How to Propagate Balloon Flower? A Detailed Guide to Two Propagation Methods
Because balloon flower is often propagated in large quantities, it is best to select high-yielding plants for seed production. Balloon flower is generally propagated by sowing, and seedling transplanting can also be used. Generally, autumn sowing of balloon flower gives the best quality, though winter or spring sowing is also possible.
Balloon flower
1. Propagation by seed: growth period 2 years.
Direct sowing is generally used in production. Balloon flower seeds are tiny, with a thousand-grain weight of 1.5 g and a germination rate of 85%. At a temperature of 18-25°C with sufficient moisture, seedlings emerge 10-15 days after sowing.
Winter sowing or spring sowing: winter sowing is done from November to January of the following year, and spring sowing from March to April. Winter sowing is preferable, and broadcasting is generally used. When sowing, mix the seeds evenly with moist fine sandy soil (ratio: 1 pot of soil mixed with 0.3 kg of seeds) and scatter over the seedbed surface, then lightly sweep once with a broom until the seeds are no longer visible (that is, covering with soil to a depth of about 2.5-3 mm), and press lightly. In the following spring, seedlings emerge early and evenly. For spring sowing, to achieve even emergence, the seeds must be treated, or the seedbed covered with straw after sowing to retain moisture (treatment method: soak the seeds in warm water at 30°C for 8 hours, remove, wrap in a damp cloth, place at 25-30°C, cover with a damp hemp sheet to promote germination, and rinse with warm water once a day. After about 5 days, once the seeds begin to sprout, they can be sown). The sowing method is the same as for winter sowing, keeping the soil moist at all times; seedlings generally emerge in about 15 days. Seed rate is 2.5 kg per mu.
2. Seedling raising and transplanting: growth period 1 year.
1. Raising seedlings: Balloon flower seedlings are generally raised and transplanted from April to June. Too early, and the small seedlings affect seedling quality; too late, and the large seedlings make transplanting difficult. The usual seed rate is 10-12 kg per mu (some experimental plots use 15 kg). Specific method: choose land that is neither on a high slope nor in a low-lying field; a well-drained field is best. The soil should be finely cultivated, with sufficient base fertilizer applied, preferably deep-plowed to more than one and a half chi, and the seedbed surface leveled so that sprinkler irrigation can be used in dry weather. Then mix the balloon flower seeds with fine soil and broadcast evenly, press lightly on top, cover with weeds, and keep the soil moist. Seedlings generally emerge in 10-12 days. After the seedlings have emerged completely, remove the covering on a rainy day to benefit seedling growth.
2. Transplanting: growth period 1 year. Carry out from autumn or winter of the same year to before sprouting in the following spring. Select 1-year-old straight-rooted balloon flower seedlings, grade them by size, and plant them separately. When planting, on the prepared planting site, open furrows 25 cm deep at a row spacing of 20 cm, then insert the balloon flower seedlings diagonally into the furrows at a 75° angle, at a plant spacing of 6-8 cm, cover with soil and firm it down; the soil cover should be about 3 cm above the seedling crown.
How to Grow Balloon Flower, and How Does Balloon Flower Reproduce?
Balloon flower prefers a cool climate and is cold-tolerant and sun-loving. It is best cultivated in hilly areas below 1,100 m in altitude, in semi-shaded, semi-sunny sandy loam, and grows better in neutral sandy loam rich in phosphorus and potassium. Seeds have a lifespan of 1 year; storing them at low temperature can extend seed lifespan. Dry-stored at 0-4°C for 18 months, the germination rate increases by 3.5-4 times compared with storage at room temperature. The seed germination rate is 70%; at a temperature of 18-25°C with sufficient moisture, seedlings emerge 15 d after sowing.
Balloon flower, also known as baofu flower, bellflower, and monk's cap flower, is a perennial herb. The stem is 20-120 cm tall, usually hairless, occasionally densely covered with short hairs, unbranched, very rarely branched in the upper part. The leaves are all whorled, partly whorled to all alternate, sessile or with very short petioles; the leaf blade is ovate, ovate-elliptic to lanceolate, and the leaves are ovate or ovate-lanceolate. The flowers are dark blue or dark purple-white.
How to Plant Balloon Flower
1. Soil selection
Balloon flower likes a warm, humid, sunny growing environment with abundant rainfall. It does not have high requirements for climate, but the best soil is a sandy loam with deep, fertile, well-drained soil rich in humus. Balloon flower likes a cool, moist environment. Wild balloon flowers mostly grow on sunny hillsides and among grasses, so low-lying, waterlogged areas are not suitable for planting balloon flower.
2. Pest and disease control
Common pests and diseases of balloon flower include root rot, aphids, red spiders, and so on. When root rot occurs in balloon flower, the diseased leaves are covered with gray powder, and in severe cases the whole plant withers. The control method is to spray at the early stage of disease with 0.3-degree Baume lime-sulfur mixture or 500-fold white powder net solution, or spray with 1,800-fold 20% triadimefon powder solution. If balloon flower is attacked by aphids or red spiders, spray with 1,500-2,000-fold 40% dimethoate emulsion or 1,500-fold 80% dichlorvos emulsion, once every 10 days.
3. Fertilizer and water management
June to September is the peak growing season for balloon flower. In late June and July, topdressing should be applied in good time according to the growth of the balloon flower. The fertilizer is mainly human and animal manure, with a small amount of phosphate fertilizer and urea added. Water during drought; when rainfall is abundant, pay attention to drainage, as balloon flower roots rot very easily, so soil waterlogging must be prevented. The flowering period of balloon flower lasts as long as 4 months, and removing flowers can increase yield.
Propagation Methods of Balloon Flower
1. Varieties
In plots where balloon flower is cultivated, a small number of white-flowered balloon flowers appear; they have stable heredity and high yield. However, their saponin and amino acid contents and hemolytic effect are all lower than those of purple-flowered balloon flower. The saponins of the two kinds of balloon flower have exactly the same pharmacological properties. Among purple-flowered balloon flowers there is a faster-growing southern-type balloon flower, and in Tonghua, Jilin, there is a yellow-flowered balloon flower.
2. Site selection and land preparation
Choose a sunny slope with deep soil or level ground with good drainage. Deep-plow 30-40 cm, apply base fertilizer at the same time, break up the soil clods, level the ground, and make beds 1.3-1.7 m wide.
(1) Seed treatment
Soak the seeds in warm water for 24 hours, or soak them in 0.3% potassium permanganate for 12 hours, to increase the germination rate.
(2) Sowing time
Autumn sowing, winter sowing, and spring sowing are all acceptable, with autumn sowing being best. With autumn sowing, seedlings emerge in the same year, the growth period is long, and the fruiting rate and root thickness are clearly higher than those of spring sowing the following year.
(3) Sowing method
Direct sowing is generally used, and seedling transplanting can also be used; direct sowing gives higher yield than transplanting and also good quality. In production, drill sowing is mostly used. On the bed, open horizontal furrows at a furrow-center spacing of 20-25 cm, 4-7 cm deep, with a sowing width of 10 cm, and cover with small ash after sowing. For direct sowing, use 500-750 g of seed per mu; for seedling raising, use 250-350 g of seed per mu. In addition, tissue culture can also be used for improved variety propagation.
Field management techniques
(1) Thinning and filling in seedlings
When the seedlings are 2 cm tall, thin them appropriately; when the seedlings are 3-4 cm tall, finalize the stand, leaving 1 strong seedling every 10-13 cm. Fill in missing seedlings at the same time as thinning; filling in seedlings with soil attached makes it easier for them to survive.
(2) Cultivation and weeding
Weed 3 times: the first when the seedlings are 7-10 cm tall, the second one month later, and the third one month after that.
(3) Topping
When the seedlings are 10 cm tall, top the plants kept for seed production to increase the number of seeds per fruit and seed plumpness, thereby increasing seed yield.
(4) Topdressing and earthing up
When the seedlings are 1-2 cm tall, apply 1,000 kg of dilute human and animal manure water per mu; when the seedlings are 6-7 cm tall, apply 10 kg of superphosphate per mu in the furrows, then apply 1,200 kg of dilute human and animal manure water into the holes and earth up. In the spring of the second year, when the seedlings are 6-7 cm tall and before flowering, apply 1,500 kg of human and animal manure water and 5 kg of urea per mu each time.
(5) Flower removal
The flowering period of balloon flower is relatively long, and the growth and development of flowers and fruits consume a large amount of nutrients. Removing flowers and fruits reduces nutrient consumption so that more assimilated substances are stored in the roots; this is an effective measure for increasing balloon flower yield.
The Effects of Balloon Flower
1. Diffusing the lung and eliminating phlegm
Balloon flower is pungent and dispersing, bitter and purging; it opens and diffuses lung qi, eliminates phlegm, and benefits the throat, making it an important medicine for treating diseases of the qi aspect of the lung meridian. It can be used to treat cough with copious phlegm, whether cold or heat.
2. Benefiting the throat
Balloon flower can diffuse lung qi and purge heat, benefit the throat, and open the voice to treat hoarseness. It is used for conditions such as external pathogens invading the lung, sore throat and loss of voice, as well as swollen and painful throat with excessive accumulated heat toxin.
3. Discharging pus
Balloon flower is dispersing in nature and moves upward; it can regulate lung qi to discharge congested pus and phlegm. It can be used to treat lung abscess with cough, chest pain, and fishy-smelling phlegm.
4. Promoting bowel and bladder movement
Balloon flower can open and diffuse lung qi and promote both bowel and bladder movement. It can be used to treat urinary retention and constipation.
The Actions of Balloon Flower
1. Anti-inflammatory
Balloon flower saponins have a strong anti-inflammatory effect on acute and chronic inflammation. Balloon flower has no obvious anti-inflammatory effect, but its water extract can enhance the phagocytic ability of macrophages, strengthen the bactericidal power of neutrophils, and increase lysozyme activity.
2. Eliminating phlegm and relieving cough
The saponins contained in balloon flower can stimulate the gastric mucosa, causing mild nausea and reflexively increasing bronchial gland secretion, diluting phlegm, thereby exerting an expectorant effect.
3. Lowering blood pressure
Crude balloon flower saponins have the effects of lowering blood pressure, slowing heart rate, and inhibiting respiration.
4. Lowering blood sugar
Both the water and alcohol extracts of balloon flower have hypoglycemic effects. In addition, balloon flower also has diuretic and swelling-reducing, anti-allergic, and anti-tumor effects.
What Is the Flower Language of Balloon Flower?
1. Hopeless love.
2. Eternal and unchanging love; sincerity, gentleness, sorrow.
The Flower Language of Balloon Flower and How to Grow Balloon Flower
Balloon flower is distributed very widely in our country because it has very low climate requirements and can be planted in most regions. What is the flower language of balloon flower? Below, we will explain how to grow balloon flower.
The flower language of balloon flower:
There are two interpretations of the flower language of balloon flower: one is "eternal love, unchanging love, honesty, gentleness, love never forgotten for a lifetime," and the other is "hopeless love."
The reason there are two completely different flower languages is said to be that it is told that the blooming of balloon flower represents the arrival of happiness again, but some people can grasp happiness, while others are destined to have no connection with it and cannot grasp it. Thus balloon flower has a double meaning: eternal love and hopeless love.
In addition, the balloon flower commonly used as a cut flower is generally Eustoma (Lisianthus), and the flower language of Eustoma is being moved, being full of feeling, and unchanging love only for you.
How to Grow Balloon Flower:
1. The pot should contain well-drained sandy loam with humus, and it grows well at a pH between 5.0 and 6.5. For potted growing medium, use 4 parts sandy loam, 4 parts leaf mold, and 2 parts garden soil, with an appropriate amount of decomposed soybean cake powder mixed in. For sowing balloon flower in the Jiangnan region, April or September is suitable, and after sowing, it blooms the following year. According to summaries from some planting units, April sowing is better because the seedlings are somewhat larger, which helps with overwintering management. After sowing, cover with 1 cm of soil and keep it moist at all times; the suitable germination temperature is 15-20°C, and seedlings emerge in 15-20 days. When the seedlings are 3 cm tall, thin them; when 6 cm tall, transplant or pot them up. For home growing, division propagation is the simplest, carried out in spring and autumn.
2. Potted balloon flower requires controlled water and fertilizer. Sufficient water and fertilizer easily makes the plant grow leggy and reduces its ornamental value. When the seedlings are 10 cm tall, pinch the growing tips and withhold water. Before flowering, apply superphosphate 1-2 times to make the flower color pure. After flowering, appropriate shading is advisable to prolong the flowering period. After the final flowers fade, cut off the flower stems and promptly apply one topdressing of decomposed soybean cake liquid fertilizer to benefit root growth. In spring and autumn, water generally once every 3-4 days; in summer, water once every day after 5 p.m.; in winter, generally do not water. For overwintering, cut off the aboveground parts and place in a sunny spot that does not freeze in winter; next year new shoots will grow again from the old roots. Generally repot once every two years. In dry weather, red spiders may cause damage; spray with a 2,000-fold diluted dimethoate solution.