What are the precautions for growing southern flowers in the north? Keep these issues in mind
How can you grow southern flowers well? The key is to understand the natural climate conditions of their places of origin and to master the ecological habits of each type of flower. Specifically, you need to focus on 4 main aspects: growing soil, water use, shading and humidity increase, and heat preservation and cold protection.
1. Make the soil acidic. Most southern flowers prefer acidic soil, especially camellias, rhododendrons, and others that need strongly acidic soil. If soil with excessively high alkalinity is used for a long time to grow such flowers, it will cause leaf tips to dry, leaves to turn yellow, and even death. Therefore, making the soil acidic is an important measure for growing southern flowers well. Leaf mold soil, pine needle soil, peat soil, or ferrous sulfate, sulfur powder, vinegar residue, etc. can be used to improve the soil, all with good results.
2. Improve water quality. Groundwater in most areas of the north has a relatively high salt and alkali content. Long-term use of this kind of water to water flowers easily causes soil compaction and salinization, affecting the normal growth and development of southern flowers. Therefore, it is best to use mineral-free rainwater or snow water to water flowers.
3. Shade and increase humidity. Summers in North China and other places are hot, with high sunlight intensity. If potted flowers are placed in strong light and exposed to the sun at this time, it is very easy to cause yellowing of branches and leaves and even scorching. Therefore, proper shading is needed in summer. The places of origin of flowers such as rhododendrons and gardenias not only have relatively high rainfall, but also have many plum rain periods, so there are often large amounts of clouds and mist in the sky, making light intensity weaker. North China and other places are different. Although summer rainfall is also high, it is mostly clear after rain, so light intensity is higher. Most flowers introduced from the south cannot adapt to this strong-light environment, so in northern summers these southern plants should be given different amounts of shade respectively. This is another important measure for growing southern flowers well.
Most southern flowers prefer a humid environment, but the climate in the north is dry and the relative air humidity is low, which easily causes dry leaf tips or bud drop and flower drop. Therefore, during the whole year of care, it is necessary to frequently spray the branches and leaves with clean water. In summer, water should also be sprinkled on the ground around the flower pots to increase air humidity. This not only helps increase leaf gloss and air humidity and improve photosynthesis efficiency, but also reduces the occurrence and spread of pests and diseases. Therefore, it is also an indispensable task for growing southern flowers well.
4. Heat preservation and cold protection. Most southern flowers prefer warmth and fear cold. During the growth period, low temperatures below 0°C can easily cause damage, so after late autumn, they should be moved indoors for care in good time according to the temperature requirements of each type of flower. For ordinary flowers, it is suitable to move them indoors before Frost's Descent. The indoor temperature in winter should be treated differently according to the warmth preferences of different flowers. For high-temperature-loving flowers such as Milan, poinsettia, gloxinia, Impatiens walleriana, bamboo begonia, and cacti, it should not be lower than 12°C; for medium-temperature-loving ones such as white orchid, jasmine, and Chinese hibiscus, it should not be lower than 5°C; for relatively low-temperature-tolerant ones such as osmanthus, kumquat, and sour orange, not lower than 0°C is enough for safe overwintering. Most southern flowers have poor cold resistance, so they should not be moved outdoors too early in spring, to avoid harm from late frost and cold wind.