A Detailed Guide to Gymnosperm Care Methods and Techniques
Placement
Gymnosperms are best placed in a spot with good air circulation and ample sunlight. In winter they can tolerate the cold, and generally can overwinter outdoors; simply place the pot in a sunny, wind-sheltered spot. During the peak heat of midsummer, aside from small bonsai, they generally do not need shading.
Watering
Gymnosperms are drought-tolerant and fear waterlogging, so watering must not lean toward being too wet; you must water only when the soil is dry and stop when it is wet - if it is not dry, do not water. During the plum rain season, heavy rain often pours down, and at this time you must be extremely careful that the pot does not fill up with rainwater. In summer, water once early and once late, once each. When winter comes and snow fills the sky, there is no need to water; just keep the potting soil moist.
Placing a pot of gymnosperms at home is very good for our health. On the market, the prices of gymnosperms fluctuate considerably, and the prices can be a bit hard to understand. For more knowledge about gymnosperms, everyone can follow us to learn more; we will push more gymnosperm knowledge in the future.
What Gymnosperms Are There
Redwood Fir
Redwood Fir is a precious green tree species, incomparably noble, the "giant panda" of the plant world; among its emerald-green leaves are tucked fiery red fruits, noble and incomparably charming, giving a very strong visual impression. Its ornamental value is also very high, and it also has good medicinal value. It is a lucky tree in people's hearts and is deeply loved by people.
Duke Zi
Duke Zi is a relatively common plant in our daily lives. In our Northern Hemisphere, traces of Duke Zi can be seen almost everywhere, and Duke Zi can not only be used in food cooking, but also used as a beer seasoning. Duke Zi contains relatively many nutrients.
Longbai
Longbai is a tree of the genus Yuanbai in the family Bai, and can grow up to 21 m tall. When the tree grows to a certain height, its branches coil around the trunk like a dragon, with a very beautiful posture, like a gracefully standing maiden waiting to be kissed, which is also the origin of its name. Also, because Longbai has strong adaptability, its transplant survival rate is high.
From the text above, everyone should have an intuitive understanding of gymnosperms; you can recognize them from their leaves. Gymnosperms are mostly used to make bonsai and large-scale shaped landscapes, so how should gymnosperms be cared for?
A Beginner's Guide to Succulent Care
For succulent lovers who have just entered the succulent pit, after finally picking out an adorable succulent, you happily bring it home - so how should you care for it to keep it adorable all along? Today, the editor of Huahua Web shares the exclusive beginner care guide from succulent expert Succulent Jun for everyone's reference.
A Beginner's Guide to Succulent Care
I. Inspection
1. If you bought a bare-root succulent online, be sure to open the package promptly upon receiving it and give the succulent ventilation, especially in summer, otherwise black rot is no small matter. After that, check whether the succulent has insects or other dirty things. If there is pest damage (especially root mealybugs), it must be removed immediately to eliminate the invasion of pest sources. In addition, you also need to check whether the stem and leaves of the succulent have disease spots or black rot. If so, then you need to contact the seller for a return or exchange. Beginners must resolutely say no to unhealthy succulents!
2. If you buy a succulent at a physical store, you likewise need to inspect it. Generally, succulents that come out of greenhouses have undergone insecticide and sterilization treatment, so there is no need to panic. Whether to keep the original growing medium is up to you; transplanting with soil generally can improve the survival rate.
A Beginner's Guide to Succulent Care
II. Root Trimming
After a bare-root succulent arrives, it needs simple root trimming: shake off the excess soil, remove shriveled and rotten leaves and fibrous roots, and keep only the main root. The wounds can be coated with dry sulfur powder, or the plant can be placed in a cool, ventilated spot to dry for one or two days, so that the wounds heal and are prevented from infection and black rot.
A Beginner's Guide to Succulent Care
III. Choosing a Pot
While the roots are drying, you can prepare the pot and soil. For beginners, there are generally the following choices when selecting a pot:
1. "Little Black Square"
Little Black Squares are cheap and uniform, suitable for planting one per hole, and can save balcony space.
2. "Red Clay Pot"
Red Clay Pots are also cheap and have good air permeability, guaranteeing summer survival, because water disperses and escapes relatively quickly, so for beginners it is not so easy to control watering.
3. "Purple Clay Pot"
Purple Clay Pots, with excellent water permeability and air permeability, are also a top choice for beginners. The rustic shape pairs very harmoniously with old specimens, but the price is relatively expensive.
4. "Korean Style Coarse Pottery Pot"
Now it is not only Korean succulents invading in large numbers; Korean-style pots have also gradually become mainstream. Generally, the outer wall is glazed while the interior is coarse pottery clay, which is good for air permeability.
5. "White Porcelain Pot"
White Porcelain Pots have poor air permeability. If watering is not controlled reasonably, it is easy to cause soil waterlogging, so for beginners it is difficult.
Pots come in many varieties. A pair of old boots or a tin box can become a new home for succulents. In short, choosing a pot should be analyzed according to specific circumstances, based on the succulent's variety, the home environment, and the composition of the soil mix. Generally, follow: "good water permeability, a hole at the bottom."
A Beginner's Guide to Succulent Care
IV. Soil Mixing
Most succulents still like water-draining and airy growing media, which can be divided into three types by function:
1. Planting Soil
The purpose is to fix the plant and provide nutrients for the succulent's growth. Generally, the common succulent planting soil from flower and bird markets or greenhouses is fine. If you like to mix your own soil, that also works; generally "peat soil 4 parts
perlite 2 parts, volcanic rock 2 parts, vermiculite 2 parts" is fine. Succulent Jun generally uses the common-folk soil mix method of "coal cinder 3 parts, large-particle river sand 2, garden soil 5 parts."
2. Bottom Drainage Growing Medium
The purpose is to prevent the soil from becoming excessively waterlogged. This avoids root rot in succulents or pathogen growth caused by moist soil, thereby causing various diseases. Generally choose large particles such as ceramsite; coarsely screened coal cinder is also a good choice, and charcoal with the ability to adsorb impurities can also be used.
3. Topdressing Growing Medium
The main purpose is for aesthetics, with some minor functions as well. Topdressing growing media have a wide range of sources, such as small white stones, akadama soil, Kiryu sand, kanuma soil, etc. Everyone can make reasonable choices according to different pots and plants; the ultimate goal is still decorative aesthetics and fixing the plant.
In fact, everyone's soil mixing method is different; the key is still to configure it according to the local climate and the plant's variety.
A Beginner's Guide to Succulent Care
V. Planting
Once the plant's wounds have completely healed, it can be potted. Put large-particle growing medium at the bottom of the pot, such as ceramsite, which is good for drainage and air permeability. Then plant dry with moist soil (that is, the soil feels a bit moist; when grasped by hand it feels damp, but after releasing it does not stick together and instead disperses). This can promote the plant to grow new roots. Finally, spread the topdressing stone you like, place it in a brightly lit, ventilated spot (it must not be exposed to the scorching sun), and do not water at first; after 3-4 days you can spray some water on the soil surface, and after about a week water thoroughly once. Wait until the succulent's leaves are plump and new leaves grow out, then it can gradually see the sun and be cared for normally.
A Beginner's Guide to Succulent Care
VI. Watering
After planting is done, it is the daily care of the succulent. Watering is generally "water thoroughly when dry," that is, give enough water at one time until it seeps out of the bottom hole, then wait until it is almost dry, then water thoroughly again. Usually succulents grow most rapidly in spring and autumn. The cool weather and suitable temperature make succulents need more water; at this time you can water twice a week, generally in the evening. In summer the climate is hot, and succulents enter a dormant state; at this time you should appropriately cut off water, and must not frequently water on impulse, causing the succulent to die of black rot. Generally water once every 1-2 weeks, and usually keep it dry and ventilated. In northern winters it is relatively cold; generally when it is below 5° or below zero, the succulent must be moved indoors for care, and generally watered once a week. In southern winters succulents generally have no pressure, so they can still be cared for normally.
So how exactly should watering be controlled?
a. Look at the leaves
If healthy leaves show wrinkles and shrink up entirely, or some varieties' leaves droop listlessly, then that is a "thirsty" signal fed back by the succulent;
b. Look at the soil
Beginners can observe the moisture changes in the soil. There is a simple method: weigh it by hand; the weight of the potting soil when moisture is sufficient and when moisture is lacking differs greatly. In addition, if a gap forms between the outer edge of the soil and the inner edge of the pot, and the soil surface cracks, this is also a sign of water shortage;
c. Look at the pot
Pots with very good air permeability, such as red clay pots, do not easily retain water, so you can water more according to the specific situation; for white porcelain pots or pots without holes, you should reduce watering according to the specific situation;
d. Look at the soil mix
If the soil mix is loose and airy, you can water more according to the specific situation; if the soil mix is fine and dense, you should consider watering less.
A Beginner's Guide to Succulent Care
VII. Sunlight
During the growing period, many succulents need sufficient sunlight, generally 4-6 hours a day is suitable. Different varieties and states of succulents have different light requirements; for example, during the flowering period they need longer sunlight to promote blooming; newly potted succulents should not be left out in the scorching sun; succulents of the Euphorbiaceae family really like sunlight, etc. Growing them in shade will make the succulent's leaf spacing become larger, the color fade, the stem become fragile, the leaves deformed, and resistance to the outside world decline, becoming especially ugly. But do not worry: if you let them gradually receive light for a while, the succulents will still become adorable. Remember that when summer temperatures exceed 30°C, shading treatment must be carried out. It does not matter if they look a bit ugly; staying alive is what matters most.
A Beginner's Guide to Succulent Care
VIII. Diseases
Diseases are generally divided into two types: pest damage and fungal damage.
Pest Damage
Here we mainly discuss scale insects. In the succulent world there is a saying: continuous heavy rain + continuous high temperature
scorching sun = zombie powder (stunted seedlings, corpses, root mealybugs). Although it is funny, it also shows from another side how deeply everyone detests scale insects. This plague god not only sucks the aboveground parts of succulents, but also hides in the soil. White cotton-like things can often be found around the succulent's fibrous roots; that is their handiwork. So preventing and controlling scale insects is a basic skill that succulent lovers must get. For daily prevention and control, we need to do the following:
a. Ensure that both the plant and the growing medium carry no pest sources at all.
b. Once insects are found on the aboveground parts of the plant, never tolerate them! If there are only a few, you can pick them out with a bamboo stick and stab them to death (a must), or wash them off with clean water. If there is a large outbreak, and the insects shamelessly hide in leaf gaps and other parts we find difficult to reach, then it is time to get serious. Generally, specialized succulent insecticide can be bought online and in physical stores (Succulent Jun uses pirimicarb and methomyl, recommended by the pesticide store owner). The concentration must be mixed appropriately. Put the medicinal solution in a spray bottle and carefully spray the parts with insects; areas without insects should also be sprayed generally as prevention. During this period, note two points: 1. Applying the pesticide is generally best in the evening, and it should be applied in a ventilated environment. 2. The frequency of application is once every two weeks; if there is no pest damage, there is no need to use pesticide very frequently.
c. If the insects cleverly hide in the soil, do not panic either. Generally you can carry out a soil change: carefully separate the root system, remove the soil carrying pest sources completely, and replace it with new soil. If you do not want to repot, then use the soaking method, that is, submerge the bottom of the pot in the medicinal solution for about 1 to 2 minutes.
d. Many people have noticed that where scale insects break out, ants often gather in groups. This is not a good thing, because in many cases ants and root mealybugs have a mutually beneficial relationship: they feed on the honeydew secreted by scale insects, and in return carry the insects to other plants. This may explain why the outbreak range of scale insects can be so wide. According to the experience of some experts, ants also cannot be kept.
Fungal Damage
Fungal damage usually manifests as black rot, black spots, or rust spots. These are caused by fungi or bacteria.
a. Watering should be controlled at ordinary times, analyzed according to specific circumstances, and must not cause excessive soil waterlogging.
b. Once a diseased plant is found, it should be isolated immediately to avoid infecting other succulents.
c. Improve ventilation conditions at ordinary times, and also regularly spray fungicide.
You also need to know some small pieces of knowledge: generally, leaves of plants with black rot cannot be used for leaf propagation; soil where a diseased plant has stayed needs to be isolated and sterilized, and so on.
Summary
After reading the expert's exclusive succulent-growing experience, I wonder whether it has been helpful to everyone? In fact, there are still many small pieces of knowledge and tips for growing succulents. Normally everyone has to explore them and take a path suited to their own actual situation, so that succulents can be grown better. Finally, I want to pay tribute to Succulent Jun, who is willing to share!