Tips and Precautions for Caring for Potted Plants During the Plum Rain Season
The Plum Rain season has now arrived. During the Plum Rain period, rainfall is markedly convective and intense, with relatively heavy local precipitation. The Plum Rain season is also a test for the various potted plants we grow, and how to help them safely get through the Plum Rain season is very important as well. Now let the editors of Boqi.com explain in detail the following knowledge on caring for potted plants during the Plum Rain season.
Potted Plants
The key lies in reasonable watering, light and ventilation, and pest and disease control. During this period there is more rain, so when watering, pay attention to the degree of dryness and wetness of the potting soil; if it is too wet, root rot easily occurs. When the temperature reaches above 30°C, watering should be reduced for flowers that are in a dormant or semi-dormant state. The best times for watering are before 10 a.m. or after 4 p.m. Under high temperatures, sudden heavy rainstorms often occur, followed immediately by clearing skies, and this is a kind of "test" for potted flowering plants. If conditions permit, it is best to move potted flowers to a rain-sheltered, ventilated place; for those that are not easy to move, prop up the bottom of the pot and remove the saucer to create drainage and ventilation conditions, and try as much as possible to avoid direct sun exposure right after rain.
The Plum Rain season is a period when pests and diseases on potted flowers occur frequently. The most common pests include red spider mites, aphids, scale insects, and so on, which can be sprayed with omethoate; affected by high temperatures and abundant rain, flowers and trees are most susceptible to fungal infection, and roses and the like are also prone to black spot disease. Carbendazim is a general-purpose control agent.
Of course, the Plum Rain is not necessarily harmful to plants in every way. For example, abundant rain and suitable temperatures will promote new leaf growth in plants and are beneficial for plant cutting propagation, with a relatively high survival rate. To make new plants grow well, measures should be taken such as digging drainage ditches in advance to lower the groundwater level; appropriate pinching and pruning; and timely spraying of fungicides after the rain dries.
Care of Landscape Plants During the Plum Rain Season
In early summer, the Yangtze-Huaihe River basin often experiences a period of prolonged gloomy and rainy weather. At this time, objects easily become moldy, hence it is called "mold rain," abbreviated as "mold"; it also coincides with the ripening and yellowing of plums in Jiangnan, so it is also called "Plum Rain" or "Yellow Plum Rain."The Plum Rain season has abundant rain, high humidity, and high temperatures, and water accumulation easily occurs, creating favorable conditions for the reproduction and spread of pathogens. Based on many years of work experience, several suggestions are put forward for strengthening the care of landscape plants during the Plum Rain season:
Care of Landscape Plants During the Plum Rain Season
I.Care of Ground-planted Plants
The key lies in timely drainage, disease control, prevention of lodging and breakage, and weed control.
First, timely drainage must be achieved, promptly removing surface water, soil water, and groundwater.
Surface water is clearly visible and easy to manage; generally it is required to be completely removed within 2 to 4 hours after rain. Soil water requires ditching to be effective; generally ditches are spaced 1.5 m to 2 m apart, 35 cm to 45 cm deep, and the width should be moderate enough to prevent collapse. For groundwater, deep ditches and blind ditches should be dug to solve drainage. Cutting beds during the Plum Rain season must be sheltered from rain or use a drainage- and air-permeable medium. Drainage of river channels mainly involves the repair, inspection, and maintenance of pumping stations to ensure drainage capacity during heavy rain, avoiding flooding caused by heavy rain that soaks shoreline plants and causes them to die.
The main function of drainage is to prevent root rot caused by excessive water or roots being held in water for too long. Therefore, for plants that have been waterlogged for too long, the condition of the root system should be checked in a timely manner; if root rot occurs, promptly prune the roots, spray with fungicide, and plant after they have dried. If symptoms such as yellowing leaves and leaf drop appear, the root system has already been soaked in water for too long, and rescue is relatively difficult.
Care of Landscape Plants During the Plum Rain Season
Second, disease control must be done well.
The high temperatures and high humidity of the Plum Rain season create conditions for pathogen reproduction and spread, allowing pathogen spores to spread and easily infect young and tender tissues. Plants susceptible to disease should be sprayed with fungicide promptly after the rain dries. Special attention should be paid to checking for powdery mildew, leaf rot, black pox, and so on. Those prone to powdery mildew include Mahonia fortunei, Euonymus japonicus, crape myrtle, plane tree, Chinese rose, impatiens, and so on; those prone to black pox include grapes, Chinese rose, and so on.
Attention must also be paid to preventing lodging and breakage. The lodging problem that appears during the Plum Rain season is actually a problem of planting quality; for example, overly dense planting, excessive fertility, and poor drainage all easily lead to lodging. If these problems are avoided in advance, the Plum Rain season can be passed safely. For fruit trees bearing many fruits, inspection should be strengthened; when it rains, due to their own weight combined with rainwater, if a strong wind blows, branches are easily broken. For heavily burdened fruit-bearing branches, a combination of thinning and heading back should be used to reduce the burden and prevent similar occurrences.
In addition, weeds tend to grow rampant during the Plum Rain season.
Grass and miscellaneous seedlings in nurseries and green spaces should be pulled out after rain, "with roots and without soil"; otherwise, the result is half the effort for double the result. Recently, this has been a quite favorable period for pulling out miscellaneous seedlings and perennial weeds by the roots.
Care of Landscape Plants During the Plum Rain Season
II.Care of Potted Flowers and Trees
The key lies in reasonable watering, light and ventilation, and pest and disease control.
During this period there is more rain, so when watering, pay attention to the degree of dryness and wetness of the potting soil; if it is too wet, root rot easily occurs. When the temperature reaches above 30°C, watering should be reduced for flowers that are in a dormant or semi-dormant state. The best times for watering are before 10 a.m. or after 4 p.m. Under high temperatures, sudden heavy rainstorms often occur, followed immediately by clearing skies, and this is a kind of "test" for potted flowering plants. If conditions permit, it is best to move potted flowers to a rain-sheltered, ventilated place; for those that are not easy to move, prop up the bottom of the pot and remove the saucer to create drainage and ventilation conditions, and try as much as possible to avoid direct sun exposure right after rain.
Care of Landscape Plants During the Plum Rain Season
The Plum Rain season is a period when pests and diseases on potted flowers occur frequently. The most common pests include red spider mites, aphids, scale insects, and so on, which can be sprayed with omethoate; affected by high temperatures and abundant rain, flowers and trees are most susceptible to fungal infection, and roses and the like are also prone to black spot disease. Carbendazim is a general-purpose control agent.
Of course, the Plum Rain is not necessarily harmful to plants in every way. For example, abundant rain and suitable temperatures will promote new leaf growth in plants and are beneficial for plant cutting propagation, with a relatively high survival rate. To make new plants grow well, measures should be taken such as digging drainage ditches in advance to lower the groundwater level; appropriate pinching and pruning; and timely spraying of fungicides after the rain dries.
Care of Flowers and Trees During the Plum Rain Season
During the Plum Rain season, most plants enter a dormant or semi-dormant state under high temperatures. Tian Baorui, deputy secretary-general of the Nanjing Flowers and Trees Chamber of Commerce, reminds citizens that reasonable watering, light and ventilation, and pest and disease prevention are the keys to caring for flowers and trees during the Plum Rain season.
Tian Baorui told reporters that when the temperature reaches above 30°C, watering should be reduced for flowers in a dormant or semi-dormant state. According to the climate conditions of the Nanjing area, the best times for watering are before 10 a.m. or after 4 p.m. Generally, watering once a day is enough; indoor foliage plants do not need to be watered every day, and should be watered thoroughly only after the potting soil has dried out, while also paying attention to spraying the leaf surfaces.
Under high temperatures, sudden heavy rainstorms often occur, followed immediately by clearing skies, and this is a kind of "test" for potted flowering plants. Tian Baorui introduced that herbaceous flowers such as Aglaia odorata, Michelia alba, Chinese rose, and jasmine like light, while indoor foliage plants such as money tree, pothos, Ptychosperma, zebra plant, and Rohdea japonica only need to maintain weak light. If conditions permit, it is best to move potted flowers to a rain-sheltered, ventilated place; for those that are not easy to move, prop up the bottom of the pot and remove the saucer to create drainage and ventilation conditions.
The Plum Rain season is a period when pests and diseases on potted flowers occur frequently. Tian Baorui prescribed the following "remedies" for common diseased flowers: the most common pests include red spider mites, aphids, scale insects, and so on, which can be sprayed with omethoate; affected by high temperatures and abundant rain, flowers and trees are most susceptible to fungal infection, and roses and the like are also prone to black spot disease. Carbendazim is a general-purpose control agent.
The Plum Rain season is also a good time for cultivating some potted flowers. Chinese rose, bougainvillea, lantana, pothos, Monstera deliciosa, and so on are suitable for cutting propagation at this time.