How to grow bleeding heart (Dicentra spectabilis)? Detailed guide to cultivation methods and precautions
1. Watering:
The bleeding heart has fleshy roots, and waterlogging will cause root rot. Therefore, water moderately according to factors such as the weather, the potting soil and the plant's growth condition, adhering to the principle of not watering until dry, watering as soon as it dries, and never allowing waterlogging.
2. Fertilizing:
The bleeding heart loves fertilizer. When planting and when repotting and changing the soil, add a little bone meal or organic fertilizer to the potting mix. During the growing period, apply a diluted nitrogen-phosphorus-potassium liquid fertilizer once every two weeks. Proper fertilizing helps it produce abundant flowers and lush leaves. Do not fertilize during the dormant period or after the flower buds show color.
3. Light:
The bleeding heart fears high temperatures and direct strong light, and prefers a semi-shaded environment with plenty of scattered light. It is relatively cold-hardy, so it is best placed under a large tree in the courtyard, under a grape trellis, on the shady side of a tall building, or on an east- or north-facing balcony.
4. Humidity:
During the high-temperature period in summer, the bleeding heart enters its dormant period. At this time, place the plant in a well-ventilated shady spot where it cannot receive direct light. Sprinkle water frequently on the nearby ground to raise air humidity and lower the temperature.
Bleeding heart cultivation methods and precautions
Each bud of the bleeding heart is like a string of lanterns, hanging all over the branches, very endearing. The bleeding heart has beautiful foliage, delicate flowers and brilliant colors, making it excellent material for potted plants and cut flowers. So how do you grow a bleeding heart? What are the cultivation methods? Let's learn about bleeding heart cultivation together.
I. How to grow a bleeding heart
The bleeding heart, also known as rabbit peony, is a perennial herbaceous plant in the Papaveraceae family. Its rhizome is fleshy. The plant grows 30-60 cm tall. The leaves are opposite, ternately pinnate compound leaves, somewhat resembling peony leaves. The raceme is terminal, with flowers drooping to one side, 4 petals, the two outer petals larger and fused into a heart-shaped sac, in pink, yellow, white, etc. The tips curl back to both sides, the two inner petals are slender with protruding tips, white. The flowering period is April to May.
Provide appropriate shade in the hot summer; it grows well when kept in a semi-shaded spot. The roots are fleshy and can tolerate slight drought; the potting soil must not be waterlogged for long periods. Water moderately during the growing period, keeping the potting soil in a semi-moist state. Reduce watering when temperatures are low in winter. During consecutive rainy days, take care to prevent water accumulation in the pot. With beautiful foliage and delicate flowers, it can be planted in groups in gardens or used in flower border arrangements; because it is very shade-tolerant, it is suitable for planting under trees as ground cover and for accenting the shaded spots of rock gardens. It can also be potted and forced for cut flowers.
II. Bleeding heart cultivation methods
1. Potting soil: The bleeding heart can be planted in the ground or in pots. For home growing, pot cultivation is generally the main choice, and it is best to use a slightly deep, large earthenware pot with good permeability. If using plastic or porcelain pots, place a layer of crushed charcoal or crushed hard plastic foam at the bottom of the pot to improve air and water drainage. It likes to grow in loam rich in humus. You can use equal parts leaf mold and topsoil from a vegetable garden mixed as the potting mix; it grows poorly in both sandy and clay soils.
2. Water and fertilizer: The bleeding heart loves fertilizer. When potting and planting or when repotting and changing the soil, add a little bone meal or well-rotted organic fertilizer or nitrogen-phosphorus-potassium compound fertilizer to the potting mix. During the growing period, apply a thin nitrogen-phosphorus-potassium liquid fertilizer once every 10 to 15 days to make the leaves lush and the flowers abundant. Stop fertilizing after the flower buds show color, and do not fertilize during the dormant period.
3. Light and temperature: The bleeding heart originates from Hebei and Northeast China. It prefers a semi-shaded environment with plenty of scattered light and is fairly cold-hardy, but it fears the intense heat of midsummer and strong direct sunlight. Therefore, it is best placed under a large tree in the courtyard, under a grape trellis, on the shady side of a tall building, or on an east- or north-facing balcony. During the summer dormant period, place it in a well-ventilated shady spot where it cannot receive direct light, and frequently sprinkle water on the nearby ground to raise air humidity and lower the temperature.
4. Pruning and overwintering: To improve the ventilation and light conditions of the bleeding heart and concentrate nutrients, shaping and pruning should also be done after the leaves fall in autumn and winter. Cut off overly dense branches, such as parallel branches, crossing branches, inward-growing branches and diseased or pest-infested branches, so the plant keeps a beautiful shape. In late autumn and early winter, the potted bleeding heart can be buried in the soil with the branches exposed above the ground and covered with straw or earthed up for protection through the winter.
5. Flowering control: The bleeding heart can be forced into bloom. After the leaves fall in autumn, plant it in a pot and place it in a cold room, then move it to a 12-13°C greenhouse in mid-December, keeping it constantly moist; it will bloom around February. After flowering, place it in a cold room again, and replant it in the open ground when early spring arrives.
6. Pest and disease control: Common diseases of the bleeding heart include cockscomb leaf spot and leaf spot. Spray from the early stage of the disease to prevent it from spreading. Commonly used agents include 25% carbendazim wettable powder at 300-600 times dilution, 50% thiophanate at 1000 times, 70% maneb at 500 times, 80% mancozeb at 400-600 times, 50% captan at 500 times, etc. Note that the agents should be used alternately to prevent the pathogens from developing resistance.
The above isbleeding heart cultivation methodsintroduced above, and we hope it is helpful for everyone growing bleeding hearts. If you want to learn more about bleeding hearts, keep following us.
How to propagate bleeding heart by cuttings: Bleeding heart cutting methods
The bleeding heart has graceful flowers; a row of flowers bends the branches down, and the neatly arranged buds are ready to bloom, elegant and charming. What are the cutting methods for bleeding heart? How do you take cuttings of bleeding heart? What are the cutting methods of bleeding heart? Let's look specifically at the cutting methods for bleeding heart!
Bleeding heart propagation methods mainly include division and cuttings. The cutting method is carried out to obtain more new plants and make the bleeding heart grow better:
Bleeding heart cutting methods
Cutting medium: Choose a loose, well-drained sandy loam rich in humus as the medium, with a pH between 5 and 6. Before use, it is best to sterilize it with a 0.1% potassium permanganate solution.
Cutting time: Carry out from June to July each year. At this time there is more rain, and the soil and air temperatures are relatively suitable, so the cutting survival rate is high.
Cutting methods: (1) Bud cuttings: select branches with relatively plump axillary buds, cut off the inflorescence, and cut at the internodes, with each node keeping a section of branch about 2 cm long as a cutting, thin out some of the small leaves, and insert it flat into the medium to a depth of 5 cm with the leaves exposed above the soil surface, at a spacing of 5 cm x 10 cm. (2) Softwood cuttings: select fully grown and vigorous branches, cut off the inflorescence, cut into sections of 2 to 3 nodes each, each section about 10 cm long, keep one leaf at the upper end and thin out some of the small leaves, insert 2 nodes into the soil with the upper node and its small leaves exposed above the soil surface, at a spacing of 10 cm x 10 cm.
After-planting management: After inserting the cuttings, water thoroughly once with a fine-rose watering can so the cuttings make close contact with the medium. Set up an arched frame over the bed, cover it with plastic film, and cover with straw blinds to create a semi-shaded environment. Keep the temperature at around 25°C; if it is too high, ventilate appropriately to cool it down, and keep the bed soil constantly moist. Roots will form in about 40 days. Gradually remove the film and straw blinds, and the following spring they can be transplanted and planted out, flowering in the same year.
With the introduction to how to take cuttings of bleeding heart and the cutting methods for bleeding heart, if you want to enjoy the appearance and elegance of the bleeding heart, you must master its growth habits and give it more management and care; only then will the bleeding heart grow well later on!