Pothos cutting methods: master these few tricks and one pot becomes several pots

Growing pothos is actually not difficult; pothos itself has very tenacious vitality, it is just that every plant has its own habits. For pothos cuttings, the first thing is to find a suitable flower pot; one that is not too large will do, about 20 cm in diameter is very suitable. And the pot should have holes at the bottom for air permeability, which is very helpful for pothos growth.

After finding a suitable flower pot, the next step is choosing soil. In many places there is no black soil, so you can go to a flower market and buy a bag; about 5 jin costs roughly 2 yuan. Bring it back and pour it directly into the flower pot, then start watering. Before planting, water thoroughly half an hour in advance; half an hour after watering, you can begin taking pothos cuttings.

Insert the selected pothos branches into the flower pot, but do not use branches that are too tender. When taking cuttings, be sure not to insert them too deep, otherwise rooting will be affected. After taking cuttings, do not place them outdoors; placing them in a cool indoor spot for half a month is just right. After half a month they can grow normally. Pothos has very tenacious vitality, so the survival rate is relatively much higher.

Pothos itself really likes water, so you must master the watering intensity well; basically water once every 1-2 days. If not watered for a long time, yellow leaves and wilted stems and branches will appear. Also, pothos is prone to attracting small white insects in autumn; at such times you must spray insecticide, otherwise pothos growth will be badly affected.

After one year of growth, pothos should have its soil changed, because the nutrients in the soil in the pot can no longer supply pothos growth. So changing the soil in time can supply pothos growth; you can also pour in some nutrient solution so pothos will not lack nutrients. With this method, your pothos will certainly grow very fast.

Division propagation methods: 5 common division methods for household potted plants

The simplest methods used for propagation are sowing and cuttings, while the commonly overlooked one is division propagation. In fact, this is one of the methods with the best propagation success rate, and even beginner gardeners can master it well. Of course, there are also some points to note. When dividing, check whether the size of the side buds is suitable; it is best to do it every year when the plant is repotted.

If Aptenia cordifolia is not flowering well, you can choose to change its pot, add appropriate pruning, and carry out division propagation and cutting propagation together; it is very easy to get several new pots of Aptenia cordifolia.

If the Aptenia cordifolia plant grows too lushly without appropriate pruning, it easily causes leggy branches and leaves, leaving no nutrients for flowering. The divided small plants and some cuttings can be planted directly in soil; keeping a slightly moist and warm environment makes it very easy for them to survive.

Snake plant is a plant that is especially easy to divide, especially some short-leaved snake plants, which very easily grow side buds. As with the one in the picture above, when repotting it had grown many side buds; once these side buds grow to more than 5 cm, division propagation can be carried out.

There is not much fuss when dividing; cutting directly from the rhizome gives you a new plant, because their rhizome root systems grow very well, so they can be planted directly into new soil. After watering thoroughly appropriately, they can be cared for normally, and after transplanting they are surviving plants.

Pothos is also a potted green plant that is very easy to propagate, but because pothos is usually propagated by cuttings, you only need to cut off a section of branch to propagate successfully. However, we can also propagate it by division, because divided plants come with root systems, so the success rate is close to 100%.

When repotting, you can see that the bottom of the pothos pot is already full of roots. At this time you can clear away the old soil, then separate the complete plant, cutting directly below the rhizome. Each section of rhizome carries enough roots, so division is very easy to succeed.

The cactus variety in the picture above is Mammillaria gracilis, and many people mistake it for Mammillaria herrerae. It is a cactus variety that very easily grows side buds, so when propagating we only need to remove its offsets to propagate. So is there any better method?

A better method is division. When planting Mammillaria gracilis, you can appropriately cover it with soil so its offsets touch the soil; then roots will sprout below the offsets. Once the roots have grown long, division can be carried out. This method is actually also a variation of layering propagation.

Spider plant is also a plant very suitable for division propagation. Its care is very simple and propagation is easy. During care, keep a warm and slightly moist environment, and water thoroughly once the potting soil dries out.

See those divisions above? During the care of spider plants, they grow many slender runners. During care, you can press them onto the soil and they will take root in the soil and become a new division. After their roots grow long, they become like the ones above; finally we just cut them off directly and carry out division.

Twenty-eight odd tricks for flower-growing friends

Twenty-eight odd tricks for flower-growing friends

Flower-growing odd trick one: Soilless cuttings wrapped in soft paper
I will teach you a simple and easy cutting method that uses no soil and no water, only a few sheets of paper. The specific operation is as follows:
1. Take a sheet of soft paper with strong water absorption (such as toilet paper), and first wrap the bottom of the cutting that has been cut into a slanted opening. The thickness should be such that after the soft paper absorbs water thoroughly, the slanted cut surface can still be seen; do not make it too thick, so that you can directly observe changes such as callus healing and rooting, and it also has good air permeability. This point is crucial.
2. Use soft paper cut to a suitable size to wrap the stem as much as possible, but the leaves and buds should be exposed. The wrapping thickness should be enough to keep the soft paper from drying out completely before the cutting roots.
3. After wrapping, place the water-soaked cutting in a container without a drainage hole, tie the mouth of the pot tightly with plastic film to retain moisture, and place it in a ventilated environment without direct light. In this way, your operation is complete; after rooting, you only need to pot it up.
(Note: after the cutting is wrapped, the thickness of the stem should be 2 times the stem or slightly thicker, which can keep the soft paper from drying out completely for a long time. Afterward no deliberate care is needed, and the cutting can root quickly.)
If this method is used to take cuttings of poinsettia, variegated Schefflera, Aucuba japonica and so on, the fastest root in 7 days; variegated Schefflera in 9 days; and rubber tree in 10 days all have root tips emerging, and they are thick and well developed. Aucuba japonica and others root slightly more slowly, but within half a month root tips have formed.
This method is simple and easy to carry out, and the materials are widely available and low in price. Multiple layers can be placed in the container, saving space, and a relatively large number of flowers and trees can be propagated at one time. Interested friends can give it a try.
Flower-growing odd trick two: The abuse method - make your honeysuckle branches short and flowers abundant
First, let me state that this method is suitable for pot cultivation, not for ground planting. What ground planting wants is vigorous lushness, able to create three-dimensional greening over a large area. But pot cultivation has different requirements: the area and pot space are limited, so it cannot be allowed to develop freely; the ornamental requirements are higher, requiring a better shape; most importantly, when flowering it cannot be as casual as ground planting, but should have concentrated and abundant flowers. The method below can help you achieve this:
1. Water restriction - honeysuckle is a vine; without intervention, its branches grow fast and long. In a pot, we can break convention: when it sprouts in spring, do not water at night, water in the morning; do not water heavily, water lightly; make its physiological water use unable to meet the needs of vigorous growth, so new branches become shorter and more mature. Once branches mature they easily flower, and shortening reduces internode distance, so flowering becomes concentrated and abundant.
2. Fertilizer restriction - before flower buds form, do not apply nitrogen fertilizer or apply as little as possible, and apply relatively more phosphorus and potassium fertilizer. Once the flower buds have basically formed and shoot growth has basically ended, then apply some nitrogen fertilizer in an appropriate amount to create a situation of many flowers and large flowers.
3. Lazy repotting - that is, repot only once every 3-4 years. The purpose is not to let it sprout more new roots. With fewer new roots, absorption capacity is poorer; plus the potting soil ages, so it is very difficult for it to grow vigorously, thereby achieving the goals of controlling tree vigor, limiting branches, and making flowers bloom densely.
4. Pruning - cut off vigorous buds, shorten long branches, cut the long and keep the short. Then place it in a sunny spot (half shade and half sun in summer) to prevent insufficient light from causing vigorous growth.
Through the above measures, you can make your honeysuckle have abundant flowers and short branches, with greater ornamental value. (Seedlings are not included in this example, because they should be allowed to grow vigorously so they can bloom earlier.)
Flower-growing odd trick three: Sesame oil to prevent ants
The insect world also has "herders," namely ants. Ants like to enjoy the "honeydew" secreted by aphids, so they spare no effort in herding everywhere - moving them onto various plants, and at the same time serving as their unpaid bodyguards, driving off the aphids' various natural enemies. In this way, our flowers and trees.
Flower-growing odd trick four: Carrying cuttings a thousand miles
Whenever you are on a business trip thousands of miles away, or touring a scenic tourist destination, have you ever seen rare flowers and grasses that made your heart stir? As a flower enthusiast, you certainly also want to have one. Locally, you can layer or take cuttings. But in a distant place, how do you keep cuttings from losing water, and how do you bring them home smoothly? Here is a simple and easy method: carrying cuttings from a thousand miles away, moisture retention is a problem. Keeping them in a plastic bag can retain moisture, but it is not breathable, and sometimes the cuttings rot. To retain moisture and keep cuttings fresh, you only need to buy a few fresh cucumbers and the problem is solved. Cut off the leaves of the branch, leave the leaf stalk, and insert it from the flowering end of the cucumber. This can both maintain the moisture of the cutting and prevent it from rotting (because cucumber contains a component that can kill bacteria). In this way, as long as the cucumber does not rot, the cutting will be fine, and no matter how far, you can bring it home and have it survive as you wish.
Flower-growing odd trick five: Cleverly washing old flower pots
After some time, flower-growing households will have some old flower pots left over: either because some flowers and trees died, or because small flower pots remain after repotting. It is a pity to discard these old flower pots, but continuing to use them makes cleaning very troublesome (cleaning is necessary: first, to wash off the layer of white scale on the surface that hinders flowers and trees from breathing; second, to remove insect eggs and miscellaneous bacteria; third, for appearance). Do not worry, below I will teach you a simple clever cleaning method:
In a container filled with water, add a certain proportion of ferrous sulfate, then stack the old flower pots in order of size, large ones at the bottom and small ones on top, and soak them together in the ferrous sulfate aqueous solution. After about three days, take them out and brush lightly with a bristle brush, and the dirt on the surface of the flower pots can be washed completely clean. The reason is simple: the ferrous sulfate solution is slightly acidic, while the white scale on the pot edge is alkaline. Once the two neutralize, cleaning becomes very convenient.
After this method is used, the flower pots can remain clean and attractive for a long period. Furthermore, the pots being slightly acidic is also beneficial to the growth of flowers and trees.
New flower pots treated with this method can achieve the same preventive effect.
Flower-growing odd trick six: Busy autumn sowing? Glycerin enema bottles help you
As everyone knows, plants have different forms and great differences, and their seeds are no exception. The best time for autumn sowing has arrived. Friends preparing for autumn sowing may be troubled by a problem: for particularly tiny seeds, how do you sow them very evenly - neither crowded together nor leaving bare patches? Do not worry, glycerin enema bottles come to your rescue:
Take an empty glycerin enema bottle (if you do not have one, you can buy one, very cheap. The liquid inside can be poured out to use as a skin care product, with better effect than glycerin). Point the small end at the seeds, apply a little force with your hand, and the seeds stick to the bottle mouth; then release your hand, and the seeds fall exactly where you need them! With this suck-and-release action, the speed is very fast, and spot sowing is completed smoothly.
One reminder: when you feel the bottle mouth is slightly large, you can scald it with boiling water to make the bottle mouth shrink a little.
Flower-growing odd trick seven: Bury quail eggs alive, fulfilling your dream of lazy flower growing
You want to grow flowers well, but find fertilizing troublesome, and even more want to stay away from the dirt and smell of fertilizer. Is there any good trick? Yes! Here is one method:
Buy a few quail eggs, first gently crack the small end, pierce the inner membrane with a toothpick, and when repotting and changing soil, place the quail egg with the small end up gently at 2 cm above the culture soil at the bottom of the pot, then fill the pot normally with soil on top.
Because the culture soil contains a large amount of organic matter, and the potting soil is in a moist state for a long time, as the temperature rises and fungi act, the egg liquid continuously decomposes and overflows from the fine cracks, turning into fertilizer for the flower and tree root system to absorb, thus very well meeting the needs of flower growth. Entering midsummer, most flowers and trees enter a period of vigorous growth and need more fertilizer. At this time bacteria are also in an active growth period, and egg fertilizer decomposition accelerates accordingly, ensuring supply. One small quail egg can basically maintain fertility for 1-2 years. Generally speaking, using this method means no organic fertilizer is needed all year, but shortly after the egg fertilizer is applied and before it takes effect, an appropriate amount of chemical fertilizer and so on can be applied. In this method, the process of raw egg fertilizer becoming mature is completed inside the eggshell, so there will be no situation of raw fertilizer burning roots. In addition, after the eggshell decomposes, it is also a very good calcium fertilizer.
(Note: the number of eggs depends on the size of the flower pot. If placing one, it can be placed in the middle of the pot; if using two or more, they can be placed symmetrically, 2-4 cm from the pot edge.)
Flower-growing odd trick eight: Toast clivia - the drunkenness flower-promoting method
Clivia has glossy leaves and upright stems, with large red flowers that are dazzling; overall it also appears elegant and dignified, especially suitable for placing on indoor desks, and ordinary households all like to grow a few pots. But there is often a situation like this: when bought it was in full bloom, but after flowering it neither blooms nor grows leaves, seeming to become a stagnant seedling. Is there any way to change this situation? Yes, this is the drunkenness flower-promoting method:
The liquor should be baijiu, whether high-proof or low-proof does not matter. Yanghe Daqu is fine, Erguotou is also fine, and if you have the financial strength, Maotai is also welcome. After Qingming and before late autumn, pour a cup of baijiu into the clivia pot every few days. When pouring, be careful not to splash it on the plant. In this way, after seven or eight days, you will see the effect: flower scapes emerge, new leaves grow, and the stagnant seedling revives. Treated this way, clivia will grow better and better, and the flowers it opens will be like a torch.
Note: This method is very safe, so there is no need to worry about burning clivia to death. But it has not been tested on other flowers and trees, so please use it cautiously. If you have no experience, apply a small amount and leave a longer interval to ensure there is no risk. At the same time, after it takes effect you can temporarily stop using it.
Flower-growing odd trick nine: Two small methods to promote flowering and prolong the ornamental period of narcissus
Narcissus has won people's affection with its graceful bearing and pure, jade-like charm, accompanying everyone to welcome the beautiful spring. Therefore, during New Year's Day and Spring Festival, it is a top-grade choice for decorating living rooms and desks. However, some people grow narcissus that, although lush and green, simply do not bloom; or, they wither soon after blooming. Is there any method to promote flowering and prolong the flowering period? Yes!
1. Soapy water to promote flowering
Narcissus contains a plant alkaloid that can promote good plant growth and development. Soapy water is an alkaline solution. After narcissus absorbs it, the plant alkaloid in its body increases, thus enabling vegetative growth to rapidly transform into reproductive growth. In this way, an appropriate amount of soapy water plays a role in promoting flowering.
2. Aspirin to prolong the ornamental period
Crush one to two aspirin tablets into small granules and sprinkle them into the narcissus pot. The salicylic acid component in aspirin can promote plant flower bud differentiation and flowering, thus making narcissus flowers bloom large and bright and prolonging the ornamental period.
Putting some salt in the narcissus pot can likewise promote flowering and make the flowers long-lived. In addition, after narcissus blooms, placing it in a relatively cool and cold environment also works well.
Flower-growing odd trick ten: For spring sowing, mix seeds with oil first
Spring sowing is approaching, and everyone may again encounter the following problems: some flower seeds sprout a few days after sowing; some flowers such as clivia, cyclamen and asparagus fern germinate relatively slowly, only showing themselves after endless calling; and some are watched for ages without appearing, not sprouting at all. Is there any way to improve this? Please try the method of mixing flower seeds with oil -
Specific method: first soak the seeds to be sown in warm water at about 35 degrees Celsius for 24 hours, then take out the flower seeds, wrap them in a dry cloth and wring out the external water; then mix the flower seeds with some clean cooking oil (such as: soybean oil, rapeseed oil and sesame oil, etc.), and next you can sow according to the usual method.
Do not underestimate this tiny method. It can make seeds that are difficult to germinate sprout about 20 days earlier, and the sprouts are strong and grow fast; in addition, it also has a very good effect on increasing the germination rate.
Flower-growing odd trick eleven: A new method for air permeability in porcelain pots and plastic pots
Clay pots are breathable and comfortable, but less ornamental; porcelain pots are sturdy and attractive, plastic pots are light and cheap, but they are not very breathable. In short, all have some shortcomings. In fact, with just a little thought, you can turn shortcomings into advantages.
Before repotting in early spring, first prepare some foam plastic (there is a lot in electrical appliance packaging boxes) and cut it into small pieces the size of tangyuan. When repotting, use a piece of thicker paper to form a ring according to the inner diameter of the flower pot, then place it in the flower pot (leave a certain gap between the paper ring and the flower pot). Next, fill the gap between the two with the plastic fragments. Inside the paper ring, fill soil and plant as usual. In this way, the entire repotting task is all completed.
With plastic fragments along the inner edge of porcelain pots and plastic pots, their air permeability is greatly increased, which has a very good effect on the growth and development of flowers.
(Plastic granules can also be used at the bottom of the pot)
Flower-growing odd trick twelve: Broken bricks and tiles make flowers more brilliant
Broken bricks and tiles make flowers more brilliant. If you do not believe it, try it.
Growing flowers in the city, soil is very precious. Some people continue to use old soil after repotting, but it is actually far inferior to broken bricks and tiles.
Broken bricks and tiles are convenient to obtain and can be found everywhere. Specific method -
Break waste bricks and tiles into fragments, about 0.2-0.5 cm in diameter. When planting flowers, place the smaller and powdery pieces near the plant roots, and place the larger fragments at the bottom of the pot or other positions. Other practices are the same as planting with soil.
Growing flowers with broken bricks and tiles has advantages such as air permeability, water retention and fertilizer retention. Because broken bricks and tiles have many tiny gaps, their adsorption capacity is especially strong, and they can quickly absorb applied water and fertilizer, playing a role in water and fertilizer retention; secondly, because bricks and tiles have been fired, their texture is hard but not solid, and they have the characteristic of not dissolving in water.
point: the many tiny gaps inside can be retained for a long time, which is conducive to the circulation of air in the soil.
Experiments have shown that pomegranate, Aglaia odorata and Pyracantha grown with broken bricks and tiles have well-developed root systems, large flowers, many fruits, and long flowering periods.
(Because broken bricks and tiles themselves contain relatively few nutrients, fertilizing should be done several more times than soil cultivation.)
Flower-growing odd trick thirteen: Force-feeding to fatten and grow roses
The force-feeding fattening method for growing roses is carried out to address the situation where large rose plants, because the potting soil is limited, contain nutrients that are difficult to satisfy rose growth. It can make the roses you grow large, brilliant and extra spirited. Interested friends may give it a try -
1. In early spring, before roses are about to sprout, pot them or repot them, and apply sufficient fermented base fertilizer at the bottom of the pot.
2. The second step is to promote buds. When sprouting, apply 1-2 times of solid nitrogen fertilizer such as urea or ammonium sulfate. It must be applied strictly according to the dilution ratio in the instructions; it must not be too concentrated, otherwise it will burn roots. About a week after application, dozens of tender buds can grow densely. At this time, buds should be appropriately thinned according to plant size and shaping requirements.
3. The third step, and also the most important step, is force-feeding fertilization: 1. After sprouting, first fully strengthen the supply of nitrogen fertilizer to make new buds strong. Use diluted fully fermented soybean cake liquid and so on for watering, and use 1/1000 urea solution to spray leaves and tender branches; alternate the two once a week; 2. When new buds grow to about 2 cun, begin switching to fertilizer mainly based on phosphorus and potassium. Apply diluted fish intestine fertilizer or other phosphorus-potassium fertilizer to the potting soil, and spray 1/1000 monopotassium phosphate on leaves and branch tips, likewise alternating once a week. In this way, before long a flower bud will appear at each branch tip. For even distribution of flower buds, buds can be appropriately thinned; 3. Afterward still alternate once a week with fertilizer mainly based on phosphorus and potassium, to facilitate the next batch of flowering. In between, apply nitrogen fertilizer about once a month.
Explanation: apply organic fertilizer in the potting soil, and apply inorganic fertilizer on the leaves; do not arbitrarily increase the concentration;
In case of heavy rain, avoid or shelter from rain to prevent loss of potting soil and nutrients;
It is best to add a certain proportion of coal cinder ash to the potting soil; it is both breathable and has the function of adsorbing nutrients, and release is also more balanced.
Flower-growing odd trick fourteen: Another kind of humidification - escorting balcony rhododendrons
Rhododendrons are delicate and charming; when they bloom, a stretch of brilliant spring color makes people stop and admire. But to grow rhododendrons well on a balcony, the humidity problem is a terrible headache. Generally speaking, the climate on a balcony is always drier than outdoors, but rhododendrons need relatively high humidity, which forms a difficult contradiction: either buds are hard to open, or the red fades and the fragrance disappears.
In fact, conditions can be created, and rhododendrons can also be grown well on a balcony ---
Find a shallow tray or other utensil slightly larger than the potted rhododendron, place two wooden strips 3 or 4 cm high at intervals in the tray, then seat the rhododendron pot on the wooden strips, and add water to the shallow tray. The water height should be level with the bottom of the rhododendron pot or slightly touching the water. When the water gradually decreases and exposes the wooden strips, you can wait two or three days before adding water back to the original level.
The reason this method can effectively humidify is that the shallow tray has standing water year-round or intermittently, equivalent to installing a simple humidifier that continuously transpires upward. The higher the temperature, the faster the transpiration, which exactly matches the rhododendron's humidity requirements at different periods. Secondly, water slowly moistens the entire pot wall from the bottom up, keeping it often in a good state of being neither too dry nor too wet, protecting the potting soil and root system from the effects of dry air.
This method can be used with confidence; rhododendrons will not rot roots. Because water seeps in from the bottom of the pot, its depth cannot exceed the depth of the shallow tray below; at the same time, the water's moistening is completed by slowly rising, and the amount of water is limited. Moreover, intermittent water supply gives rhododendrons a chance to adjust soil air and humidity.
This method can make rhododendrons grow robustly and bloom normally just as if they were on the ground.
Points to note: 1. When repotting rhododendrons, it is best to place some materials such as foam plastic fragments at the bottom of the pot; this is safer.
2. The watering amount should be appropriately reduced; the water given at one time is about 2/3 that of ordinary potted flowers.
3. During high-temperature periods, combining with measures such as frequently misting rhododendrons will make the effect even better.
Flower-growing odd trick fifteen: Single-node rapid propagation of ivy and honeysuckle
There are many kinds of propagation methods: sowing, cuttings, grafting and so on, each with advantages and disadvantages. But there is one method that is simple and easy to carry out, and the number propagated in one operation is several times that of cuttings, and it sprouts quickly with a 100% survival rate. What method is that? That method is called - single-node rapid propagation.
This method is most suitable for our households. If conditions allow ground planting, the effect is even better. The propagation varieties suitable for this method are honeysuckle, ivy, winter jasmine, pothos and Monstera deliciosa and so on. In addition, Syngonium podophyllum, Tradescantia pallida, Tradescantia zebrina, Forsythia and so on also have good results.
Take ivy as an example: when repotting or potting, plant it at one end of a long pot more than 40 cm, and guide the branches to develop toward the other side. Then bend iron wire into small n-shaped pieces, insert one between every two nodes of the branch, and loosely pin the branch in place. After that, carry out routine care.
By early summer, use a sharp knife to cut the branch between every two nodes, so that each node carries one leaf. In this way, each node can quickly grow buds and become lush. After that, at any time, dig them up and pot them, and you can get many independent small plants.
Key points: 1. The potting soil must be soft.
2. The branches must contact the soil.
3. Choose varieties that, as described above, will root at every node.
Flower-growing odd trick sixteen: Cutting roots in sections gives old trees new life
It is said that all things in heaven and earth have a certain lifespan, and plants are certainly no exception. Although we cannot change this trend, through certain methods we can still prolong their lives. Below is one method~~~
The so-called lifeblood means that life lies in the roots, and this is especially true for plants. When the roots are strong the plant is vigorous; when the roots age, its life is also nearing its end. So if we want to prolong plant life, we must use our brains on the roots - during the spring growth period, scrape away the potting soil, cut off 1/3 of the entire tree root, then cover it again with potting soil. At the place where old roots were cut, fine new roots will soon grow. Treat it the same way next year and the third year. After three years, it is equivalent to the tree roots having been completely renewed. Compared with old roots, new roots have significantly stronger water and fertilizer absorption capacity, so it is only natural for the old tree to regain its youth.
In addition, after cutting off old roots, you can replace 1/3 of the soil with new soil. After three years, the potting soil is equivalent to being completely renewed, and the trouble of repotting is also avoided, achieving two benefits at once.
If the old stump still has some vitality, it can also be shortened in combination with shaping, so that it sends out new branches.
Flower-growing odd trick seventeen: Aglaia odorata, blooming and fragrant every day
Milan (Aglaia odorata) has glossy leaves and stays evergreen all year round. When it blooms, the rich fragrance fills the air, and the tiny golden-yellow flowers, the size of rice grains, stand out strikingly against the green leaves. With proper care, there is no problem with a Milan blooming 5 times a year, so can it be made to bloom and scent every day? There is a way.
Generally speaking, after a Milan has bloomed once, it needs to "rest" for a while before it can bloom again, because it needs to accumulate nutrients to prepare for the next flowering. So its blooming appears intermittent. If we want it to bloom every day, we must artificially meet its nutrient needs, that is, by properly thinning the buds to reduce the nutrients consumed by each flowering. Specifically, when the Milan is full of buds for the first (or second) time in early spring, you can first thin the buds on 1-2 branches, then wait another 4-5 days and thin the buds on another 1-2 branches, and repeat this cycle continuously, accumulating more than 6-7 rounds of flower and bud thinning in total, with the thinned branches accounting for more than 60-70% of all branches. In this way, all the branches of the Milan can bloom in turn, achieving the goal of flowers and fragrance every day. According to this procedure, the unthinned branches bloom first, and after about 5-10 days the branches thinned the first time bloom next, then the flowers open in the order in which they were thinned. In total, one pot of Milan can give you fragrance every day for 7-8 months of the entire growing season. (Because its fragrance is strong, thinning some away does no harm.)
Key points: 1. Water, fertilizer and light must keep up.
2. The plant must not be too small; it should have at least about 10 branches.
Strange Flower-Growing Tricks No. 18: Try feeding fatty meat to make the Epiphyllum bloom
Everyone has their own quirks, and plants are no exception. For example, Clivia loves alcohol, while Epiphyllum is fond of fatty meat. During the growing season, feeding it fatty meat regularly can not only make its plant deep green and glossy, but also enable it to bloom as many as 5-6 times, with large and numerous flowers.
The specific operation is very simple: soak the fatty meat in boiling water to remove the salt; or boil the waste lard from the pig stomach in water, then let it cool. Then use a suitable tool to poke several holes in the Epiphyllum pot, 2-3 cm in diameter, then cut the fatty meat or waste lard into tablet-sized pieces, pour them into the holes, and cover the surface with about 3 cm of soil.
Key points: 1. Adding a little potassium dihydrogen phosphate and mixing it in gives better results.
2. Generally, a flower pot with a diameter of 15 cm only needs two holes, and a 25 cm one needs three holes. And so on; the fertilizer effect can supply the Epiphyllum's needs for a year of growth.
3. It must be cooked through and chopped finely, otherwise it decomposes too slowly and easily attracts insects and ants.
4. Using the waste oil from the oil collection cup inside a range hood and pouring it in also gives very obvious results.
Strange Flower-Growing Tricks No. 19 - Spraying flowers with beer kills two birds with one stone
It goes without saying that flower growers love dealing with all kinds of flowers. But what you deal with is not only flowers, but also all kinds of pests, haha, even though you do not like them one bit.
Among pests, aphids and red spider mites are still relatively easy to handle; spraying the right pesticide twice basically does the job. But scale insects are more troublesome. They have a protective layer - a waxy shell - so spraying pesticide has little effect on them, and they really seem impervious to attack. So besides manual removal (brushing them off), is there any simpler and more effective method? Yes. After discovering scale insects, do not panic. Prepare a bottle of beer, pour some out and dilute it with water at a ratio of 6 parts water to 1 part beer, and spray the plant once, making sure to spray every part as much as possible. The next day, check carefully. If the insects turn reddish-brown and fall off at a touch, then they have certainly breathed their last. If any are still alive, spray again. Generally, after spraying three times in a row (three days), the problem can basically be solved.
Principle: After beer is sprayed, it forms a sealing film on the insects' bodies, causing them to suffocate to death. However, it is also possible that they died from drunkenness; of course, this point still needs entomologists to prove.
In addition, beer is also a very good leaf fertilizer. Spraying it regularly can make plants grow full of vitality and look especially spirited. The ratio should be weaker than when treating pests: 8 parts water to 1 part beer will do. If you are interested, you might as well give it a try.
Strange Flower-Growing Tricks No. 20: Four watering methods
Watering is the first hurdle that flower growers must pass, and it is also a hurdle they must pass. Although watering looks simple, there is actually a lot of knowledge in it, and many beginners' flowers are ruined at this hurdle. Regarding watering, the so-called "water when dry, stop when wet"; water more during the growing season and less during dormancy; water more in small pots and less in large pots, and so on, are relatively well understood by everyone, so I will not say more. Below I will only introduce a few special watering methods.
1. Sand column method - prevents potting soil from compacting
When potting or repotting flowers, first stand several hollow tubes in the pot (bamboo tubes, plastic pipes, iron pipes, etc. are all fine), then fill soil around them and press firm. Next, pour coarse sand into the tubes until the top is level with the soil surface. Finally, gently pull out the empty tubes, and sand columns form in the pot. Later, when watering, the water only spreads outward through the sand columns, thus preventing the soil from compacting, with no adverse side effects.
Note: The tubes must not stand in the exact center; leave room for planting the flowers.
2. Round-trip method - avoids half-watering
Half-watering means the water does not soak through: the top is very wet, but the bottom is still dry. If this is done often, how could the plants not die? There are several reasons: inexperience; the potting soil is too compacted; the pot has not been repotted for a long time and the roots are tangled, and so on. The solution is as follows: if you have many flowers, you can water them one by one as usual without worrying about whether they are thoroughly watered. After all are watered, go through them again from beginning to end, and a few can even be watered a third time. In this way, half-watering can basically be eliminated. Because after the first round of watering, even if it did not soak through, the potting soil has already become moist and softened to some extent, so after some time, the second round of water is relatively easy to absorb.
Note: There is no need for this if the potting soil is loose. If you do not have many flowers, you can do something else after watering and water again after a while.
3. Sitting-pot method - prevents Cytisus from root rot
Cytisus scoparius (broom) is very beautiful. When the flowers first open they look like butterflies, and after opening they resemble golden sparrows flitting about, and it can also be made into bonsai, so many people love to grow it. But in recent years fewer and fewer people grow it, because it is very prone to root rot and can suddenly die if you are not careful. There is one method that is very effective at preventing root rot, namely the sitting-pot method. Put some water in a container, place the potted Cytisus in it, and when the soil surface looks moist, it has been thoroughly watered, and then you can take it out.
Note: The principle of "water when dry, stop when wet" should also be followed.
4. Noon water - makes jasmine more fragrant
Watering jasmine at noon can make its flowers even more fragrant. The ancients already summed it up: "If you want jasmine to be fragrant, give it a ladle of water at noon." But watering under the strong midday sun is a taboo in flower growing, for the same reason that a person who is too hot cannot immediately take a cold shower. To water at noon without mishap, the premise is to first leave the water in the sun to warm up, and water when the water temperature is close to the soil temperature. In this way it is fine and safe.
Reminder: Other plants have not been tested, so please use caution.
Strange Flower-Growing Tricks No. 21 - Old loofah helps your leaves turn emerald and flowers beautiful
When the autumn wind rises, the harvest season has come again. The loofah vines gradually wither like an old person's arms, the leaves tremble in the wind, and only the old loofahs still hang heavily.
In the past, villagers used them to wash bowls and scrub pots; now no one uses them, and they seem to have become waste. Have they really become waste? No! After picking the old loofahs, wash them clean and dry them. When repotting and changing soil or potting flowers, cut them into small pieces about 5 cm long. At one-third of the depth of the bottom soil, spread a layer of loofah stem, cover with soil, then spread another layer at two-thirds of the potting soil, add more soil, and afterward you can proceed normally.
Note: Before cutting, first lay it flat on the ground and use a hammer to smash the loofah seeds.
(This method can effectively improve the potting soil, making it loose and preventing compaction. Moreover, the loofah fibers and seeds slowly decompose in the potting soil and are a very good slow-release nitrogen fertilizer, so potted flowers all have emerald leaves and beautiful blooms.
Strange Flower-Growing Tricks No. 22: Wonderful use of sawdust, turning waste into treasure
During ordinary home renovation, afterward sawdust is often simply dumped as garbage. In fact, sawdust is very useful to us flower growers, and we can absolutely turn it from waste into treasure.
  1. Cuttings: Sawdust used as a cutting medium for plants such as roses, gardenias and pomegranates has obvious results, far better than soil cuttings or water cuttings, and roots form quickly, in greater numbers, and the plants are robust. There is an even greater advantage: after the plant has rooted and survived, it can be moved into potting soil together with the clump of sawdust, so the roots are not damaged, it establishes easily, and it flowers and fruits early. Even for harder-to-root varieties like rhododendrons, I have tried successfully, and even inch-long tender tips of begonia can root quickly. The reason is that sawdust has better water retention and aeration than soil, with plenty of oxygen.
Specific method: Put the sawdust into a flower pot, then pour boiling water over it several times to thoroughly disinfect it. After the temperature drops, squeeze out the excess water (so that the moist sawdust does not drip when squeezed by hand), and then you can start cutting. The method is the same as soil cuttings. After insertion, keep the sawdust moist and they will quickly root and survive. This method can be carried out in all four seasons, only in winter it needs to be placed on a sunny windowsill indoors with heating.
  2. As a wrapping medium for air layering: Because sawdust is loose in texture and its moisture can be controlled, it is likewise superior to other media, roots form faster, it is safer, and the survival rate is high.
Specific method: after ring-barking the plant, fill the plastic bag wrapped around it with a medium made of half moist sawdust and half loess, then tie both ends tightly.
  3. As fertilizer: Making fertilizer with moist sawdust is nutritionally complete, economical, simple and clean.
Specific method: Mix moist sawdust with an appropriate amount of inorganic fertilizers such as superphosphate, potassium phosphate or urea; adding organic fertilizer is even better. Put it into a plastic bag and tie the bag tightly. Turn it over every two weeks to speed up even decomposition. In spring and autumn, it can be used after about six weeks.
Note: When using it, mix in 50% soil.
The above lists several points; the rest I will not belabor. In fact, the uses of sawdust go beyond these, and everyone can use their brains and give it a try.
(Oh, I forgot an important point, so let me add it now: sawdust must be fermented before use.)
Strange Flower-Growing Tricks No. 23: If you want flowers and trees to do well in winter, leave some grass in the pot
The reason I say "leave" rather than "plant" is that our potted flowers often have some wild grass that arrives uninvited and grows lushly, enjoying itself immensely. The reaction of most flower lovers is to be itching with hatred and determined to remove it, the so-called "pull up the grass by the roots."
This trick of mine is not really strange. It comes from the fact that flower lovers often say that the watering standard is hard to judge in winter. Roots rot, leaves fall, and the poor flowers' lives are hard to save. Is there any simple method that can let everyone quickly grasp the watering standard? Yes. Please show mercy and leave a little wild grass in the pot; pulling up the grass by the roots is not advisable.
Generally speaking, most plant varieties are in dormancy or semi-dormancy in winter, so they do not need much water; the soil only needs to be slightly moist. But many flower lovers, as soon as they see the soil surface turn pale, anxiously water, thinking the flowers may dry out. Actually it is not so: the soil surface is pale, but the middle is still very moist. If things go on like this, it would be strange if the plants did not develop problems.
Leave some grass in the pot, but not just any grass; leave those green grasses that stand cold-resistant through winter. And not too much either; just three to five clumps will do.
When should you water? When should you not? Look at the grass. If the grass is still standing green and lush, do not water; if the wild grass has wilted and lost its spirit, water immediately. The standard is just that simple.
Leaving some grass in the pot has more benefits than these: it protects against cold in winter, against sun in summer, and also decorates the pot surface - after all, what is beautiful about bare soil? In addition, when loosening the soil, burying the grass in the soil makes green manure, enough to compensate for the loss caused by the wild grass competing with the potted flowers for nutrients.
I have used this method for watering for more than a year, and it has proven effective every time. If you believe it, you can try it too.
Note: 1. Plants still flowering and fruiting in winter are not covered by this.
      2. This method is also applicable in other seasons.
Strange Flower-Growing Tricks No. 24: Buried-node propagation makes emerald bamboo grow into a grove
"I would rather eat without meat than live without bamboo." The ancients were like this, and modern people are the same. In modern homes, emerald bamboo is also one of the indispensable species for greening around the residence or in the environment. Planting trees often requires "ten years to grow a tree," but planting bamboo often creates a cool, evergreen environment in only one or two years. On a night with bright moonlight, the swaying bamboo shadows outside the window add infinite elegance.
Planting a few slender bamboos in a pot and adding one or two decorative stones is also a favorite desk ornament in the hearts of many flower growers.
Bamboo is generally propagated by the method of keeping the rhizome, and a few are also grown from seed. This propagation method of mine is relatively rare (taught to me by my cousin), but the effect is excellent - simple and easy to do, with a high survival rate. Bamboo lovers might as well give it a try.
In the cloudy and rainy days of early spring, choose a mother bamboo with plump buds and saw it off between two nodes (that is, keeping one node scar in the middle); then fill the bamboo tube from both ends with moist fine sand, filling it full and pressing it firm, then seal both ends of the bamboo tube with clay. This is the first step.
Next, choose loose, well-drained sandy loam soil. According to the thickness of the bamboo tube, dig a trench about 10 cm deep, place the prepared bamboo tube flat in the trench, cover with soil, press slightly firm, then water thoroughly. Thus it is successfully done. Remember when burying the nodes to face the buds upward, and absolutely do not put it in upside down.
The bamboo nodes can grow tender shoots in about 25-30 days. If making bonsai, pot them during the rainy season.
Key points: 1. To cultivate a bamboo grove, choose thick bamboo; to cultivate potted plants, choose slender varieties.
           2. When sawing the bamboo tube, be careful not to split it, so as not to injure the buds.
           3. Water according to "water when dry, stop when wet."
           4. After burying, it is best to cover with some bamboo branches or dry grass to block part of the sunlight.
Strange Flower-Growing Tricks No. 25: Homemade rooting agents make roots form fast and in great numbers
The weather is gradually warming, the ground is heating up, and the good season for cuttings has arrived again. There are many cutting methods, and generally people like soil cuttings or water cuttings. But each person's technique differs, and added to the differences among plant varieties, rooting may be easy or difficult, which makes survival rates vary. To properly solve this problem, everyone likes to use rooting agents such as naphthaleneacetic acid before cutting. This is indeed effective, and the rooting survival rate also improves. But what if you are in a remote place, supplies are out of stock, and you cannot buy any for the time being? Do not worry; let me introduce several homemade rooting agents. They cost no money, and the effect is no worse than bought ones.
(1) Phosphate fertilizer solution: As mentioned above, rooting agents such as naphthaleneacetic acid are actually a kind of rooting hormone. In fact, phosphate fertilizer solution has the same effect. Because the substance "phosphorus" can effectively promote the growth and development of plant cells and tissues, and promote wound healing and rooting in plants.
Specific method: Before cutting, first dilute the phosphate fertilizer solution with water at a ratio of 7 parts water to 3 parts fertilizer, then soak the pre-treated cuttings (the root end) in the fertilizer solution, with the submerged part accounting for 1/3 of the cutting. After 2-3 hours, take them out and rinse clean with clear water, then cut as usual.
For common varieties such as camellia and rose, using this method for cuttings can make roots appear 10-22 days earlier, with good root development and vigorous growth.
(2) White sugar solution: This is also a very good rooting agent. Many people have tested it, and the effect is obvious.
Specific method: First melt white sugar with hot water at a ratio of 9 parts water to 1 part sugar. After the sugar water cools, soak the prepared cuttings in it. Take them out after about 40-60 minutes, rinse the cut ends clean with clear water, and cut off part of the cut end with a sharp knife, then cut as usual.
After the above treatment, the survival rate is much higher than ordinary cuttings. Even for harder-to-root plants such as rhododendrons and camellias, it can reach more than 90%.
(3) Willow soaking liquid: Willow liquid is a very good plant growth agent. Its liquid is rich in growth hormones, so it can survive whether planted upright or upside down, and its vitality is especially strong.
Specific method: Take some willow branches and leaves, smash the branches with a hammer, then soak them in water. After one day, remove the branches and leaves, and the water is the willow soaking liquid.
The next day, soak the cuttings in it for about 1 day (a longer time does no harm; willow liquid contains components that inhibit bacterial reproduction), then cut as usual.
Roots form quickly and in great numbers, and the plants grow robustly.
Strange Flower-Growing Tricks No. 26: The "amphibious" cutting method
Cuttings are a simple and easy propagation method that everyone likes to use. Right now is also a good season for cuttings, so these several posts of mine are all related to cuttings. I recommend them to everyone, hoping they will be of some help.
The two most commonly used cutting methods are soil cuttings and water cuttings, each with advantages and disadvantages. But both have one difficult hurdle: after rooting, they must be moved into pots. Because the new roots are rather delicate, and some people's technique is not very skilled, often all previous efforts are wasted and success slips away at the last moment, which is very discouraging.
The cutting method introduced below does not require moving into a pot after rooting, thus greatly improving the survival rate of cuttings. I call it the "amphibious cutting method."
The method is as follows:
  1. Find a flower pot of suitable size, and first seal the bottom hole with melted wax. (Other materials can also be used, but it must be something that can be poked open when needed.)
  2. Put about 3/5 cutting soil at the bottom of the container, then spread about 1/5 river sand on top to fix the cuttings. Then gently pour in clear water until it is about 1 cm above the sand surface.
  3. Cutting. The cutting length can be about 8-15 cm. Cut the lower end flat with a sharp knife (horseshoe-shaped or flat is fine), so it is less likely to rot. Insert the cutting about 1/3 into the yellow sand, and remove the green leaves below the water surface. The cuttings should not be too crowded; generally 1-3 plants are more suitable.
  4. After insertion, it can be placed in full sun (for cuttings in midsummer, a place with scattered light is better), but the sand surface must not lack water. Change the clear water once every 10 days to half a month to ensure the water stays clean.
  5. Roots form in about 25 to 45 days. At that time, you can poke open the sealed bottom hole from below and drain the water. After a few days, when the potting soil is dry, water again and enter the normal management stage.
Notes: a. Choose moisture-tolerant varieties, such as gardenia, Podocarpus macrophyllus and Serissa japonica.
              b. The potting soil should use plain soil (without fertilizer).
              c. If you cannot determine whether the cutting has rooted, you can pull it up to observe. If white new roots appear on the callus tissue, you can drain the water and switch to dry cultivation.
Strange Flower-Growing Tricks No. 27: Water cuttings of Daphne odora A, B, C
Daphne odora is an excellent flower. It is full of vitality all year round, with verdant, dripping-green branches and leaves. When it blooms, its fragrance travels far and fills the room with spring, making it a precious seasonal flower for the Spring Festival. Among them, the gold-edged Daphne odora has leaves like jade inlaid with gold, and the flower color changes from white to purple to red. It is very bright, with an extremely strong fragrance, and can be said to be excellent in color, scent, posture and charm. Since ancient times it has been listed as a treasure.
To propagate gold-edged Daphne odora at home, we generally like to use the cutting method. This method is good, but the survival rate cannot be well guaranteed, and it takes a relatively long time. By comparison, water cuttings are much superior to soil cuttings.
Water cuttings can be carried out from April to September, and right now is the best time. Because when the temperature is low, rooting takes a long time, or they may even fail to root and rot; when the temperature is too high, a large amount of bacteria breeds in the water, which is also unfavorable for the branches to root. The current cutting temperature is just right.
Specific method: Cut off the current year's branches, remove the lower leaves, keep 3-4 leaves at the top, and cut the insertion end into a horseshoe shape with a sharp knife to help more roots form. Then find a suitable bottle, fill it with clear water, and insert the lower part of the cutting into it. Note that the water bottle should be placed in a place with scattered light, not in sunlight, and not too shady. Change the clear water once every three or four days.
After water cutting, at the current temperature, roots can form in about 25-30 days. If before water cutting you soak the cuttings in naphthaleneacetic acid rooting solution for 4 hours, roots can form one week earlier.
Notes: 1. If there are many branches, you can tie them into a bundle and insert them.
2. When the roots grow to 3-4 cm, they can be potted. Be careful when potting so as not to break the roots.
3. After cuttings are potted in the same year, they will not send out new shoots that year, so there is no need to fertilize. By around the next Spring Festival, the young plants can bloom, and after flowering they can be fertilized normally.
Strange Flower-Growing Tricks No. 28: Planting Epiphyllum upside down
Epiphyllum has large and beautiful flowers, with bright, eye-catching colors, and it is coarse and easy to grow, so many flower lovers want to have a pot. The common trick for home propagation of Epiphyllum is cuttings, but many flower lovers report that the survival rate of cuttings is not high, and they rot at the roots if one is not careful, so many years of cuttings are wasted. Why do Epiphyllum cuttings rot easily? Because its fleshy stems are relatively thick, and the cut surface is extremely sensitive to soil moisture - if too wet, the cuttings rot easily; if too dry, the branches become shriveled, thin and weak, and nearly lifeless. Even the cut surfaces of branches that have been rooted for a long time can still rot if one is not careful, wasting all previous efforts. To solve this problem, there is a clever method: plant them upside down.
The method is very simple: cut off a 10-15 cm cutting with a sharp knife (the part with the leaf tip at the upper end), then insert it upside down into the soil, with the buried depth about 6-8 cm. Because it is inserted upside down, the cut surface is exposed. At the current temperature, roots can form and it can survive in about 20 days, and new branches can sprout and grow in a month and a half. At this point, it can safely be transferred to normal management.
Notes: 1. Be careful when watering or spraying; do not spray the upward-facing cut surface.
            2. There is no need to control water; from the start, follow "water when dry, stop when wet."
            3. The cutting medium does not need sand or plain soil; it can be cut directly into fertile, loose soil.
            4. Cut and insert immediately; the cuttings do not need to be dried in the shade.
            5. The section of the cutting from the new roots to the old part will naturally shrink and dry up later, and new branches will take its place.