack water, so their root growth is more chaotic and has no obvious directionality. Therefore, if you place a potted plant on the mouth of a wide-mouthed glass bottle filled with water, with the bottom not needing to directly contact the water, at a gap of about 1-2 cm, and do not water the bonsai but only spray a small amount of water, after about a week the phenomenon of roots growing toward the water will appear at the bottom of the bonsai. At this time you do not need to add water; let its roots grow longer and longer as the water level drops. If you use some fast-growing plants for the experiment, the effect will be even more obvious. Similarly, you can take a bonsai that has already grown full water roots out of its pot and use a planting basket to fix the plant, then decorate it with stones or ornaments, and it becomes a pot of planting basket hydroponic flowers. The difference is that at this time, because there is no soil, you must replace the clear water with nutrient solution. It is just that simple.

◆9. Why do hydroponic flowers need their water changed?
Answer: Because plants absorb water and inorganic salts from the nutrient solution, the nutrients in the nutrient solution will become fewer and fewer. At the same time, because of root respiration and metabolism, harmful substances in the water will become more and more numerous. Therefore, after a period of growth, hydroponic flowers need to have their nutrient solution replaced with fresh solution. In fact, this is the same principle as soil-cultivated flowers. Soil-cultivated flowers need fertilizing and also need their soil changed once a year for the same reason. For hydroponic flowers, during the vigorous growing spring and summer, the water change interval should be shorter, and in autumn and winter when growth is slow, it can be longer.

◆10. Why do hydroponic flowers sometimes become weaker and weaker or show poor growth?
Answer: It may be caused by too long an interval between solution changes, an incorrect nutrient solution ratio (too dilute or too concentrated), or light that is too weak. If these factors are ruled out, then you should check whether the nutrient solution water level is too high, preventing the plant roots from respiring normally and causing oxygen deficiency. If none of these are the case, then we suggest you had best go to a Hydroponic Flower King specialty store for consultation.

Exposing the hydroponic flower market -- distinguishing true from fake hydroponic flowers

At present, many companies are developing franchise hydroponic flower stores, causing a great commotion across the country. In particular, a company in Beijing has franchise stores that will spread throughout the country. As a scientific researcher, I originally did not want to express too many opinions, but in order to safeguard the healthy development of our country's hydroponic flowers, having witnessed everything I cannot help but complain a little. Because the scams involved not only harm consumer interests, but will also cast a shadow over the hydroponic industry. At present, during the low-temperature season, plant respiration is weak, and plants whose roots are washed and then directly soaked in water can be water-grown for a period of time. Plants with strong flooding tolerance, such as Araceae plants, can be water-grown in water for 1-2 months, but once the weather turns hot, plant physiological respiration becomes strong, and oxygen deficiency and root rot will immediately appear. A hydroponic work bought for tens or hundreds [of yuan] and taken home is only a fleeting bloom, not only harming consumer interests but also greatly affecting the development of the hydroponic industry. Now let us use a scientific perspective to reveal the "deception tricks" involved.

1. The plants sold by franchise stores are basically Araceae plants. Once winter arrives, these plants' growth rate slows and respiration weakens. In addition, Araceae plants are relatively closely related to aquatic plants and have strong flooding tolerance. After root washing and direct soaking in water, for a time no discomfort can be seen from the plant's appearance, but it is impossible for it to grow vigorously in water; it can only maintain the balance of water metabolism, while nutrient absorption and respiratory function are seriously blocked. Once the weather turns hot, the root system will suffer oxygen deficiency, become foul, and rot. For other plants that are somewhat more terrestrial, this method simply cannot work, so this is the main reason why at present they can only use Araceae plants to "deceive." Their so-called induction liquid, I think it would be nicer and more honest to call "deception liquid." It is absolutely impossible for plants to undergo changes in tissue structure within a few minutes.

2. Collecting high franchise fees for franchise sales is itself a kind of commercial hype. If the goods were genuine and the price fair, there would be nothing to criticize. If the technology were unique, it could also dominate the market and truly have the significance of franchising. But the current kind of franchising can be called a money scam. First, the technology has no scientific or technological content at all; it is just root washing and soaking in water, something even a fool can produce at a glance. Absurdly, some training fees reach 18,800 yuan. Second, hydroponic technology itself is something that has developed over decades and is no longer a technology exclusively owned by a certain company. Adopting franchising simply cannot monopolize the market; other hydroponic flower stores can operate just the same, and with better funding and more reliable technology than franchise stores. Once the franchise fee is paid, it is also equivalent to being washed away. Truly hydroponic flowers are not suitable for long-distance transport. In fact, what they are selling now are all products made from soil-cultivated seedlings after root washing. It might be more accurate to call them bare-root flowers.

3. Note: Araceae plants in late autumn, winter, and early spring, after root washing and soaking in water, can also be water-grown for a period of time. Everyone might as well give it a try; there is absolutely no need for deception liquid.

I have studied hydroponics for many years and have also inspected several countries abroad with relatively developed hydroponic technology. Our country's current hydroponic market can be said to be full of charlatans of all kinds, a mixed bag where fish eyes are passed off as pearls. However, in the end these franchise scams will still be cleared out by history and science. I remind everyone to keep your eyes sharp and not be induced by deception liquid.

How to distinguish true from fake hydroponic flowers

True and fake hydroponic flowers are actually the difference between induced flowers and non-induced flowers. At present, many hydroponic flower dealers do not understand hydroponic flowers from a scientific perspective, but proceed only from the angle of commercial hype and personal profit, passing off some conventional soil-cultivated plants as hydroponic plants for sale, fooling consumers and causing very bad social impact. After some citizens buy them at high prices, before long the plants die due to physiological discomfort, seriously hindering the healthy development of the hydroponic flower industry. In response to this problem, buyers can distinguish true from fake from the following aspects to avoid being cheated.

A. Judge true from fake by root morphology: Induced hydroponic flowers usually exist in the form of fibrous adventitious roots, and will not, like roots in soil, be divided into taproots, lateral roots, capillary roots, and root hairs, that is, they will not exist in the state of multi-level branched secondary roots. Even if there is branching, it is only a small amount of branched roots based on fibrous adventitious roots; the small number of levels and simple root structure are its most obvious characteristics. In addition, for some plants that originally had radicles, after induction the number of primary adventitious roots increases markedly, that is, the proportion of roots greatly increases, and the root system is numerous and well developed, like a beard.

B. Judge true from fake by root color: Plant water roots formed by aquatic induction mostly have the characteristics of being white, crisp, and tender. Even for some varieties that show their original root color, their water roots are still noticeably lighter in color than land roots, such as yellowish-white, pale yellow, light brown, and so on. This is related to the well-developed parenchyma tissue of water roots and the fact that the cells have not undergone, or have undergone little, suberification and lignification from thickened cell walls.

C. Judge true from fake by root integrity: Roots induced by aquatic conditions begin regrowth and differentiation from primary adventitious roots, and all of this is completed in the water environment, so the root system is complete. However, for some soil-cultivated plants, although they have been carefully rinsed, there are always slight injuries or serious residual roots. This kind of root integrity is difficult for soil-washed seedlings to achieve.

D. Judge true from fake by water clarity: Fake hydroponic works made from soil-washed seedlings, because the root system has not formed adaptability to water, will, under anaerobic conditions, undergo anaerobic respiration and release large amounts of toxic intermediate metabolites, causing the water in the container to quickly become cloudy or deteriorate. Visually, it appears turbid rather than clear, that is, the water quality deteriorates or becomes foul, and then the root system rots until the seedling dies.

E. Leaf angle can also be used to judge true from fake: In particular, for many herbaceous flowers that are extremely sensitive to ethylene, after induction their leaf insertion angle is noticeably more flat than that of soil-washed seedlings from soil cultivation, that is, epinastic growth leads to an increased angle, or even drooping.

Increasing the dissolved oxygen content of hydroponic nutrient solution

For hydroponic flowers, apart from the environmental factors of light, temperature, and humidity, which are required in exactly the same way as soil cultivation, the requirements for water, fertilizer, and oxygen differ enormously in management -- Water: Home hydroponic flowers should use soft water as the water source; generally, tap water meeting national standards can be used. Tap water has undergone filtration, sedimentation, and sterilization treatment, is clean and sanitary, and has a pH below 7, so it can be safely used to grow hydroponic flowers. River water, lake water, pond water, and well water are polluted to varying degrees, are severely eutrophic, and various ions may differ greatly; if the content of one of the ions exceeds the standard, long-term use will cause plant damage or poisoning and death, so they are not suitable as a water source for hydroponic flowers. Fertilizer: Home hydroponic flowers must use low-concentration special nutrient solutions based mainly on nitrate nitrogen fertilizer. Hydroponic flower nutrient solutions generally contain all the nutrient elements necessary for flower growth, with a balanced ratio of various elements, and inorganic salts in ionic form, suitable for the nutrient needs of different flower varieties and their various growth and development stages. They are also non-toxic, harmless, and have appropriate pH, which facilitates nutrient absorption. It is not advisable to crush soil fertilizer or granular chemical fertilizer and use it for hydroponic flowers. Short-term use may have no obvious effect on the flowers, but long-term application will certainly hinder normal physiological metabolism. It is even more unacceptable to use organic fertilizer as a fertilizer source for hydroponic flowers. Diluted urine can be used for foliar spraying, but must never be added to the nutrient solution. Oxygen: In home hydroponic flowers, the water (nutrient solution) is in a static state, and the dissolved oxygen is below /ppm/L. The flowers barely maintain life in an oxygen-deficient vessel, and their roots are commonly seen growing in reverse, extending toward the liquid surface, in order to breathe more oxygen. Therefore, increasing the oxygen content of the hydroponic nutrient solution is very necessary for the normal growth of flowers, and is especially important in summer. There are several simple and easy methods to increase dissolved oxygen: 1. Increase the frequency of replacing the nutrient solution. 2. Oxygenation by shaking: fix the flower plant with one hand, and with the other hand hold the vessel and gently shake it more than 10 times. After shaking, the dissolved oxygen content of the nutrient solution can increase by about 30%. 3. Add an appropriate amount of "solid oxygen" to the nutrient solution or add 1% hydrogen peroxide (3% hydrogen peroxide solution). 4. Use a miniature submersible pump or aeration pump (both are standard aquarium products) to aerate the nutrient solution. In such an environment, plant roots can obtain sufficient oxygen, respiration is very vigorous, and the flowers are prompted to grow robustly.

See through fake hydroponic flower technology at a glance

Hydroponic flowers, with flowers and fish kept together and the combination of movement and stillness, are the first impression it gives intuitively. The earlier concept in China first sprouted at the turn of the 21st century (although the earliest people also grew some Araceae plants and lucky bamboo and the like, which are easy to water-grow, in water, this concept does not belong to the "hydroponic flowers" concept popular with everyone now!). It rose in 2003, when many enterprises and units with market vision successively devoted themselves to preliminary research and planning work in this industry. In addition, with the broadcast of "Hydroponic Flowers" on CCTV Channel 7 and Channel 2, it became very popular from 2004 to 2005. Hydroponic flowers could be said to be blooming everywhere in China, with some providing technical study and training, some producing at bases, and some opening franchise flower shops. Many fake hydroponic flower companies, enterprises, and individuals, stimulated by profit, put on shows in the market. On the one hand, this played a role in adding fuel to the hype of the domestic hydroponic flower market concept, letting many citizens understand and recognize this newborn concept and product; on the other hand, many investors and operators became victims of this wave of market trends. As for 2006, the great wave washed away the sand. Those with their own core technology and production capacity, and with relatively strong economic strength and operational ability, could still survive in such a chaotic market tide, and those who could remain were very few. However, hydroponic flowers, as a fashionable flower product, represent a new trend and new current in the development of the flower industry. Driven by economic interests in the market economy, there are still a small number of speculators existing in the market!

The author has been in this trade for three or four years and is relatively familiar with this industry. In view of the uneven quality of the current hydroponic flower market, this article provides a systematic analysis and summary, all to give the broad citizens who love hydroponic flowers, as well as investors interested in joining the hydroponic flower industry, a preliminary and comprehensive understanding, for everyone's reference:

II. What are truly hydroponic flowers?

From a sensory point of view, using glass vases of various shapes, planting plants and flowers above (at present, the variety scope of hydroponic technology has been expanded to include other woody, vine, and succulent plants), and keeping a few cute small fish below, these are hydroponic flowers (plants)! But from a technical level, truly hydroponic flowers refer to those cultivated and grown through various biological, physical, computer, and other technical means, so that the physiological characteristics of their root system change, possessing water roots with plant aerenchyma tissue, and able to adapt to long-term cultivation in water; only then can they become truly hydroponic flowers (plants)!

III. How to identify truly hydroponic flowers?

Judging from sensory perception:
Report on the current state of hydroponic flower technology I. Introduction:
For a successful truly hydroponic plant, the plant root system that has undergone induction and acclimation should have roots that are white, elegant, and with many fibrous roots, very clearly different from soil-cultivated plants. The root systems of soil-cultivated plants are all relatively dark black in color! (Except for a small number of plants whose root color has a unique color, such as red-flowered loropetalum, whose roots, branches, and stem sections are all dark red after induction! There are also some plants whose roots, after soil removal, are nearly white in color!)

In addition, if the plant's growth condition is not very robust and the leaves are drooping, it shows that it was only just planted in the bottle not long ago, placed there to deceive users! Even if it has undergone induction, it cannot be sold as a commodity!

Judging from a technical perspective:

Judging from a technical perspective:

1) Does it possess a professional technical level?

If, as some merchants say, only so-called "induction liquid," "acclimation liquid," and "nutrient solution" are needed, and the plant is soaked in water for a few days or a few hours, and some even say that hydroponic flowers can be achieved in just a few dozen minutes or a few minutes, this claim can only fool those who do not understand biotechnology. Anyone who understands biological principles knows that if the plant root system is severely deprived of oxygen in water, before long the roots will undergo anaerobic respiration, thereby fermenting and rotting. Thus a large amount of fermentation matter accumulates in the bottle, mosquitoes breed, worms grow, the water becomes turbid and unclean, and the plant soon dies!
Only by truly realizing the induction of plant water roots, forming hydroponic plants with aerenchyma tissue that can adapt well to the low-oxygen state in water, can they truly deserve to be called hydroponic flowers. Moreover, the cultivation of water roots cannot be fully completed and realized by nutrient solution alone; it requires the integration of biological, physical, computer, and various other methods and means, and after a relatively long period of cultivation, only after fully adapting to the water environment can they become professional truly hydroponic flowers!

2) Does it have a relatively strong level and ability in artistic combination?

Hydroponic flowers belong to mid-to-high-end consumption. Their ornamental value lies in: artistically conceived combinations and matching. Each product lies in its artistic glass bottle container, beautiful plant shape, white and elegant root system, and the perfect combination and matching of ornaments such as fish and aquatic plants in the bottle! Whether it is a professional hydroponic flower work, apart from natural sensory appeal, a relatively strong artistic combination is not something an ordinary beginner can put together! From this technical level, we can tell at a glance whether the manufacturer possesses such an aesthetic level!

3) Does it possess the facility conditions for producing hydroponic flowers and fixed supply channels?

Whether it possesses the facility conditions for producing hydroponic flowers can also reveal whether the merchant has the ability for professional hydroponic flower production. If there is neither fixed production facilities nor a powerful and branded producer as a supply source, then such a hydroponic flower provider is very likely passing off soil-cultivated plants after root washing as "hydroponic flowers"!

Examining by variety:

The varieties of hydroponic flowers that a truly professional hydroponic flower producer can produce are not limited to plants such as those in Araceae and Crassulaceae, like Alocasia, Philodendron, lucky bamboo, Monstera, and Rohdea, which are themselves easy to water-grow. These plant varieties are themselves close to water and hydrophilic, and can generally be cultivated in water by ordinary methods. A professional producer should be able to hydroponically grow various woody plants and various water-fearing plants, such as sago palm, cactus, money tree, Polyscias, and even Taxus chinensis, osmanthus, and fruit trees. If the plant varieties a merchant can provide are single and limited, then it is certainly not a professional hydroponic flower manufacturer!

Examining by time:

Time is the final and only standard for testing hydroponic flowers. If they cannot adapt to long-term cultivation in water and are only a fleeting show, dying within a few days, many of these are hydroponic flowers that speculators produce within a few hours by washing away the soil-cultivated root system; within a few days the flowers bloom and then fade and fall! Therefore, at present, for those owners who cannot provide a shelf life for the commodity, most are speculators. If a merchant cannot provide a shelf life for the commodity, it is recommended not to buy, to avoid being cheated!
IV. How to identify truly professional hydroponic flower producers?

Driven by profit, many market speculators adopt various "formal" means in publicity and information transmission channels to muddle through and fool the broad consumers and investors. In order to make it impossible for some so-called high-tech shell companies that have no real hydroponic flower technology, no base, no scale, and no technical personnel, and that rent a few offices for work inside national universities (such as Wuhan University, University of Science and Technology Beijing, Tsinghua University, Huazhong Agricultural University, China Agricultural University, Beijing Forestry University, etc.), scientific research institutes (such as the Chinese Academy of Agricultural Sciences, the Chinese Academy of Sciences, the Chinese Academy of Forestry, a certain research center, etc.), institutions under the Ministry of Agriculture (such as the Bureau of Retired Veteran Cadres of the Ministry of Agriculture, a certain technical center of the Ministry of Agriculture), or office buildings, and then start advertising to rake in money, to have no place to stand; and also to deprive malicious transfer of some immature so-called "hydroponic flower technology" at low prices of a market for deception, and even more for your benefit in learning these several genuine technologies.

The author solemnly reminds: No matter where across the country or in what media you see similar technology or similar advertisements, you must keep your eyes sharp, be more mindful, look at several more, and compare more; you must carefully compare the unit's scale, technical strength, personnel quality, product quality, and after-sales service, {{Remember: you must look at their flower shop products, and then ask for the phone numbers of their franchisees, and try as much as possible to go and see the franchisees to confirm the authenticity of the technology. Many places may not provide this to you, in which case you must think twice before acting. This is the most direct and final method of judgment. Of course, in addition, those "high-level" companies will also, like "medical shills," "education shills," "housing shills," and "wine shills," fool you with the skill of the "master deceiver" Zhao Benshan, making it impossible for you to guard against it!}}; you must carefully examine the authenticity of the technology, training ability, and relevant certificates; you must absolutely not be deceived by these so-called high-tech companies, bringing you unnecessary economic and spiritual losses. Apart from distinguishing whether something is truly a hydroponic flower through the product route, in fact, as long as everyone is just a bit more mindful, they can see through the many speculators one by one. The following points of experience, several types


 How to apply foliar fertilizer to hydroponic flowers

Static hydroponic flowers are cultivated under the condition of root oxygen deficiency, which will cause certain defects in the normal development of the flowers. In order to improve the quality of the flowers, the method of foliar fertilization can be used to supplement nutrient elements. During the vegetative growth period of the flowers, a 0.2% potassium nitrate dilution can be used for foliar spraying.

A fine-hole spray bottle should be used, and try not to let the fertilizer solution run off. The back of the leaves should also be sprayed. Spray once a week, and twice during the growing period, which can make the hydroponic flowers flourish with luxuriant branches and leaves. For flowers suitable for foliage viewing and also for flower appreciation, such as Spathiphyllum, four-season begonia, bamboo begonia, and calla lily, during the bud stage a 0.15% potassium dihydrogen phosphate dilution can be sprayed on the leaves once a week until the flowers open.

Common Lunar New Year flowers: teaching you how to choose and care for them (Part 1)

China Landscape Web, January 6 news: The concept of Lunar New Year flowers originated in Guangdong in the 1980s. Its original meaning referred to various flowers sold during the period from before Spring Festival to the Lantern Festival. Gradually, the term Lunar New Year flowers became popular across the country, and the time period also expanded from Christmas and New Year's Day to Spring Festival, and even Valentine's Day. Now, everyone combines these 4 festivals together, and flowers sold during this period are collectively called Lunar New Year flowers. Lunar New Year flower markets in various places have a wide variety of flower varieties. Traditional ones includenarcissus, potted kumquat, Chinese cymbidium, azalea,clivia, camellia, Chinese rose, peony, etc., and popular ones includePhalaenopsis, large-flowered cymbidium, Cattleya, Oncidium, ornamental pineapple, Anthurium, lily, poinsettia, etc. These flowers attract many flower consumers with their beautiful appearance, unique functions, and auspicious names, truly a dazzling array.

Faced with dazzling flowers, how do you choose? And after buying them, how do you care for them? For this reason, our newspaper specially launches this Lunar New Year flower special page, teaching everyone some knowledge about purchasing and care, hoping it can be of help to you.

 Phalaenopsis flowers are shaped like butterflies, dancing gracefully, with a relatively long flowering period. They are treasures among tropical orchids and have the reputation of "Queen of Foreign Orchids." They are an excellent potted flower for placement in the home during Spring Festival.

Purchasing tip: Do not buy plants with blackened leaves, leaves covered with wounds, or aerial roots that have been broken.

Care tip: The suitable growth temperature for Phalaenopsis is 16-30°C. Take heat preservation measures, but do not place the flowers directly on or too close to a radiator. Before and after the flowering period, Phalaenopsis should generally be placed indoors in a spot with scattered light. The roots must not be excessively damp and shaded for a long time, otherwise they will very easily rot; water only when dry and let dry between waterings, which will greatly reduce the incidence of root rot and disease. In winter, water less and just keep the medium slightly moist. Home-grown Phalaenopsis must have good ventilation. Fertilize year-round, and after the flower stalk emerges, promptly stake and tie it. When the flowers wither, the faded flowers must be cut off as early as possible.

Large-flowered cymbidium, also known as tiger-head orchid and cicada orchid, has bright flower colors, large flowers, fragrant scent, elegant and precious appearance, and long flowering period, and is much favored by consumers.

Purchasing tip: The purchase date can be 10 days before Spring Festival, and plants with 50% of flowers open are relatively good. Buy those with more than 1-3 flowers open.

Care tip: During the flowering period, maintaining an appropriate amount of moisture is best. Water once every 2-3 days, and watering should be done at noon. The water supply used during the growing period and flowering period should preferably be close to the indoor temperature at the time. During the growing period, the optimal water temperature for supply is 28-30°C, must not be higher than 35°C, and must not be lower than 22°C. Large-flowered cymbidium likes a well-ventilated environment. During the winter heating period, a long-term sealed greenhouse is even more prone to poor ventilation, so appropriate ventilation measures should be taken.

Clivia has dark green leaves, relatively wide and thick, in long strap shape. Its flowers are large and upright, usually more than a dozen flowers borne on an umbel inflorescence, forming a large flower cluster, orange-red in color, very bright. It blooms right around Spring Festival and is deeply loved by people.

Purchasing tip: Choose plants that are intact and undamaged, with both flowers and leaves beautiful, glossy leaves, and a large number of flower buds.

 Care tip: Clivia likes a warm and humid environment. The optimal growth temperature is 15-25°C. Too hot or too cold is unfavorable for growth. At 0°C, cold damage will occur, and temperatures above 30°C will slow growth. The minimum winter temperature is 5-10°C. The leaves should be washed with water frequently, and relatively high air humidity should be maintained. Clivia is relatively drought-tolerant; in winter, water once a week or less. In addition, fungicides can be sprayed on the leaves to prevent leaf spot disease, leaf blight, and stem rot, keeping the leaves green and the flowers even more brilliant.

Narcissus, long known by the elegant name "Fairy of the Waves," has graceful flower posture, stands elegantly, has delicate flower color and fragrance, and clear and elegant leaves. Placed in a study or on a desk, it gives off a faint fresh fragrance in the deep winter, making one feel relaxed and happy.

Purchasing tip: If soaking and growing them yourself, purchase around 45 days before the festival. When selecting narcissus bulbs, you can proceed from four aspects: looking at shape, observing color, pressing, and asking about the place of origin. Choose plump bulbs that are fully developed and substantial, with heavy weight. If buying finished flowers, choose plants with a large number of flowers and sturdy flower stems.

Care tip: Keep the room at 10-15°C, and they will grow well. When water-growing, the lower 1/3 of the narcissus bulb is immersed in water. Just after potting, narcissus can have its water changed once a day, and afterward once every 2-3 days. Pebbles and the like can be used in the basin to fix the bulb. Narcissus likes warm, humid places with sufficient sunlight; otherwise it easily becomes leggy and forms blind flowers.

Oncidium is also called dancing-lady orchid. Its flower stems are light and drooping, and although the flowers are small, the flower quantity is very large. Its shape is strangely like a dancing girl, and it is also a very popular Lunar New Year flower.

Purchasing tip: Choose plants with sturdy flower stems and a large number of flowers. Gently shake the flower branch; if the flowers fall off, it indicates that it is already near the end of flowering, so absolutely do not buy it.

Care tip: Oncidium likes a warm, semi-shaded environment. The optimal growth temperature is about 10-30°C. In general cultivation, pay attention to raising the humidity in the air; increasing air humidity is more favorable for the growth of leaves and flower stems, and the environment must be well ventilated, otherwise it is very easy to contract disease. In winter, gradually reducing moisture helps flowering; generally water only when the surface soil is dry. After flowering, cut off the withered flower branches from the base, to avoid excessive consumption of nutrients and water. After flowering, move the orchid plant to a place with sufficient light and good ventilation.