How to grow Aglaia odorata? Detailed guide to cultivation methods and precautions
Aglaia odorata is an evergreen shrub or small tree belonging to the genus Aglaia in the Meliaceae family, also known by other names such as Zhulan, Mizailan, Shulan, and Yuzailan. Aglaia odorata is native to China's Fujian, Guangdong, Guangxi, Yunnan and other provinces, and is also distributed in Southeast Asia. It is a common fragrant ornamental plant. Now the editor of Qiangnong Net will take everyone to look at the cultivation methods of Aglaia odorata!
Growth habits of Aglaia odorata
Aglaia odorata prefers warm, humid and sunny environments, is not cold-tolerant, slightly shade-tolerant, and does best in loose, fertile, slightly acidic soil. In winter, the temperature should not be lower than 10°C.
1. Aglaia odorata prefers warmth, sunny positions and abundant fertilizer. The optimum growth temperature is 20°C-25°C. Under normal circumstances, with ample sunlight and relatively high temperatures (around 30°C), the flowers produced have a strong fragrance. If it is placed in a shaded spot in summer and at the same time given large amounts of nitrogen fertilizer, this is one of the main reasons it does not bloom, or blooms sparsely with a weak fragrance. Therefore, during the growth and development period, Aglaia odorata needs to be kept outdoors in a sunny spot for care, and attention should be paid to properly applying more liquid fertilizer containing more phosphorus. It is best to apply alum fertilizer water made by soaking crushed bone meal, fish bones, chicken bones, etc. until decomposed, and regularly supplement with chemical fertilizers containing more phosphorus or fermented rice-washing water, etc. All of these help with flower bud formation, and result in more blooms, golden-yellow color and a delicate fragrance.
2. Aglaia odorata prefers humidity, and watering during the growing period should be moderate. If watered too much, it easily causes root rot, and leaves turn yellow, wither and fall off; if watered too much during the flowering period, it easily causes flowers and buds to drop; if watered too little, it will cause the leaf edges to dry up and buds to wither. Therefore, when summer temperatures are high, in addition to watering 1-2 times a day, the branches and leaves should also be frequently sprayed and washed with clean water, and water should also be sprinkled on the ground where it is placed to increase air humidity. At the same time, fertilization should also be appropriate. Since Aglaia odorata blooms many times within a year, after each bloom it should promptly be given 2-3 additional applications of fully decomposed, dilute liquid fertilizer, so that it can bloom continuously with a rich fragrance. Aglaia odorata prefers acidic soil, and for pot cultivation a growing medium based mainly on leaf mold should be selected. During the vigorous growth period, spraying once a week with 0.2% ferrous sulfate solution results in green leaves and abundant flowers.
Propagation techniques for Aglaia odorata
Aglaia odorata is commonly propagated by cuttings and air layering.
1. Cuttings include old-wood cuttings and softwood cuttings. The former uses old branches from the previous year as cuttings, carried out from April to May; the latter uses semi-lignified branches of the current year, carried out from June to August. The standard for collecting softwood shoots as cuttings is that the leaves at the branch tips are thick, green, and the axillary buds are plump. The cuttings should be about 10 cm long, retaining 2-3 leaves at the upper end and removing all other leaves, to reduce water evaporation and nutrient consumption, and the cut surface should be trimmed smooth. For the cutting medium, river sand, expanded perlite, peat, vermiculite, etc. can be used. When cutting, first use a bamboo chopstick to make holes in the cutting medium at a spacing of about 5 cm, then insert the cuttings into the holes to a depth of about 1/3 of the cutting. After inserting, press the soil firm with your fingers so that the soil and cuttings are closely combined, and water thoroughly. Set up a shade frame to maintain a ventilated, humid environment. The speed of rooting of cuttings is greatly related to the temperature of the cutting medium. With a high bottom temperature, rooting is fast. When the bottom temperature is 30°C-32°C, rooting can occur 40 days after cutting; at 25°C-28°C, it takes 50-60 days to root. However, with a high bottom temperature, leaf evaporation is fast, and the metabolism of the cuttings is in an active state. At this time, if the humidity is low, it easily causes the cuttings to drop leaves. Once the cuttings drop leaves, there is no hope of survival. Therefore, high temperature must also be accompanied by high humidity, usually maintaining a relative humidity above 85%. Before cutting, soaking the base of the cuttings in 20 ppm-25 ppm indolebutyric acid for 12-24 hours, or 50 ppm indoleacetic acid for 15 hours, has the effect of promoting rooting.
2. Air layering can be done from May to September, but the best time is during the plum rain weather in June. At this time, the survival rate of layering is high and rooting is fast. Generally, Aglaia odorata layered in early June will successively root after 40 days. The specific method is: select a healthy, one-year-old lignified branch with a stem thickness of 0.5 mm. Make a ring-bark cut 20 cm from the branching point, with a ring width of about 0.5 cm, and a depth reaching the xylem. Then apply moss or wet soil to the ring-barked area, wrap it with plastic film, and keep the moss etc. always moist. After rooting, cut it off from the mother plant, first acclimatize it in a shaded place, and then pot it for planting. Using this method gives a high survival rate, and the resulting plants bloom relatively quickly.
Cultivation and management of Aglaia odorata
Although Aglaia odorata has fairly strong shade tolerance, it does not tolerate long periods of shade, especially potted Aglaia odorata at full bloom, which should not be placed indoors for a long time. When flowering, it can be moved outdoors after 4 p.m. and moved indoors before 9 a.m., so that it receives sunlight and accumulates nutrients for producing new branches and new flower spikes. When moved indoors in winter, it should also be allowed to receive as much light as possible.
Although Aglaia odorata is not strict about soil requirements, a sandy loam rich in humus, fertile and slightly acidic is preferable. When preparing potting soil, use 2 parts peat soil plus 1 part sand, or choose 2 parts fertile garden soil and 2 parts compost soil plus 1 part sand, mixed together.
After the seedlings are potted, when they grow to 20 cm-25 cm tall, they can be pinched back to encourage lateral branches to form a canopy sooner, while also controlling plant height and increasing flower quantity.
When Aglaia odorata is potted, good drainage must be ensured. Watering should be determined according to dry and wet climatic conditions; the potting soil should be kept moist but not excessively wet for long periods. Maintaining relatively high air humidity is beneficial to the growth of Aglaia odorata. In dry weather and during the vigorous growth period, it is best to spray water on the leaves 1-2 times a day.
Aglaia odorata has luxuriant branches and leaves, and during the growing period it continuously produces new branches and forms flower spikes, so it needs sufficient fertilizer. If fertility is insufficient, flower quantity will noticeably decrease. For this reason, after growth begins in spring, additional fertilizer should be applied promptly. For additional fertilization, decomposed cake fertilizer or sesame paste residue water is good. Aglaia odorata cannot tolerate concentrated fertilizer, so fertilization should follow the principle of applying thin fertilizer frequently. Especially when starting additional fertilization in spring, concentrated fertilizer should be avoided. Additional fertilizer should be applied once every 7-10 days, and an appropriate amount of superphosphate should also be added to the fertilizer water.
When summer is hot, Aglaia odorata should be placed in a shaded place. It can be placed at the edge of a shade frame, so that it is neither exposed to strong light nor able to receive more sunlight. This is because overly strong direct light inhibits the growth and development of Aglaia odorata, while overly shaded conditions also easily cause it to grow leggy, become weak, and produce fewer flowers.
According to the temperature requirements of Aglaia odorata, potted Aglaia odorata generally cannot be moved outdoors until after Grain Rain, and in autumn it must be moved indoors for overwintering before Frost Descent. During overwintering, the room temperature should preferably be kept at 10°C-12°C. Too high a room temperature easily causes continued growth, which is unfavorable for growth and development the following year. But if the temperature is too low and drops below 5°C, it easily causes cold damage. When Aglaia odorata overwinters indoors, its leaves easily collect dust, affecting normal photosynthesis, so it needs to be rinsed once at regular intervals.
Shaping should begin from the seedling stage, keeping a section of main trunk 15 cm-20 cm high, and not allowing the main branches to grow in clusters from the ground. Since Aglaia odorata produces flower spikes in the leaf axils of new leaves, it is generally not pruned. If it is to control the tree shape and increase new branches, pinch back before new branches grow, or combine pruning with cuttings.