How to grow a Pilea (aluminum plant) bonsai? Daily care guide and precautions
When you first hear the term "Pilea bonsai" you may find it unfamiliar, but in fact you may already be growing one at home without even knowing it. Pilea, also called aluminum plant, has leaves with a green base color interspersed with white markings. Below we mainly walk you through the care guide for Pilea bonsai.
1. Health benefits
Pilea is bland, bitter and cooling in nature, has the effect of clearing heat and draining dampness, and is somewhat effective in treating jaundice, pulmonary tuberculosis and similar conditions.
2. Care guide
(1) Light and temperature
Pilea likes fairly strong indirect light and is not very cold-hardy; the suitable temperature is 15-25°C.
(2) Soil selection
Potted Pilea is not demanding about soil; you can use a mix of humus soil or peat soil, perlite, river sand and a small amount of base fertilizer, and the potting soil should preferably be replaced once every spring.
(3) Watering
Pilea likes a humid environment; during the peak growth period from April to September it should be watered once a day to keep the potting soil moist and the air humidity relatively high.
(4) Fertilizing
Pilea should not be over-fertilized; during the peak growth period it should be given a dilute, well-rotted organic fertilizer once a month, the frequency gradually reduced after autumn sets in, and fertilizing stopped entirely in winter.
(5) Propagation
Pilea is commonly propagated by division and by cuttings, mostly done in early spring when repotting.
① Division
Divide the clump into several small clumps, keeping 3-5 plants per clump, and pot them up with as many roots as possible, placing them in a shady spot to recover; they will root in about 1 month, after which normal care can begin.
② Cuttings
Take tip shoots as cuttings; each cutting should have 2-3 buds. Remove the lower leaves and insert the cutting into sand or vermiculite, taking care to maintain some humidity; it will root in about half a month, and one month later it can be potted up.
(6) Pruning
Pilea tolerates pruning well; after 2-3 years of growing, the taller old branches should be cut off at the base to keep the plant shape attractive.
(7) Placement and display
Pilea is emerald green and lovely, with a short, compact form and fresh, elegant leaf color; it can be planted in a small pot and placed on a flower stand, in a corner, on a coffee table or a desk, or hung indoors in a hanging pot or basket, fully showing off its graceful, elegant beauty.
Regarding how to care for Pilea bonsai, the Huinong.com editor has briefly introduced just these few points today; friends who grow Pilea potted plants at home can read through them and learn more!
February flower cultivation and care guide
Temperatures begin to rise, but very slowly, and cold waves still often strike, with cold, overcast and rainy weather.1. Continue doing a good job of protecting flowers from the cold.
2. Take timely, corresponding measures according to the development of the narcissus to regulate its growth process, so that the narcissus blooms on time for Spring Festival. When the narcissus has been grown in water too late or the weather is too cold and growth is too slow, measures to raise the temperature and force blooming should be taken, such as placing it on a sunny windowsill during the day (moving it indoors to a warm spot at night), adding warm water to the pot, or wrapping it in a plastic bag; when the narcissus grows too fast, the temperature should be lowered to slow its growth, for example by shading it appropriately or opening windows for ventilation. 3. Continue the shaping and repotting of conifer and deciduous broadleaf tree stump bonsai.
4. Field collection of stump material. After late February, when the weather warms up and there are no more major cold waves, field collection of conifers and deciduous broadleaf trees can be carried out. Wild-collected stumps should retain many lateral roots, be pruned according to their form, stored properly, and planted as soon as they are transported, to ensure the survival rate of planting.
5. The sap of pines such as five-needle pine and Japanese black pine begins to flow, and side grafting can be done in late February. Use robust 2-month-old black pine as the rootstock, and cut off part of the rootstock's branches and leaves before grafting. Choose strong 1-2 year old branches as the scion; when grafting, first cut one side of the lower end of the scion into a slant about 1.5 cm long, and the other side into a slant about half a cm long. Then make a slanted cut on the rootstock slightly longer than the long slant of the scion, reaching a depth of 1/3 to 1/2 of the thickness of the grafting site, with the cut as close to the root as possible. Finally insert the scion into the rootstock cut, align the cambium layers of both so they fit together completely, and bind with plastic film.
6. Repot azaleas, elms, Sageretia, heavenly bamboo, Chinese roses, kumquats and so on, and prune off dead branches, pest- and disease-damaged branches, weak branches, overly dense branches, overlapping branches, forked branches and leggy branches. For stump bonsai such as elm and Sageretia, thin out and shorten the branches within the branch pads so that the small branches in the pads are moderately dense, not overlapping vertically and not forking horizontally, and at the same time make the branches in the pads twist and curl like dragon claws and bent iron, revealing an ancient, weathered look, thereby increasing the aesthetic value of the stump; if the branches and trunk of a heavenly bamboo bonsai grow too tall and affect the needs of the composition, the branches and trunk should be shortened to a proportionally appropriate point. Because heavenly bamboo has strong sprouting ability, it will sprout new buds below the cut no matter where it is shortened to.
Weather characteristics of February: This month is the last month of winter and also the cold period second only to January in the year. By the end of February, the weather begins to gradually warm toward spring, and quite a few flowers also begin to shift from winter dormancy into the recovery stage.
The main flower tasks this month are as follows: first, continue doing a good job of cold protection and heat preservation for potted flowers in protective facilities; second, do a good job of post-bloom pruning and repotting of some woody flowers; third, do the preparatory work for cuttings, grafting propagation and seed sowing of some flower species.
I. Flower cultivation
1. Sowing. Flower species that can be sown in greenhouses or plastic tunnels in February include: pot marigold, cyclamen, dwarf sunflower, asparagus fern, gloxinia, tuberous begonia, safflower, cornflower, blanket flower, strawflower, scarlet sage, marigold, peacock chrysanthemum, petunia, California poppy, phlox, calceolaria, schizanthus, snapdragon, nasturtium, pansy and so on.
Those that can be sown outdoors in the open field at the end of February include: seeds of magnolia, Michelia, Photinia, maple, and Malus (Rosaceae) that have been stratified in sand and have already cracked and shown white, as well as camphor tree, tulip tree, privet, Ardisia crenata, firethorn, palm, goldenrain tree, soapberry, horse chestnut, lilac and so on; seeds of wintersweet, summersweet and wisteria should be soaked for 24 to 48 hours and sown after the seeds have absorbed enough water. Tuberose bulbs and amaryllis bulbs can also be potted in greenhouses or plastic tunnels in February.
2. Cuttings. Woody ornamental plant species that can be propagated by open-field cuttings or by cuttings covered with plastic film to retain moisture in February include: plum blossom (take one-year-old branches after flowering from cultivars such as Gongfen and Lü'e), nandina, cotton rose (southern regions), crape myrtle, Daphne odora (southern regions), edgeworthia, pomegranate, Forsythia viridissima, winter jasmine, Jasminum officinale, serissa, hibiscus, Hypericum (plum), spiraea, mahonia, boxwood species, and Lespedeza and so on. Sand-stored branches of lilac and trumpet creeper can also be cuttings at this time. In early February, you can also continue to cut branches of Weigela, deutzia, hydrangea, tamarisk, plane tree, grape, fig and so on for storage treatment, so as to take cuttings at the end of March. Ornamental plant species that can be propagated by indoor cuttings in February include: hibiscus, bougainvillea, African violet (leaf cuttings), begonia, Excoecaria cochinchinensis, scarlet sage, geranium, jasmine, Chloranthus, fingered citron, jade plant, jade leaf, Echeveria, graptopetalum, epiphyllum, night-blooming cereus, Pilea, mother of thousands, kalanchoe, Rieger begonia, clerodendrum, Schefflera, Dieffenbachia, Cordyline and so on.
3. Grafting. Indoors, use one-year-old robust black pine seedlings as rootstock to graft Japanese five-needle pine, Japanese black pine, whitebark pine and so on, then plant them in the ground covered with film to keep warm and moist. Use one-year-old apricot, wild peach and similar seedlings as rootstock, and cleft-graft red-leaf plum, plum blossom, ornamental peach, longevity peach, purple-leaf peach and so on. South of the Yangtze River, when the leaf buds on wintersweet branches grow to the size of a wheat grain, use wintersweet seedlings about 0.8 to 1.2 cm in diameter as rootstock and cleft-graft fine cultivars of wintersweet such as "Suxin", "Xinkou" and "Huti"; by adopting bagging and air inflation to retain moisture, the survival rate is relatively high. Using the robust branches of the rose cultivar "Elizabeth" as rootstock and scion wood, and cleft- or split-grafting scions of fine rose cultivars, and adopting the measures of grafting first, then taking cuttings, then covering with plastic film to retain moisture and protect from cold, can greatly raise the graft survival rate.
4. Layering. Ornamental plant species that can be propagated by layering in February include: plum blossom, wintersweet, Chaenomeles speciosa, osmanthus, Magnolia liliiflora, gardenia, Weigela, Podocarpus, sabina, snowball, Viburnum macrocephalum, winter jasmine, Forsythia viridissima, Hypericum, hydrangea, Spiraea cantoniensis, Spiraea thunbergii, red maple, Michelia and so on.
5. Division. Herbaceous flower species that can be propagated by division in February include: iris, blackberry lily, zephyr lily, dwarf lilyturf, big-leaf lilyturf, variegated lilyturf, Reineckea carnea, Rohdea japonica, bleeding heart, hosta, purple hosta, Ornithogalum, bromeliads, Tradescantia, Cymbidium ensifolium, Cymbidium goeringii, Cymbidium faberi, sword fern, spider plant, mother of thousands, canna, arrowroot, Monstera deliciosa, Syngonium, bird of paradise, clivia, aloe and so on. Woody flower species that can be propagated by division in February include: nandina, cotton rose, Hypericum, mahonia, hydrangea, Chaenomeles speciosa, edgeworthia, winter jasmine, Forsythia viridissima, Caragana, Spiraea thunbergii, red-flowered spiraea, jasmine, Chloranthus, Chinese holly, Magnolia liliiflora, four-season osmanthus, bamboo, and Pleioblastus fortunei and so on.
II. Harvesting seeds and transplanting and planting out
1. Harvesting seeds. In February you can pick seeds of nandina, holly species, Ardisia crenata, winter cherry and so on, and after treatment, stratify them in sand to promote germination; only after the seeds have cracked and shown white can they be sown. For clivia plants blooming in the greenhouse, artificial supplementary pollination can be given in the hope of obtaining clivia seeds with better genetic quality. In February, pay attention to checking the various flower and tree seeds stored in sand, to see whether any seeds have become moldy; if mold occurs, wash them promptly; if the seeds are found to be dry, give appropriate supplementary spraying of water to maintain a certain humidity in the sand and seeds; if a small number of seeds have already cracked and shown white, they should be sown within a relatively short time, because once the radicle has extended too long before sowing, it is very easy to break the radicle and affect the seed emergence rate. Large seeds stored in sand can be sown in holes, while small seeds can be sown in drills or rows; after sowing, pay attention to covering with grass or plastic film to retain moisture and protect from cold.
2. Transplanting and planting out. In February, in southern regions where the soil does not freeze and temperatures are relatively high, herbaceous flowers that can be transplanted and planted out include: dianthus species, snapdragon, hollyhock, variegated holly, daisy, pot marigold and so on. In February, the vast majority of deciduous flowering shrubs and some evergreen tree species can be planted out. Among the deciduous ones are hibiscus, pomegranate, redbud, Malus species, ginkgo, sweetgum, maple species, wisteria, crape myrtle, wintersweet, plum blossom (before budding and leafing out), magnolia species, soapberry, silk tree, horse chestnut, red-leaf plum, cherry blossom, papaya, trumpet creeper, linden, tulip tree, ornamental peach, Chinese tallow, spiraea, Triadica, deutzia, pagoda tree, dragon-claw pagoda tree, dwarf cherry, elm-leaved spirea, Hypericum (plum), weeping willow, golden weeping willow, cotton rose, smoke tree, persimmon, apricot and so on; evergreen tree species such as Michelia, camphor tree, Elaeocarpus, Pittosporum, Machilus, and Phoebe sheareri can be planted from late February to early March; for osmanthus, privet, Sabina chinensis, dragon juniper, Oriental arborvitae, black pine and so on, moderate pruning should be given when planting.
III. Flower management
1. Cold protection. The weather in February is still cold; potted ornamental plants, after two consecutive months of indoor (in-tunnel) care, have consumed a relatively large amount of nutrients in their bodies, and the resistance of the plants has greatly declined, so careful work on moisture retention and cold protection should continue. Greenhouses or plastic tunnels with heating facilities should continue to be heated, and harmful gases or smoke should be prevented from entering the tunnel or greenhouse; those with straw curtains hanging on the top or around the tunnel can continue to hang them; when sudden temperature drops occur after snow, even more care should be taken. Overwintering potted flowers placed in protective facilities should continue to be well ventilated, especially by the end of February, when the ventilation time can be extended during the period of the day with the highest temperature. It is worth noting that indoor potted flowers placed in the sun are best put on the inner side of a south-facing window, without opening the window. For the small number of cold-sensitive flowers kept in homes, such as Milan, Phalaenopsis, Calathea, Syngonium, begonia, croton, and Excoecaria, on especially cold days you can put a plastic bag over them at night, or place them in the bathroom and turn on a heating appliance such as a "bathroom heater" to raise the temperature, ensuring they survive the winter safely.
2. Watering. Because temperatures are relatively low in February, for the vast majority of potted flowers it is enough to keep the potting soil moist so they can overwinter safely, because at this time root growth has stopped and metabolism is at a relatively low level, so water demand is low; once water accumulates in the potting soil, it is extremely easy to cause root rot and death of the plant. For relatively dry indoor spaces, frequently spray water on the leaves and mist the plants to increase the air humidity of the local environment. If the indoor air is excessively dry, in mild cases the leaves lose green and fade, and flower buds stop growing; in severe cases the leaves shrink and wrinkle and the flower buds shrivel and drop, as with camellia, sasanqua, azalea, plum blossom, bitter orange, kumquat, winter cherry and so on, all of which may drop buds and fruit, or even die. In addition, the water temperature for watering or spraying should be basically consistent with the indoor or in-tunnel air temperature and soil temperature. For those potted plant species placed indoors that are about to bloom around Spring Festival, such as cineraria, primrose, kalanchoe, camellia, sasanqua, Belgian azalea, pot marigold and so on, and for fruit-viewing plants such as firethorn, nandina, bitter orange, fingered citron, lemon, Ardisia crenata, four-season tangerine, winter cherry and so on, not only should the potting soil be kept moist, but water must also be sprayed on the leaves, flower buds and fruit, so that the leaves are emerald green, the flower buds rapidly expand, and the fruit is brightly colored. In particular, for peonies, plum blossoms, Chaenomeles speciosa, and Hall crabapple placed in tunnels for forcing, water must also be sprayed on the branches 1 to 2 times a day to speed up the expansion of the flower buds so that they can bloom and show their beauty on schedule. For large-flowered Cymbidium purchased after being grown in a greenhouse or tunnel, because the temperature and humidity in its original greenhouse or tunnel differ greatly from those in the home, if its leaves are not frequently sprayed with water, the leaves often become shriveled and withered. For potted plants and bonsai placed in air-conditioned rooms, especially Japanese five-needle pine bonsai and so on, the potting soil must be kept moist, and the plant should be sprayed with water 1 to 2 times a day, otherwise the plant may very likely die. Although in February the vast majority of potted flowers need little water, checking should be strengthened, and especially during several consecutive days of rising temperatures, supplementary watering and spraying should be strengthened promptly. In February, for greenery trees and flowering shrubs transplanted in autumn and winter, water should be replenished promptly, and especially for those evergreen trees and flowering shrubs, appropriate leaf spraying should also be given around noon on fine days, to prevent the leaves from shrinking and dropping afterward and affecting the resumption of growth in spring.
3. Fertilizing. In February you can continue to bury base fertilizer for most ground-planted greenery trees and flowering shrubs; fertilizer types include: cake fertilizer, barnyard manure, chicken and pigeon droppings, pond mud, septic tank cleanings and so on, which can be applied by digging ring-shaped trenches around the outer edge of the plant's root system and then covering with soil, to meet the needs of the plant's growth in spring and summer and of flowering and fruiting. In February, for potted flowers placed in greenhouses (tunnels) at 10°C to 15°C, such as camellia, sasanqua, cineraria, primrose, cyclamen, Belgian azalea, shrimp plant, golden shrimp plant, Daphne odora, plum blossom, European narcissus, hyacinth, tulip, Christmas cactus, night-blooming cereus, Neoregelia, Tillandsia, Guzmania, clivia and so on, you can continue to apply low-concentration monopotassium phosphate to favor the plant's growth and bud formation and flowering. For most potted flowers and trees, foliage plants, and stump bonsai placed in tunnels, including small and miniature bonsai, since they are still in a dormant state, fertilizing should be stopped, otherwise it is very easy to cause root rot and death of the plant.
4. Pruning. In February, for ground-planted or potted plum blossom, wintersweet, Forsythia viridissima, winter jasmine and so on that have finished blooming, heavy renewal pruning can be carried out: on branches that have bloomed, keep only 2 to 3 buds at the base and cut off all the rest, to encourage many new shoots that year and even denser branches and buds the following year. In addition, leggy branches, dead branches, and misshapen branches should also be pruned at the same time. For stump bonsai types that are mainly pruned, such as Chinese elm, Sageretia, banyan, trident maple, Fujian tea, oak, Chinese fringe tree, water willow, Elaeagnus, Chinese holly, holly, serissa, juniper, and Chinese juniper, continue pruning; for stumps that have not been repotted for 1 to 2 years, repot them at the same time as pruning.
5. Repotting. Late February to early March is a favorable time for repotting the vast majority of potted ornamental plants; generally repotting is best done when the plant is about to end winter dormancy, when the root system resumes growth but the leaf buds have not yet sprouted. Flower species that can be repotted at the end of February include: hibiscus, geranium, Milan, Michelia alba, jasmine, Chloranthus, Brunfelsia, Excoecaria cochinchinensis, sword fern, Monstera deliciosa, rubber tree, fuchsia, begonia, wax begonia, painted-leaf begonia, Cymbidium goeringii, Cymbidium faberi, Cymbidium ensifolium, sago palm, clivia, Haworthia, aloe, Christmas cactus, night-blooming cereus, sedum, jade plant, jade leaf, kalanchoe, amaryllis, asparagus fern, spider plant, Norfolk Island pine, Schefflera, Rohdea japonica, bird of paradise, shrimp plant, golden shrimp plant, Justicia, clerodendrum, camellia, sasanqua, Chaenomeles speciosa, hydrangea, nandina, croton, Syngonium, arrowroot, Ardisia crenata, firethorn, bitter orange, kumquat, fingered citron and so on.
6. Pest and disease control. For the powdery mildew appearing on the leaves of potted cineraria in the greenhouse, and the gray mold appearing on the leaves of primrose, at the early stage of onset choose 50% thiophanate-methyl wettable powder at 1500 times dilution to spray, once every 10 days, spraying 2 to 3 times in succession. For the gray mold appearing on the leaves and flower crowns of potted cyclamen in tunnels, you can spray 50% iprodione (main ingredient iprodione) wettable powder at 1000 to 1500 times dilution. For potted Belgian azaleas in tunnels, stop spraying foliar fertilizers such as "Duoxiaohao", because at this time the temperature is low and the humidity in the tunnel is high, so foliar fertilizer sprayed on the plant is hard to absorb and on the contrary easily breeds mold on the leaf surface, and in severe cases forms unsightly disease spots. For aphids, scale insects, ants and sooty mold appearing on potted flowers in greenhouses (such as bitter orange and kumquat), when there are few insects they can be brushed off with a bristle brush, and when there are many they can be killed by spraying 40% omethoate emulsifiable concentrate at 2000 times dilution. After the aphids, scale insects and ants are killed, the sooty mold will also disappear along with them. For insect bodies such as Chinese tamarisk scale, white peach scale, oyster shell scale, and blackish-brown circular scale appearing on potted flower plants in tunnels, they can be brushed off with a bristle brush, or killed by dipping a cotton swab in alcohol, or killed by spraying 2.5% lambda-cyhalothrin emulsifiable concentrate at 2500 times dilution, or controlled by burying 3% carbofuran or 20% aldicarb granules in the flower pot. Continue to clean up the dead branches and fallen leaves under the flowers and trees, and the insect-infested branches and diseased leaves on potted flower plants, and burn them in a concentrated way, which can noticeably reduce the occurrence of pests and diseases the following year.
7. Composting fertilizer. Pour tea seed cake, rapeseed cake, soybean cake and so on into a water tank or vat, add clean water, and ferment them sealed, so that in the growing season they can be diluted and used to water potted flowers. Or pile and ferment the cake fertilizer and so on; after about 2 months spread it out to dry, and after it is fully dried, pack it well in plastic bags; the thoroughly composted and dried cake fertilizer in granular powder form can be broadcast in flower pots as a top dressing, and for Cymbidium goeringii, Cymbidium ensifolium, Cymbidium sinense, large-flowered Cymbidium, Phalaenopsis, Cattleya and other potted flower species, it is more convenient than watering with liquid cake fertilizer; especially when growing flowers on a balcony, it is both convenient and hygienic, and can also reduce the occurrence of leaf diseases. In addition, it can also be used for mixing potting soil.
8. Turning over and freezing the soil. In early February, you can continue to turn over garden plots that have not yet been plowed; after freezing through the winter, when spring returns and the weather warms, trenches can then be drawn and beds made for raising seedlings or transplanting flowers and trees. Plant species that can be shaped by wiring in February include: sabina, Podocarpus, Chinese juniper, juniper, Oriental arborvitae, true juniper, ginkgo, serissa, creeping juniper, five-needle pine, Huangshan pine, black pine, thousand-head red pine, water willow, Caragana, small golden plum, wintersweet, Chaenomeles speciosa, crape myrtle, banyan, Chinese elm, trident maple and so on. Continue to re-wire and adjust plants that were shaped 1 to 2 years ago; if the plant is found to have sunken binding constriction marks, first remove the metal or non-metal wire, then replace it with new binding material for wiring and fixing. For shallow-pot stump bonsai, landscape bonsai, small and miniature bonsai, rock-attached bonsai and so on, continue to do a good job of heat preservation and cold protection, keeping them always in an environment not lower than 0°C, to prevent the plants from freezing to death or the artificially cemented rocks from freezing and cracking apart, causing losses that should not occur.
January courtyard flower care guide
January is the month with the lowest temperatures and the coldest weather of the year, with average monthly temperatures between -4.5°C (Beijing) and 4.2°C (Shanghai). In the north, potted ornamental plants that can be displayed in the courtyard must be particularly cold-hardy species; among woody ornamental plants there are: lacebark pine, spruce, Japanese fir, armand pine, Japanese five-needle pine, black pine, Japanese black pine, nandina, Chinese holly, boxwood, big-leaf boxwood, yew, Torreya grandis, Podocarpus, Chinese juniper, sabina, true juniper, Oriental arborvitae, juniper, dragon juniper, Sabina chinensis, firethorn, wintersweet (in bloom), ginkgo, plum blossom, Butia capitata, European dwarf palm, palm, Chilean sea coconut, Washington palm and so on; in southern regions you can display: banyan, sago palm, Canary Island date palm, long-spike palm, silver date palm, bamboo palm, silver wattle, silver birch, mahonia, Japanese aralia, spotted aucuba, and silver-toothed palm and so on. In Jiangnan and other less cold regions, some herbaceous flowers can also be displayed, such as Aspidistra, agave, Reineckea carnea, ornamental kale, daisy, pansy, pot marigold and so on. Whether woody ornamental plants or herbaceous ornamental plants, when displayed outdoors it should be ensured that the potting soil does not freeze, and cold protection and heat preservation work should be done well.
Propagation of courtyard flowers
1. Sowing. If the courtyard has a double-layer plastic tunnel with good moisture retention, you can sow in pots inside it seeds of asparagus fern, clivia, wax begonia, cyclamen, winter cherry, gloxinia, African daisy, pansy, pot marigold, nasturtium, snapdragon, calceolaria, California poppy and so on, but the temperature in the tunnel must be guaranteed to meet the minimum temperature requirements for seed germination and seedling growth of different flower species. This month, as long as the local old ground is not frozen, woody ornamental plant species that can be sown in the open field in the courtyard include: peony, red-flowered camellia, horse chestnut, soapberry, camphor tree, privet, small-leaf privet, Elaeocarpus, wisteria, palm, Chinese parasol tree, pond cypress, firethorn, Photinia, Photinia davidsoniae, osmanthus, Michelia, Chinese rose (Elizabeth), Ardisia crenata, Chinese holly, Chinese tallow, goldenrain tree and so on. Note that before sowing, to prevent underground pests from harming the seeds, a small amount of tea seed cake, tobacco powder or the pesticide carbofuran can be spread in.
2. Cuttings. This month in a simple plastic tunnel or double-layer plastic tunnel with good moisture retention, ornamental plant species that can be propagated by cuttings include: jasmine, Chloranthus, geranium, fuchsia, Belgian azalea, bougainvillea, umbrella plant, graptopetalum, jade leaf, fingered citron, Echeveria, epiphyllum, night-blooming cereus, Pilea, shrimp plant, nasturtium, mother of thousands, kalanchoe, clerodendrum, Schefflera, rubber tree, Daphne odora, Excoecaria cochinchinensis, Dieffenbachia, hydrangea, Cordyline, hibiscus, wax begonia, begonia, Fagraea (African jasmine), banyan, spotted aucuba and so on. This month, in the courtyard open field or covered with plastic film, ornamental plant species that can be propagated by cuttings include: plum blossom (cultivars such as Gongfen and Lü'e), red-leaf plum, Chinese rose (cultivars such as Elizabeth, floribunda and climbing), wintersweet (with heel), spiraea, boxwood species, Ternstroemia, mahonia, pomegranate, silver bud willow, Podocarpus, serissa, edgeworthia, Hypericum, Forsythia viridissima, winter jasmine, Spiraea thunbergii, Jasminum officinale, gardenia, crape myrtle, golden-leaf privet, red-leaf barberry and so on. The cutting medium can be ordinary sandy loam, or a mixed medium of half vermiculite and half river sand.
3. Grafting. In southern regions, if the temperature in the tunnel can be kept above 20°C, you can use oil tea or red-flowered camellia as rootstock, and carry out trunk-cutting single-bud bark-tearing side grafting of small camellias, adding a plastic bag to retain moisture, with a relatively high survival rate; use 1-2 year old seedlings of green maple as rootstock, and graft red maple, feather maple and so on by air-inflation bagging; use one-year-old apricot or fruiting plum as rootstock, and cleft-graft to propagate fine cultivars of plum blossom; use Elizabeth or wild rose as rootstock, and cleft-graft to propagate fine cultivars of Chinese rose; in the Guangzhou area, use West lemon as rootstock, and cleft-graft to propagate four-season tangerine and kumquat between Minor Cold and Major Cold, with a relatively high survival rate.
4. Layering. Ornamental plant species that can be propagated by ground layering this month include: Magnolia liliiflora, camellia, wintersweet, plum blossom, Weigela, gardenia, Chaenomeles speciosa, Hall crabapple, Malus spectabilis, true juniper, sabina, snowball, Viburnum macrocephalum, winter jasmine, Forsythia viridissima, hydrangea, Spiraea cantoniensis, red-flowered spiraea, Spiraea thunbergii, pomegranate, edgeworthia, red maple, Michelia, four-season osmanthus, August osmanthus, French holly, and Fagraea and so on.
5. Division. Herbaceous ornamental plant species that can be propagated by division this month include: zephyr lily, dwarf lilyturf, big-leaf lilyturf, variegated lilyturf, Reineckea carnea, hosta, purple hosta, Cymbidium ensifolium, Cymbidium goeringii, Cymbidium faberi, Rudbeckia, lily of the valley, red-flowered oxalis, purple triangular oxalis, Aspidistra, iris, bromeliads, clivia, snake plant, money tree, arrowroot species, taro, Syngonium, anthurium species, Monstera deliciosa, Alocasia, multi-head green Philodendron and so on. It is worth noting that for the division of some cold-sensitive flower species, it is best done in a plastic tunnel with good heat preservation, to avoid frost damage. Woody ornamental plant species that can be propagated by division this month include: nandina, Hypericum, spotted aucuba, hydrangea, Weigela, red-flowered spiraea, Spiraea thunbergii, Fagraea, mahonia, Chaenomeles speciosa, bamboo palm, Caragana, Forsythia viridissima, Jasminum officinale, dwarf cherry, gardenia, Magnolia liliiflora, sisal, bamboo, Pleioblastus fortunei, French holly, redbud, kerria, jasmine, Chloranthus and so on. Note that cold-sensitive species can only be divided in tunnels.
Management of courtyard ground-planted flowers
1. Transplanting. In regions where the weather is not too cold, herbaceous flower species that can be transplanted and planted out in the courtyard include: dianthus species, ornamental kale, pot marigold, daisy and so on; in the colder northern regions, dianthus, primrose, pot marigold, snapdragon, pansy and so on can first be potted and placed in tunnels, and after spring returns and the weather warms, moved outside the tunnel or planted out in the courtyard. Because the weather this month is especially cold, some evergreen trees, such as camphor tree, French holly, privet, Elaeocarpus, wood lotus, Magnolia grandiflora and osmanthus, can continue to be transplanted by conventional methods south of the Yangtze River, while north of the Yangtze River, measures such as heavy renewal pruning, keeping a good soil ball, sealing the cut with wax, wrapping the trunk with rope or bundling with plastic film to retain moisture must be taken to ensure the trees survive normally. This month most deciduous flowering shrubs and greenery trees can be transplanted and planted out in the courtyard, such as hibiscus, pomegranate, redbud, Malus species, ginkgo, maple species, wintersweet, plum blossom, white magnolia, Magnolia liliiflora, soapberry, goldenrain tree, silk tree, horse chestnut, red-leaf plum, purple-leaf cherry, cherry blossom, papaya, crape myrtle, wisteria, trumpet creeper, linden, tulip tree, ornamental peach, Chinese tallow, red-flowered spiraea, edgeworthia, Chinese rose, Exochorda, dragon-claw pagoda tree and so on. This month, in conjunction with forestry land preparation for afforestation, you can also collect wild tree stumps, such as Chinese elm, Sageretia, trident maple, wisteria, wintersweet, Elaeagnus, Chinese holly, oak, Yingrihong, nandina and so on; after heavy renewal pruning, plant them shallowly with high mounding, and cover with straw curtains to protect from cold; after they survive and are cared for, they can be used to make stump bonsai.
2. Pruning. For hedges, ball-shaped plants and ground-planted flowering shrubs that were not yet pruned in December, continue to promptly carry out pruning. Different standards should be adopted according to the different growth characteristics and tree-form requirements of ground-planted flowering shrubs; generally it is required to cut off pest- and disease-damaged branches, thin weak branches, and dead branches, and to shorten leggy branches and misshapen branches, so that the flowers and trees tend toward an attractive appearance with light reaching the interior. For hedges, green walls, color blocks and so on, continue pruning according to the requirements of straight lines, flat surfaces, and clearly defined edges and corners; for the pruning of ball-shaped and other geometric plants, smooth curves and level flat surfaces are required. The pruned branches and leaves should be gathered together, burned, and then can be used to make farmyard manure.
3. Watering. For flowering shrubs and other ornamental plants transplanted in late autumn and early winter last year, attention should be paid to watering management; water once every 7 to 10 days, and if a relatively large amount of dust has stuck to the leaf surface, spray the crown around noon on fine days. It should be noted that the leaf surface is best able to dry off by the afternoon of the same day, to prevent water droplets from lingering on the leaf surface; otherwise, when especially low temperatures occur in the early morning of the next day, frost or freezing on the leaf surface will cause a certain degree of damage to the leaves. To prevent water near the plant from evaporating, after watering you can also cover the area within a radius of 1 to 1.5 m around the base of the tree with straw, which both retains moisture and helps protect the root system.
4. Fertilizing. In southern regions, for ground-planted herbaceous flowers transplanted in late autumn and early winter, such as dianthus, verbena, phlox, daisy, pansy, pot marigold and so on, as long as the temperature is not too low, you can continue to apply low-concentration dilute liquid fertilizer to promote their normal vegetative growth; for ground-planted flowers and trees in the courtyard whose winter fertilizing has not yet been completed, such as osmanthus, camellia, plum blossom, wintersweet, Chinese rose, crape myrtle, redbud, pomegranate, Malus, Michelia, white magnolia, Magnolia liliiflora, Erxiang magnolia, winter jasmine, Forsythia viridissima, Hypericum, broadleaf mahonia, nandina, firethorn and so on, promptly dig ring-shaped trenches around the outer edge of their root base and bury an appropriate amount of compound fertilizer or cake fertilizer; generally 1 to 2 jin of compound fertilizer or 1 jin of dry cake fertilizer per plant can meet the needs of their continuous growth that year.
5. Pest and disease control. The pruned dead branches and fallen leaves of flowers and trees should be gathered and burned; at the beginning of this month, for species moved from south to north, tree trunks should be bound with straw rope early to keep warm, to prevent the bark from freezing; for large flower and tree plants whose trunk whitewashing has not yet been completed, it should also be completed in a rush at the beginning of the month; clean up the weeds and fallen leaves in the courtyard, gather, burn and bury them, which can noticeably reduce the occurrence of pests and diseases the following year; for overwintering aphids on the plants, plant ash can be spread to remove them; for egg masses and pupae found on the trunks, they should also be scraped off promptly.
6. Turning the soil. At the beginning of this month, for the plots in the courtyard intended for this year's cuttings, sowing and planting out, promptly dig them over, and at the same time apply cake fertilizer, pond mud, barnyard manure and so on; after freezing through the winter, in March draw trenches and make beds, which can reduce the harm of underground pests to sown seedlings; for idle ground under large trees, it should also be dug over, which can reduce the occurrence of pests and diseases that year.
7. Preparing fertilizer. Dry the dead branches, fallen leaves, weeds and so on cleaned out of the courtyard in the sun, then pile them in layers with garden soil and set them on fire to burn; the resulting burned soil can be used for covering seeds after sowing or for mixing potting soil; put rapeseed cake, soybean cake, chicken and pigeon droppings and so on into a pool or vat, add water, and ferment them sealed, in preparation for watering potted flowers, bonsai and ground-planted flowers and trees that year; mix pig manure, chicken droppings, cake fertilizer and so on with pond mud and garden soil, pile and ferment them sealed, and they can be used for mixing potting soil or as a top dressing for flowers and trees.
8. Collecting seeds. The seeds that can be harvested this month are not many; only ornamental plant species whose fruit can be stored on the branches for a relatively long time, such as nandina, firethorn, holly species, Ardisia crenata, small-leaf privet, privet, red maple and so on. After the seeds are harvested they should be treated promptly, and at the same time stratified in sand to promote germination, in preparation for sowing between March and April. For asparagus fern, clivia, winter cherry and so on that have already ripened in simple tunnels, sow them as soon as they are collected.
9. Checking. This month you should frequently check the seeds stored in sand, including magnolia, Michelia, Manglietia, Photinia, holly and so on, to see whether any seeds have become moldy; if mold occurs, wash them promptly and replace them with clean river sand for storage; if the seeds are found to be dry, give appropriate spraying of water to increase humidity; if some seeds are found to have already cracked and shown white, sow them promptly and cover with plastic film to retain moisture and protect from cold. Check the dahlia tubers and canna rhizomes stored indoors to prevent them from becoming moldy and rotting.
Management of courtyard potted flowers
1. Watering. For some potted plants placed in the courtyard that are not afraid of cold, such as pines and cypresses, ginkgo, wintersweet, plum blossom and so on, water once around noon every half month, to the extent of keeping the potting soil moist without causing the pot to freeze; for potted flowers and trees already moved into simple tunnels, such as plum blossom, camellia, sasanqua, Daphne odora, Belgian azalea and so on, because their flower stems are in the expanding stage or the early blooming stage, besides watering the potting soil, attention should also be paid to spraying water on the branches and leaves, creating a relatively humid micro-environment for them; for foliage plants placed in tunnels, watering of the potting soil should also be controlled, and the leaves can be sprayed with water once a week around noon, and the water temperature is required to be basically consistent with the tunnel temperature, to prevent harm to the leaves and root system.
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