How to care for potted wintersweet (Chimonanthus praecox) so it blooms more? A detailed guide to care methods
· Wintersweet likes moisture and fears waterlogging
There is a farming proverb: "Wintersweet won't die of drought." Watering should follow "dry-wet alternation" - do not water when the potting soil is not dry, and water thoroughly when you do. Under normal circumstances, water once a day in spring and autumn; in summer, spray once daily at 8-9 am, and water thoroughly in the afternoon and evening. From June to July, water evaporates quickly and leaf transpiration is also fast. This is also the flower bud formation period, so watering needs to be sufficient. If water is insufficient, the leaves easily become dry and yellow, affecting flower bud formation. But in winter, watering should be controlled - water once every 4-6 days at noon, and do not use too much water. After leaf drop, watering should be further reduced - water once every 7-10 days. Before flowering and during full bloom, watering should be moderate; too much water easily causes flower buds to drop, while too little water makes the flowers bloom unevenly. It must be especially noted here that the potting soil must not accumulate water. If there is a storm, the pot should be moved indoors or the potting soil covered with plastic film to prevent long-term water accumulation in the pot and waterlogging damage.
Timely pruning
There is a saying: "Wintersweet has no shortage of branches." After the flowers fade and before leaves emerge, combined with shaping, it should be pruned fairly heavily. Cut off dead branches, overly dense branches, crossing branches, inner branches and diseased or weak branches. Leave two to three pairs of buds at the base of the current year's branches and cut off the upper part to encourage new growth. At the same time, when pruning, pay attention to replacing old branches, using one- to two-year-old branches to replace aging ones. If renewal is not carried out in time, the flowers will be small and few. Afterward, each time the new branches grow two to three pairs of leaves, pinch the tips 2-3 times to encourage more short, sturdy branches and make the plant shape symmetrical and beautiful. During pruning and pinching, if a branch is not needed in a certain direction for the plant shape, buds should be removed promptly. From April to June, observe frequently and do the work of pruning, pinching and bud removal; otherwise, many water sprouts are likely to grow, consuming nutrients and making flower bud formation difficult. After July, the plant shape has taken form; if buds or branches sprout again, they should be removed promptly so that nutrients are transported to the flower buds.
· Potting soil preparation
For potted wintersweet, potting soil preparation is very important. Because the pot's capacity and soil storage are not large, potting soil preparation must meet a standard: First, the pH must be suitable. If it is strongly acidic soil, when the sulfur concentration is greater than that of the root cell sap, root hairs cannot absorb water; instead, the cell sap seeps into the potting soil, resulting in dehydration and shrinkage of the wintersweet stump roots and even death. Second, the nutrient content must be rich. The prepared potting soil should be fertile, with good drainage and aeration, strong water and fertilizer retention, and levels of organic matter and various nutrients sufficient to meet the needs of wintersweet stump growth and development, vigorous branches and leaves, and bud formation and flowering. Third, the aggregate structure should be good. The prepared potting soil should contain aggregates of various sizes from rapeseed to pea size. A good potting soil structure can make the water, fertilizer, air and heat conditions of the potting soil suitable and coordinated. According to the above standards, the potting soil for wintersweet can be prepared with the following formula: 3 parts leaf mold, 3 parts vegetable garden soil, 2 parts coarse sandy soil, 2 parts coal ash soil; mix evenly and disinfect. The simplest method is sun exposure and freezing. It can also be treated by steaming in a pot, or by frying or burning the soil ash; in this way, most harmful pathogens, pests and weed seeds in the potting soil are killed, and the disinfected soil is loose, which benefits the growth and development of wintersweet.
· Wintersweet likes fertilizer
According to the above standards, choose loose, fertile potting soil. Before Qingming Festival, apply a relatively strong decomposed human and livestock manure once. When leaves grow from April to May, apply decomposed dilute human and livestock manure or decomposed cake fertilizer water about once every two weeks to promote flower bud formation. June to July is exactly the flower bud differentiation period and also the period when new shoots form flower buds, so apply 1-2 more times of phosphorus and potassium liquid fertilizer. It must not be too concentrated, to avoid yellow leaves and leaf drop. After autumn turns cool, at White Dew, apply a relatively strong fertilizer again to enrich the flower buds. Before winter begins, apply 1-2 more times of decomposed dilute human and livestock manure to supply the nutrients needed for flowering. After each fertilization, water with clear water the next day, and loosen the soil promptly to keep the potting soil well aerated.
· Clever ways for potted wintersweet to get through the heat
To grow potted wintersweet well, you must never be careless at any time. During high-temperature and sunscald in summer, even a slight negligence can, in mild cases, cause thin branches and sparse flowers and reduce the ornamental value of the stump bonsai; in severe cases, it can cause the whole plant to die, destroying in one moment an old wintersweet stump cultivated carefully for many years. Based on years of care, specific environmental conditions and the particular characteristics of wintersweet, the following techniques can be used for care. First, double-pot moisturizing. Use a pot larger than the potted plant, or a bamboo basket or wooden box used for fruit, and place the potted wintersweet inside it. Then use leaf mold or loose soil to fill firmly the bottom and surroundings of the outer pot or bamboo basket. Then use a few small tiles or roll plastic into a large ring, fix it on the inner edge of the upper opening of the outer container, and tie the tiles or plastic ring firmly with rope or galvanized wire. Fill it with loose culture soil so that the base of the exposed dragon-claw-like lateral roots and main trunk of the wintersweet are also buried. This can prevent summer sunlight scorching and also maintain the humidity around the potted wintersweet and provide heat resistance. Second, covering with materials to increase humidity. During the hottest days of summer, humidity can be increased by covering the pot surface with materials that do not easily release water, such as leaf mold, rice husk ash, rags, old cotton, etc. Once these materials absorb enough water, they can at least keep the potted wintersweet in a moist state for two days during high-temperature drought. This can ensure that wintersweet stumps in dry areas or on high-rise balconies will not dehydrate and die because the air is too dry. Third, shading and moisturizing. Wintersweet likes semi-shade. In hot summer, at noon when the sun scorches, it can be shaded or moved to a shaded place.
How to grow potted wintersweet? Potted wintersweet cultivation methods and precautions
As a flower with very high ornamental value, wintersweet can not only be planted in gardens and courtyards, but because its flowers are golden and translucent and its fragrance is refreshing, growing it as a potted plant at home is also a very good choice. Many flower lovers who like growing bonsai must have many doubts about how to grow potted wintersweet. Then let's take a look together with the editor of Huayu.com at the cultivation methods and precautions for potted wintersweet!
Cultivation methods and precautions for potted wintersweet
How to grow potted wintersweet? For potted wintersweet, mainly master the four measures: pruning, fertilizer, water and pests. Only by mastering the matters to note in these four stages will potted wintersweet surely produce beautiful flowers.
1. Timely pruning
After each new branch grows 2 to 3 pairs of leaves, pinch the tip to encourage short, sturdy flowering branches and make the plant shape symmetrical and beautiful. Pruning is mostly carried out from March to June, and stops after July. If pruning is not done at the right time, many water sprouts will grow, consuming nutrients, so that flower bud differentiation is reduced and flowering is affected.
2. Timely fertilization
Regarding how to grow potted wintersweet, I believe everyone now has a preliminary understanding. Wintersweet is a fertilizer-loving flower. Timely fertilization can promote flower bud differentiation and more flowering. For potted wintersweet, because the potting soil is limited, the soil should be chosen as a sandy nutrient soil with high humus content and good aeration. In spring, apply leaf-expansion fertilizer twice. From the end of June to before the hottest days, apply compound fertilizer about once every 10 days. The hottest days are also the flower bud differentiation period.
It is also a period of vigorous new root growth, so apply 1 to 2 more times of phosphorus and potassium fertilizer. At this time, fertilization should be light and dilute, otherwise it easily burns the roots. After autumn turns cool, apply dry fertilizer once, applying 40 grams to 60 grams of decomposed cake powder per pot, to better enrich flower bud growth. Before and after the beginning of winter, apply 1 to 2 more times of organic liquid fertilizer to supply the nutrients needed for flowering. Wintersweet fertilization is mainly phosphorus and potassium, with less nitrogen. The approximate ratio of phosphorus, potassium and nitrogen is 2:1:0.5. Fertilizing in this way makes wintersweet flowers large, numerous and strongly fragrant.
3. Moderate watering
Regarding how to grow potted wintersweet, you need to know some characteristics of wintersweet. Wintersweet is drought-tolerant and fears waterlogging. If the moisture is too high and the soil is too wet, the plant grows poorly and flower bud differentiation is affected. Therefore, for potted wintersweet, the soil should preferably remain on the dry side. Normally, do not water unless dry, and water thoroughly when watering. But during the "dog days" high-temperature season, more water is needed so that flower buds develop normally. Before flowering or during the flowering period, especially note that watering must be moderate. If watering is excessive, buds and flowers easily drop, but if the moisture is too little, the blooming is also uneven.
4. Pest and disease control
How to grow potted wintersweet? To grow potted wintersweet well, pest and disease control is key, and ventilation and light transmission must be maintained. Wintersweet diseases mainly come from anthracnose and leaf spot, generally occurring in late April or early May. For control, use 50% carbendazim or 70% thiophanate-methyl dissolved 800 to 1000 times and spray alternately. Aphid damage is relatively common every year; use a 500-times solution of washing powder to spray and kill them. But wintersweet is sensitive to pesticides such as dimethoate and dichlorvos, so do not use them.
Care of potted wintersweet during the flowering period
1. First, calculate the flower-forcing date well. About 20 days before Spring Festival, move the potted wintersweet into a greenhouse and place it in a sunny place for care. The indoor temperature should preferably be controlled at 10 to 15 degrees. At the same time, spray clear water on the flowering branches and surroundings every day to keep the branches moist. Watering should be moderate. If watering is excessive, it is not good for wintersweet growth and easily causes root rot and bud drop. If watering is insufficient, it will make the flower buds shrivel.
2. Second, grasp the temperature and flowering time well. One week before Spring Festival, if the flower buds are still small, move the pot to a medium-temperature environment of 15 to 25 degrees for management. If it blooms early before Spring Festival, lower the temperature around the potted flowers by about 10 degrees, and give less sunlight and control water. Also, fertilize moderately. In order to make wintersweet bloom brightly and with a stronger fragrance, fertilize moderately. Generally, apply dilute organic liquid fertilizer once every 7 to 10 days, and at the same time spray potassium dihydrogen phosphate and plant growth promoter on the flower buds once every 7 days.
3. To force wintersweet to bloom, use the following methods: In early June, select a potted wintersweet with thick, strong branches and trunks and apply chicken manure. After about 10 days, flower buds appear, as large as rapeseeds. In late June, apply chicken manure once more, and the flower buds gradually enlarge. By mid-July, the leaves successively fall off, and begin spraying water 4 times a day. In mid-July, build a shade shed for covering, and uncover it at 5 pm.
In late August, carry out low-temperature treatment. The temperature gradually drops from 12°C to 4°C, then rises from 4°C back to between 12~18°C. After 16 days of low-temperature treatment, the flower buds develop into round shapes and appear greenish-yellow. In mid-September, take them out of the cold storage room. One pot is placed between 28~30°C; on clear days, spray water once every hour during the day and once every 2 hours at night; the other pot is placed under a curtain shed and sprayed with water 4 times during the day. By mid-September, the flower buds of both wintersweet plants are already plump, round and yellowing. By the end of September, they hold buds ready to open, and in early October they bloom one after another. Pay attention to fertilization and irrigation.
More related knowledge about wintersweet for flower lovers' reference:
How to grow potted wintersweet trees? Growth habits and cultivation methods of wintersweet
Placement location: Wintersweet bonsai should be placed in a wind-sheltered, sunny place, avoiding cold wind. In summer, slight shading is needed. In winter, potted plants should be moved indoors to overwinter when the temperature is below 1°C.
Watering: Wintersweet is relatively drought-tolerant and is known as "wintersweet that won't die of drought," but it must not be too dry. Normally the potting soil can be slightly dry. Watering should follow "dry-wet alternation" - if you do not water, fine; if you water, water thoroughly. The dog days are the flower bud formation period, so water must not be lacking; water once in the morning and once in the evening. After autumn when leaves fall, the potting soil can be on the dry side, watering once every 5~7 days.
Fertilization: Wintersweet likes fertilizer. From April to June, in the early stage of flower bud formation, it is suitable to apply cake fertilizer water once every 10 days. From the end of June to before the hottest days, apply a dilute fertilizer water combining nitrogen and phosphorus once a week to promote flower bud formation. During the hottest days, apply 1~2 times, and the fertilizer should be light. After autumn, apply once more. When repotting, apply sufficient base fertilizer at the bottom of the pot, such as bone meal, soybean cake, etc.
Pruning: To make wintersweet have luxuriant branches and abundant flowers year after year, pruning and bud removal are extremely important. Pruning is generally carried out from March to June, and stops after August. After flowering each year, the old flowering branches should be shortened immediately, leaving only 15~20 cm at most per branch. After the new branches grow 2~3 pairs of buds, remove the terminal buds. Soon side branches will grow again. After they grow to 10 cm, pinch the buds again. Repeat this several times until the flower buds are basically formed. Also thin out various crossing branches, parallel branches, overlapping branches, opposite branches, water sprouts, and overly dense or weak branches that affect the beauty of the tree shape. There is a flower proverb that "wintersweet has no shortage of branches," so wintersweet can be heavily pruned.
Repotting: Wintersweet bonsai should be repotted once every 1~2 years, preferably at the end of winter or beginning of spring after the flowers fade. Before repotting, the already sprouted buds can first be removed. After about 5 days, when the latent buds begin to swell, transplant. When repotting, remove 1B3 of the old soil, cut off rotten roots and dead roots, and trim away overly long old roots. Replace with frozen-crumbled pond mud or humus-rich leaf mold, mixed with an appropriate amount of rice husk ash and sandy soil.
Pest and disease control: Wintersweet has relatively strong resistance to pests and diseases. Occasionally there are pests such as slug moths, bagworms, aphids, and scale insects. They can be controlled by spraying 80% dichlorvos 1500-times solution or 90% crystallized trichlorfon 1000~1500-times solution.