How to care for African impatiens during the germination stage of plug tray seedling raising
African impatiens is extremely versatile in its uses and can be grown on a large scale in nutrient pots, containers and hanging baskets. But if you want to propagate African impatiens from seed, you need to pay attention to every step of sowing. The editor will now introduce the care methods for African impatiens during the plug-tray germination stage.
African impatiens
African impatiens seeds need to be covered with a thin layer of medium-grade vermiculite to retain moisture. The substrate pH should be 6.2 to 6.5; a pH below 5.5 will cause damage to the terminal bud and sodium toxicity; the EC value should be 0.5 to 0.75. Seed germination requires light; if cultivated in a dark room, light with an intensity of 100 lux to 1000 lux must be provided to ensure germination and reduce leggy growth. Keep the moisture level at level 5 until the radicle emerges; from day 3 to day 7 after sowing, lower the moisture level to level 4; from day 8 to day 10, reduce it to level 3; after day 11, reduce the moisture level to level 2 until the cotyledons unfold (moisture level classification: level 1 is 0% to 20%, level 2 is 20% to 40%, level 3 is 40% to 60%, level 4 is 60% to 80%, level 5 is 80% to 100%). Do not let the seedlings' leaves remain wet overnight, otherwise it will cause abortion of the plant apex. Keep air humidity at 100% until the radicle grows out; afterward lower the humidity to 40% to 70%. Increase ventilation so that the substrate moisture evaporates and dries, ensuring the roots get air. Keep the temperature between 22°C and 24°C; above 25°C, impatiens seeds will suffer heat shock, thereby inhibiting germination; below 21°C, the germination speed and uniformity of impatiens will be reduced; below 18°C, it will cause abortion of the plant apex and leaf deformity.
How to grow impatiens
Flower and Bonsai Network flower care column:How to grow impatiens, will introduce to you the cultivation methods of impatiens and the pest and disease control of impatiens
Flower profile: Impatiens, also known as Tougucao, Jinfenghua, Sajinhua, Jijicao, Zhijiahua, Jixingzi, Jiataohua, Xiaotaohong, Zhijiacao, Xiaodianhong, is an annual herbaceous flower of the genus Impatiens in the family Balsaminaceae.
Impatiens flower language: missing the past, do not touch me.
Growing area: native to India, southern China and Malaysia. It is now widely cultivated throughout the world.
Benefits of growing flowers: The seeds and stems of impatiens can both be used as medicine, with the effects of promoting blood circulation and removing blood stasis, promoting diuresis and detoxification, and stimulating menstruation and penetrating the bones; fresh stems and leaves pounded and applied externally can treat boils, swellings and pain, and insect bites; after the petals are pounded and mixed with garlic juice, etc., they can be used to dye nails, and after dyeing the nails several times, onychomycosis can be cured at the root. It is for ornamental viewing, a very good potted plant, and can also be used as a cut flower.
Flower and leaf appearance: Impatiens plants are 40~100 cm tall, with fleshy, thick and upright stems, and branches on the upper part. The leaves are alternate, broadly or narrowly lanceolate, with sharp teeth on the edges.
The flowers resemble butterflies, with single and double petals, and flower colors include pink, bright red, purple, white-yellow, sprinkled gold, etc. The fruit is spindle-shaped, covered with white down, and when mature splits open into 5 curled valves.
Variety selection: Fanxing, Xiannv Sanhua, Caihong, Shimian Maifu, Baxian Guohai, Zhuchun, African impatiens, New Guinea impatiens.
Plant selection: Seedlings should be kept with a soil ball.
Selection of flower pots:Clay pots, tile pots, etc.
Preparation of growing soil:
Impatiens likes deep, moist, loose, fertile, well-drained, slightly acidic soil.
Preparation method 1: Mix humus soil, garden soil, river sand and manure in a ratio of 3:2:1:1.
Preparation method 2: Prepare garden soil, sandy soil, leaf mold or decomposed rice husks, and base fertilizer in a ratio of 2:2:1:1.
Flower cultivation: First place some tile pieces at the bottom of the pot as a drainage layer, then add some base fertilizer, then add a layer of growing soil on top, then transplant the small seedlings into the pot. After potting, water thoroughly to settle the plant, shade it for 3 days, and then carry out normal care and management.
Fertilization: The plants can be given dilute fertilizer water twice a month; various organic fertilizers are all suitable; before flowering, top-dress appropriately, applying dilute bean cake water once every 10 days. During the flowering period, fertilization should be controlled, especially do not apply nitrogen fertilizer, so as to avoid excessive growth of stems and leaves, leading to excessive nutrient uptake and affecting flowering.
Watering: Impatiens likes moisture but fears waterlogging. During the growing period of impatiens, water once every other day so as to keep the potting soil moist at all times.
Summer is exactly the period of vigorous plant growth, when the root system is well developed and evaporation is high, so more watering is needed, twice a day, but do not cause water accumulation in the pot or keep the soil too wet for a long time, otherwise it is easy to cause root rot, so in times of more rain pay attention to timely drainage.
Watering should also be even; do not let the potting soil alternate between dry and wet, especially during the flowering period, when the plant must not be allowed to suffer drought, otherwise it is easy for flowers to drop.
The impatiens plant is nearly succulent, with a high water content in its body. In hot summer, the plant's transpiration is high and it easily wilts, so it must be watered at any time. By no means water a wilted plant under the scorching summer sun; the plant cannot adapt immediately, which affects its growth.
Summer watering should be done in the early morning or evening, avoiding watering at noon when temperatures are high.
Pruning: In order to enhance the branching ability of impatiens, after the flower seedlings are established and have survived, the main stem can be pinched. If flowers appear at the base, remove them promptly, so as to promote successive flowering at the tops of each branch.
After the flowers bloom, cut off the flower base so that it does not set seed, and then the flowers will bloom even more profusely.
Light and temperature management:Impatiens likes light and also tolerates shade, and needs to receive at least 4 hours of scattered light every day. At noon in summer, appropriate shading should be carried out to prevent excessively high temperatures and scorching sun from harming the plant.
The most suitable growing temperature for impatiens is 20°C~35°C, the suitable germination temperature is 20°C~30°C, and the temperature during the flowering period should be kept above 10°C. In winter, it should be brought indoors for care to prevent cold damage.
Flowering and fruiting period management:The natural flowering period of impatiens is from June to August, but if various conditions are suitable for its growth, its flowering period will be extended. Its flowering time can also be controlled artificially.
For example, it can be controlled by adjusting sowing. From sowing to flowering generally takes 3 months, so if you want impatiens to bloom around National Day, you can sow in July.
You can also use the pinching method, promptly removing early-opening flowers and buds, letting the plant keep expanding, and then top-dressing once every 15~20 days, so that after September the plant will form more flower buds, and impatiens can be seen at National Day.
Repotting: When transplanting small seedlings, as the small seedlings gradually grow, repotting can be done as appropriate. By no means, just to save trouble, plant the small seedlings directly into too large a pot, because then watering is not easy to control and it is not conducive to plant growth. For the repotting operation, refer to potting and planting.
Propagation: The main propagation method of impatiens is seed propagation.
For seed propagation, sowing can generally be done from late March to early May each year. Water the seedbed thoroughly to keep it moist. Impatiens seeds are relatively small, and after sowing they must not be watered immediately, so as not to wash the seeds away. Then cover with about 3~4 mm of thin soil, taking care to shade, and after about 10 days or so, seedlings can emerge.
When the small seedlings grow 2~3 leaves, transplanting should begin, and afterward they should gradually be planted in place or potted for cultivation.
Overwintering: In late autumn, once damaged by frost it withers and its life ends.
Pest and disease control:Impatiens is easily infected by pests and diseases such as powdery mildew, brown spot, damping-off and red spider mite.
Powdery mildew mainly occurs on the leaves and young shoots of the plant. On infected plants, the leaf surface is covered with a white powdery layer; afterward, the white powdery layer forms small yellow granules, which then gradually turn dark brown. It mostly begins to occur in June, and August to September is the peak period of the disease.
To prevent the occurrence of this disease, attention should be paid at planting time to the ventilation and air permeability of the plants, and fertilizer and water management should be strengthened to enhance the disease resistance of the plants.
When diseased plants are found, promptly remove the diseased leaves or diseased plants to eliminate the source of infection.
It can also be controlled with 15% triadimefon wettable powder at 1000~1200 times dilution, or 70% thiophanate-methyl wettable powder at 1000 times dilution.
When the temperature exceeds 32°C, do not spray chemicals, so as not to burn the plants.
Brown spot, also called leaf spot, mainly occurs on the leaves. On infected plants, light yellow-brown lesions begin to appear on the leaf surface; the lesions gradually expand, appearing oval or irregular in shape, with the middle of the lesion light brown and the edges brown, and with inconspicuous concentric rings. This disease mostly occurs in hot and rainy seasons.
To prevent the occurrence of this disease, pay attention to the soil for cultivating impatiens, which should drain easily, and after rain promptly tip the pot to drain water, so as to avoid water accumulation in the pot.
In the early stage of the disease, it can be controlled with 25% carbendazim wettable powder at 300~600 times dilution, or 50% thiophanate-methyl at 100 times dilution, or 75% chlorothalonil at 1000 times dilution.
Damping-off mainly infects the root and stem area; the stems of infected plants turn black, and in moist conditions white mold-like substances also appear on the diseased part. After infection, the plant dries up and dies within a few days.
To prevent and control the occurrence of this disease, you can pull out the diseased plants in the early stage of the disease, and then spray 75% chlorothalonil wettable powder at 600 times dilution.
Once red spider mite pests are found, they can be killed with Saomanjing or Xiaochongqing.
Best placement position: Place on east-facing, south-facing and west-facing balconies for management.
[Cultivation methods of Impatiens holstii] Pay attention to pest and disease control!
Everyone has a love of beauty, and flower lovers are endless. The beauty and brilliance of fresh flowers can bring people much joy, which nothing else can replace. People often say, "A precious sword is given to a brave warrior, fresh flowers are given to a beauty." In leisure time, growing a pot of fresh flowers can delight body and mind, and perhaps also has other value! For example, stringy stonecrop and honeysuckle have good medicinal value. But some fresh flowers look beautiful yet are harmful to the human body! Some people say that Impatiens holstii releases carcinogenic substances, and suggest not growing it indoors in the end. Whether it is carcinogenic remains to be verified, but its beauty is obvious to all. Native to tropical Africa and now widely cultivated throughout the world, Impatiens holstii is favored by many flower lovers. Below, let us learn about the cultivation methods of Impatiens holstii!
Cultivation methods of Impatiens holstii - cultivation management
Impatiens holstii is a plant that flowers in all four seasons. The common propagation method is mainly cuttings, which can be done all year round, but preferably in spring and autumn. Because it is neither cold-tolerant nor high-temperature-tolerant, it likes a warm environment. In summer it should be placed in a shaded and well-ventilated place; in winter the room temperature should preferably not be lower than 12°C, and at the same time it should be placed in a sunny place, otherwise the leaves easily turn yellow and drop. The suitable growing temperature for Impatiens holstii is about 15°C. For cultivating Impatiens holstii, choose loose, fertile, well-drained growing soil, or it can be mixed from leaf mold, garden soil and a small amount of fertilizer. When collecting cuttings, be careful not to tear the cortex, so as not to affect rooting. The seedlings should preferably go through pinching two or three times, so that the plant opens up and its form is fuller and more graceful. For water-propagated impatiens, the lower part of the cuttings should be immersed in a container holding an appropriate amount of clean water, and the cuttings should be properly fixed, then placed in a sunny place, changing the clean water once a day to prevent the roots of the cuttings from rotting. During the growing period, it is best to apply a compound fertilizer once every half month, but there should not be too much nitrogen fertilizer, otherwise the branches and leaves absorb too many nutrients and become too luxuriant, affecting the amount of flowering.
Cultivation methods of Impatiens holstii - pest and disease control
Impatiens is especially prone to powdery mildew. If prevented in advance, the probability of suffering from powdery mildew will be greatly reduced. The most important thing is that the environment should be ventilated, preferably with scattered light or half light. If triadimefon at 1000 times dilution is used for foliar spraying in each of the three seasons of spring, summer and autumn, the occurrence of powdery mildew can be very well prevented. If the disease has already occurred, spraying once every 7-8 days for 2-3 consecutive times can cure it. Remember, treat illness early. Among the pests of impatiens, the most important is mites, that is, the commonly called red spider mite. In addition, there are aphids , nettle caterpillars, etc. Once pests are found, they can be sprayed and killed with Saomanjing or Manchongqing. The effect is very obvious.
Propagation methods
Cuttings
method, that is, choose a 10×10 specification seedling plug tray; the cultivation substrate can be prepared from peat ash : sawdust : vermiculite = 4:3:3, and put into the seedling plug tray. Take cuttings from the mother plant; the cuttings are required to retain three nodes. When cutting, gently insert the cuttings into the substrate, taking care not to damage the cuttings as much as possible. After cutting, water immediately, then spray with 1000 times chlorothalonil, spraying for 10 minutes every 30 minutes, to ensure the leaves are moist but without water running off. They can root in 10 to 14 days, with a rooting survival rate above 98%. When they grow to 10 cm, leave 2-3 nodes and pinch off the tip. In this way each node can produce 3-5 branches, and after 10 weeks a finished product with a crown diameter of directly 30-50 cm can be formed.
Seeds
Impatiens seeds are small but have a relatively long lifespan; seeds stored indoors for 3 years can still have a germination rate above 79.9%. Sow around Qingming. If using direct sowing in holes, on the prepared ground dig holes about 1 cm deep at a plant spacing of 15 cm and row spacing of 30 cm, water, and after the water seeps down sow 3-4 seeds per hole, cover with soil and lightly press down. If doing seedling raising and transplanting, evenly scatter the seeds on the surface of a previously prepared bed, cover with soil about 1 cm thick and press firm, keep the soil moist, and at a temperature of about 25°C seedlings will emerge in 5 days. The sowing rate per mu is 0.5-1 kg. When the seedlings are about 10 cm tall, they can be transplanted. Before transplanting, level and harrow the planting site finely, dig holes at a row spacing of 30 cm and plant spacing of 20 cm, with the depth of the holes depending on how much root system the seedlings have, plant the small seedlings with soil balls into the holes, press firmly with the hand and then water to settle the roots, and after the water seeps down, earth up and close the holes. Impatiens tolerates transplanting and can still be transplanted when in full bloom.
If you want to view flowers at China's "National Day", sow from June to July. Prepare the sowing soil, scatter the seeds on the soil surface, cover with a thin layer of soil, then spray water to retain moisture, then place in a place without direct sunlight, pay attention to watering, do not let the soil dry out, and when watering do not wash the seeds out. After about 7 to 10 days, the seeds successively germinate and emerge; avoid scorching sun exposure, water frequently to keep the soil moist. When the impatiens are too crowded, thin the seedlings so that they grow robustly. When the small seedlings grow 3 to 4 true leaves, separate and plant them in place, and when separating the seedlings they should be kept with original soil, and after planting place them in a cool place to recover. After recovering, place them in a good, well-lit place for care, keep the soil moist but not waterlogged, and apply a decomposed thin fertilizer once every 10 days. After 50 to 60 days in this way, beautiful flowers will bloom at National Day.
Impatiens holstii is a kind of impatiens with relatively strong adaptability, easy to survive transplanting, and rapid growth; it is a plant that is quite easy to grow. As long as the temperature is suitable, it can flower all year round, and it is a very popular potted flower. Flower lovers should not miss it. The above is the content about the cultivation methods of Impatiens holstii, and I hope it can be of help to everyone!