He cut off 90 of 100 flower buds, and his wife was furious, but 1 month later he was delighted

Camellia bud thinning

Why thin the buds?

Camellias have a habit - they would rather die than give up their flowers! Excessive blooming consumes a large amount of nutrients, resulting in small flowers, ugly flower shapes, very weak growth the following year, and after blooming it can also cause problems such as yellowing and falling leaves and delayed sprouting.

How many buds to remove and how many to keep?

The number of buds to keep can be determined by the number of leaves. Reference data:

For giant-flowered varieties, keep 1 bud per 30-40 leaves

For large-flowered varieties, keep 1 bud per 20-25 leaves

For medium-flowered varieties, keep 1 bud per 15 leaves

For small-flowered varieties, keep 1 bud per 10 leaves

For miniature-flowered varieties, keep 1 bud per 6-7 leaves

Also: if you want to extend the flowering period, you should keep a portion each of large, medium, and small buds.

Common mistakes in bud thinning

Most people directly pull off the excess buds, which leaves a relatively large wound at the base of the leaf bud, causing water loss at the base of the leaf bud, leading to bud shrinkage and drying up, making sprouting in spring very difficult!

The correct bud-thinning method - bud clipping

When the buds are about the size of a soybean, use scissors to cut off 3/4 (slightly below the middle), creating a large wound surface, and this wound surface will evaporate the water from the remaining part of the bud.

Clipping buds can achieve bud thinning without damaging the leaf buds. One week after clipping, the remaining part of the bud will naturally wither, turn yellow, and fall off.

Note: the amount cut off from the bud must not be too small; the purpose is to destroy the pistil. If the pistil is not damaged, this half-cut bud will continue to develop and grow.

Chrysanthemum bud thinning

Why thin the buds?

Small chrysanthemums do not need bud thinning. Large-flowered, single-stem ones need bud thinning in autumn. Under natural conditions, this type of chrysanthemum will grow multiple buds at the top of the stem at the same time, and buds will also grow on the stem. If the buds are not thinned, each flower that blooms will be very small and chaotic, with much lower ornamental value.

How many buds to remove and how many to keep?

For single-stem chrysanthemums, only one bud can be kept on each stem, keeping the thickest and strongest one and removing all the rest. In this way, the flowers that bloom will be large enough, full and abundant, with vivid colors and high ornamental value.

Bud-thinning method

Chrysanthemum buds have very short stalks, with 6~7 buds clustered together. When thinning buds, carefully remove the excess buds without damaging the buds you keep.

Start thinning buds from the end of September to early October. Use scissors or tweezers to carefully cut off the excess buds, and do not break or damage the small buds you keep. In November, they will bloom with large and gorgeous flowers.

Azalea bud thinning

Why thin the buds?

Autumn is the key period for azalea bud development. Azaleas are very capable of producing buds, and too many buds will lead to small buds, buds that fail to open or drop midway, and small flowers.

How many buds to remove and how many to keep?

Azalea bud thinning is best done in November, and keeping only 1 bud per shoot is enough.

Bud-thinning method

Remove all buds under the leaves and between the leaf axils, keeping only the terminal bud. Buds on inner branches should also be picked off promptly. At this time, some branches will also grow longer and compete with the buds for nutrients, so they should be removed as well.

Care after bud thinning

In winter, cold-hardy azalea varieties can overwinter outdoors, while non-cold-hardy ones need to be moved back indoors. At this time, do not fertilize.

In the north, where there is heating, indoor temperatures that are too high are unfavorable for azaleas overwintering. High temperatures cause branch growth, further depleting nutrients and affecting bud development. Placing azaleas in a 0~5 degree location for natural dormancy is most beneficial.

At the end of the year, when azalea buds first open, some branches will bloom 2~4 flowers at the same time. At this point, only 1 flower needs to be kept, and the rest should be picked off. In this way, the flowers that bloom after Spring Festival will be more vivid and uniform.