Detailed Introduction to the Seed Propagation Method of Blanket Flower

Blanket flower, also known as tiger-stripe chrysanthemum, tiger-skin chrysanthemum, etc., is an excellent windbreak and sand-fixing plant due to its extremely strong drought tolerance, making it very suitable for planting in courtyards. The common propagation methods for blanket flower are seeding and cuttings. The editor will now introduce the seeding propagation method for blanket flower and the care and management methods after sowing.

Blanket Flower

1. Seed propagation: Sowing is often carried out in summer. Disinfect the substrate used for sowing; the best method is to put it in a pot and heat it by stirring until hot, which will scald any pests or diseases to death. Soak the seeds in warm water (at a temperature similar to face-washing water) for 3 to 10 hours, until the seeds absorb water and swell up.

2. Management after sowing: After the seedlings emerge, promptly remove the plastic film, and let the seedlings receive sunlight before 9:30 every morning or after 3:30 in the afternoon, otherwise the seedlings will grow very weak and spindly. After most of the seeds have sprouted, appropriate thinning is needed: pull out the diseased and unhealthy seedlings so that the remaining seedlings have some space between them. When most of the seedlings have grown 3 or more leaves, they can be transplanted into pots.

How to Propagate Blanket Flower, Blanket Flower Propagation Methods

How to propagate blanket flower? Blanket flower is an annual herbaceous plant, generally propagated by seed sowing and cuttings. Because the blanket flower has a beautiful appearance, many flower enthusiasts keep a few at home. In addition, blanket flower is a very easy-to-grow flowering plant. Below, let's look at the seed sowing and cutting propagation methods for blanket flower.

Sowing is often carried out in summer. Disinfect the substrate used for sowing; the best method is to put it in a pot and heat it by stirring until hot, which will scald any pests or diseases to death. Soak the seeds in warm water (at a temperature similar to face-washing water) for 3—10 hours, until the seeds absorb water and swell up. For very common seeds that germinate easily, this step can be skipped.

For tiny seeds that are difficult to pick up with hands or other tools, you can moisten one end of a toothpick with water and stick the seeds one by one onto the surface of the substrate, then cover with substrate 1 cm thick. Then place the sowing pot into water, with the water depth at 1/2—2/3 of the pot's height, allowing the water to slowly soak up from below.

For larger seeds that can be picked up with hands or other tools, place the seeds directly into the substrate and sow them at a spacing of 3×3 cm. After sowing, cover with substrate at a thickness of 2—3 times the seed size. After sowing, use a sprayer or fine-holed watering can to moisten the sowing substrate. Later, when the potting soil is slightly dry, water again, still being careful not to water with too much force, so as not to wash the seeds away.

After the seedlings emerge, promptly remove the plastic film, and let the seedlings receive sunlight before 9:30 every morning or after 3:30 in the afternoon, otherwise the seedlings will grow very weak and spindly. After most of the seeds have sprouted, appropriate thinning is needed. Pull out the diseased and unhealthy seedlings so that the remaining seedlings have some space between them. When most of the seedlings have grown 3 or more leaves, they can be transplanted into pots.

When potting the seedlings, first place 2—3 cm of coarse-grained substrate or ceramic pellets at the bottom of the pot as a drainage layer, then sprinkle a layer of fully decomposed organic fertilizer as base fertilizer, about 1—2 cm thick, then cover with another layer of substrate about 1—2 cm thick, and then place the plant in, so as to separate the fertilizer from the roots and avoid burning the roots. The substrate used for potting can be chosen as garden soil: furnace slag = 3:1; or garden soil: medium-coarse river sand: sawdust (mushroom residue) = 4:1:2.

After potting, water thoroughly once and place in a slightly shaded environment for one week of care. When transplanting seedlings, first dig the planting hole, sprinkle a layer of organic fertilizer at the bottom of the planting hole as base fertilizer, about 4—6 cm thick, then cover with a layer of soil and place the seedling in, so as to separate the fertilizer from the roots and avoid burning the roots. After placing the seedling in, backfill the soil to cover the roots, press the soil firm with your foot, and water thoroughly once.

The branches used for cuttings are called cuttings. Usually, in combination with pinching, the thick, pest-free top shoots that are pinched off are used as cuttings, and the top shoots are used directly for cutting. The optimal temperature for cutting rooting is 18°C—25°C. Below 18°C, the cuttings will root with difficulty and slowly. Above 25°C, the cut ends of the cuttings are prone to infection by pathogens and rot, and the higher the temperature, the greater the proportion of rot.

When low temperatures are encountered after cutting, the main measure for keeping warm is to wrap the pot or container used for cutting with plastic film. When the temperature is too high after cutting, the main cooling measure is to shade the cuttings, blocking out 50—80% of sunlight. At the same time, mist the cuttings 3—5 times a day; on sunny days with higher temperatures, mist more frequently, while on cloudy and rainy days with lower temperatures and higher humidity, mist less or not at all.

Propagation Methods for Blanket Flower

Propagation Methods for Blanket Flower

There are generally three propagation methods for blanket flower, namely seeding and cuttings. The most commonly used and most familiar one is the seeding method. Let's learn about them separately.

Seed Propagation

Seed propagation is often chosen to be carried out in summer. Before sowing, the seeds and substrate should be treated. The substrate should be disinfected to achieve the effect of killing pests and diseases. The seeds should first be soaked in warm water for 3~10 hours, depending on the situation, as long as the seeds swell up. Some seeds are relatively small and difficult to sow by hand, so they can be picked up with tweezers and placed on the surface of the substrate. After all sowing is completed, cover with a layer of substrate about one centimeter thick.

After sowing, you can choose to use a sprayer to gently moisten the substrate, which can prevent the seeds from being washed out due to too much watering force. Finally, cover with plastic film. After sowing is completed, when the seedlings emerge, remove the plastic film and let the seedlings receive light at regular times, being careful to avoid strong light exposure; for example, they can receive light before nine o'clock.

Cutting Propagation

Cutting propagation is also a relatively simple propagation method. The material selected for cutting is called a cutting, and the cutting is usually chosen from top shoots that grow well and are free of pests and diseases. The temperature during cutting should be maintained between 18°C~25°C. The cut ends of the cuttings should be disinfected; if the temperature is too high, it can also easily lead to infection of the cut ends. At the same time, if low-temperature weather occurs, plastic film can be used to cover them so as to raise the ambient temperature. Shading is also necessary, blocking out more than half of the sunlight.

Precautions for Propagating Blanket Flower

After seed propagation, note that after the seedlings emerge, the plastic film should be removed and appropriate light should be given. The light-giving time should avoid the strong-light period at noon, generally before nine in the morning and after three in the afternoon; during the period in between, place them in a cool place. After the seedlings emerge one after another, appropriate thinning should be done, that is, pull out the poorly growing seedlings to leave growing space, sufficient water, and nutrients for the well-growing seedlings.

For cuttings, temperature must be controlled. Too low a temperature is not conducive to the growth and survival of the cuttings after cutting, while too high a temperature will cause the cut ends of the cuttings to be infected by bacteria. After cutting, appropriate shading should also be done, with the shading effect at more than half. When the temperature is high, increase the frequency of misting.