How to propagate the fiddle-leaf coral? All the key points are here

The fiddle-leaf coral has a relatively long flowering period, but its flowers are not large. With its bright flower colors, the fiddle-leaf coral still holds a certain place in landscaping in our country. Today, the fiddle-leaf coral is still widely used in landscapes and large potted plants.

Fiddle-leaf coral

The fiddle-leaf coral is commonly propagated by cuttings, carried out in spring. The fiddle-leaf coral is an excellent ornamental garden flower. The results of cutting trials show that: hardwood cuttings have a high survival rate, a large number of main roots and long roots; the best results are obtained when the cuttings are treated with CPD rooting powder at 400 mg/kg, with river sand as the cutting medium, and the branches are spread out for 16-20 d before being cut into cuttings for sticking.

With economic development, people's demands for landscaping continue to rise, and the fiddle-leaf coral is being used more and more widely. Because of its beautiful leaves, brilliant flowers, long flowering period, and ease of propagation and care, the fiddle-leaf coral is widely used in gardens.

Teaching you how to grow flowers hydroponically

First, the difference between hydroponics and water culture

Water culture: Flowers used for water culture generally have swollen bulbs, which store abundant nutrients, and their growth and flowering mainly rely on the nutrients stored in themselves. When cultivating them, you only need to soak the roots in clean water to fix them in place; no nutrients need to be supplied. Flowers suitable for water culture mainly include narcissus, tulips, hyacinths, lucky bamboo, and so on. To make water-cultured flowers grow lushly and bloom brilliantly, the key is to choose plump, well-developed bulbs to provide the nutrients needed during their growth; second is to change the water frequently, persisting in changing it once every two or three days to maintain sufficient oxygen content in the water and improve root activity; and third is to maintain sufficient sunlight so that they grow vigorously.

Hydroponics: This is a special cultivation form among the non-solid substrate types of soilless cultivation. It mainly refers to flower plants cultivated entirely in water, using water as the medium and planting the flower plants directly in water-filled containers. It is a new type of cultivation method for indoor greenery plants.

Flowers suitable for hydroponics include pothos, Guangdong evergreen, zebra evergreen, star-point evergreen, Swiss cheese plant, calla lily, green giant, red emerald philodendron, green emerald philodendron, fiddle-leaf philodendron, arrowhead plant, giant taro, anthurium, calla lily, calla lily, carnation, asparagus fern, African daisy, tulip, hyacinth, chrysanthemum, gloxinia, cyclamen, Chinese rose, gladiolus, orchid, orchid tree, clivia, camellia, jasmine, rhododendron, kumquat, stock, moth orchid, fuchsia, Brazilian iron, Brazilian wood, green giant, schefflera, cacti, begonias, ferns, palmetto palm, fiddle-leaf coral, umbrella plant, coleus, purple velvet plant, blue pine, bamboo begonia, ox-ear begonia, lady's slipper orchid, croton, dusty miller, Christmas cactus, triangle cactus, dragon tree, tillandsia, small pineapple, chloranthus, dragon bone, crown of thorns, leopard plant, red-backed hibiscus, serissa, Boston ivy, four-seas wave, ivy, sword fern, bird's nest fern, bamboo palm, pygmy date palm, aeonium, hibiscus palm, silver wave, gem flower, mother of thousands, purple-heart tradescantia, inch plant, aloe, Haworthia fasciata, spider plant, cordyline, dragon's blood tree, Japanese aralia, snake plant, agave, golden-striped lucky bamboo, sea onion, silver-edged evergreen, silver-edged lily turf.

Obtaining hydroponic plants

1. Root-washing method. First, plants to be water-cultured should have a beautiful plant shape and a good decorative effect; plants that are too small have a poor ornamental effect and are not suitable as root-washing material. Second, they should be robust in growth and free of pests and diseases. Robust plants recover easily and adapt easily to the water environment. Some plants that have just been divided and have poor roots are also not suitable as root-washing material; they can be maintained in a solid substrate and washed only after their root systems have developed well.

The technical points of root washing: first, when washing the roots, do not damage the roots excessively, so as to avoid wounds that cause rot. Second, prune appropriately. Old, withered and rotten roots should be pruned. Some flowers have very luxuriant root systems and can be pruned by 1/3 to 1/2 to reduce oxygen consumption and promote the emergence of new aquatic roots. Some flowers have sparse roots and may not need pruning, which helps them adapt to the aquatic environment; the aboveground branches and leaves can be pruned slightly. Third, disinfect to avoid wound infection. For the disinfectant, use a 800-fold dilution of carbendazim, or a 600-fold dilution of chlorothalonil. Fourth, when water-culturing, the roots should be spread out; do not cram them into a ball and stuff them into the nutrient solution, as this not only easily leads to root rot and affects the plant's recovery, but is also unattractive and reduces ornamental value.

Root-washed water culture easily survives in warm seasons. If the temperature is low, the plant grows weakly, which is not conducive to rooting; if the temperature is high, the oxygen content in the water is low, which easily leads to root rot. Late spring, late summer and early autumn are relatively suitable seasons, with the temperature stable at about 20°C.

2. Water-insertion method. Flowers that root easily in water are suitable for the water-insertion method, such as lucky bamboo and spiderwort. When cutting branches for water insertion, the following points should be noted. First, the branches should be ornamental. Second, the branches should be robust in growth and free of pests and diseases. Third, for woody plants, it is best to cut biennial or one-year-old mature branches, which root easily; for herbaceous plants, choose thick, strong branches. Fourth, the position of the cut is very important. It should be 2-3 cm below the node; larger branches slightly longer, thinner branches slightly shorter; rooting is easy below the node. Fifth, the quality of the cut is key. The cut should be flat, the scissors should be sharp, and the cut should not be crushed. Sixth, rooting powder can be used to treat the cut to promote rooting; the lower leaves that enter the water should be removed.

The length of the cuttings varies with different species and different purposes. Since the purpose of water insertion is to obtain plants with ornamental value, unlike cutting propagation, the cuttings are generally required to be somewhat longer. Cuttings of vine plants for water insertion should be longer, such as golden pothos and ivy; short, small flowers can naturally have shorter cuttings for water insertion, such as purple velvet plant and geranium. Cuttings of the same plant can also be combined to form a full, lush plant shape or a richly varied form with high and low staggered levels.

The season for water insertion mainly considers the temperature factor. If the water temperature can be controlled at about 20°C, any season is suitable for water insertion. Under natural conditions, spring and autumn have suitable temperatures, plants grow vigorously, and water insertion is easy to succeed. In late autumn, winter and early spring, temperatures below this are not conducive to rooting; in summer, temperatures are high and the cut ends of the cuttings rot easily.

After the cuttings are placed in water, they face two problems. First, microbial infection of the cut, which forms a mucus layer at the cut, causing rot and leading to failure of water insertion. Second, during the period of cut healing and rooting, respiration is intense and oxygen demand is high, and the oxygen content of the water body cannot meet the need. In response to the above problems, the key management point after water insertion is to change the water every day to ensure clean water quality and sufficient oxygen; when changing the water, pay attention to cleaning the container and rinsing the cuttings, especially cleaning the cut. After the water-inserted cuttings have rooted, they can be transferred to normal management.

Daily care of hydroponic flowers

1. Nutrient solution: Generally, you can just use the special hydroponic nutrient solution sold on the market, and mix a suitable concentration according to the instructions, such as diluting 400 times or 1000 times; do not get the ratio wrong. When preparing it, let the tap water sit for two hours to half a day, wait until its temperature is close to room temperature and the chlorine in the water has fully evaporated, then add the concentrated nutrient solution in proportion, and it becomes a nutrient solution that can be used to grow hydroponic plants.

2. Changing the water: Changing the water means replacing the water in the bottle to which nutrient solution has been added. Generally, in spring and autumn, change the water once every 5-10 days; in summer, change it about once every 5 days; in winter, change it once every 10-15 days (after the tap water has sat for half a day, add the concentrated nutrient solution in proportion). Changing the water is to ensure the oxygen supply in the water; fresh water contains more oxygen, and the plants will grow more healthily. If the water is not changed for a long time, the plants can also hold out for a while. For example, sometimes when everyone goes on a business trip or vacation, ten days to half a month or even a month away from home, soil-cultured plants can no longer stand it and quickly die, while hydroponic plants can still hold on as long as you add more water; but if the time is too long and the water in the bottle is very stale or has deteriorated, it will affect the growth of the hydroponic plants and, in serious cases, can also cause their death.

3. Cleaning: Each time you change the water, rinse the plant roots and container with clean water, and prune dead branches, withered leaves and rotten roots. Under normal growth conditions, hydroponic plants will periodically rot part of their roots and then grow new roots, so when you find root rot, do not panic; just use sterilized scissors to prune away the rotten roots. Sometimes some old roots can also be pruned to promote the growth of new roots. But be sure not to damage the aquatic roots, otherwise it will affect the plant's growth.

4. Temperature: The suitable growth temperature for hydroponic plants is above 5 degrees and below 30 degrees. In other words, as long as the temperature feels fairly comfortable to people, the plants will also feel fairly comfortable and can grow normally; even in winter, they can still be lush and leafy, adding vitality for us.

5. Light: Mainly indirect light.

What is indirect light? It is natural light coming in through windows and other places, naturally diffused indoors. Generally, plants only need appropriate brightness to grow; they do not necessarily have to be exposed to the sun, and in summer, direct sunlight should be avoided as much as possible.

6. Pests and diseases: Common ones include gray mold and leaf blight, which form brown spots and other symptoms on the leaf surface, and can be controlled with fungicides such as chlorothalonil, carbendazim and thiophanate. Common pests include aphids and scale insects. When there are few aphids and scale insects, they can be handled manually and wiped off with a damp cloth. When they occur in large numbers, spray with an 800-fold dilution of omethoate. Besides aphids and scale insects, red spider mites also occur and can be controlled with dicofol.

How to choose the types of hydroponic flowers? Which flower varieties can be grown hydroponically?