With a hundred flower buds, ninety were cut off; his wife wanted to kill him, but a month later he was all smiles

Recently the autumn wind has blown open the flower buds of camellias and azaleas, popping out one after another, which is really delightful. But don't be soft-hearted; whatever should be cut off must be cut off, otherwise you'll cry when they bloom - sparse, small and ugly! Today Hua Hua will teach everyone how to properly thin out buds.

Camellia bud thinning

Why thin out the buds?

Camellias have a habit -

they would rather die than give up their flowers

! Excessive flowering consumes a large amount of nutrients, causing

small flowers and ugly flower shapes

，

and very

weak

growth the next year. After flowering it can also cause

yellow leaves

, leaf drop, delayed sprouting

and other problems.

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,

15

leaves keep 1 bud

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

Keep a portion of each

。

Common mistakes in bud thinning

Most people just directly

pull off the excess buds

, which will

leave a relatively large wound at the

base of the leaf bud

, causing the base of the leaf bud to lose water, leading to

bud shrinkage and drying up

, making it very difficult to sprout in spring!

The correct bud-thinning method - cutting the bud

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

Cutting the bud can achieve

thinning the buds without damaging the leaf buds

. One week after cutting, the remaining part of the bud will naturally wither, turn yellow and fall off.

Note:

The amount cut from the bud

must not be too small; the purpose is to destroy the pistil. If the pistil is not damaged, this half bud will continue to develop and grow.

Chrysanthemum bud thinning

Why thin out the buds?

Small chrysanthemums do not need bud thinning, but large-flowered, single-stem ones do in autumn. In their natural state, this type of chrysanthemum grows multiple buds at the top of the stem at the same time, and buds also grow on the stem. If the buds are not thinned, every flower that opens will be very small and messy, 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 - keep the thickest and strongest one, and remove all the rest. The flowers that bloom this way are large enough, full and plump, with bright colors and high ornamental value.

Bud-thinning method

Chrysanthemum buds have very short stalks, with 6~7 buds clustered together. When thinning, 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, without breaking or damaging the small buds you keep. In November they will bloom with large, gorgeous flowers.

Operation diagram

Azalea bud thinning

Why thin out the buds?

Autumn is the key period for azalea bud development. Azaleas are very good at setting buds, and too many buds will lead to

small buds

，

, buds that won't open

or

bud drop midway and small flowers

and other problems.

How many buds to remove and how many to keep?

Azalea bud thinning is best done in November; keeping just 1 bud per shoot is enough.

Bud-thinning method

Wipe off all the buds under the leaves and in the leaf axils, keeping only the terminal bud.

Buds on inner branches should also be removed promptly. At this time some branches will still grow, competing with the buds for nutrients, and they should be removed as well.

Care after bud thinning

In winter, cold-hardy azalea varieties can overwinter outdoors, but non-cold-hardy ones need to be moved back indoors,

and no fertilizer should be applied at this time.

In the north, where there is heating, indoor temperatures that are too high are unfavorable for azaleas overwintering; high temperatures cause branch growth, further consuming nutrients and affecting bud development.

Placing azaleas at 0~5 degrees 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, just keep 1 flower and remove all the others, so the flowers that open after Spring Festival will be more gorgeous and uniform.

Autumn bud thinning is essential; be careful or they won't bloom next year

Fellow flower lovers, have you learned how to thin buds?

Remember to share the little tips with more people~

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