How to grow climbing roses? Fragrant blooms and vivid colors depend on cultivation and management techniques
Climbing roses are characterized by large, fragrant flowers in a dazzling array of colors, making them extremely beautiful. They can be planted in a courtyard or on a balcony, and can also be trained into a flower wall; when in bloom they are simply stunning. Below are detailed cultivation and management techniques for climbing roses; those who like them can save this for later.
Environment
Climbing roses are highly adaptable and prefer a warm, sunny, well-ventilated, well-drained, sheltered environment. They are cold-tolerant and drought-tolerant, but dislike waterlogging, which causes root rot. They are deciduous in winter.
Soil
Climbing roses prefer to grow in loose, fertile, well-drained, moist, slightly acidic soil. For ground planting, choose a warm, sheltered, well-ventilated spot. For balcony growers using containers, a mix of plant ash or leaf mold, garden soil and coarse sand can be used.
Sunlight
Climbing roses love sunlight. During the growing season, sufficient sunlight makes the plants sturdy with abundant, vivid blooms; when light is insufficient, the stems and canes become slender, long and weak, the flower color fades, and the number of blooms decreases. In the hot midsummer, container plants should be shaded appropriately, while ground-planted roses can be sprayed with water to cool them down.
Temperature
The optimal growing temperature for climbing roses is 15 to 25 degrees. Above 33 degrees they enter semi-dormancy and flowering decreases; when winter temperatures fall below 5 degrees they enter dormancy. Most varieties are relatively cold-tolerant and can withstand low temperatures of -15 degrees.
Watering
From bud break until the flowering stage, climbing roses should be kept well supplied with water, especially during the flowering period when water demand is particularly high; keep the soil moist at all times to ensure plump, vivid blooms. In the high heat of midsummer, when they enter dormancy, water less. During the rainy season, ensure timely drainage to avoid waterlogging and root rot.
Fertilizing
Climbing roses bloom profusely and have a high fertilizer demand. During the growing season, apply a dilute nitrogen-phosphorus-potassium liquid fertilizer once a month; the solution should not be too concentrated. Stop nitrogen fertilizer after buds form. After the peak bloom in May, apply a dilute phosphorus-potassium fertilizer to benefit summer flowering and a lush autumn bloom. By late autumn, stop fertilizing, otherwise it will cause excessive late-autumn growth that is prone to frost damage. In the winter dormant period, apply sufficient base fertilizer to promote vigorous growth and abundant flower buds the following year.
Overall pruning
To keep climbing roses looking beautiful overall, it is not just about the support frame; shaping and pruning are also needed. Normally, prune away messy and diseased branches along the support you have set up. You can also, before spring and autumn transplanting, cut off diseased, old and residual branches as well as thin, weak branches; after digging up the plant, cut away old and diseased roots, and trim the cut surfaces of damaged roots smooth to aid healing. After planting, cut the seedling back to 10 cm above the base of the branch, which helps the root system establish first before new side branches sprout.
Pests and diseases
Climbing roses are prone to pests and diseases. During care, keep the air circulating and free of pollution. Poor ventilation easily leads to powdery mildew, and harmful gases in the air are toxic to this flower.
Roses are one of the varieties of rose flowers, and climbing roses are the easiest to grow; when in bloom they are a beautiful sight. The above are detailed cultivation methods for climbing roses. What are you waiting for? Try growing them and give yourself a garden.
Rose R. chinensis Rose guide: how to grow roses / how to propagate roses
Rose profileRose R. chinensis
Aliases: Yueyuehong, Gengshen Qiangwei, Sijihua, Shengchun, Douxuehong, Yueguihong, Yueguihua, Yueji, Yueyuekai, Yueyuehua, Yanxuehong, ChouCHunhua, Yuejigang, Yueguanghua, Tongchuizi, Sijichun, Shouke
Classification: shrub flowers
Family and genus: Plantae, Angiosperms, Dicotyledons, Rosales, Rosaceae, Rosa
Peak flowering period: all seasons
Rose, known as the queen of flowers and also called "Yueyuehong", belongs to the Rosaceae family. It is an evergreen or semi-evergreen low shrub that blooms in all four seasons, mostly red, occasionally white. It can be used as an ornamental plant or a medicinal plant, and is also called Yuejihua. Its natural flowering period is from May to November; the flowers are large and fragrant, and it is widely used in horticultural cultivation and as cut flowers. The main types of roses include cut-flower roses, edible roses, climbing roses, and ground-cover roses. China is one of the places of origin of roses. It is the city flower of Beijing, Tianjin and other cities. Red cut flowers have become a must-give gift between lovers and the subject of love poetry. Rose (scientific name: Rosa chin...
How to grow roses and points to note: an introduction to roses
Rose, known as the queen of flowers and also called "Yueyuehong", belongs to the Rosaceae family. It is an evergreen or semi-evergreen low shrub that blooms in all four seasons, mostly red, occasionally white. It can be used as an ornamental plant or a medicinal plant, and is also called Yuejihua. Its natural flowering period is from May to November; the flowers are large and fragrant, and it is widely used in horticultural cultivation and as cut flowers. The main types of roses include cut-flower roses, edible roses, climbing roses, and ground-cover roses. China is one of the places of origin of roses. It is the city flower of Beijing, Tianjin and other cities. Red cut flowers have become a must-give gift between lovers and the subject of love poetry.
Rose (scientific name: Rosa chinensis), also known as Yueyuehong (Jiangsu and Zhejiang), Yueyuehua, Changchunhua (Changchun, Jilin), and Gengshen Qiangwei, is native to central China in places such as Guizhou, Hubei and Sichuan, and is now found all over the world. It is the city flower of Fuyang, Beijing, Tianjin, Shijiazhuang, Nanyang, Changzhou, Huai'an and Liuzhou, and the national flower of Iraq, the United States and Luxembourg.
Its natural flowering period is from May to November; the flowers are large and fragrant, and it is widely used in horticultural cultivation and as cut flowers. The main types of roses include cut-flower roses, edible roses, climbing roses, and ground-cover roses. China is one of the places of origin of roses. It is the city flower of Beijing, Tianjin, Wuhu, Handan, Shijiazhuang and other cities. Red cut flowers have become one of the must-give gifts between lovers and the subject of love poetry. Roses have good antifungal activity and synergistic activity against drug-resistant fungi.
Morphological characteristics of roses
Rose is a deciduous shrub or evergreen shrub, or a trailing and climbing vine plant. The stem is brownish-green, with hooked prickles or no prickles, but there are also roses with almost no prickles. The branchlets are green; the leaves are dark green, alternate, odd-pinnately compound, with leaflets generally 3 to 5, broadly ovate (elliptic) or ovate-oblong, 2.5 to 6 cm long, acuminate at the tip with sharp teeth, serrate along the margin, hairless and smooth on both sides; the stipules are fused with the petiole, entire or glandular-serrate, with the apex separated into ear-like lobes.
The flowers are borne at the tips of the branches, often clustered, rarely solitary, in many colors and shades, 4 to 5 cm in diameter, mostly double but also single; the sepals are tail-like and long-pointed, with pinnate lobes along the edges; the styles are separate, extending beyond the mouth of the hypanthium, equal in length to the stamens; each ovary has 1 ovule. It has the reputation of being the queen of flowers. The flowers have a slight fragrance; the flowering period is April to October (northern regions) and March to November (southern regions), with the most blooms in spring; most are complete flowers, or bisexual flowers. The fleshy rose hip turns red-yellow when mature, splitting open at the top; the "seed" is an achene, chestnut brown. The fruit is ovoid or pear-shaped, 1 to 2 cm long, with the sepals falling off.
1. Flowers: borne at the tips of the stems, solitary or clustered. There are single, semi-double and double forms, with rich colors and diverse flower shapes.
2. Fruit: the fruit of the rose is spherical or pear-shaped, green before ripening and orange-red when ripe. It contains 5 to 14 bony achenes (seeds).
3. Seeds: the outer layer of the rose seed is the pericarp, which has an inner and an outer layer; the outer layer is bony and very hard, while the inner layer is fibrous, with fibers interwoven lengthwise and crosswise, very tough. The seed coat is a very thin membranous layer tightly wrapping the embryo. There is a certain gap between the pericarp and the seed coat.
4. Leaves: odd-pinnately compound; leaflets 3 to 7, ovate or oblong; margins serrate, [1] most varieties have smooth, glossy leaf surfaces (some varieties are rough and dull), and most varieties are purplish-red when the leaves first unfurl, gradually turning green afterward.
5. Stem: the young stem of the rose is purplish-red, the tender stem is green, and the old stem is grayish-brown; the stem bears sharp, stiff prickles, and the density of prickles varies by variety.
6. Roots: the morphology of the rose root system is closely related to the propagation method. Seedlings grown from seed have an obvious taproot and strong lateral roots; seedlings propagated by cuttings have only lateral roots, no taproot, and the lateral roots are fewer in number and less vigorous.
Evergreen or semi-evergreen shrub, 1-2 m tall. Stems erect; branchlets spreading, green, hairless, with curved prickles or without prickles. Pinnately compound leaves with 3-5 leaflets, rarely 7, 10-15 cm long including the petiole; leaflets broadly ovate to ovate-elliptic, 2.5-6 cm long, 1.5-3 cm wide, acute or acuminate at the tip, rounded or broadly cuneate at the base, with sharp fine serrations along the margin, bright green on the surface, hairless on both sides; the terminal leaflet has a long petiole, the lateral leaflets have shorter petioles; the petiole and rachis have sparse glandular hairs and fine prickles; the stipules have ciliate glandular hairs or pinnate lobes along the margin, hairless on both sides, fused with the petiole at the base. Flowers several, clustered or solitary, about 5 cm in diameter; pedicels 3-5 cm long, green, often with glandular hairs; the receptacle is nearly spherical; the sepal lobes are triangular-ovate, tail-pointed at the tip, entire or pinnately divided, hairless outside, with short down on the inside and along the edges; petals double, deep red, pink, rarely white; stamens numerous; styles free, ovary pubescent. Rose hip spherical, yellow-red, 1.5-2 cm in diameter, with the sepal lobes persistent. April to October in the north, March to November in the south.
Rose is a deciduous shrub or evergreen shrub, or a trailing and climbing vine plant. The stem is brownish-green, with hooked prickles or no prickles, but there are also roses with almost no prickles. The branchlets are green; the leaves are dark green, alternate, odd-pinnately compound, with leaflets generally 3 to 5, broadly ovate (elliptic) or ovate-oblong, 2.5 to 6 cm long, acuminate at the tip with sharp teeth, serrate along the margin, hairless and smooth on both sides; the stipules are fused with the petiole, entire or glandular-serrate, with the apex separated into ear-like lobes.
The flowers are borne at the tips of the branches, often clustered, rarely solitary, in many colors and shades, 4 to 5 cm in diameter, mostly double but also single; the sepals are tail-like and long-pointed, with pinnate lobes along the edges; the styles are separate, extending beyond the mouth of the hypanthium, equal in length to the stamens; each ovary has 1 ovule. It has the reputation of being the queen of flowers. The flowers have a slight fragrance; the flowering period is April to October (northern regions) and March to November (southern regions), with the most blooms in spring; most are complete flowers, or bisexual flowers. The fleshy rose hip turns red-yellow when mature, splitting open at the top; the "seed" is an achene, chestnut brown; the fruit is ovoid or pear-shaped, 1 to 2 cm long, with the sepals falling off.
Ecological habits of roses
Highly adaptable, cold-tolerant and drought-tolerant, with no strict requirements for soil, but it grows best in slightly acidic sandy loam rich in organic matter and well drained. The potting soil should be loose, the pot diameter appropriate, moisture moderate, fertilizer applied lightly and frequently, flowers picked and branches pruned, pests and diseases controlled, and the pot changed every year. It likes sunlight, but too much direct strong light is harmful to flower bud development and easily scorches the petals. It likes warmth; generally 22 to 25 degrees C is the most suitable temperature for flower growth, and high summer heat is unfavorable to flowering.
It needs sufficient sunlight, air circulation, good drainage and a sheltered environment, and requires appropriate shading in midsummer. For most varieties the optimum temperature is 15 to 26 degrees C by day and 10 to 15 degrees C at night. It is relatively cold-tolerant and enters dormancy when the winter temperature falls below 5 degrees C. If the summer heat persists above 30 degrees C, most varieties bloom less, quality declines, and they enter a semi-dormant state.
Most varieties can withstand low temperatures of -15 degrees C. It requires fertile, loose, slightly acidic soil rich in organic matter, but its range of soil adaptability is fairly wide. Relative air humidity is best at 75% to 80%, though slightly drier or slightly wetter is also acceptable. It has the characteristic of continuous flowering. Air circulation must be maintained and pollution avoided; poor ventilation easily leads to powdery mildew, and harmful gases in the air, such as sulfur dioxide, chlorine and fluorides, are all toxic to roses.
Distribution range of roses
China is one of the places of origin of roses. Modern roses have extremely complex blood relationships.
Rose is the city flower of Zhengzhou, Beijing, Tianjin, Nanyang, Dalian, Changzhi, Yuncheng, Bengbu, Jiaozuo, Putian, Qingdao, Weifang, Wuhu, Shijiazhuang, Handan, Xingtai, Langfang, Shangqiu, Luohe, Anqing, Ji'an, Huai'an, Huaibei, Huainan, Jiaonan, Nanchang, Yichang, Xuchang, Changzhou, Taizhou, Cangzhou, Suzhou, Hengyang, Shaoyang, Fuyang, Xinyang, Deyang, Tianshui and Dongtai, among other cities. Among them, Laizhou and Shiqiao Town in Nanyang are "hometowns of roses", and Shuyang in Jiangsu is the largest rose production base in East China. Roses produced in Laizhou, Shandong, Shuyang, Jiangsu and Nanyang, Henan are renowned at home and abroad.
Rose cultivation techniques: flowering period control
Rose is also called "Yueyuehong"; its natural flowering period is from May to November, blooming continuously. However, controlling the flowering period of roses during the Olympics is still very important, especially for potted roses and cut-flower roses, whose flowering periods must be well controlled in order to fully accomplish the temporary flower display tasks at various venues and stadiums during the Olympics as well as the fresh cut flower supply tasks.
In practical work, analyze specific situations individually. For ground-planted roses, according to their geographical location, while ensuring continuous flowering, make them bloom more and bloom well from August 8 to 24. The following methods are for reference: around June 20, prune all spent flowers and part of the already fully blooming flower branches of ground-planted roses by 50%, cutting to the round bud position at the mature part in the middle of the flower branch; their ornamental flowering period is about August 1 to 15; around June 30, prune all spent flowers and all flower branches after full bloom by the above method; their ornamental flowering period is about August 10 to 25; after June 30, prune spent flowers at any time to let them bloom naturally. For potted roses and cut-flower roses, calculate the date the flowers are needed and carry out comprehensive branch pruning about 45 days before the flowers are used.
Fertilizer and water management: in the pruning described above under various circumstances, scientific fertilizer and water management should be combined with the plant's growth vigor. After the plant is pruned, when the new generation of buds does not sprout, spray the leaves with 0.2% urea once every 5 or 6 days to promote new bud sprouting; if the plant grows quickly and new branches grow rapidly beyond the planned range, controlling water supply can slow growth. During water control, after the leaves and branches wilt, spray water promptly, with recovery within 1 hour as the critical threshold. Water is the carrier of various enzymes in the plant body; when water supply is insufficient, enzyme activity decreases, metabolism slows, and thus plant growth slows. If new branches bud later than planned, spray the leaves with 0.2% monopotassium phosphate once every 5 or 6 days at this time, and the flower buds will grow rapidly. The flowering period of roses consumes a large amount of water and internal nutrients, so the water supply must be sufficient.
Flowering conditions
1. Sunlight must be long. The place where roses are planted must be both ventilated and able to receive more than half a day of sunlight. This is the primary condition for them to bloom profusely like brocade. If placed in a half-shade half-sun location or a shady spot with insufficient light, they can bloom at most only in spring and autumn in a year. Therefore, households whose living conditions cannot meet the light requirements had best not grow roses and instead grow shade-loving flowers and plants.
2. Prune often. Although the sunlight conditions are good, if roses are not pruned for a long time, they will not grow well either. The pruning method is: after December each year, when the rose leaves fall, carry out one pruning, leaving branches about 15 cm tall, with the pruning point about 1 cm above an outward-growing leaf bud, and at the same time remove side branches, diseased branches and concentric branches. After May, each time a round of flowering finishes, cut away 2/3 or 1/2 of the branch that has flowered, so there will be more chances for regenerated flower buds. If you want the flowers to be large, you can also remove part of them when there are many buds, which both concentrates nutrients and achieves the purpose of extending the flowering period and opening in batches.
3. Fertilize frequently and promptly. Generally, for newly planted or transplanted potted roses, loose loamy soil rich in humus can be used for cultivation; it is best to mix in 1/4 rice husk ash or a little broad bean shell, bean cake or chicken and pigeon manure, so that the roses can continuously absorb various nutrients such as nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium from the soil. For old potted roses that need repotting, base fertilizer can also be applied as above; for those not repotted, scrape open the soil surface 2-3 cm and work in some fresh fish offal or chicken and pigeon manure, bean cake crumbs, etc. as base fertilizer. This is best done in January to February when the roses are dormant. In this way, the fertilizer will gradually ferment into liquid fertilizer and seep into the roots with rain or irrigation water, achieving good results. After May is the peak growing season for roses; every 10 days apply a topdressing once, using fully fermented fish liquid or vegetable leaf liquid mixed at a ratio of 3 parts fertilizer to 7 parts water, and stop fertilizing by November. If the above requirements can be followed, the roses can show you fresh flowers every month. Roses are by nature averse to heat and grow best at 20 to 25 degrees C; above 30 degrees growth becomes difficult. If fertilization is handled well, this weakness of fearing high summer heat can be overcome.
4. Repotting. Roses do not need to be repotted or have their soil changed every year; if it is moving from a small pot to a large pot, it can be done in any of the four seasons.
Early spring management
In early spring, rose roots begin to spread in the soil. At this time the most important cultivation task is pruning.
In warm regions this is in late February; in the colder northern regions, pruning should be carried out in March to April. Pruning generally means cutting off about 1/3 of the plant height, first removing weak branches, diseased branches and dead branches. The new branches the plant produced in 2011 are the most vigorous; choose such main branches and keep 2 to 3, at most 5. According to the plant's original growth condition, generally prune with shears at about 50 cm above the ground, at a point 1 cm above a vigorous bud. A so-called vigorous bud is one that has not yet sprouted, is plump and already raised. In order not to let buds grow into overly dense branches, choose and keep vigorous buds on the outer upper side of the plant. In addition, pruning should be done at a plump part of the branch. When pruning with shears, a "click" sound indicates a plump part. If the cut feels soft, cut further down to a hard place. At the aged part of the branching node, the plant is rough and protrudes with swollen growth, and there are simply no strong buds in between, so this too should be cut off.
The middle part of 2- to 3-year-old main branches is where new buds emerge most, so when pruning, leaving only 10 to 20 cm is enough. Generally, if you want more flowers at the flowering period, prune lightly. If you want the flowers at the flowering period to be good and do not seek many flowers, prune heavily. In addition, for plants with poor growth vigor, you should resolve to prune heavily, because such plants have poorly developed root systems; if the crown is too large, it easily causes insufficient nutrient supply. While pruning, it is best to do one high-concentration disinfection, which has a significant effect on preventing pests and diseases.
To make the pruned branches lean outward, they can be fixed with supports (wooden sticks, etc.), making the tree shape balanced and graceful and preventing branches and leaves from rubbing against each other in the wind. Branches growing from the lower buds of leaning branches are more vigorous and their flowers are more abundant, so attention should be paid to protecting them.
After Awakening of Insects, insects successively wake from hibernation and begin activity. At this time, dissolve 10 ml of fenitrothion (insecticide) and 20 g of wettable sulfur powder used for treating powdery mildew in 10 liters of water, and spray the plants with the fully dissolved concentrated solution. Because roses have not yet grown leaves at this time, there is no need to worry about phytotoxicity.
About 20 days after pruning, the buds begin to sprout. Among them, the weak and small buds are often naturally eliminated during the sprouting process. To make the flowers bloom well, keep buds according to the thickness of the main branch: keep 3 to 4 buds on thick branches, keep 1 to 2 buds on pencil-thick branches, and remove all the rest. In regions with cold weather, sprouting is later, so bud removal can be postponed.
If base fertilizer was already applied in December, no topdressing is needed in early spring; when buds sprout, scatter an appropriate amount of chemical fertilizer around the roots to stimulate budding. After buds sprout, if the surface is dry on sunny days, water in the morning or before noon so as not to let the surface freeze.
Summer management
Once the peak flowering period of potted roses has passed, they enter the hot, humid summer and are mostly in a dormant or semi-dormant state. Strengthening summer management of potted roses and carrying out rejuvenation care can break the dormant period and keep them blooming continuously throughout the summer. The main management measures are:
1. Shading and ventilation. Potted roses have limited soil, and in hot weather it easily heats up and dries out completely, so the roses must be shaded and cooled. It is best from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. to place the potted flowers under trees in the yard or in a ventilated spot under a trellis, so that the potted flowers receive scattered light and create suitable environmental conditions for the roses to grow and bloom.
2. Fertilize and water more. Roses bloom many times and need a sufficient supply of nutrients and water to ensure vigorous growth. Entering summer, their evaporation and consumption are both high and growth is rapid; during the flowering period, apply a light topdressing once every 10 days; bean cake and poultry manure can also be soaked in water, sealed and fermented, then mixed with water as topdressing, making the plants bloom abundantly and grow lush leaves and break the summer dormant state of roses. For watering, use water that has been warmed in the sun to reduce the temperature difference between the potting soil and the water; using overly cold water will stimulate the root system and affect the plant's normal development.
3. Spray water more. Roses enter a semi-dormant state above 33 degrees C and grow best at an average temperature of 20 to 25 degrees C. Therefore, in summer, in addition to appropriate shading, more water should be sprayed; it is best to spray water once in the morning and once in the afternoon to create a humid environment and promote the growth of flowers and leaves.
4. Thinning branches and pruning. After roses bloom, they should be cut below the third compound leaf under the flower to promote the growth of sturdy new branches and early budding and flowering. Weak short branches are pruned first and pruned high; vigorous branches are pruned later and pruned short, so as to promote the weak and suppress the strong and encourage uniform flowering. The pruning length of long branches should not exceed one half, to avoid delayed axillary bud sprouting. In addition, too many flowers should not be kept per round; for potted roses, 3 to 5 flowers are appropriate. Keeping too many flowers disperses nutrients too much, making flowers small and affecting the next round of flowers.
5. Loosening soil and weeding. While clearing weeds from the pot surface, you can use a fine wire rake to gently break the surface layer around the flower pot, enhancing the loose and airy properties of the potting soil and promoting normal root growth.
6. Pest and disease control. The site where flower pots are placed should be regularly sprayed with 15% limewater or carbendazim or potassium permanganate aqueous solution for sterilization. July to August, the rainy season with high temperatures, is a high-incidence period for leaf spot and powdery mildew; spray with 0.3 to 0.5 degrees Baume lime sulfur mixture once a week, for a total of 2 to 3 sprays. From June to July, if longhorn beetle larvae are found causing damage, the affected shoot tips should be cut off immediately. Once other leaf-eating pests are found, spray 800 times diluted monocrotophos for control, which can kill eggs and larvae.
Container growing techniques
1. Potting up
This refers to planting newly grown small seedlings or large roses dug up before sprouting from ground planting into pots. For small seedlings from coarse sand or hydroponics as well as bare-root ground-planted seedlings potted up, it is best to plant them for a period in plain sandy loam, and after the root system grows sturdy, use fertilized culture soil and cushion with base fertilizer to pot them into a pot one size larger. For small seedlings rooted from cuttings in culture soil or ground-planted small pots with a soil ball, ordinary culture soil can be used for planting. When potting up, soak a new pot thoroughly with water first, wash an old pot clean, and according to the pot size place 1 cm to 3 cm thick coarse sand at the bottom as a drainage layer. Then fill part of the soil according to the size of the plant. For bare-root potting, pile the soil in the center of the pot into a small mound, hold the plant upright and straight with the left hand, fill soil with the right hand, and as you fill, gently lift the seedling upward so that the roots hang down at 45 degrees. After planting, firm the soil. For those potted with a soil ball around the roots, also straighten the root whiskers and plant the plant upright. Small seedlings are generally potted up at no fixed time; once they survive cultivation they should be potted up in time to prevent leggy, weak growth. Large ground-planted plants must be potted up during the dormant period after leaf fall in early winter or before sprouting in early spring, otherwise normal growth and development are affected, tree vigor weakens, and it takes a long time to rejuvenate. When potting up, the soil should be moist and loose; after potting, do not water thoroughly for the time being, and pay attention to shading and shelter from wind. This not only promotes rapid healing of broken and damaged root whiskers but also makes rejuvenation and vigorous growth easy.
2. Repotting into a larger pot
According to the plant's growth trend and development needs, remove the whole root ball from a small pot and plant it into a large pot, including transitioning from plain soil planting to culture soil. This kind of repotting is generally done at no fixed time; for example, small seedlings potted in a No. 2 pot in spring, if growing vigorously, can be moved to a No. 9 tall pot between July and August. If the plant is even larger, it can be potted into a pot one size larger still. When removing from the pot, pinch the plant stem with the index and middle fingers of the right hand, press the palm close to the soil surface, and support the pot bottom with the left hand and turn the pot over. For small seedlings, tap the pot edge lightly with the hand; for large pots, hold the pot with both hands and lightly knock the pot rim against a hard place, and the plant can be removed whole with its root ball. The original pot soil should have been watered beforehand; when removing from the pot it must not be too dry or too wet. For repotting, use culture soil for planting; first remove the whole surface soil layer (the "treasure cover") and the lower drainage layer, then slightly loosen and straighten the fibrous roots coiled around the outside of the root ball, operate gently and do not let the root ball break apart, then immediately place it in the pot, add 20 to 60 g of hoof pieces as base fertilizer, fill soil and firm it, and after repotting continue normal care.
3. Changing the pot
For all kinds of roses that have grown into form after two years in pots, in order to keep the plants growing vigorously and the plant shape well proportioned, each year after leaf fall and before sprouting, combine pruning with replacing the potting soil and applying base fertilizer. Pot changing generally still uses pots of the original specification, no longer increasing the size number. For those stored closed in earthen cellars in winter, after removing the whole root ball from the pot, trim the roots: first remove the surface cover and bottom drainage layer of the root ball, then cut off the excessively dense fibrous roots coiled around the outside of the root ball, carefully inspect and remove decayed roots and root nodules, keep the protective soil around the roots and do not let the root ball break apart; the total old potting soil removed should not exceed 1/2, then place it in a cold cellar for heeled-in storage, and pot it with new soil the following spring. For those kept in a cold room or a plastic-film cold frame in winter, they can be repotted with new soil into the original pot, with the key operating points the same as for repotting into a larger pot. After changing the pot, water once thoroughly, then they can be placed in a cold room or cold frame for care.
4. Water and fertilizer
During the growing period, potted roses should be watered in a timely manner as needed, always keeping the potting soil moist. In hot, dry seasons, spray water on the leaf surface and the surrounding environment to keep the branches fresh; in cold seasons, control water, but the potting soil must not dry out completely. Fertilization should be based on the fertilizer preferences of different varieties and the needs of each stage of growth and development, as well as temperature, light and growth vigor, applying base fertilizer or topdressing promptly and in appropriate amounts.
Pruning techniques
Promptly cutting off spent rose flowers allows nutrients to be concentrated, keeping the plant strong and flowering without decline. If spent flowers are not removed in time, the several axillary buds immediately below the spent flower often sprout, forming weak branches. These small branches both consume nutrients and ruin the plant shape; even if they can bloom, most are deformed or inferior small flowers. In addition, except for flowers from which seeds are to be collected, spent flowers must never be allowed to set seed.
After the first batch of flowers, medium branches should be cut to medium length, keeping 3 to 4 buds on the branch; weak branches should be cut back hard, keeping 1 to 2 buds; strong branches should be pruned lightly, keeping 5 buds, appropriately suppressing growth. The second pruning should be light, cutting only above the second leaf below the spent flower, keeping the axillary bud of the second leaf, which is a bud with the best advantages in growth and development and is in a dominant position in the whole plant; cutting off this bud will affect the next flowering period, flower quality and the plant's growth vigor.
After the beginning of autumn, post-bloom pruning (the third batch of flowers) uses medium cutting, keeping 3 to 4 buds per branch. To take care of plant shape balance, you can also cut back to the branch that flowered in the previous batch. Remove overlapping branches, crossing branches, overly dense branches and leggy branches, so as to facilitate ventilation and light and a well-proportioned plant shape.
At the same time, post-bloom pruning of roses should also be combined with flowering period control. For roses used for National Day, prune 45 days before flowering, cutting to medium length and keeping 3 to 4 buds, after which each branch sends out 2 small branches. After pruning, strengthen fertilizer and water, pay attention to preventing waterlogging and powdery mildew, and the flowers will successively open in late September.
In addition, pruning can make cluster-flowered roses bloom earlier or later. Light pruning of such roses preserves more mature branches and makes the plant bloom two weeks earlier; heavy pruning makes the plant send out strong branches that bloom in autumn, delaying the autumn flowers by two weeks. Therefore, considering the whole, different pruning can be used on the plant to advance or extend the flowering period.
Rose growing methods and flower-promoting methods
Roses have large flowers and many blooms and need much fertilizer, so more fertilizer should be applied, and sufficient organic fertilizer should be applied before budding. For potted roses, repot once in early spring; the potting soil formula is: (loam) 5 : (leaf mold) 2 : (rotted manure) 2 : (sandy soil) 1, plus a small amount of rapeseed cake, mixed well. Afterward, topdress once every 10 to 15 days. For topdressing, use liquid fertilizer made by composting cake fertilizer with phosphate fertilizer, diluted with water and applied; especially after the peak bloom in May, fertilize promptly to promote summer and autumn flowering. [6]
During the growing season, roses should receive sufficient sunlight, with 8 hours of light per day being appropriate. If used for indoor display, move them in before 11 a.m. and move them out before 4 p.m., so they receive the soft light around noon, which helps extend the flowering time.
Roses enter a semi-dormant state above 33 degrees C and grow best at an average temperature of 20 to 25 degrees C. Therefore, in summer, appropriate shading and frequent water spraying should be carried out. To cool down and replenish humidity, during the growing season it is best to spray water once in the morning and once in the afternoon to create a humid environment and promote the growth of flowers and leaves.
After roses bloom, they should be cut below the third compound leaf under the flower to promote the growth of sturdy new branches and early budding and flowering. The key points of pruning technique are: weak short branches are pruned first and pruned high; vigorous branches are pruned later and pruned short, so as to promote the weak and suppress the strong and encourage uniform flowering. The pruning length of long branches should not exceed 1/2, to avoid delayed axillary bud sprouting. In addition, too many flowers should not be kept per round; for potted roses, 3 to 5 flowers are appropriate, while for ground-planted roses it depends on the plant's vigor. Keeping too many flowers disperses nutrients too much, making flowers small and affecting the next round of flowers. [7]
Fresh cut techniques
Roses should be harvested and cut when the temperature is low and humidity is high. If roses are cut too early, the flowers often do not open normally after cutting. Generally they are cut 1 to 2 days before flowering. The cutting time is related to the variety; usually when 4 to 6 petals have loosened the flower bud, they can be cut. Sometimes it is found that cut roses, before the flower bud has opened, droop prematurely; this situation is mainly due to cutting too early at the bud stage, when the sepals still tightly wrap the flower bud. It is best to cut when the sepals form a 90 degree angle with the petals. When cutting, the branch should have 5 internodes or a longer length, but there must be at least two buds on the branch. One hour after cutting, insert into water to absorb water, then grade by length, bundle 10 stems per bunch, and wrap with cellophane. Rose cut flowers have a short vase life and do not tolerate long-distance transport. If cut roses are not to be sold on the market, they should immediately be stored in a low-temperature warehouse; the storage temperature is 1 to 2 degrees C, and it is best to insert them in water for wet storage. The water quality for wet storage is very important; low pH is beneficial to rose cut flowers. Be careful not to insert the leaves into the water either. The freshness-promoting agent in the flower-holding container is a mixed solution composed of silver thiosulfate and aluminum sulfate. Usually the preservative solution for all rose vase arrangements is called the Cornell formula solution. To overcome the bent-neck phenomenon of roses, add cobalt acetate at a mass fraction of 360×10E-6 to the preservative. Adding diammonium ethyl carbamoyl phosphate can prevent red rose cut flowers from rotting and withering prematurely.
Rose propagation methods: propagation
Mostly cutting propagation is used, and division and layering propagation are also possible. Cuttings can be taken in all four seasons, but hardwood cuttings in winter or autumn are preferable; for green cuttings in summer, attention must be paid to water management and temperature control, otherwise rooting is difficult. Winter cuttings are generally carried out in a greenhouse or plastic tunnel; if cuttings are taken in the open field, attention must be paid to adding moisture-retention measures. Those propagated by sowing are used for sexual cross-breeding. For a few famous varieties that are difficult to root, grafting propagation is used, and the rootstock should preferably be wild rose. For example, yellow series varieties.
Management
Rose transplanting is carried out between November and March of the following year; pruning can be done at the same time as transplanting. First cut off dense branches and dead branches, then cut off old and weak branches, keeping 2 to 3 outward-growing buds so that the plant spreads in all directions; appropriately shorten particularly strong branches to strengthen the growth of weak branches. In summer, when new branches grow too densely, thin them out. After each batch of flowers fades, promptly cut off the upper part of the branch connected to the spent flower so that it does not set seed and consume nutrients, and keep the full middle and lower branches to promote early new branch growth and another round of flowering. Roses like heavy base fertilizer before flowering and quick-acting nitrogen fertilizer as topdressing after flowering to strengthen seedlings and force flowers. Roses have strict water requirements and must not be too wet or too dry; too dry and they wither, too wet and the roots are damaged and leaves fall.
Grafting
Mainly cuttings, supplemented by sowing and tissue culture, etc. Commonly used grafting rootstocks are: wild rose, pink cluster rose, "Baiyutang" (rose), etc.
For open-field rose planting, choose a sheltered, sunny, well-drained location; in addition to heavy base fertilizer, topdressing should also be applied during the growing season. Pruning is an important task; besides dormant-period pruning, during the growing period attention should also be paid to bud removal and cutting off spent flower branches and rootstock suckers. Greenhouse cultivation is mainly for the production purpose of supplying cut flowers, often planted at a spacing of 30 cm × 30 cm, maintaining 15 to 17 degrees C at night and 21 to 25 degrees C by day. Potted roses can be used for indoor display. The key points of their cultivation and management are: loose potting soil, appropriate pot diameter, moderate moisture, light fertilizer applied frequently, flower picking and branch pruning, pest and disease control, and changing the pot every year.
Grafting is one of the most widely used methods in rose propagation. Grafting belongs to the category of asexual reproduction; it combines parts of two plants into a whole, which continues to grow as one plant. In the grafted combination, the upper part is called the scion, and the part bearing the scion is called the rootstock. Some rose varieties are few in number and have moving flower colors, while own-root seedlings have weak root systems and grow extremely slowly; grafting onto vigorous rootstocks makes these rose varieties grow strongly and enhances disease resistance.
Grafting can also truly reflect the various traits of the original variety, with extremely strong heredity and stability. Through practical observation, for plants formed by growth and development after grafting, from the date of grafting to the opening of the first flower, the fastest takes only 23 days, and individual plants can even bloom 1 to 2 days earlier, while most grafted plants usually take about 40 to 45 days to bloom. It can thus be seen that compared with cuttings, grafting can advance the flowering time.
Taking the Beijing area as an example: on June 15, 2012, grafting and cutting were done on the same day; about 20% of the grafted plants could bloom around July 25, while only about 10% of the cutting seedlings bloomed around September 20 or even later. This shows the advantage of grafting is very strong. Of course, grafting propagation is complex to operate and has high technical requirements. Below, the specific issues of grafting propagation are explained one by one.
Factors affecting grafting survival
1. Selection of rootstock:
For rose grafting, first of all a suitable grafting rootstock must be selected. The rootstock not only bears the roles of mechanical support and absorption and conduction of water and nutrients, but also controls the plant's function of absorbing organic matter, undertakes the manufacture of various enzymes and the storage of nutrients, and has a great influence on various characteristics of the upper part of the plant, including stems, leaves, flowers and fruits. Of course, the scion in turn also plays an important role in the growth and development of the rootstock root system. Various experiments have proved that the quality of the rootstock is one of the important factors related to whether ideal grafted rose seedlings can be produced. The rootstocks usually used are roses and their varieties, such as "Fentuan" rose, "Mannitti" rose, Dutch rose and Japanese thornless rose, etc. These rose species have well-developed root systems, are cold-resistant and drought-resistant, and have strong compatibility with the grafted varieties and stable heredity.
2. Grafting compatibility between rootstock and scion:
Grafting compatibility refers to the similarity of the internal tissue structure, hereditary and physiological characteristics of the rootstock and scion. Through grafting, the plant can be promoted to heal and survive and to be physiologically compatible after survival. The manifestation of weak compatibility and strong compatibility is relatively complex. Generally speaking, the closer the kinship, the stronger the compatibility. Compatibility is strongest between the same variety or the same species. The grafting compatibility between different species of the same genus varies by species.
3. Cambium of both rootstock and scion:
The cambium parts of both rootstock and scion must be in close contact over a fairly large area; this is one of the factors for grafting survival. Theoretically, complete alignment of the cambium of both rootstock and scion is the most ideal grafting effect, but in actual operation it is difficult to achieve; one can only seek to achieve the largest possible contact area.
4. Temperature, moisture and oxygen conditions during grafting:
Temperature is a necessary condition for cell activity; only cell activity, including cell division, can promote scion growth.
Generally, different varieties of roses can make cells grow rapidly within a temperature range of 13 to 32 degrees C. When grafting outdoors, choose the period of the year with the above temperatures and vigorous cambium activity. Such conditions generally occur in spring, early summer and September and October. The callus tissue grown from the cambium is composed of thin-walled, plump cells, which easily lose water and dry out, causing the scion to dry up and die. Therefore, the union must be bound tightly to maintain tissue moisture. The rapid division of healing tissue cells is often accompanied by respiration, and oxygen at this time is indispensable. Therefore, binding the union with plastic tape has the dual effect of retaining water and promoting respiration.
5. Quality of rootstock and scion:
According to the growth pattern of the rootstock and the comparison between its cutting seedlings and seedling-grown plants, choosing one-year-old seedling-grown plants as rootstock for rose grafting is relatively ideal, because they have well-developed root systems, strong disease resistance, and smooth, moderately thick main stems. Of course, using cutting seedlings for grafting also has its advantages, such as short cutting time and easy rooting, etc.
Grafting Techniques
1. Disinfection of cutting tools before grafting: When grafting, while ensuring that the cambium layers of the scion and rootstock are aligned, you must also ensure that the cut surfaces of both scion and rootstock are flat. The binding action should be nimble and quick, to avoid oxidation and discoloration of the cut surfaces.
2. Selection and storage of scions: The selection of rose scions directly relates to the survival quality of the grafted seedlings and whether vigorous grafted plants can be formed. Stored scions can be taken out for grafting at any time, eliminating the trouble of collecting them on the spot, saving a great deal of time, and allowing grafting at any time. The selection and storage of scions should pay attention to the following points:
(1). The scion wood must be healthy and free of pests and diseases; if there is powdery mildew, black spot, or red spider mite, etc., it should not be used.
(2). Usually, one-year-old or less-than-one-year-old post-blooming scion wood can be selected. Counting from the second axillary bud below the bract, the entire flowering branch can be used as scion wood. Flowering branches vary in length, ranging from 150 cm long to about 10 cm short, and the number of graftable buds they contain varies. Sometimes on the same scion branch, the plumpness and fullness of the graftable buds differ, so buds must be selected individually. Generally speaking, graftable buds taken from the middle portion of the scion branch are most suitable for grafting and give the best survival rate.
(3). As long as the scion has plump graftable buds, it can be stored for later use at any time of the year. Of course, in summer it must be refrigerated, and in winter it can be stored in sand. The time for refrigeration and sand storage should not be too long. Usually, the number of refrigerated and sand-stored scions should be roughly equal to the number of rootstock plants. Or the number to be refrigerated or sand-stored can be determined by the grafting speed. The prerequisite for refrigeration and sand storage is proper moisture retention and temperature retention; only with proper moisture and temperature retention can the normal physiological activity of the scion wood be maintained. Practice has proven that scientific refrigeration and sand storage are beneficial to the survival rate and survival quality of grafting.
Grafting Period
According to the growth habits and growth patterns of roses, grafting can be carried out at any time of the year, but specific situations must be analyzed specifically. When the temperature reaches above 33°C, the survival rate of grafting is relatively reduced; below 5°C, the grafted plants are in a dormant state, so using the winter dormant period for grafting is appropriate.
Grafting Methods
According to production practice and the mainstream methods of rose grafting, rose grafting methods can be divided into chip budding with wood, T-shaped budding, large-open-door budding, and rootless rootstock grafting.
1. Chip budding with wood:
(1). On the sunny side of the rootstock 4-6 cm above the ground, use a single-sided safety razor blade to cut a shield-shaped incision 1 to 2 cm long at a 30-40° angle. Then, using the same method and same size, select a plump, full graftable bud on the scion wood and insert it into the already-cut rootstock incision. Use a white plastic strip of moderate elasticity and width to bind it firmly from bottom to top with overlapping wraps, with moderate tightness.
(2). When inserting the graftable bud into the incision, the cambium layers should be aligned over as large an area as possible, ensuring that the rootstock xylem is not exposed. This method is simple and quick to perform and has a relatively high survival rate, but it requires high technical skill; one must master the technique of matching scion and rootstock in one attempt.
2. T-shaped budding: T-shaped budding is likewise a popular method in rose grafting production.
(1). Use a short-bladed vertical knife to make a horizontal cut on the branchless sunny side of the rootstock 4-6 cm above the ground, about 5-8 mm wide, with the depth just reaching the xylem. Then make a vertical cut downward from the middle of the horizontal incision, about 1.5-2 cm long, so that the bark forms a T-shaped opening.
(2). Cut the scion wood from the mother plant, remove the leaf blades but keep the petioles, select a plump, full graftable bud, use a sharp knife to make a horizontal cut about 0.5 cm above it, penetrating about 3 mm into the xylem, then use the knife to push upward from about 0.5 cm below the graftable bud, just reaching the xylem, up to the incision above the graftable bud.
(3). Use the knife to pry open the bark at the T-shaped incision on the rootstock, insert the graftable bud into the incision. After insertion, make fine adjustments to align the horizontal cut of the graftable bud with the horizontal cut of the rootstock without exposing the rootstock cambium; getting it in place in one attempt is ideal. After the graftable bud is properly placed, bind it with a plastic strip; when binding, the graftable bud must be left exposed. Although this method seems cumbersome and time-consuming, once proficient, one plant can be grafted within one minute, and the grafting survival rate is extremely high with excellent survival quality.
3. Large-open-door budding: The large-open-door budding method is also a very popular grafting method. It requires high technical skill, and the exposure time of the scion and rootstock incisions must not be too long. The key operating points are as follows:
(1). On the smooth, branchless sunny side of the rootstock 4 to 6 cm above the ground, use a short-bladed vertical knife to make a horizontal cut, with the depth just reaching the xylem. Then, aligned with one end of the horizontal incision, make a vertical cut downward 1.5-2 cm, and then at the other end of the horizontal incision make another cut in the same way. Both cuts should just reach the xylem. Then make another horizontal cut about 0.5 cm below the horizontal incision, and use the knife to remove the small square piece of cut bark to expose the xylem, then use the knife to lift it open.
(2). Remove the leaf blades from the scion wood but keep the petioles, select a plump, full graftable bud, use the knife to make a horizontal cut about 0.3 cm above the graftable bud, then aligned with one end of the horizontal incision make a vertical cut downward 1.5-2 cm, then at the other end of the horizontal incision make another vertical cut in the same way, then aligned with the two vertical incisions make a horizontal cut to form a rectangular bud plate with the graftable bud. All four cuts should reach the xylem.
(3). Use the knife or hand to lift open the rootstock bark, quickly insert the graftable bud and make fine adjustments. Align the two horizontal cuts of the scion and rootstock, bind with a plastic strip, with moderate tightness. Using this grafting method, the cambium contact area between scion and rootstock is large, supply is rapid, and the survival rate and survival quality can be greatly improved.
(4). Rootless rootstock grafting: Rootless rootstock grafting is grafting onto already-lignified new branches of rootless Rosa multiflora, followed by cutting propagation. This method of rose grafting propagation meets the needs of factory-style, specialized, and large-scale production and is not restricted by season. Carrying out all-weather assembly-line production indoors can greatly improve production efficiency, survival rate, and survival quality. Rootless rootstock grafting can adopt the above-mentioned chip budding with wood, T-shaped budding, and large-open-door budding methods. When using this method for propagation in summer, the graftable bud must have 1-2 leaves, and after cutting, moisture-retention care should be carried out. In winter, if rootless rootstock grafting and cutting are carried out in a greenhouse, the nighttime greenhouse temperature must not be lower than 5°C; for cold-frame cutting, cold-protection measures should be strengthened to avoid frost damage.
Whether rootless rootstock grafting is carried out in summer or winter, after grafting the cutting density of the cuttings is sparser than ordinary rose cuttings. When cutting, all cuttings should lean northward at 70°, with the graftable bud side facing the sunny direction. Technical requirements: plant and row spacing 5 cm × 5 cm, cutting depth about 3 cm.
Disease and Pest Control of Roses
1. Slug moths
Mainly the larvae of the yellow slug moth, brown-edged green slug moth, beautiful brown slug moth, mulberry brown slug moth, and flat slug moth, which in high-temperature seasons feed heavily on leaves. Control method: Once discovered, immediately spray-kill with 90% trichlorfon crystal at 800 times dilution, or with 2.5% fenvalerate emulsifiable concentrate at 15 00.
2. Scale insects
Mainly including white wax scale, Japanese wax scale, red wax scale, brown soft scale, cottony cushion scale, Chaff scale, snake-eye scale, etc. Their damage is characterized by piercing and sucking the sap of rose tender stems and young leaves, causing poor plant growth, mainly induced by high temperature and high humidity, poor ventilation, and insufficient light. Control method: During the peak hatching period of the nymphs, spray-kill with 25% buprofezin wettable powder at 2000 times dilution.
3. Aphids
Mainly rose tube aphid, green peach aphid, etc. They pierce and suck the sap of the plant's young tender organs, damaging tender stems, young leaves, flower buds, etc., seriously affecting plant growth and flowering. Control method: Promptly spray-kill with 10% imidacloprid wettable powder at 2000 times dilution.
4. Rose three-toothed sawfly
Mostly in the larval stage, dozens or over a hundred gather in groups to cause damage, and in a short time can eat all the plant's tender leaves, leaving only a few main leaf veins, seriously harming the plant's normal growth. Control method: For a small number of potted plants, when they first appear, pick the leaves on which large numbers of larvae are gathered and crush them to death. If they appear in large numbers, spray-kill with 75% phoxim emulsifiable concentrate at 4000 times dilution.
5. Carmine spider mite
Can occur 10-16 generations per year. Adult mites, young mites, and nymphs gather on the underside of leaves to pierce and suck, causing damage. Eggs are mostly laid on both sides of the leaf veins on the underside or under gathered fine silk webs. Each female mite can lay 50-150 eggs, up to 500 at most. The time to complete one generation is only 10 to 13 days at a temperature of 23-25°C, and about 7 to 8 days at 28°C. It breaks out severely in high-temperature and dry seasons, often causing large numbers of dense small white spots on the upper surface of leaves, with the underside turning yellow and occasionally bearing blighted spots. Control method: Once discovered, promptly spray-kill with 25% fenbutatin oxide wettable powder at 2000 times dilution.
6. Scarab beetles
Mainly the copper green scarab, black velvet scarab, white-spotted flower scarab, small green flower scarab, etc. Adults often chew new leaves, tender shoots, and flower buds, seriously affecting plant growth and flowering. Control method: Taking advantage of the adults' death-feigning behavior, shake them off in the evening and capture and kill them. Taking advantage of the adults' phototaxis, use black light lamps to trap and kill them. When adults are feeding and causing damage, spray-kill with 50% malathion emulsifiable concentrate at 1000 times dilution.
7. Stem borers
Rose stem borers are the larvae of the rose stem sawfly, which bore holes in the stems, drill into the stems to feed, causing branches to break and the upper parts to die. The larvae are white, with a pale yellow head, and about 15-17 mm long. Adults have wings, are black, with yellow on both sides of the abdomen. Pupae are vermilion red. Usually 1 generation occurs per year, causing damage in May-June, pupating inside the stems to overwinter; it is a relatively serious pest. Black spot: Mainly attacks leaves, petioles, and tender shoots. When the leaves first develop the disease, purple-brown to brown small spots appear on the upper surface, which after expanding are mostly round or irregular dark brown lesions. Can spray with carbendazim, thiophanate-methyl, daconil, and other chemicals.
8. Powdery mildew
Attacks tender leaves, with white powdery material appearing on both sides. Early symptoms are not obvious. After the white powdery layer appears for 3-5 days, the leaves become water-soaked, gradually lose green and turn yellow, and when severely damaged cause leaf drop. During the onset period, spraying carbendazim or triadimefon is sufficient, but Guoguang Yingna has the best effect.
9. Leaf blight
Mostly invades from leaf tips or leaf margins, initially as small yellow spots, then rapidly expanding inward into irregular large lesions. Severely affected leaves wither over 2/3 of their area, the diseased parts fade green and turn yellow, then brown, dry up, and drop. To control the above diseases, in addition to strengthening fertilizer and water management, in winter diseased branches and leaves should be cut off, fallen leaves on the ground cleared, and initial infection sources reduced. When disease occurs, comprehensive control should be adopted, and fungicides such as carbendazim and thiophanate-methyl should be sprayed.
10. Black spot
Mainly attacks leaves, petioles, and tender shoots. When the leaves first develop the disease, purple-brown to brown small spots appear on the upper surface, which after expanding are mostly round or irregular dark brown lesions. Can spray with carbendazim, thiophanate-methyl, daconil, and other chemicals.
Overview of Rose Variety Classification
In the angiosperm class Dicotyledoneae, the three outstanding members of the Rosaceae family - rose, Chinese rose, and Rosa multiflora - are actually all plants of the genus Rosa. In Chinese, people customarily call varieties with large flower diameter and solitary blooms "yueji" (Chinese rose), those with small clustered blooms "qiangwei" (Rosa multiflora), and those from which essence can be extracted "meigui" (rose). But in English they can all be collectively called rose. According to officially registered varieties, there are about thirty thousand roses. In fact, the more than 200 major varieties under the genus Rosa are all called rose abroad, and in Taiwan, China they are all called meigui.
Main Types
Rose flower types mainly include edible rose, climbing rose (CI series), large-flowered hybrid tea rose (cut-flower roses are mainly large-flowered hybrid tea roses) (HT series), floribunda rose (polyantha rose) (F/FI series), miniature rose (Min series), tree rose, grandiflora rose (Gr series), shrub rose (sh series), ground-cover rose (Gc series), etc.
Climbing Rose (CI series)
A new star in landscaping - the climbing rose is a climbing shrub of the genus Rosa in the subfamily Rosoideae, with relatively tall and large plants. Each year it sends out thick, vigorous new branches from the base, and thicker lateral branches grow from the tips of two-year-old climbing branches. It has a four-season blooming habit, but the greatest quantity of flowers occurs only in late spring or early summer. It has a climbing growth type, a well-developed root system, extremely strong resistance, rapid branch sprouting, and strong growth vigor. A single plant sprouts 7-8 main branches per year, and each main branch branches in an open manner. The maximum annual growth can reach 5 m, and it has a very strong disease resistance.
It is extensively managed, tolerant of pruning, rich in flower forms, and blooms continuously through the four seasons (some are also one-season or two-season blooming types). The flower colors are brilliant, bold, with a long flowering period and rich fragrance. Flower colors include vermilion, bright red, fresh red, pink, golden yellow, orange yellow, bicolor, pure white, etc. It sprouts at the nodes in the second year and blooms all over the plant, with numerous flower heads, and can form landscapes such as flower balls, flower columns, flower walls, flower seas, flower waterfalls, arch shapes, and corridor shapes.
Cut-flower Roses
Varieties include:
1. Red series: Royal Carriage, Dushutai, Uncle Walter (classic variety), Orange-red Flame, Vermilion Queen, Chang'e Flying to the Moon, Summer Camp, Mozart, etc.
2. Yellow series: Spectrum (classic variety), Jubilation, Changhong, Golden Sunshine, King of Light, etc.
3. Pink series: Pink Fan, Orchid Moon, Parade (classic variety), Angela, etc.
4. White series: White River, Climbing Green Cloud.
5. Bicolor series: Eden Rose (classic variety), Flower Fairy, Colorful Cloud, Flying Tiger, Flower Soul, Climbing Electronic Watch, Purple Robe Jade Belt (classic variety), etc.
6. Orange series: Kunten, Western Earth, Sweet Dream, Stream, etc.
Large-flowered Hybrid Tea Rose (HT series)
There are numerous varieties, and it is the main body of modern roses. Its characteristics are: robust plants, single or clustered flowers, large blooms, elegant and beautiful flower forms, numerous bright and lively flower colors, fragrant scent, and strong ornamental value.
Varieties include:
1. White: Tineke, Kennedy (classic variety), Wedding White, First White, White Satin, Green Cloud, Tanikki (classic variety), White Christmas (classic variety), White Wine, etc.
2. Yellow: Golden Phoenix, Ohio Gold, Gold Medal, Rhine Gold (classic variety), Gold Medal, Solido, Green Field, Princess Cantor, etc.
3. Red: Scarlet Fan, Star (classic variety), Mélanie Rouge, Carte d'Or, Han Qian, Rose Center, Congressman Buda, Fragrant Devil, Olympic Games, Fragrant Cloud, etc.
4. Blue: Blue Moon (classic variety), Blue Peace, Sapphire, Blue Ribbon (classic variety), Jacaranda, Blue Perfume (classic variety), Blue River (classic variety), Paradise, etc.
5. Black-red: Mister Lincoln (classic variety, one of the 10 most fragrant rose varieties, a representative variety of large-flowered hybrid tea roses, the standard flower for rose judging criteria), Warrior, Grand Purple Light, Black Whirlwind, Speckled Rock, Black Pearl, Vermilion and Ink Double Radiance, etc.
6. Green: Green Star, Green Calyx.
7. Orange: Jesta, Joey, Quintley, Golden Bull, Maxina, Grand Medal, etc.
8. Pink: Pink Fan, Pink Peace (classic variety), First-Class Lady, Japanese Pink, Drunken Fragrant Wine, Chuck Red, Tang Red, etc.
9. Bicolor: Peace (classic variety), Fire Peace, Chicago Peace (classic variety), Double Delight (classic variety, first among the 10 most fragrant rose varieties), Greek Homeland (fragrant) (classic variety), Mélanie Caprice, Love, My Choice, Light of Peace, Chekoke, Modern Art, Princess of Monaco, Colorful Cloud, Garibaldi, Float, etc.
Floribunda Rose (F/FI series)
The floribunda rose has an expansive growth habit, with flower heads in clusters. It is cold-resistant, high-temperature-resistant, drought-resistant, waterlogging-resistant, disease-resistant, and has extremely strong adaptability to the environment. It is widely used in urban environmental greening, landscaping flower beds, expressways, etc.
Miniature Rose (Min series)
A new variety in the rose family, with a short, small plant type, ball-shaped, and numerous flower heads. Because of its unique characteristics it is also called "diamond rose." It is mainly used for potted ornamentation, embellishing lawns, and arranging flower color patterns.
Tree Rose
Tree rose, also called rose tree or rose standard, achieves a standard upright trunk and crown through grafting more than twice. Current tree rose specifications (height 0.4-2.0 m, trunk diameter 1-5 cm).
Advantages: Good ornamental effect, unique shape, noble and elegant, with clear layers, visually refreshing; diverse forms, including round ball type, fan type, waterfall type, miniature, etc.; it retains the advantages of general roses such as strong fragrance, long flowering period, and diverse flower colors, while appearing more novel, more noble, and more enthusiastic, thus having higher aesthetic value.
Habits: Strong adaptability. The flower crown of the tree rose is farther from the ground than general flowers, making it less susceptible to soil-borne pests and diseases; the trunk is derived from Rosa multiflora, with a well-developed root system and extremely strong vitality of the Rosaceae rose. Especially in areas with relatively high alkalinity where planting ordinary roses is difficult, the tree rose fills the gap.
Ground-cover Rose (Gc series)
The newest ecological vegetation flower - the ground-cover rose. Its growth situation is:
It has a creeping, expansive type, with a height not exceeding 20 cm. Each plant sprouts more than 50 branches per year, branches root where they touch the ground, and each branch blooms 50-100 flowers at a time.
The root system is well developed, rooting deepest at more than 2 m.
The coverage area is large, with a single plant covering more than 1 sq m.
It has strong gregarious flowering, with continuous blooming through the four seasons.
Its biological habits are:
Drought-tolerant; it can grow in areas with annual rainfall of 150-200 mm.
Tolerant of barren soil, slopes, and dense shade; it can be planted and grow in areas where irrigation is difficult.
Tolerant of high temperature and high humidity; it can grow normally at low temperatures of -30°C and high temperatures of 42°C.
Extensively managed, with strong disease resistance, requiring no pesticide application and no pruning, reducing a great deal of management costs.
The effect of arranging color blocks and roadside strips is remarkable. The ground-cover rose has deep roots and lush leaves, with large branch and leaf spread and strong leaf surface respiration. It has a high adsorption rate for urban dust and harmful substances, and is an excellent plant for water conservation and preventing soil erosion.
Varieties include: Brazil Nut, Ground Cover No. 1, Hardford Jun, Rose Carpet, Kent, New Olympics, etc., Flower Carpet.
Peace Rose
The Peace rose was bred by the Frenchman Francis Meilland in 1939 under the iron heel of fascism. Under the code 3-35-40, he sent this rose to the United States. After the American horticulturist Robert Pyle received this variety that had crossed the ocean, he immediately distributed it to important nurseries in the northern and southern United States for propagation. A few years later, this new variety made a comeback and caused a sensation throughout the United States. In 1945, the American Pacific Rose Society named this variety Peace, and declared: We firmly believe that this most remarkable new rose variety of our time should be named after the greatest wish of the world's people today, "Peace." We believe that the Peace rose will serve as a model and forever grow in the gardens of our descendants for generations to come. On the very day the Peace rose was named, it happened that the Allied forces captured Berlin and Hitler perished. And when the Peace rose won the All-American... unconditional surrender. When the United Nations was founded and held its first meeting in San Francisco, in the vase of every delegate's room there was a bouquet of Peace roses presented by the American Rose Society. On it was a note that read: We hope the "Peace" rose can influence people's thinking and give the world lasting peace. During World War II, fascist bandits in a village called Lidice, fourteen kilometers from Prague, killed one hundred and seventy-five men over the age of fifteen and imprisoned women and children in concentration camps. After the war, to commemorate these people, many rose experts and some voluntary donors built a rose garden here in 1955, in which the main variety was the Peace rose.
Red Hat Rose
Product name: Red Hat Rose
Category: Flowering shrub category -> Red Hat Rose
Product introduction: Red Hat Rose scientific name: Rosa chinensis Jacq
Scientific name: Rosa chinensis Jacq
Family and genus: Rosaceae
Climbing Rose
Distribution: Native to Hubei, Sichuan, Yunnan, Hunan, Jiangsu, Guangdong and other provinces; now commonly cultivated everywhere, especially the original species and Yueyuehong. The original species and most varieties were introduced abroad as early as the early 18th century and became important original materials for modern rose cross-breeding.
Morphological characteristics: Evergreen or semi-evergreen upright shrub, usually with hooked prickles. Leaflets 3-5 cm, broadly ovate to ovate-elliptic, 2.5-6 cm long, apex pointed, margins with sharp serrations, hairless on both sides, glossy on the surface; petioles and rachis sparsely bearing prickles and short glandular hairs, stipules mostly attached to the petiole, margins with glandular cilia. Flowers often several in clusters, rarely solitary, about 5 cm in diameter, deep red, pink, to nearly white, slightly fragrant; sepals often pinnately lobed, margins with glandular hairs; pedicels mostly slender, with glandular hairs. Fruit ovoid to spherical, 1.5-2 cm long, red. Flowering period late April to October; fruit ripening period September to November.
Variety Evolution
Breeding and variety evolution: The process of rose breeding and variety evolution is divided into three independent periods. In these three periods, the breeding methods are relatively different, but taking gene change as the theme of breeding is common to all. The three periods are divided as follows:
1. Early period (prehistoric to 1875)
2. Modern period (1875-1967)
3. Contemporary period (1967 to present)
The first period lasted about 5,000 years. By 1875, Mendel published his famous laws of hybrid inheritance, and people's rose breeding also developed into directed cross-breeding. From then on, most rose breeders considered breeding issues from the perspective of Mendelian inheritance or qualitative inheritance, while quantitative inheritance or weighted inheritance behavior in breeding was still little known or rarely applied at that time.
The outline of rose breeding in the first period is as follows:
1. Numerous rose species were collected and all planted together.
2. Only very few species contributed to rose breeding in the second period.
3. Intraspecific hybridization was a naturally occurring process.
4. New varieties came only from natural pollination.
5. Rose breeding work was concentrated in Western Europe and the United States.
6. The natural evolutionary trend was from diploid to tetraploid.
7. An original enormous gene pool was formed.
8. Domestication reduced genetic resources.
9. Rose varieties before 1875 were inferred.
The second period began with the application of directed techniques and ended in 1967. From 1967 onward, molecular biology techniques began to be applied in roses. This period lasted 90 years.
The third period, which began in 1967, has already spanned more than 30 years.
The beginnings of rose breeding: early horticulturists selected superior types from wild roses and planted them together. As far back as very early prehistoric times, several rose species, or several of the already domesticated cultivars among them, were being grown in China, Persia, Mesopotamia, Egypt, Greece and Italy, long before the year 1 AD. In ancient horticulture it is unclear whether roses were propagated by seed or asexually, but over a span of more than 5000 years, a large number of new cultivars appeared through sowing seeds obtained by natural pollination.
The domestication of cultivars and the production of intraspecific hybrids was a long process. Some undesirable primitive types were discarded, asexual propagation techniques were developed, and the progress of domestication accelerated. Through introduction by travellers and the replacement of cultivars, horticulturists gained new genetic resources (any domesticated species shows very little genetic variation). Early breeders knew that planting one cultivar together with other cultivars had a great influence on the offspring, and they also kept a good deal of data on mother plants and the new cultivars produced, which allows us to confirm the evolutionary process of some cultivars; however, breeders at that time still did not understand that the characteristics of the father plant are passed on to the next generation through pollination. At that time, some diploid cultivars also evolved into tetraploid cultivars. Almost all the main modern rose cultivars are tetraploids. It is worth noting that in some repeat-flowering cultivars, vigour increases with the increase in ploidy; had this knowledge been understood earlier, it might have stimulated the interest of breeders of that period in deliberately breeding new tetraploid cultivars from diploids.
The China rose (Rosa chinensis), native to China, played a more important role in the breeding of new rose cultivars in Western Europe than any other rose species. It brought to the new cultivars the repeat-flowering habit and the bushy habit, which were unknown until then. Multiflora rose (Rosa multiflora) was also a very important parent, giving roses the characteristic of the umbel-like inflorescence.
In the second period, research in biomolecules developed unprecedentedly. But there was not much scientific research on roses, as can be seen from the past two journals, Plant Breeding and Horticultural Abstracts: among the thousands of papers in them each year, very few were about roses. Scientific research work on roses was mainly concentrated on taxonomic cytology, physiology, morphology, growing conditions, varieties and rootstock studies, while the aims of breeding research were trait inheritance, simplification of cross-breeding procedures and raising the rates of direct and indirect selection. Research on low-energy-consumption and pest- and disease-resistant cultivars was relatively scarce and far behind that of fruit trees. For example, almost all breeding work was confined to universities or research institutes.
In the second period there were two major discoveries. First, the breeding of repeat-flowering, large-flowered cultivars, which was achieved by Pernet in 1900. It marked the first success of deliberate interspecific cross-breeding in roses.
The second major achievement was in 1920, the breeding of the old dwarf compact cultivar "pompon de paris"; this new type was rediscovered in Switzerland and is now named R. roulettii Corre von, and it is the origin of some modern miniature roses.
In the early part of the second period, people discovered a large number of gene types of roses. Faced with so many genetic resources, the breeders of the second period seized the opportunity; some parents were selected and retained, others were discarded, cross-breeding techniques were further developed, and indoor cross-breeding began. Many different original parents could be crossed with one another, and as a result the originally clear boundaries between different types disappeared.
In the 1930s, roses were divided into greenhouse roses and open-ground roses. Encouraged by the demand for cultivars of the two types, breeders began to select and breed types suited to their respective specific environments. Today, breeders are mainly concentrated on the first type, because the quality of greenhouse cultivars is 3-5 times that of open-ground cultivars, which makes greenhouse cultivars particularly attractive. Since there have always been very abundant genetic resources among cultivars, breeders have been fairly successful in breeding work on the two types, and gradually some types suitable for greenhouse production have been bred, including some small-flowered, medium-flowered and large-flowered cultivars.
Overall, there is no difference in method between the selection and breeding of greenhouse roses and open-ground roses; when it comes to method or breeding procedure, breeders mostly use a negative approach, selecting their seedlings. In the selection process, about 99% of the seedlings are eliminated, and this method of strict selection from among tens of thousands of seedlings each year has continued for nearly 100 years, which is bound to lead to serious loss of genes. Worse still, almost every breeder selects the same traits, and therefore applies the same selection criteria.
Differences from the rose (Rosa rugosa)
The rose (Rosa rugosa) has tall, long stems, mostly straight prickles, small flowers, a single flower colour and a short flowering period. The flowering branches are upright and the flower colours are rich, with fragrance; the leaflets of the rose are also 5-9 in number, but the underside of the leaf is wrinkled, the leaf back is whitish and has small prickles, and the whole leaf is also thicker with sunken veins. The China rose has low, short stems, large prickles, with roughly 3 or 4 hooks at each node; large flowers, rich flower colours, faint or no scent, and leaflets generally 3-5 in number, with flat, smooth leaf blades.
The uses of the China rose: the influence on the home environment
1. A China rose in the home gives you a home full of poetry. Different types of China rose have different flower meanings. For example, the flower meaning and symbolic significance of the pink China rose: first love, elegance, nobility, gratitude; the flower meaning and symbolic significance of the red China rose: pure love, passionate love, chastity, courage; the flower meaning and symbolic significance of the white China rose: respect, loftiness, purity; the flower meaning and symbolic significance of the orange-yellow China rose: full of youthful spirit, beauty; the flower meaning and symbolic significance of the green-white China rose: innocence, frugality or a pure heart; the flower meaning and symbolic significance of the black China rose: individuality and creativity; the flower meaning and symbolic significance of the blue-purple China rose: preciousness, treasuring. Such an interesting flower, planted as a single specimen, gives your whole home a new face.
2. The dark appearance makes the owner feel more spirited. Usually, dark things give people a visual impact. Imagine coming home and facing four walls that are all white, with all the furniture you see in light colours, very lifeless; if you suddenly see a vigorously growing China rose beside the television, you will immediately feel refreshed, because the visual sense is suddenly changed, a person feels bright and clear, life in particular becomes full of vitality, and the feeling is especially good.
3. The role of greening the home is also self-evident. The China rose is an evergreen or deciduous shrub, with green branchlets, scattered prickles, and some are almost thornless; the leaf margins are serrated, both sides hairless and smooth, and the stipules are fused with the leaf stalk. The flowers are borne at the tips of the branches, the flowers are often clustered, rarely solitary, and the flower colours are very numerous. There are countless cultivars, mostly double-flowered but some single-flowered; the flowers have a faint fragrance; the fleshy rose hip, when ripe, is red-yellow and splits open at the top; the "seed" is an achene, chestnut brown. Such a beautiful China rose constantly absorbs components in the air that are harmful to human life and releases oxygen that is good for the human body, so its greening effect is achieved without one noticing.
Feng shui effects
First, planting China roses in one's own garden can make family members feel bright and clear-headed. The China rose is an evergreen or deciduous shrub, with green branchlets, scattered prickles, and some are almost thornless; the leaf margins are serrated, both sides hairless and smooth, and the stipules are fused with the leaf stalk. The flowers are borne at the tips of the branches, the flowers are often clustered, rarely solitary, and the flower colours are very numerous. There are countless cultivars, mostly double-flowered but some single-flowered; the flowers have a faint fragrance; the fleshy rose hip, when ripe, is red-yellow and splits open at the top; the "seed" is an achene, chestnut brown. Its bright red appearance makes people feel spirited; at the same time, it should be noted that the China rose is a relatively toxic plant, so we cannot plant it in places close to us, such as the living room and the bedroom, and when planting it in the garden we cannot plant too many, because its fragrance is toxic.
Then, plant a few China roses in the backyard of the home, and the life of the family becomes happier and happier. The flower meaning and symbolic significance of the pink China rose: first love, elegance, nobility, gratitude; the flower meaning and symbolic significance of the red China rose: pure love, passionate love, chastity, courage; the flower meaning and symbolic significance of the white China rose: respect, loftiness, purity; the flower meaning and symbolic significance of the orange-yellow China rose: full of youthful spirit, beauty; the flower meaning and symbolic significance of the green-white China rose: innocence, frugality or a pure heart; the flower meaning and symbolic significance of the black China rose: individuality and creativity; the flower meaning and symbolic significance of the blue-purple China rose: preciousness, treasuring. The symbolic meaning of the China rose is very clear: if a family lives together every day and looks at the China rose from afar, associating it with the meanings it represents, and thereby treasures every day of living together with family, happiness begins right there, and the home they live in together also becomes a home of good feng shui.
The landscape uses of the China rose: landscaping
In landscaping, the China rose has an indispensable value; among flowers, the China rose is the most frequently used in gardens in both the north and the south. The China rose is a major ornamental flower of spring, with a long flowering period, high ornamental value and a low price, and is loved by gardens everywhere.
The "link" role
Because of its climbing growth habit, the China rose is mainly used for vertical greening, and has a unique role in garden street scenes and in beautiful flower settings. If it can form a pleasing
purposeful walkway and flower pillar, made into various arches, grid shapes and frame-type supports for the China rose to climb on, and then after appropriate pruning and shaping, it can decorate buildings and become a clever "link" connecting buildings with the garden
Environmental protection role
It can be made into continuous flower hedges, flower screens and flower walls, used in government offices, schools, residential communities, urban squares and other places, and it can not only purify the air and beautify the environment, but also greatly reduce noise pollution in the surrounding areas and alleviate the greenhouse effect of the city in the hot summer.
The dietary therapy or medicinal value of the China rose
The medical information and health dietary therapy information on Huhua Network is for reference only and cannot be used as a basis for diagnosis or medical treatment. Any health problem should be consulted with professional medical personnel, and the treatment of any disease should follow a doctor's advice.
The ultimate flower-protecting task: love yourself, start from reality, and strictly follow the doctor's advice. For illness, do not be careless, do not delay, do not give up hope, face it bravely, warm the silent world with love, and care for the flower field in your heart with your heart.
Medicinal value
[Aliases] Yueyuehong, Sijihua, Shengchun, Douxuehong, Yueguihong, Yueguihua, Yueji, Yueyuekai, Changchunhua, Yueyuehua. Yanxuehong, ChouChunhua, Yuejigang, Yueguanghua, Tongchuizi, Sijichun, Shouke.
[Definition]: The dried flower of the China rose, a plant of the Rosaceae family.
[Collection]: It can be harvested throughout the year, picked when the flower is slightly open. ⟦34◄[Nature, flavour and meridian tropism]: Sweet, bland, slightly bitter, neutral. Enters the liver meridian
[Nature, flavor, and meridian tropism]: Sweet, bland, slightly bitter, neutral. Enters the liver meridian.
[Efficacy]: Activates blood and regulates menstruation, soothes the liver and relieves depression, reduces swelling and resolves toxins.
[Indications]: 1. Liver depression and blood stagnation, irregular menstruation, dysmenorrhoea, amenorrhoea and distending pain in the chest and hypochondrium; 2. traumatic injuries, blood stasis and swelling with pain, carbuncles, boils and pyogenic infections, scrofula. [11]
[Trade name] Yuejihua (China rose flower). The best quality is flower buds or just-opened flowers that are intact and dry, with bright colour and a clear fragrance.
[Prescription names] Yueji, Yuejihua, Yueyuehong, Sijihua.
The China rose is not only an ornamental flower with a long flowering period and fragrant, brilliant colours, but also a good medicine for gynaecological diseases. Traditional Chinese medicine holds that the China rose is sweet in flavour and warm in nature, enters the liver meridian and has the effects of activating blood and regulating menstruation, reducing swelling and resolving toxins. Because the China rose has obvious effects in removing blood stasis, promoting the flow of qi and relieving pain, it is often used to treat irregular menstruation, dysmenorrhoea and other conditions.
Clinical reports say that when women have amenorrhoea or scanty, pale and small-volume menstruation, lower abdominal pain, together with poor spirits and dry bound stool, or when the above symptoms appear during the menstrual period, treatment with Shengchun Tang is effective. The medicinal composition of Shengchun Tang is: China rose 10g, angelica 10g, Salvia miltiorrhiza 10g, white peony root 10g, plus an appropriate amount of brown sugar, decocted in clear water and taken. The decoction tastes sweet and fragrant, without the hardship of being hard to swallow; take 3 doses 3-5 days before each menstrual period, adding one egg to cook with it each time, and its effect is reliable; it is truly a wonderful formula for regulating menstruation, regulating qi and activating blood.
Using the China rose together with bitter orange flower is an even better formula for treating menstrual diseases caused by disharmony of qi and blood. Use 15g each of China rose and bitter orange flower, decoct in water and take. The China rose emphasises activating blood, while bitter orange flower tends to promote the movement of qi. The two medicines paired together, one qi and one blood, regulate both qi and blood, and their effects of regulating menstruation and activating blood, promoting the movement of qi and relieving pain are very good. Main indications: women with liver qi depression, disharmony of qi and blood, and obstructed flow due to blood stasis in the meridians, resulting in irregular menstruation, chest and abdominal pain, poor appetite or even nausea and vomiting.
For common gynaecological diseases, folk single remedies and proven remedies using the China rose are also very effective. For example: fresh China rose 20g infused in boiling water and taken can treat irregular menstruation or abdominal pain during menstruation; China rose root 30g, cockscomb flower and motherwort 15g each, decocted in water and used to cook eggs, can treat dysmenorrhoea;
For excessive menstruation and excessive vaginal discharge, use China rose (or root) 15g decocted in water and taken, or stewed with pork and eaten; China rose 10g and jujube 12g decocted together, and after the decoction is ready add an appropriate amount of honey and take it; this formula is fragrant and sweet, not like medicine, and is very effective for hot flushes during the menstrual period. In addition, women often infuse China rose petals in water as a tea, or add them to other beauty teas and drink them, which can also activate blood and beautify the skin, keeping one youthful for a long time.
The cultural background of the China rose
One of China's ten famous flowers. The China rose is known as the "queen of flowers", and it has a spirit of unyielding tenacity, with a fragrance that carries far.
Status in traditional culture
The China rose occupies a weak position in traditional Chinese culture, but new archaeological discoveries show that the China rose was the totem plant of the northern branch of the ancestors of the Chinese nation, equivalent to the legendary Yellow Emperor's tribe.
The China rose is now the city flower of Beijing and other cities.
The China Rose Fair runs from 1 May to 20 May; every year at this time, Zhengzhou holds a China rose fair. Not only do the organisers put out China roses of all colours, but ordinary people in the city can also bring out the famous cultivars they have cultivated at home for many years; at that time the whole city is full of flowers, and parks and streets and alleys are filled with beautiful fresh flowers and a rich fragrance.
Legend
Long ago, at the foot of Shennong Mountain there was a family surnamed Gao, who had a daughter named Yulan, just eighteen years old, gentle and quiet; many young noblemen and princes came to seek her hand in marriage, but Yulan refused them all. Because she had an elderly mother who had a cough and spat blood all year round, and no matter how many medicines were used, none were effective. So Yulan, without telling her parents, posted a notice seeking a doctor: "Whoever cures my mother's illness, I am willing to give myself to him in marriage." A young man named Zhongyuan answered the notice and offered a prescription. After Yulan's mother took his medicine, she indeed recovered. Yulan did not break the agreement and married Zhongyuan. On their wedding night, Yulan asked what miraculous prescription was so effective, and Zhongyuan replied: "China rose, China rose, a good remedy for clearing cough. This is a secret family recipe: rock sugar stewed together with China rose is a miraculous decoction for clearing cough and stopping bleeding, specially treating women's diseases." Yulan nodded and kept it in mind.
The national flower and city flower status of the China rose
It is the city flower of Fuyang, the city flower of Beijing, the city flower of Tianjin, the city flower of Shijiazhuang, the city flower of Nanyang, the city flower of Changzhou, the city flower of Huai'an, and the city flower of Liuzhou.
The national flower of Iraq, the United States and Luxembourg.
The flower meaning of the China rose
The flower meaning of the China rose: waiting for a hope that has hope, happiness, glory, and beauty ever renewed. [13]
The flower meaning and symbolic significance of the pink China rose: first love, elegance, nobility, gratitude.
The flower meaning and symbolic significance of the red China rose: pure love, passionate love, chastity, courage.
The flower meaning and symbolic significance of the white China rose: respect, loftiness, purity.
The flower meaning and symbolic significance of the orange-yellow China rose: full of youthful spirit, beauty.
The flower meaning and symbolic significance of the green-white China rose: innocence, frugality or a pure heart.
The flower meaning and symbolic significance of the black China rose: individuality and creativity.
The flower meaning and symbolic significance of the blue-purple China rose: preciousness, treasuring.
China rose pictures
A practical compendium of home flower growing (Part One)
1．What are the benefits of growing flowers？
With their brilliant elegance, flowers decorate nature exceptionally beautifully and give people the enjoyment of beauty. Growing flowers can enrich and adjust people's cultural life, add pleasure, cultivate temperament and improve health; it can also increase scientific knowledge and raise cultural and artistic accomplishment. Growing flowers can green and beautify the land of the motherland, protect and improve it, purify the air, and enable people to work and study in a beautiful environment, making life better. Growing flowers not only provides ornament, but also has many important economic values. Flowers are an important part of Chinese herbal medicine; honeysuckle, chrysanthemum, wintersweet, hibiscus, rhododendron, China rose, lotus and so on are all commonly used Chinese medicinal materials. Fragrant flowers are widely used in food, light industry and other fields; for example, osmanthus can be used as a food flavouring and for brewing wine, jasmine, white orchid, bitter orange and Zhulan can be used to scent tea, and chrysanthemum can be made into high-grade foods and dishes. White orchid, jasmine, rose, wintersweet, narcissus and so on can be used to extract essences. Growing flowers can also earn foreign exchange and accumulate funds. For example, the high-grade essence refined from roses - rose oil - is called "liquid gold" on the international market, and its value is even higher than gold.
2．What categories are flowers divided into？
Our country has long had the reputation of "mother of the world's gardens", with rich flower resources and a great variety of species. To facilitate cultivation, management and use, it is necessary to understand the knowledge of flower classification. Because the bases for classification differ, the methods of classification also differ. According to the morphological characteristics of flowers, flowers are usually divided into two major categories: herbaceous flowers and woody flowers; those with soft stem texture are herbaceous flowers, and those with hard, woody stems are woody flowers. According to growth habits and morphological characteristics, they can generally be divided into herbaceous flowers, woody flowers, succulent flowers and aquatic flowers. Herbaceous flowers, according to differences in their growth and development cycles, can further be divided into annual herbaceous flowers, biennial herbaceous flowers, perennial flowers, bulbous flowers and lawn plants. Woody flowers, according to differences in trunk height and crown size, can further be divided into trees, shrubs and vines. Succulent flowers have fleshy, thickened stems and leaves and store abundant water in their bodies, and some have leaves reduced to needles or feather-like forms, with strange shapes, so they form a category of their own in horticultural cultivation. Aquatic flowers grow in water and marshy areas all year round, and most are perennial plants. According to the ornamental part, flowers can be divided into flower-viewing types (mainly for viewing flower colour and flower shape, such as chrysanthemum, China rose, etc.), foliage-viewing types (mainly for viewing leaf colour and leaf shape, such as croton, caladium, etc.), fruit-viewing types (mainly for viewing fruit, such as kumquat, etc.), stem-viewing types (mainly for viewing branches and stems, such as pencil cactus, Cereus, etc.) and bud-viewing types (mainly for viewing buds, such as silver willow). According to use, flowers can be divided into cut flowers (such as carnation, calla lily, etc.), indoor flowers (such as clivia, Monstera deliciosa, etc.), courtyard flowers (such as China rose, chrysanthemum, etc.), medicinal flowers (such as peony, honeysuckle, etc.), spice flowers (such as white orchid, jasmine, rose, etc.) and edible flowers (lily, daylily, pomegranate). In addition, based on the climatic conditions of the places of origin of flowers and according to natural distribution, flowers can be divided into tropical flowers, subtropical flowers, warm-temperate flowers, temperate flowers, subfrigid flowers, alpine flowers and so on. This classification method can reflect the habits of various flowers and the conditions that need to be met for their growth and development during cultivation.
3．What are bulbous flowers？
Bulbous flowers refer to perennial herbaceous flowers whose underground stems or roots have become modified and are spherical or shaped. According to the morphological structure of their underground stems or roots, they can be roughly divided into 5 major categories: (1) Bulbs. The underground stem is scale-like. Those covered externally by a papery skin are called tunicate bulbs, such as tulip, narcissus, hippeastrum, etc.; those with no outer skin covering the scales are called non-tunicate bulbs, such as lily, etc. (2) Corms. The underground stem is spherical or flattened-spherical, covered externally by a leathery skin, such as gladiolus, freesia, etc. (3) Rhizomes. The underground stem is thickened and root-like, with obvious nodes on it, and new buds are borne at the tips of the branches, such as canna, ginger lily, lotus, water lily, hosta, etc. (4) Tubers. The underground stem is irregularly lump-shaped or strip-shaped, such as calla lily, cyclamen, gloxinia, tuberose, etc. (5) Tuberous roots. The underground main root is thickened and lump-shaped, and the root system grows out from the end of the tuberous root, such as dahlia, etc.
A practical compendium of home flower growing (Part One)4．What is the relationship between temperature and flower growing？
Temperature is an important condition for the survival of all kinds of flowers. No matter how suitable other environmental conditions are, if there is no suitable temperature condition, flowers will find it hard to survive. The growth and development of each kind of flower has its optimum temperature, maximum temperature and minimum temperature. According to the temperature conditions of the places of origin of flowers, flowers can be roughly divided into high-temperature types, medium-temperature types and low-temperature types. (1) High-temperature types. Such as milan, poinsettia, cineraria, gloxinia, fuchsia, etc. When grown in North China, the winter room temperature must be kept above 12°C. (2) Medium-temperature types. Such as white orchid, jasmine, hibiscus, geranium, etc., the winter room temperature must not be lower than 5°C. (3) Low-temperature types. Such as oleander, osmanthus, kumquat, bitter orange, cycad, etc., the winter room temperature only needs not to be lower than 0 degrees. If the temperature is too high or too low, the normal physiological activities of flowers will be disrupted, growth will stop, and in severe cases the whole plant will die.
5．What influence does light have on the growth and development of flowers？
Light is the energy source by which flower plants manufacture nutrients. Without the presence of light, photosynthesis cannot proceed, and the growth and development of flowers will be seriously affected. Most plants can only have abundant flowers and luxuriant leaves under sufficient light conditions. Different types of flowers have different requirements for light. A flower proverb says: "Shade for camellia, sun for peony, half shade and half sun for the four-season orchid". According to the different requirements of flowers for light intensity, flowers can be roughly divided into sun-loving flowers, neutral flowers and shade-loving flowers. (1) Sun-loving flowers. Most flower-viewing and fruit-viewing flowers belong to the sun-loving category, such as magnolia, China rose, pomegranate, plum blossom, crape myrtle, citrus, etc. Among foliage-viewing flowers there are also a few sun-loving ones, such as cycad, palm, croton, etc. Most aquatic flowers, cacti and succulents also belong to the sun-loving category. All sun-loving flowers like strong light and cannot tolerate shade. If sunlight is insufficient, branches and leaves tend to grow excessively, tissues become soft and weak, leaf colour becomes pale and yellow, flowering is difficult or poor, and they are prone to pests and diseases. (2) Shade-loving flowers. They grow well under shaded environmental conditions, such as asparagus fern, camellia, rhododendron, hosta, pothos, evergreen, ivy, gloxinia, Monstera deliciosa, begonia, etc. If kept for a long time under strong light, their branches and leaves turn yellow and withered, growth stagnates, and in severe cases they even die. (3) Neutral flowers. They grow well under conditions of sufficient sunlight, but in summer when light intensity is high they should be slightly shaded, such as osmanthus, jasmine, white orchid, hydrangea, etc. In summary, various flowers have different requirements for light, and even the same kind of flower has different requirements for light at different stages of growth and development; the light requirement of seedlings can be gradually increased, while the sun-loving chrysanthemum requires short-day conditions to form flower buds.
6．What influence does light have on flower bud differentiation？
The purpose of cultivating flowers is to make them produce more flowers, and light is the most effective external factor in promoting flower bud formation. On the same plant, branches that fully receive light have more flower buds; branches that receive insufficient light have fewer flower buds. In summer, when there are many clear days, flowers receive sufficient light, and the following year there are more flower buds. Generally speaking, flower plants can carry out photosynthesis at temperatures of 10-35°C, among which the most suitable temperature is 20-28°C. According to the requirements of flowers for the length of light time, flowers can be divided into 3 major categories: (1) Long-day flowers. Generally, flowers that need more than 12 hours of sunshine per day to form flower buds are called long-day flowers. Many flowers that bloom in spring and summer mostly belong to long-day flowers, such as iris, aster, impatiens, etc. (2) Short-day flowers. Flowers that can only form flower buds under the condition that the daily sunshine time must be less than 12 hours are called short-day flowers. Poinsettia and chrysanthemum are typical short-day flowers; in summer under long-day conditions they can only grow and cannot carry out flower bud differentiation, and only after autumn begins, when light is reduced to 10-11 hours, do they begin flower bud differentiation. (3) Day-neutral flowers. Flowers whose flower bud formation has no strict requirement for the length of daytime sunshine are called day-neutral flowers. Such as calla lily, carnation, zinnia, China rose, hibiscus, etc.; they have no obvious response to the length of light time, and as long as the temperature is suitable, they can bloom all year round.
A practical compendium of home flower growing (Part One)
7．What influence does water have on the growth and development of flowers？
Water is a necessary condition for the growth and reproduction of flowers. It has a great influence on the growth and development of flowers. Because if water absorption exceeds consumption, there is too much water in the flower body, the plant becomes especially slender and weak, cold resistance declines, and stress resistance weakens. If there is too much water for a long time, it will cause root rot, leaf drop, and even death. If water absorption is less than consumption, then because of water shortage the flowers appear wilted, and severe water shortage will cause the flowers to wither and die. There are many varieties of flowers, and their water requirements also differ; even for the same kind of flower, the water requirement differs at different stages of its growth. According to the different water requirements of flowers, flowers can be roughly divided into 3 categories: xerophytes, hydrophytes and mesophytes: (1) Xerophytic flowers. Such as plum blossom, crape myrtle, Malus micromalus, hollyhock, nandina, etc., and succulent flowers are relatively drought-tolerant. (2) Aquatic flowers. Such as lotus, water lily, calamus, water bamboo, etc. (3) Mesophytic flowers. Flowers that can grow well in moist soil. The vast majority of flowers belong to this type, such as magnolia, white orchid, wintersweet, peach blossom, camellia, redbud, etc.
8．What influence does air humidity have on flowers？
Most of the water needed by flowers comes from the soil, but air humidity also has a great influence on the growth and development of flowers. If air humidity is too high, it easily causes excessive growth of branches and leaves, rotting of petals and flower drop, and easily causes the spread of pests and diseases. If humidity is too high during the flowering period, it hinders flowering and affects seed setting. If air humidity is too low, it will shorten the flowering period and make flower colour fade. When southern flowers are grown in the north, if the air is dry for a long time, they will grow poorly, affecting flowering and fruiting. The winter climate in the north is dry; if indoor flowers do not maintain a certain humidity regularly, some moisture-loving flowers often show pale yellow leaf colour and dry, withered leaf edges. According to the different requirements of different flowers for air humidity, methods such as spraying and washing the branches and leaves or covering with plastic film can be used to increase air humidity and create humidity conditions suitable for their growth. Moisture-loving flowers such as orchid, begonia and Monstera deliciosa require air relative humidity of not less than 80%; medium-humidity flowers such as jasmine, white orchid and hibiscus require air humidity of not less than 60%.9．Why do flowers die if watered too much？
If potted flowers are watered too much, water fills the soil gaps, the air in the soil is replaced by water, and at this time outside air cannot enter either, thus causing soil oxygen deficiency; the respiration of roots is hindered, physiological functions decline, and the root system's ability to absorb water and fertiliser is blocked. At the same time, because the soil lacks oxygen, aerobic bacteria in the soil that decompose organic matter multiply and become active in large numbers, increasing soil acidity. Because butyric acid bacteria and others are highly active, a series of toxic substances such as hydrogen sulphide and ammonia are produced, directly poisoning the root system. At the same time, because of oxygen deficiency the plant consumes a large amount of soluble sugar in its body and accumulates too much alcohol and other substances, greatly reducing photosynthesis, and finally causing the flowers to die of starvation. In the practice of growing flowers, one can often see cases where too much watering causes the flower roots to turn black and rot and "drowns" the flower. Therefore, when cultivating flowers, watering should be done in the right amount.A practical compendium of home flower growing (Part One)
10．What harm is there if potted flowers are not watered enough?
Because potted flowers have little soil and do not store much water, during the growing season flowers need regular replenishment of water to ensure normal growth. If the water supply is insufficient, the leaves and leaf stalks will shrink and droop, and the flowers will show wilting. If flowers are supplied with insufficient water for a long time, the older leaves and the leaves in the lower part of the plant will gradually turn yellow and dry up. If most herbaceous flowers remain in a dry state for a long time, the plants become short, the leaves lose their fresh green lustre, and even the whole plant withers and dies. Some flower growers, afraid of watering too much, each time water only "half-way water", that is, the amount of water poured only moistens the surface soil while the lower soil is dry; this watering method will likewise affect the development of the flower root system and will also produce the above-mentioned undesirable phenomena. Therefore, watering should follow the principle of watering when dry and stopping when wet, and when watering, water thoroughly.
11．How to judge whether potted flowers lack water？
Watering is a routine management task in growing flowers, and whether the potting soil lacks water is a rather difficult thing to grasp, so many flower lovers often feel troubled by this. The experience of flower-growing experts in judging whether water is lacking is briefly introduced below.(1) Tapping method. Gently tap the upper middle part of the pot wall with the knuckle of a finger; if a relatively crisp sound is produced, it indicates the potting soil is already dry and needs watering immediately; if a dull, muddy sound is produced, it indicates the potting soil is moist and watering can be temporarily omitted.
(2) Visual method. Observe with the eyes whether the colour of the surface of the potting soil has changed; if the colour becomes lighter or greyish-white, it indicates the potting soil is already dry and needs watering; if the colour becomes darker or brown, it indicates the potting soil is moist and watering can be temporarily omitted.
(3) Finger test method. Gently insert a finger about 2 cm deep into the potting soil and feel the soil; if it feels dry, or rough and hard, it indicates the potting soil is already dry and needs watering immediately; if it feels slightly moist, fine and soft, it indicates the potting soil is moist and watering can be temporarily omitted.
(4) Pinching and twisting method. Pinch and twist the potting soil with the fingers; if the soil is powdery, it indicates the potting soil is already dry and should be watered immediately; if it forms flakes or crumbs, it indicates the potting soil is moist and watering can be temporarily omitted. The above test methods are all based on experience; they can only tell people the approximate condition of whether the potting soil is dry or wet. If one needs to know accurately the degree of dryness or wetness of the potting soil, one can buy a soil thermometer and insert the thermometer into the soil, and then one can see words such as "dry" or "moist" on the scale, and thus know exactly when to water.
12．Why is it not suitable to water flowers with cold water at noon in midsummer？
At noon in midsummer, the temperature is very high, and the temperature of the flower leaf surface can often reach as high as about 40°C; transpiration is strong, and at the same time water evaporates quickly, so the root system needs to continuously absorb water to replenish the loss from leaf transpiration. If cold water is poured at this time, although water is added to the potting soil, because the soil temperature suddenly drops, the root hairs are stimulated by the low temperature and will immediately hinder the normal absorption of water. At this time, because the flower body is in no way prepared and the leaf stomata have not closed, water loses the balance between supply and demand, causing the leaf cells to change from a tense state to a wilted one, producing "physiological drought" in the plant, with scorched and withered leaves, and in severe cases causing the death of the whole plant. This phenomenon is especially obvious in herbaceous flowers; for example, geranium, cypress vine, aster and others most avoid being watered with cold water at noon in hot weather. For this reason, watering flowers in summer should be done in the morning and evening.
A practical compendium of home flower growing (Part One)
13．What kind of water is good for watering flowers？
Water can be divided into hard water and soft water according to its salt content. Hard water contains more salts; using it to water flowers often causes brown spots on the leaf surface of flowers and affects the ornamental effect, so soft water is preferable for watering flowers. Among soft waters, rainwater (or snow water) is the most ideal, because rainwater is a nearly neutral water, contains no minerals, and also contains more air, so it is very suitable for watering flowers. If rainwater can be collected and stored on rainy days for watering flowers, it helps promote the assimilation of flowers, prolong the cultivation period and raise the ornamental value; especially flowers that like acidic soil prefer rainwater even more. Therefore, during the rainy season one should store more rainwater for later use. In various parts of Northeast China, snow water can be used to water flowers, and the effect is also very good, but note that the ice and snow must be melted and left until the water temperature is close to room temperature before use. If there is no rainwater or snow water, river water or pond water can be used. If tap water is used, it must first be stored in a bucket (or vat) for 1-2 days so that the chlorine in the water volatilises before use, which is more reliable. Water containing soap or washing powder, or dishwashing water containing grease, must not be used for watering flowers. For cacti and other flowers that like slight alkalinity, slightly acidic leftover tea water should not be used. In addition, when watering flowers, attention should also be paid to the water temperature. Whether watering flowers in summer or winter, if the difference between water temperature and air temperature is too great (more than 5 degrees), it is easy to harm the flower root system. Therefore, water for watering flowers should preferably first be placed in a bucket (or vat) and left for a day, and used only when the water temperature is close to the air temperature.
14．How should the amount of water for potted flowers be controlled？
Whether the amount of water for potted flowers can be timely and appropriate is the key to success or failure in growing flowers. Summarising experience from various places, the amount of water for potted flowers should be comprehensively judged according to the flower variety, plant size, growth and development stage, climate, soil conditions, pot size, placement location and other aspects, to determine the time, frequency and amount of watering. Under ordinary circumstances, moisture-loving flowers should be watered more, drought-loving flowers should be watered less; bulbous flowers should not be watered too much; herbaceous flowers have a high water content and also high transpiration, so they need more watering than woody flowers; flowers with large, soft, smooth and hairless leaves should be watered more, while flowers with small leaves that have a waxy layer, down or leathery texture should be watered less; water more during the vigorous growth period and less during the dormant period; water more when the plant is large and the pot is small, and less when the plant is small and the pot is large; water more in hot weather and less in cold weather; water more in dry weather and less on cloudy days, and so on. For ordinary flowers, the water supply through the four seasons is: after the beginning of spring each year, as the temperature gradually rises, flowers enter their vigorous growth period, and the amount of watering gradually increases. In early spring, watering should be done before noon. In summer, the temperature is high, flowers grow vigorously, transpiration is strong, and the amount of watering should be sufficient. In summer, watering should be done in the morning and evening. After the beginning of autumn, the temperature gradually drops, flowers grow slowly, and watering should be appropriately reduced. In winter, the temperature is low, and many flowers enter dormancy or semi-dormancy, so watering should be controlled; if the potting soil is not too dry, do not water, so as to avoid root rot and leaf drop caused by too much watering. In winter, watering should be done at 1-2 o'clock in the afternoon.
15．What is the effect of spraying water？
Spraying water can increase air humidity, lower temperature, wash dust off the plants and wash away pests, avoid scorching of young leaves and early withering of flowers, and keep the plants fresh; especially for some shade- and moisture-loving flowers, such as camellia, rhododendron, orchid and Monstera deliciosa, frequently spraying water on the leaf surface is very beneficial to their growth and development. After rain in summer, when it suddenly clears or when it is hot and stuffy in the evening, attention should be paid to spraying water to lower the temperature and prevent disease. The amount of water sprayed should be determined according to the needs of the flowers. Generally, if the water evaporates soon after spraying, this amount of spraying is the most suitable. Seedlings and delicate flowers need more spraying, and newly potted cuttings that have not yet rooted also need more spraying; tropical orchids, Araceae and Bromeliaceae flowers need frequent spraying even more. But some flowers are very sensitive to moisture, such as gloxinia, calceolaria and begonia, whose leaf surfaces have relatively thick down; after water falls on them it is not easy to evaporate and the leaves rot, so water should not be sprayed onto the leaves. For flowers in full bloom, water should also not be sprayed too much, otherwise it easily causes petal rot or affects fertilisation and lowers the seed-setting and fruit-setting rate. In addition, the leaf buds at the top of the cyclamen tuber, the flower buds in the leaf cluster of the African daisy, and the pseudobulb in the centre of the clivia leaf cluster all fear moisture. These parts are all easily damaged after spraying with water.
A practical compendium of home flower growing (Part One)
16．How to rescue flowers after they wilt？
For potted flowers, because the pot stores relatively little water, forgetting to water, especially missing watering in hot summer, often easily causes the leaves to wilt; if not rescued in time, over time it often leads to the plant withering. If the rescue is not done correctly, sometimes it can also cause the plant to die. The correct approach is: when the leaves are found to be wilting, immediately move the flower pot to a cool, shady place, spray some water on the leaf surface, and pour a small amount of water. Afterwards, as the stems and leaves gradually recover their uprightness, gradually increase the amount of watering. At this time, if too much water is poured all at once, it may cause the plant to die. This is because after the flowers wilt, large numbers of root hairs have been damaged, so their water-absorbing capacity is greatly reduced; only after new root hairs grow can the original water-absorbing capacity be restored. At the same time, wilting causes the cells to lose water; after contact with water, the cell walls first absorb water and expand rapidly, while the protoplasm absorbs water afterwards and expands slowly. If at this time a large amount of water is suddenly poured, it will cause plasmolysis, damaging the protoplasm and thus causing the flowers to die.
17．What role does soil play in the growth and development of flowers？
Soil is an important substrate for cultivating flowers, the material basis on which flowers depend for survival, and the main source of the water, fertiliser, air and heat needed for the growth and development of flowers. This is because soil is composed of minerals, organic matter, soil water and soil air. Minerals are the most basic substance composing soil, and they can provide the various nutrient elements needed by flowers. Organic matter can not only supply nutrients for the growth of flowers, but also plays an important role in improving the physical and chemical properties of soil and the soil aggregate structure, as well as in retaining water, supplying water, ventilating and stabilising temperature. Soil water is an indispensable material condition for the growth of flowers. Soil air is the source of oxygen needed for the absorption function of flower roots and the life activities of microorganisms, and is also an important condition for the further weathering of soil minerals and the transformation of organic matter to release nutrients. Scientific experiments have proved that in soil suitable for plant growth, by volume, minerals account for about 38%, organic matter for about 12%, and soil air and soil water each account for about 15%-35%. According to data, the most suitable water content for the growth of ordinary flower plants is 25% of the soil volume, and air also accounts for 25%. Because some people do not understand the above principles, when growing potted flowers they do not change the pot or soil for a long time, causing the physical and chemical properties of the soil to deteriorate, poor ventilation and water permeability, and a lack of nutrient elements, thus leading to poor growth of flowers, yellowing leaves, few flowers, or even no flowers. Therefore, to grow potted flowers well, attention must be paid to changing the pot and soil at the right time.18．What kind of soil is good to choose for potted flowers？
For potted flowers, because their root system can only move within a very small soil range, their requirements for soil are stricter than those for open-ground flowers. On the one hand, nutrients should be as comprehensive as possible, so that the limited potting soil contains the nutrients needed for the growth of flowers; on the other hand, good physical and chemical properties are required, that is, the structure should be loose, the water-holding capacity should be strong, the pH should be appropriate, and the fertiliser-retaining capacity should be good. Precisely because of this, when growing flowers one should try to choose a neutral or slightly acidic soil with good aggregate structure, loose and fertile, with good water retention and drainage performance, and rich in humus. This kind of soil is light in weight, has large pores, circulates air and is rich in nutrients, and is conducive to the development of the flower root system and robust growth of the plant. If flowers are planted in heavy clay soil with poor ventilation and water permeability, or in pure sandy soil lacking nutrients and with poor water- and fertiliser-retaining capacity, or in alkaline soil, then for the vast majority of flowers it easily causes weak growth and even death. However, the soil conditions mentioned above are not possessed by any natural soil. Therefore, the soil used for potted flowers needs to be an artificially prepared potting mixture. This potting mixture is made by mixing two or more kinds of soil or other substrate materials in a certain proportion according to the different growth habits of flower plants, so as to meet the growth needs of different flowers.
A practical compendium of home flower growing (Part One)
19．How to prepare potting mixture？
There are many materials suitable for preparing potting mixture; the following are commonly used at present.
(1) Plain river sand. Mostly taken from riverbanks. It has good drainage performance but no fertility, and is mostly used by mixing into other potting materials to facilitate drainage.
(2) Garden soil. Taken from the surface soil of vegetable gardens, orchards and similar places. It contains a certain amount of humus and has relatively good physical properties, and is often used as the basic material of most potting mixtures.
(3) Leaf mold. It is made by composting fallen leaves, dry grass and the like. It is high in humus, strongly water-retentive and well aerated, and is one of the main materials for mixing potting soil.
(4) Mountain soil. There are two kinds: black mountain soil and yellow mountain soil. It is formed from fallen leaves of mountain trees accumulated over a long period. Black mountain soil is acidic and contains more humus; yellow mountain soil is also acidic and contains less humus.
(5) Peat soil. It is formed from carbonized peat moss. Because it forms at different stages, it is divided into brown peat and black peat. Brown peat is rich in organic matter and shows an acidic reaction; black peat contains more minerals and less organic matter and shows a slightly acidic or neutral reaction.
(6) Rice-hull ash. It is the ash left after rice husks are burned; it is slightly alkaline, contains potassium, and has good drainage and aeration.
(7) Barnyard manure soil. It is made by composting animal dung, fallen leaves and the like mixed with garden soil and sewage water, and it is fairly rich in nutrients. In addition, there are also pond mud, river mud, conifer soil, turf soil, rotted wood shavings, vermiculite, perlite and so on, all of which are good materials for mixing potting soil. When mixing potting soil, you should be flexible according to the growing habits of the flowers, the properties of the potting soil materials and local conditions. For ordinary pot flowers, the commonly used potting soil mixing ratio is leaf mold (or peat soil) : garden soil : river sand : bone meal = 35:30:30:5, or leaf mold (or peat soil), plain surface sand, decomposed organic fertilizer and superphosphate mixed at 5:3.5:1:0.5, then sifted and used. The above potting soils are mostly neutral or slightly acidic and are suitable for most flowers. For growing acid-loving flowers and trees such as camellias and rhododendrons, about 0.2% sulfur powder can be mixed in; for growing flowers such as cactus, about 10% of the wall-plaster soil that has flaked off lime walls can be added.
20．How to make leaf mold yourself？
Leaf mold is a commonly used material for growing pot flowers. Where conditions permit, you can go directly into mountain woodlands to dig up leaf mold formed by years of weathering. You can also make leaf mold yourself; the method is: in autumn, collect fallen leaves of broad-leaved or coniferous trees, weeds and the like, and pile them into a rectangular pit. When building the pile, first put down a layer of leaves, then a layer of garden soil, and repeat this layering several times, then pour on a small amount of sewage water, and finally cover the top with a layer of garden soil and the like about 10 cm thick. In late spring and midsummer of the following year, open it once each time, turn and break up the pile, then pile it back up as before. In warm-climate regions, by late autumn these piles are mostly decomposed. At this point they can be dug out, further broken up, sifted and used. Two points should be noted when building the pile: first, do not press it too tightly, so as to let air in, create conditions for aerobic bacteria to act, and thus speed up the decomposition of the pile. Second, do not let the pile become too wet. If it is too wet, aeration is poor, and under oxygen-deficient conditions anaerobic bacteria multiply and act in large numbers, causing serious loss of nutrients and affecting the quality of the leaf mold.
21．How to measure and change the pH of potting soil？
The pH of potting soil directly affects the physical and chemical properties of the potting soil and the growth of flowers. Most flowers grow well in potting soil that is neutral to slightly acidic (pH 5.5-7.0). This is because within this range the nutrient elements that flowers take up from the soil are all in a soluble state. Above or below this range, some nutrient elements become unavailable, thus easily causing nutrient deficiency symptoms in some flowers. It is precisely for this reason that the pH of potting soil needs to be measured before planting flowers. Soil pH is usually expressed by the pH value. A pH of 7 is neutral, less than 7 is acidic, and greater than 7 is alkaline. If the soil is too acidic or too alkaline, it must be improved in order to grow flowers well. The simplest way to measure the pH of potting soil is to buy a box of litmus paper at a chemical reagent shop; the box contains a standard color chart. To measure, take a small amount of potting soil and put it in a clean glass, add cool boiled water at a soil-to-water ratio of 1:2, stir well and let it settle, then put the litmus paper into the solution, take it out after about 1 or 2 seconds and compare it with the standard color chart; find the number of the color patch closest in color to it, and that is the pH value of this potting soil. According to the measurement result, for potting soil with unsuitable pH, the following measures can be taken to adjust it. If it is too acidic, add a small amount of lime powder and the like to the potting soil; if it is too alkaline, add a small amount of sulfur powder and the like to the potting soil.
The Complete Practical Guide to Home Flower Growing (Part One)22．What are the advantages of soilless culture？
As the name implies, soilless culture means growing flowers without soil, instead using various growing media and nutrient solutions. Because soilless culture uses a nutrient solution to directly provide the nutrient elements essential for the growth and development of flowers, it is also called nutrient solution culture. It is a new technique in flower growing in recent years and has many advantages:
(1) Fast growth and good quality. Because the nutrient solution used in soilless culture is carefully formulated according to the needs of flower growth and development, it is conducive to rapid flower growth, hence many flowers, large blooms, bright colors, a long flowering period, a strong fragrance, and green leaves that stay on for a long time. It not only raises the ornamental value, but also shortens the flower production cycle and gives a high flower yield per unit area.
(2) Clean and hygienic, with few pests and diseases. The purpose of growing flowers is to beautify the indoor and outdoor environment and give people spiritual enjoyment. The fertilizer used in soilless culture is a nutrient solution prepared from inorganic elements, and the medium is disinfected, so it is clean and hygienic and can greatly reduce pests and diseases. Therefore, many countries now have laws restricting the import of flowers with soil. If our country wants to export flowers in large quantities, it must also adopt the new technique of soilless culture.
(3) Saves fertilizer and water. Because soilless culture uses fixed containers, losses of fertilizer and water are very small. In soil culture, by contrast, about half the nutrients and most of the water are lost.
(4) Low labor intensity, saving labor and time. Soilless culture of flowers does not require carrying heavy flower pots. The containers used are mainly plastic, and the media used, such as vermiculite and perlite, are all very light, weighing only about one-tenth or so of soil. In terms of management, you only need to regularly replenish the pre-mixed nutrient solution and keep adding water; the operation is simple and the results are very good.
(5) Not subject to many restrictions, suitable for indoor use. Soilless culture is relatively flexible; generally, as long as a site has air and water, light, temperature and other conditions, this method can be used to grow flowers.
23. What medium is good to choose for soilless culture?
The role of the soilless culture medium is to replace soil in holding the flower plants fixed in the container and to retain the nutrient solution and water for the growth and development of the flowers. Therefore, it is best to choose materials with good water retention, good drainage, no harmful substances, cleanliness and hygiene, and a certain strength. At present, the soilless culture media commonly used for home flower growing at home and abroad mainly include sand, gravel, vermiculite, perlite, glass fiber, foam plastic, rock wool and so on.
(1) Vermiculite. It is a mica-type mineral, light in texture and porous, with good aeration, water absorption and a certain water-holding capacity, and it contains magnesium, potassium and other elements that flowers can absorb and use.
(2) Perlite. It is a siliceous mineral, stable in nature, hard, light in texture, clean and sterile, with good drainage and aeration, but slightly poorer water and fertilizer retention, so it is best used mixed with vermiculite at 1:1.
(3) Foam plastic. It is very light in texture and can hold a large amount of water per unit volume. Generally it cannot be used alone and is often mixed with sand and the like.
(4) Glass fiber. It is clean and hygienic, strongly water-absorbent, can store a large amount of air, does not rot with long-term use, and can support plant roots so they do not fall over. When a soilless culture medium is used for a long time, especially in continuous cropping, it easily breeds pathogens that harm the flower seedlings, so after each growing cycle attention must be paid to disinfecting it. You can pour a 1% concentration bleaching powder solution onto the medium and soak it for about 30 minutes, then rinse it clean with clear water to remove the chlorine; its sterilizing effect is good. The disinfected medium can be used again.
24．How to prepare a nutrient solution？
The various elements and amounts used to prepare a nutrient solution must be decided according to the varieties of flowers being grown, their different growth stages, different regions and so on. At present, many formulas for nutrient solutions are used at home and abroad. Here we introduce only the formula of Hoagland nutrient solution suitable for general pot flowers: to each liter of water add the macroelements: potassium nitrate 0.7 g, calcium nitrate 0.7 g, superphosphate 0.8 g, magnesium sulfate 0.28 g, ferric sulfate 0.12 g, and the trace elements boric acid 0.6 mg, manganese sulfate 0.6 mg, zinc sulfate 0.6 mg, copper sulfate 0.6 mg, ammonium molybdate 0.6 mg. The pH of this formula is 5.5-6.5. When preparing, it is best to first use a small amount of warm water at about 50°C to dissolve the inorganic salts listed in the formula separately, then pour them one by one in the order listed in the formula into water amounting to 75% of the set volume, stirring while pouring, and finally add water up to the full amount (1 liter), and the prepared nutrient solution is ready. When preparing the above solution, you can also appropriately increase or decrease the types and amounts of elements according to the different requirements of different flowers. When preparing or storing the nutrient solution, never use metal containers; use ceramic, enamel, plastic or glass containers instead, to avoid chemical reactions. When home flower growers use only a small amount of nutrient solution, to reduce the trouble of preparing it, you can buy long-acting flower fertilizers at flower and plant shops, such as plastic compound series flower fertilizers, vermiculite compound flower fertilizers, granular compound flower fertilizers and so on. In northern China, you can also use a simple formula nutrient solution made by adding to 1 liter of water ammonium phosphate 0.22 g, potassium nitrate 1.05 g, ammonium sulfate 0.16 g, ammonium nitrate 0.16 g, and ferrous sulfate 0.01 g.The Complete Practical Guide to Home Flower Growing (Part One)
25．How to carry out soilless culture at home？
For home soilless culture, ordinary pots such as plastic pots and unglazed clay pots can be used. When planting, first mix the various media in a certain ratio or put them separately into a plastic pot, then plant seedlings that have grown 3-5 leaves in the center of the pot. Before planting, first put the root system with soil into clear water, gently wash off the soil around the roots, then soak the roots for about 10 minutes in a solution 5-10 times more dilute than the normal concentration of nutrient solution, so they fully absorb nutrients. After planting, cover the top with a layer of quartz sand or small stones to fix the plant in place, and immediately pour 0.5-strength nutrient solution around the container until the nutrient solution flows out of the drainage hole at the bottom of the pot. After that, water once every 1-3 days, and apply dilute nutrient solution once every 7-10 days; after the plant resumes normal growth, apply nutrient solution at normal concentration. The frequency and amount of nutrient solution application should be determined according to the flower species, plant size, different growth stages, season and placement location. Generally, for indoor pot flowers during the growing period, large seedlings are given nutrient solution about once every 7-15 days, and small seedlings about once every 15-20 days; during the dormancy period of the flowers, watering about once a month is enough. As for the amount of nutrient solution applied each time, generally for sun-loving flowers in a pot with an inner diameter of about 20 cm, apply about 100 ml each time, and the amount for shade-loving flowers should be reduced accordingly. If a long-acting flower fertilizer is used, its amount should follow the product instructions. For beginners, when applying nutrient solution, pay attention to moderation; better less than too much. If too much is applied, it often easily causes scorched leaves and other harm. In soilless flower growing, besides paying attention to mastering the timing and amount of nutrient solution application, you must also water in time according to the water requirements of different flower species, so as to keep the medium constantly moist and enable the flowers to grow robustly. In order to avoid loss of nutrient solution, it is best to choose a watertight container. A container more suitable for home use consists of two parts: the upper part is a flower pot filled with medium (with a perforated bottom), into which the flower seedlings are planted, and the lower part is a watertight container holding the nutrient solution. When planting with this kind of container, before the plant roots extend into the nutrient solution, you need to water appropriately, applying a small amount of dilute nutrient solution about once every 5-7 days, and once the roots extend into the nutrient solution, switch to normal management. According to the growing habits of the flowers, regularly add nutrient solution and water; generally completely replace the nutrient solution once a month, and wash clean the container holding the nutrient solution. Ordinarily, the amount of nutrient solution in the container should be about 2/3 of the depth of the container. If too much is put in and no air space is left, so that the roots are all soaked in the nutrient solution, air will be insufficient and root rot will easily be caused by oxygen deficiency. For flowers grown in soilless culture, the usual maintenance and management work is basically the same as for soil culture, and you also need to give environmental conditions such as light, temperature and humidity suited to their growth and development according to the habits of each flower species.
26．What fertilizers are commonly used？
Commonly used fertilizers fall into the following two categories:
(1) Organic fertilizers. They are usually divided into animal-based organic fertilizers and plant-based organic fertilizers. Animal-based organic fertilizers include human excrement and urine, the feathers, hooves and horns of poultry and livestock, bone meal, and waste from fish, meat and eggs. Plant-based organic fertilizers include bean cake and other cake fertilizers, sesame paste residue, weeds, tree leaves, green manure, Chinese herbal medicine residue, distillers' grains and so on. Both types of fertilizer are slow-release fertilizers, with relatively complete nutrients and long-lasting effect, and they must be fermented and decomposed before use.
(2) Inorganic fertilizers. They are fertilizers rich in mineral nutrient elements, made by chemical synthesis or processed from natural ores. For example, nitrogen fertilizers include urea, ammonium sulfate, ammonium chloride, ammonium nitrate and so on. Phosphorus fertilizers include superphosphate, phosphate rock powder and so on. Potassium fertilizers include potassium chloride, potassium sulfate and so on. Chemical fertilizers have a quick effect, but their nutrients are simple; their action is strong but not lasting. Except for phosphorus fertilizers, chemical fertilizers are generally used as top dressing.
27. How to make fertilizer yourself？
In daily life, many kinds of waste can be used to make fertilizer yourself.
(1) Soaked liquid fertilizer. Use a small vat (or small jar) to put in waste vegetable leaves, melon and fruit peels, the innards of chickens and fish, fish scales, waste bones, eggshells and moldy foods (peanuts, melon seeds, beans, bean powder*), add water and sprinkle a little trichlorfon, then cover tightly; after high-temperature fermentation and decomposition it is ready to use. When using, take the clear liquid on top and dilute it with water before applying. You can also mix the above waste with some old potting soil, add some water, put it into a large plastic bag, tie it tightly and leave it for a period; after fermentation it can be used.
(2) Waste compost. Choose a suitable spot and dig a soil pit 60 cm-80 cm deep, line it with 10 cm of furnace ash, put rotting vegetable leaves, poultry and livestock innards, fish scales, chicken and duck manure, eggshells, meat waste and broken bones into the pit, sprinkle some insecticide, cover with a layer of garden soil about 10 cm thick, and keep the pit moist to promote decomposition of the fertilizer. It is best to build the pile in autumn and winter; after the temperature rises in spring and it is decomposed with no foul odor, it can be mixed into potting soil as base fertilizer; you can also sift it while damp through a 4 mm sieve and rub it into granules, the fine part used as top dressing and the coarse part as base fertilizer.
The Complete Practical Guide to Home Flower Growing (Part One)
28．How to avoid and reduce the stench given off when composting and applying fertilizer？
When composting manure, an unpleasant stench is often given off, polluting the environment; it is very unhygienic and unpleasant. Here is a brief introduction to some small tips for avoiding or reducing the stench given off when composting fertilizer.
(1) Put a few pieces of orange peel (dried or fresh) into the composting container, and the stench can be reduced. This is because orange peel contains a large amount of essential oil, which continuously gives off fragrance as the fertilizer ferments, and can lessen the stench. When the effect of the orange peel weakens, you can keep adding a few new pieces of orange peel. After fermentation, orange peel is also a good fertilizer and can increase fertilizer efficiency.
(2) Use a pickle jar for composting. Put household food waste, such as rotten eggs, animal innards, spoiled milk, soybean milk and the like, into the pickle jar, add an appropriate amount of clear water, taking care to fill the water groove around the mouth of the jar, then add some insecticide, and put on the lid to prevent the stench from escaping. In summer it decomposes in about 2-3 months. When using, take the clear liquid on top and add 10-20 times its volume of water, and add a little trichlorfon and other pesticides to the fertilizer water to prevent maggots. Some materials say that adding an appropriate amount of 500-600 times diluted rice vinegar to the fertilizer water before application can alleviate the stench of the liquid fertilizer.
29.How to brew alum fertilizer water？
Flower growers in Yanling, Henan, use "alum fertilizer water" to irrigate flowers that like acidic soil, with good results. The commonly used preparation method: water 20 kg-25 kg, cake fertilizer or hoof pieces 1 kg-1.5 kg, ferrous sulfate (black alum) 250 g-300 g; put the above materials together into a vat, place it in the sun to ferment for about 1 month, then take the clear liquid on top, dilute it with water and use it. Soil watered with this water shows a slightly acidic reaction, with a pH of about 5.8-6.7.
The Complete Practical Guide to Home Flower Growing (Part One)
30.How can fertilizer be applied reasonably？So-called reasonable fertilization means paying attention to timely and appropriate application. Timely means applying when the flowers need it; for example, when the flower leaves are found to be pale and the plants grow thin and weak, applying fertilizer is timely. As for when to apply what fertilizer, it is determined according to the different growth and development stages of the flowers; for example, at the seedling stage, apply more nitrogen fertilizer to promote rapid, robust growth of the seedlings; at the bud stage, apply more phosphorus fertilizer to promote large flowers and plump seeds; at the early fruit-setting stage, appropriately control fertilization to favor fruit setting. No matter what stage, fertilization should be done in appropriate amounts; if too much nitrogen fertilizer is applied, leggy growth easily forms; if too much potassium fertilizer is applied, it hinders growth and affects flowering and fruiting.
When applying fertilizer, pay attention to the following points:
(1) Fertilization should take note of the flower species. Different species of flowers have different fertilizer requirements. For example, osmanthus and camellia like pig manure and avoid human excrement and urine; southern flowers such as rhododendrons, camellias and gardenias avoid alkaline fertilizers; flowers that need heavy pruning every year require a larger proportion of phosphorus and potassium fertilizer to favor the sprouting of new branches; foliage-oriented flowers can lean toward nitrogen fertilizer; flowers grown for large blooms (such as chrysanthemums and dahlias) need an appropriate amount of complete fertilizer during the flowering period so that all the flowers open, with beautiful form and bright color; fruit-oriented flowers should have fertilizer and water appropriately controlled during the flowering period, and sufficient complete fertilizer applied during the fruit-fattening period, to achieve the expected effect; bulbous flowers should be given more potassium fertilizer to favor plump bulbs; fragrant flowers, once they enter the flowering period, should be given more phosphorus and potassium fertilizer to promote a strong fragrance.
(2) Fertilization should take note of the season. In winter, temperatures are low, plant growth is slow, and most flowers are in a state of stagnant growth, so generally no fertilizer is applied; spring and autumn are the peak growth periods of flowers, when roots, stems and leaves grow, flower buds differentiate, and young fruits swell, all requiring more fertilizer, so more top dressing should be applied appropriately; in summer, temperatures are high, water evaporates quickly, and it is also a peak growth period for flowers, so the concentration of top dressing should be lower and the frequency can be greater.
(3) Organic fertilizer must be fully decomposed before application; raw fertilizer must not be used. In addition, various places have much valuable advice on how to fertilize pot flowers. For example, materials from Jiangsu and other places point out that fertilization should depend on the growth condition and determine the amount, adhering to "four more, four less, four not": apply more when yellow and thin, apply more before sprouting, apply more at the bud stage, apply more after flowering; apply less when robust, apply less at sprouting, apply less at flowering, apply less in the rainy season; do not apply when leggy, do not apply when newly planted, do not apply in the height of summer, do not apply during dormancy. It also points out that there are three taboos in fertilizing pot flowers: first, avoid concentrated fertilizer; second, avoid hot fertilizer (in summer at noon the soil temperature is high, and fertilizing easily injures the roots); third, avoid sitting on fertilizer; when planting flowers, if base fertilizer is applied at the bottom of the pot, do not place the roots directly on the fertilizer, but add a layer of soil on top of the fertilizer and then plant the flower into the pot.
Recommended reading:The Complete Practical Guide to Home Flower Growing (Part Two)
The Complete Practical Guide to Home Flower Growing (Part Three)