What are the types of snapdragons and how are they cultivated

1. Types of snapdragons

There are many types and varieties of snapdragons; roughly how many types can they be divided into? Snapdragons (dragon flowers) have as many as several hundred varieties, and they can broadly be divided into two major categories: the original goldfish type and the newly bred bell type. In the bell type, the upper and lower lips do not close together, and the lips open upward. According to plant height, they can also be divided into three major categories: tall varieties (plant height 90-120 cm, late flowering, long flowering period); medium varieties (plant height 40-60 cm, mid-season flowering) and dwarf varieties (plant height 15-25 cm, early flowering).

2. How to cultivate snapdragons

The original snapdragon varieties in China are mostly grown as biennial herbaceous flowers. In the north, they should be sown in late August, with seedlings emerging in about 10 days. Before winter, the flower seedlings should be temporarily planted in a low-temperature greenhouse or cold frame, and after the late frost the following year they should be planted into outdoor flower beds, where they bloom in June-July. They can also be sown indoors in early spring and bloom in September-October. In the provinces south of the Yangtze River, after autumn sowing they can overwinter in the open field and bloom in April-May the following year.

The bell-type snapdragons introduced from abroad not only have larger flowers, but also produce more flowers and have a longer flowering period. They are mostly used to produce fresh cut flowers for winter sales. They should be sown in an open-field seedbed in late summer and early autumn. After the seedlings are established, they are first planted in an open-field seedbed, and after autumn they are moved into a greenhouse for cultivation, maintaining 22°C during the day and no lower than 10°C at night, and they can bloom around New Year's Day.

In order to increase the number of flowering branches, tall and medium varieties should be pinched. To prevent variety mixing caused by hybridization, plants of different varieties kept for seed should be planted far apart.