Cultivation Methods and Key Technical Points for Chinese Fringe Flower (Loropetalum chinense var. rubrum)
Chinese fringe flower, also known as red loropetalum, red ji mu, red jihua and so on, is an evergreen shrub or small tree of the genus Loropetalum in the witch hazel family (Hamamelidaceae). Its bark is dark gray or light grayish brown, its leaves are leathery and alternate, its branches are dense and its foliage lush, and its form is graceful. It tolerates pruning and wiring well, and can be used for hedges or for making stump bonsai. When it blooms, the whole tree is covered in red flowers, which is extremely spectacular. Let us take a look at the cultivation methods for Chinese fringe flower below!
Growth Habits of Chinese Fringe Flower
Chinese fringe flower is mainly distributed in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River and areas to the south, and is also found in northern India. It is produced in Liuyang City and Changsha County in Hunan, and Suzhou, Wuxi, Yixing, Liyang, Jurong and other places in Jiangsu. It likes light and tolerates slight shade, but in shade the leaf color tends to turn green. It has strong adaptability and tolerates drought. It likes warmth and tolerates cold. Its sprouting and branching ability is strong, and it tolerates pruning. It tolerates poor soil, but grows best in fertile, moist, slightly acidic soil.
Propagation Methods for Chinese Fringe Flower
1. Grafting: Grafting mainly uses two methods, cut grafting and bud grafting, and can be carried out from February to October. Cut grafting is best done before sprouting in spring, while bud grafting is best done in September to October. Using medium and small plants of white Chinese fringe flower (Loropetalum chinense) as rootstock for multi-head grafting, with strengthened water, fertilizer and pruning management, plants can leave the nursery within 1 year.
2. Cuttings: Cuttings can be taken from March to September. Use loose loess as the cutting medium, ensure the medium is well aerated and permeable and the air humidity is high, keep it warm but avoid direct sunlight, and at the same time pay attention to ventilation of the cutting environment. Under warm and humid conditions, the cuttings form red callus in 20 to 25 days, and after 1 month they grow 3 to 9 new roots that are 0.1 cm thick and 1 to 6 cm long.
3. Sowing: Sow in spring and summer; the seed germination rate is high. They germinate about 25 days after sowing, can grow to 6 to 20 cm tall in 1 year, and produce 3 to 6 branches. The new roots of seedlings are red and fleshy, and careful management is required in the early stage until the root system becomes lignified and turns brown, only then can management be more extensive. Because sexual propagation has a long seedling stage, slow growth, and may produce white Chinese fringe flower seedlings (atavism), it is generally not used for nursery stock production, but for breeding research on Chinese fringe flower.
Cultivation and Management of Chinese Fringe Flower
1. Fertilizing: Before transplanting Chinese fringe flower, choose base fertilizer mainly composed of thoroughly decomposed organic fertilizer, combine it with broadcast or hole application of compound fertilizer, and make sure to mix it thoroughly to avoid root damage. During the growing season, use a neutral foliar fertilizer diluted 800 to 1000 times for foliar topdressing, spraying 2 to 3 times per month to promote new shoot growth.
2. Watering: In the plum rain season in the south, Chinese fringe flower should be kept well drained. In hot and dry seasons, watering should be guaranteed once in the morning and once in the evening, with water spraying at noon to lower the temperature. In northern regions, because the soil and air are dry, water must be given promptly to keep the soil moist. In autumn, winter and early spring, pay attention to spraying water to keep the leaves clean and moist.
3. Pruning: Chinese fringe flower has the characteristics of strong sprouting ability and tolerance to pruning. Carrying out light and moderate pruning in growing seasons such as early spring and early autumn, together with normal water and fertilizer management, allows it to bloom after about 1 month, and the flowering period is concentrated. This method can promote new branches and new leaves, make the tree form more beautiful, prolong the red period of the leaves, and can promote or control the flowering period. It is especially suitable for Chinese fringe flower bonsai participating in flower exhibitions and trade fairs, can enhance the exhibition effect, and promote product sales.
4. Shaping
① Artificial spherical form: Chinese fringe flower is extremely tolerant of pruning and wiring for shaping, and the tree form mostly adopts the artificial spherical type. During the growing season, remove the mature leaves and branch tips of Chinese fringe flower, and after about 10 days of normal management, tender shoots can sprout again and fresh red new leaves can grow.
② Natural clumping form: Chinese fringe flower has strong sprouting ability and strong branching ability, and can naturally grow into a clumping form.
③ Single-trunk round-headed form: Select one thick branch to train as the trunk, remove the other branches, and when the trunk reaches the height above [the intended point], head it back. On it, select one robust, upright and upward-growing branch as the extension branch of the trunk, that is, train it as the central leader. Afterward, on the central leader, select and retain 4 to 5 strong main branches evenly arranged around it, with the branches distributed in a staggered way above and below.
Cultivation Methods for Chinese Fringe Flower
1. Specimen planting: Choose a plant with a tall and full form and plant it alone in an important position or at a focal point of the line of sight, such as near an entrance, in a courtyard or on a lawn, forming a scene by itself, and pay attention to creating a strong contrast with the surrounding landscape to achieve the effect of “a single red amid ten thousand greens”, so that it can serve as the central focal point of the landscape or guide the line of sight.
2. Group planting: Use Chinese fringe flower balls and other plants to dot garden green spaces in groups, which not only enriches the landscape colors but also enlivens the garden atmosphere. If planted in groups with green tree species, all can play a role of adding beauty to what is already beautiful. Planting mainly Chinese fringe flower balls in groups and patches forms a scenic forest; its unique leaf color and posture are beautiful throughout the four seasons, and its landscaping effect is far better than that of a pure green scenic forest.
3. Mass planting: Use one-year-old small Chinese fringe flower seedlings densely planted in green spaces to form color blocks. They can be combined with golden leaf privet, spring-flowering azalea, summer-flowering azalea, golden leaf elm, golden-edged boxwood and so on. This can not only form color contrast through the contrast in leaf color, but also stagger the flowering periods. For this type of use, it is advisable to choose the "Touguhong" series.
4. Spherical form: Prune Chinese fringe flower into spherical shapes and arrange them in green belts. They are mainly divided into two types: rough balls and fine balls. Rough balls are mainly formed after 1 to 3 years of pruning and shaping, and are mainly used in large green spaces with somewhat extensive management. Fine balls require at least 3 years of pruning and shaping, and are mainly used in refined gardens such as villa courtyards. For this type of use, it is advisable to choose the "Touguhong" series.
5. Colored hedge: Densely plant Chinese fringe flower into a colored hedge to serve the functions of enclosure and space separation. The specifications of the nursery stock should be selected according to the specific use of the colored hedge. For example, in green spaces, a 70 to 80 cm colored hedge can be chosen to separate spaces, while colored hedges higher than 2 m are mostly used on the outer periphery of green spaces to serve as a green wall.
6. Color sculpture: Directionally cultivate or shape Chinese fringe flower into green sculptures such as animals and geometric forms, and place them in green spaces as garden ornaments. For this type of use, it is advisable to choose the "Touguhong" series.
7. Stump scenery: Taking advantage of the characteristics of the "Shuangmianhong" series of Chinese fringe flower, such as fast growth, large leaves and sparse branches, directionally cultivate it into large stump scenery for greening in high-grade gardens, and it can also be used as the focal point of a flower bed for landscaping.
8. Street trees: Through pruning control, Chinese fringe flower can be trained into a small colored-leaf tree, and it can also be trained by grafting onto white Chinese fringe flower. It is mostly used as street trees in residential communities. For this type of use, it is advisable to choose the "Touguhong" series.