6 Little Things to Watch Out for When Growing Flowers in Early Autumn
Whether plants can make it safely through winter depends greatly on autumn care. Below I'd like to share with you some little tips to note when growing flowers in autumn, for your reference.
I. Light should be sufficient
Some light-loving woody flowering plants that bloom in summer, such as jasmine, Chinese hibiscus, and orange jessamine, should still be placed in a sunny spot to ensure normal growth and a safe winter;
Pot flowers that bloom around the Spring Festival, such as azaleas, clivia, cyclamen, poinsettia, and Christmas cactus, should also be placed in a sunny spot to receive full sun, otherwise flowering will be delayed or they may not bloom at all. Generally, foliage plants are more shade-tolerant and can be given some light, but avoid direct strong midday sun.
II. Water and fertilizer should be appropriate
In early autumn, most flowers should be watered thoroughly once every 1 to 2 days; from mid to late September, watering should be controlled and fertilizing stopped, to avoid root rot from too much water and leggy stems and leaves from too much fertilizer, which would affect overwintering.
Some flowers that bloom around the Spring Festival, such as cyclamen, clivia, Christmas cactus, and azaleas, have already passed their dormant period and are entering their peak growing season, so from autumn until they bloom at the Spring Festival they should be given continuous fertilizer and water, with a suitable increase in phosphorus and potassium fertilizer to promote flower bud formation and bud development and blooming.
III. Pruning should be reasonable
Apart from flowers that bloom in early spring, most flowers such as jasmine, crape myrtle, and pomegranate can be pruned and shaped in autumn, with branch cutting done in late autumn and early winter. When pruning, remove diseased branches, dead branches, overly dense branches, and leggy branches, laying a good foundation for pot flowers to overwinter.
IV. Pest and disease control should be thorough
In autumn, plants are prone to damage from pests such as scale insects, red spider mites, aphids, and whiteflies; diseases include leaf spot and rot of branches and trunks. Before pot flowers are brought indoors, these pests and diseases must be thoroughly treated, and they must never be allowed indoors to cause harm. For those with no pests or diseases found, spray with chemicals as a preventive measure.
V. Propagation should be timely
After the Start of Autumn, temperatures drop, and for some biennial herbaceous flowers such as pansy, China pink, cineraria, and hollyhock, this is a good time to sow, with sowing possible in September and October; after sowing, mist with water to keep the soil moist.
There are also some woody flowering plants suitable for autumn cuttings, such as fuchsia, Chinese rose, geranium, jasmine, bougainvillea, and winter daphne; the survival rate of autumn cuttings is relatively high.
Perennial flowers that are densely grown and need division, such as tree peony and Chinese peony, should be divided and propagated promptly.
For bulb flowers that bloom around the Spring Festival, such as hyacinth, tulip, and amaryllis, potting should be done as soon as possible.
VI. Bringing indoors should be timely
The time to bring pot flowers indoors varies from one flower to another. Warm-loving plants such as Chinese hibiscus, poinsettia, begonia, cyclamen, jasmine, coleus, and monstera should be moved indoors when the temperature is 10°C; spider plant, asparagus fern, cast iron plant, dwarf umbrella tree, and rubber plant should also be moved indoors when the temperature drops to 5°C. For the vast majority of flowers, it is best to bring them indoors before Frost's Descent. Indoors, pot flowers need good ventilation; when the midday temperature is relatively high, open doors and windows to ventilate and release heat.
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