Lantana Care: Growing Methods and Precautions
Lantana, also known as Shandadan, Ruyi grass, colorful flower, and Wuleidan, is an evergreen shrub in the genus Lantana of the Verbenaceae family. Its flowering period generally runs from mid to late April to around mid-February of the following year, though influenced by climate and temperature, it can be seen blooming almost year-round. Its ornamental value is extremely high. Let us take a look at how to grow lantana!
The Ornamental Value of Growing Lantana
1. Ornamental: Lantana has lush green foliage and abundant flowers, remaining colorful year-round with a long viewing period for its blooms. The flowers are beautiful, coming in colors such as red, orange, yellow, pink, and white. Some flowers start as yellow or pink when they first open, gradually turning orange-yellow or orange-red, and finally becoming red. The flowers are small and distinctive, appearing very beautiful, with considerable ornamental value.
2. Bonsai: Lantana's young branches are soft and pliable, suitable for making various forms of bonsai. They can be processed into different bonsai styles such as single-trunk, double-trunk, waterside style, and slanting-trunk style, and are also very suitable for home decoration. Due to the relatively large leaves, the canopy is often styled in an elegant natural form, or can be deliberately shaped into rounded discs.
Lantana Propagation Methods
1. Sowing: Sowing can be done in late autumn in pots with high humidity and warm conditions, or in spring. In South China, seedlings can be used to plant flower beds, and flowers can be seen as early as September of the same year. After the fruit ripens, pick it and pile it to compost, then soak in water and rub to remove the flesh, and the seeds are obtained. Seeds must not be allowed to lose water; they can be sown immediately after collection in autumn, or stored mixed with sand and sown in spring. After sowing, the temperature during the germination stage should be maintained above 20C. The germination rate is about 60%, and seedlings sown in the south can bloom in autumn of the same year.
2. Cuttings: Cuttings are mostly taken in May. Take one-year-old branches as cuttings, with every two nodes forming one segment. Keep the 2 leaves on the upper node and cut them in half, then insert the lower node into plain sandy soil or a substrate made of equal parts plain sandy soil and fully decomposed humus soil mixed evenly. After inserting, shade them, cover with film to retain moisture and warmth, and keep the cutting bed moist with air humidity at 80-90%. Roots will develop in about 1 month, and new shoots will sprout.
3. Layering: Lantana plants have extremely many branches and take root upon touching soil. Therefore, notch flexible branches and press them into the soil. After the root system grows, sever the stem from the parent plant and separate the new plant.
How to Grow Lantana
1. Fertilizer and Water: For potted plants, loose and fertile sandy loam is ideal, though the requirements are not strict. During the growing season, apply decomposed liquid fertilizer once every 10 days, and at the same time, along with watering, spray 3% urea twice every 10 days, which can make the leaves thicker and greener. When planting, apply organic fertilizer as a base fertilizer, and water initially to promote growth. Once established and growing vigorously, reduce watering. In open-field cultivation, bury trailing branches into the soil, and they can gradually spread into a large clump.
2. Sunlight: Lantana prefers a sunny, well-lit environment. During the growing season, it can be placed outdoors in a sunny spot for care, and even in midsummer it does not need shading, but good ventilation is required. If light is insufficient, the plant will become leggy, with thin and elongated stems and branches, and sparse flowering, seriously affecting its ornamental value.
3. Pruning: Lantana grows relatively fast. During cultivation, promptly prune branches and leaves that affect the plant's shape to maintain its beautiful form. After each flowering, cut back overly long young branches. In late autumn and early winter, before moving indoors, give the plant a heavy pruning, appropriately shortening all current-year branches. In winter, move it indoors to a sunny spot. If a room temperature above 15°C can be maintained, the plant can grow and bloom normally, and should be watered, fertilized, and pruned appropriately. If such a high temperature cannot be maintained, reduce watering, stop fertilizing, and let the plant go dormant; it can overwinter safely at 8°C or above. Repot once every spring, and prune and reshape the plant again, cutting off dead branches, weak branches, and other branches that affect the plant's shape.
Pest and Disease Control for Lantana
1. Gray Mold
[Symptoms] The pathogen first invades from the tip of the petals. After onset, the diseased areas appear water-soaked, soft, discolored, and lose their luster. Eventually the petals turn brown and rot, and the flowers drop off. Under humid conditions, a gray mold layer forms on the surface of the diseased areas.
[Transmission Route] The pathogen overwinters as sclerotia or mycelium on the remains of diseased plants. The following spring it produces spores, which spread through wind and rain and cause infection. Low temperature and high humidity, along with poor ventilation, favor the development of the disease. This disease occurs more frequently in greenhouses.
[Control Methods] Pay attention to ventilation and reduce humidity, which can lessen the occurrence of the disease. Promptly remove diseased flowers and burn them in a centralized manner or bury them deeply in soil to reduce the source of infection. In the early stage of disease occurrence, spray 1:200 Bordeaux mixture, or 50% Procymidone wettable powder at 2000 times dilution, or 50% Iprodione wettable powder at 1500 times dilution, once every two weeks. The number of spray applications depends on the disease situation.
2. Leaf Blight Nematode
[Symptoms] After the leaves are invaded by nematodes, the leaf color fades and pale brown spots appear, which gradually deepen to almost black. As the lesions expand, they become angular spots due to the restriction by the main and lateral veins. In severe cases, the entire leaf dies, curls, and droops along the stem. Most nematodes are in the slightly discolored areas; on leaves that have turned dark brown or black, there are only a few nematodes.
[Transmission Route] The leaf blight nematode overwinters in the roots and surrounding soil, in the remains of diseased plants, and on wild hosts. Even on extremely small leaf remnants, it can survive in soil for 6-7 months. The entire development process of the leaf blight nematode is completed within the invaded tissue. Under suitable conditions (22-25°C, sufficient humidity), it takes only 14 days from egg to female adult laying eggs. It is generally transmitted through water droplets, irrigation water, and contact between diseased and healthy leaves. Long-distance spread relies on human transport of diseased leaves, flowers, stems, cuttings, and soil. It enters through the stomata on the leaves.
[Control Methods] Strengthen quarantine to prevent the leaf nematode and its propagation materials from entering disease-free areas. Horticultural control: for potted plants, do not use diseased soil or soil with abundant weeds. Improve watering methods; preferably avoid overhead watering and keep the leaf surface as dry as possible. When placing potted flowers, leave appropriate gaps so that leaves do not touch each other. For chemical control, use 15% aldicarb granules at 5-6 grams per square meter of potting soil, or 2-3 grams for a pot about 25 cm in diameter, applied deep into the soil. Or use 3% carbofuran at 3-5 grams per pot, applied deep into the soil. During the damage period, 50% fenitrothion emulsion, 50% oxamyl, and 50% carbaryl wettable powder at 1000 times dilution can also be sprayed on the leaves.
Note: That is all for the lantana growing methods we have introduced. When growing lantana, note that its flowers and leaves are toxic; accidental ingestion can cause diarrhea and fever. However, as long as we understand their growth habits and take certain measures, they will not harm health and will only be beneficial to the human body.