How does Impatiens balsamina propagate? Seed sowing is the main method
Impatiens balsamina (garden balsam) is the city flower of Shantou City, Guangdong Province, China, and many people grow it locally. However, as more people grow garden balsam, questions about its propagation have drawn greater interest. How does garden balsam propagate? What propagation methods does it have? Let us take a look below.
1. How garden balsam propagates: seed sowing is the main method
When it comes to how garden balsam propagates, seed sowing is in fact the main method, and after countless trials by growers, its survival rate is still very high. However, to succeed in getting the plants to survive, there are many points to pay attention to, such as the choice of substrate, the pre-treatment of seeds to prompt germination, and the sowing method. The specific steps are given below; let us take a look.
2. Propagation methods of garden balsam (seed sowing)
1. Sowing time: September to October
When preparing to propagate garden balsam by sowing, choosing the right time period is very important. This time is generally best in September to October, because the temperature and humidity at this time fully meet its growing conditions. After sowing, its nutrient needs are very easy to satisfy, so the survival rate is naturally very high.
2. Substrate selection: good drainage
Garden balsam prefers slightly acidic soil, so it is best to choose a loose, fertile, slightly acidic humus soil as the substrate. This kind of soil has good drainage and aeration, allows the plant to absorb nutrients better, and is less prone to waterlogging.
3. Substrate disinfection: high-temperature sterilisation
After choosing the substrate, it is best to disinfect it first, to prevent bacteria in it from infecting the garden balsam. For disinfection, you can break it up and expose it to the sun to sterilise it, or you can put it into an iron wok and stir-fry it over high heat, so that even if bacteria are present, they will be killed by the high temperature.
4. Seed pre-treatment: soaking in warm water
After harvesting the seeds of garden balsam, it is best not to sow them immediately. You can soak the seeds in warm water for 1-2 days, and when the seeds begin to absorb water and swell, take them out and sow them. This has a priming effect on the seeds and helps them germinate faster.
5. Sowing method: apply base fertiliser before sowing
Before sowing, first apply an appropriate amount of base fertiliser to the substrate, then scatter the pre-treated seeds on the soil surface, cover them with 1cm of soil, and then water. For watering, it is best to use the immersion method; if you water directly, the seeds are easily washed away. After that, the seeds will germinate in about three days.
Impatiens balsamina propagation and sowing methods
Flower name: Impatiens balsamina
Other names: Tougucao, Jinfenghua, Sajinhua, Zhijiahua, Jixingzi, Nuerhua
Latin scientific name: Impatiens balsamina
English names: Garden Balsam, Rose Balsam
Family and genus: Balsaminaceae, Impatiens
Jia Taohua, Xiao Taohong (because the double-flowered form closely resembles peach blossom), Zhijiacao. The garden balsam plant consists of six parts: root, stem, leaves, flowers, fruit and seeds.
Flower meaning: "Don't touch me", derived from its English alias Touch me not, because its seed pods open at the slightest touch and the seeds are flung out.
Impatiens balsamina, also known as Zhijiahua, Jixingzi, Fengxian Tougucao. Latin name: Impatiens balsamina L. It is an annual herbaceous flower of the order Sapindales, family Balsaminaceae, genus Impatiens.[1] The whole plant consists of six parts: root, stem, leaves, flowers, fruit and seeds. Because its flower head, wings, tail and feet all curve upward like a phoenix, it is also called Jinfenghua (golden phoenix flower). The garden balsam plant consists of six parts: root, stem, leaves, flowers, fruit and seeds. The flower colours are diverse, including pink, bright red, purple, pink-purple and many others. The petals or leaves can be mashed and wrapped on the fingernails with leaves, and they can dye the nails a vivid red, very beautiful, and much loved by girls.
In folk practice, its flowers and leaves are commonly used to dye fingernails. The stems and seeds are used as medicine. The stems have the effects of dispelling wind-dampness, invigorating the blood and relieving pain, and are used to treat rheumatic joint pain and difficulty in bending and stretching; the seeds are called "Jixingzi" and have the effects of softening hardness and reducing accumulation, and are used to treat dysphagia, fish bones lodged in the throat, abdominal masses and amenorrhoea.
An annual upright fleshy herb, also known as Zhijiahua, Ran Zhijiahua, Xiao Taohong and so on. Because its flower head, wings, tail and feet all curve upward like a phoenix, it is also called Jinfenghua. Garden balsam is an annual herbaceous flower of the family Balsaminaceae, native to China, India and Myanmar.
Morphological characteristics
The stem of garden balsam is 40-100 cm tall, fleshy, stout and upright. The upper part is branched, with soft hairs or nearly smooth. The leaves are alternate, broadly or narrowly lanceolate, up to about 10 cm long, with a gradually pointed tip, sharply toothed margins and a wedge-shaped base; there are several pairs of glands near the petiole. Its flowers resemble butterflies, and the flower colours include pink, bright red, purple, white-yellow, sajinhua and others, and it varies readily. Some culti-
-vars can bear flowers of several colours on the same plant. Garden balsam is mostly single-flowered; the double-flowered form is called Fengqiuhua. According to ancient flower records, there were more than 200 cultivars of garden balsam, and many of them have now been lost. Because garden balsam varies readily, artificial cultivation and selection have produced some good cultivars, such as Wuse Dangtou Feng, whose flowers grow at the top of the stem and are large and brightly coloured, as well as Shiyangjin and others. According to differences in flower shape, they can also be divided into the rose type, camellia type, dianthus type and so on. The flowering period of garden balsam is June to August, and it produces capsules. The capsules are spindle-shaped, have white down, and when mature split elastically into 5 coiled valves; the seeds are numerous, spherical, black, peach-shaped, and when mature the outer shell bursts open on its own, ejecting the seeds, so it self-sows and propagates; therefore seeds must be collected in time.
Annual herb, 60-100 cm tall. The whole garden balsam plant consists of six parts: root, stem, leaves, flowers, fruit and seeds. The stem is stout, fleshy, upright, unbranched or branched, hairless or sparsely pubescent when young, up to 8 mm in diameter at the base, with numerous fibrous roots, and the lower nodes are often swollen.
Leaves alternate, the lowest ones sometimes opposite; leaf blade lanceolate, narrowly elliptic or oblanceolate, 4-12 cm long and 1.5-3 cm wide, apex acute or acuminate, base cuneate, margins sharply serrate, often with several pairs of stalkless black glands toward the base, both surfaces hairless or sparsely pubescent, lateral veins 4-7 pairs; petiole 1-3 cm long, with a shallow groove on the upper side and several pairs of stalked glands on both sides.
Flowers solitary or 2-3 clustered in the leaf axils, without a common peduncle, white, pink or purple, single or double; pedicel 2-2.5 cm long, densely pubescent; bracts linear, located at the base of the pedicel; lateral sepals 2, ovate or ovate-lanceolate, 2-3 mm long, the lower sepal deeply boat-shaped, 13-19 mm long and 4-8 mm wide, pubescent, with the base abruptly pointed into a 1-2.5 cm incurved spur; the standard petal round, hooded, apex slightly concave, with a narrow keel-like projection on the midrib of the back and a small point at the tip; the wing petals have short stalks, 23-35 mm long, 2-lobed, the lower lobe small, obovate-oblong, the upper lobe nearly round, apex 2-lobed shallowly, with a small ear near the base of the outer margin; stamens 5, filaments linear, anthers ovoid, apex blunt; ovary spindle-shaped, densely pubescent. Capsule broadly spindle-shaped, splitting at a touch when ripe, 10-20 mm long; pointed at both ends, densely pubescent.
Seeds numerous, spherical, 1.5-3 mm in diameter, dark brown; when mature the outer shell bursts open on its own, ejecting the seeds, so it self-sows and propagates; therefore seeds must be collected in time. Flowering period July to October.
Garden balsam flowers resemble butterflies, and the flower colours include pink, bright red, purple, white-yellow, sajinhua and others, and it varies readily. Some cultivars can bear petals of several colours on the same plant.
Growth habits
Garden balsam likes sunlight, fears dampness, tolerates heat but not cold, and grows best in loose, fertile, slightly acidic soil, though it also tolerates poor soil. Garden balsam is fairly adaptable, transplants easily and grows quickly.
During the growing season it should be watered once a day; in hot summer it should be watered twice a day; in rainy weather pay attention to drainage; in short, do not let the potting soil dry out or become waterlogged.
Garden balsam has strong vitality and good adaptability, and generally has few pests or diseases. If powdery mildew appears under high temperature and high humidity, spray 50% carbendazim wettable powder at 800 times dilution for control. If leaf spot disease occurs, use 50% carbendazim wettable powder at 500 times dilution for control. The main pest of garden balsam is the red hawk moth, whose larvae chew the balsam leaves. If this pest is found, it can be removed by hand.
Propagation
It likes sunny sites and loose, fertile soil, and can also grow in relatively poor soil. It is propagated by seed. Sow from March to September, with April sowing being most suitable; transplanting is not particular about timing. The growing period is April to September; after the seeds are sown in a pot, they generally germinate and grow leaves in about a week. When they reach about 8 cm, keep 1-3 plants per pot. When they reach 20-30 cm, pinch out the growing tips; after planting out, top the main stem to enhance branching ability and make the plant shape full. After 5 leaves, apply decomposed dilute human waste or similar once every half a month, and apply phosphate fertiliser and plant ash once before and after budding. After flowering, cut off the flower base so it does not set seed, and then it will bloom more profusely; remove flowers at the base as they open at any time, which will encourage the tops of the branches to bloom successively, but it tends to vary.
It can flower in early to mid-June, and the flowering period can last more than two months. Before sowing, the seedbed should be watered thoroughly to keep it moist. Garden balsam seeds are relatively small, so after sowing do not water immediately, to avoid washing the seeds away. Then cover with a thin layer of soil about 3-4 mm, and take care to shade it; seedlings can emerge in about 10 days. When the seedlings grow 2-3 leaves, transplanting should begin, and later they should gradually be planted out or potted on for cultivation. They can also be germinated in a greenhouse, but before permanent planting outdoors, they must first be hardened off at night.
Scatter the seeds on the growing medium, lightly cover with about 0.3 cm of soil, and they will germinate after 5-6 days. When there are 3-4 true leaves, they can be planted out into flower pots or flower beds, with a plant spacing of 30 cm.
Seed propagation
Garden balsam is propagated and cultivated by seed. Sow from March to September, with April sowing being most suitable, so that it can flower in early to mid-June, and the flowering period can last more than two months.
Site selection and land preparation
A sunny site with moist, fertile, loose soil and good drainage is suitable. Apply base fertiliser, prepare the land and make beds; in the south make raised beds, in the north make level beds, with a bed width of 1.2 m.
Sowing method
The seeds are tiny and have a long life; stored at room temperature for 3 years, their germination rate still reaches 79.7%. Sow directly, in March in the south and April in the north. With a row spacing of 35 cm, open a shallow furrow 1 cm deep, scatter the seeds evenly into the furrow, cover with soil and press lightly, then water. After sowing, keep the soil moist; at a temperature of about 25°C, seedlings begin to emerge in about 5 days. The seeding rate is 500 g per 667 sq m.
Thinning
Thin the seedlings when they are 5-10 cm tall, removing the small, weak and overly dense ones, and set the plants at a spacing of 20 cm. Reasonable close planting can give good quality and high yield.
Raising seedlings
Scatter the seeds on the growing medium, lightly cover with about 0.3 cm of soil, and they will germinate after 5-6 days. When there are 3-4 true leaves, they can be planted out into flower pots or flower beds, with a plant spacing of 30 cm.
Flowering period control
If you want to delay the flowering period, sow in early July. You can also use the pinching method while removing early-opening flowers and buds, so that the plant keeps growing larger, and apply a top dressing once every 15-20 days. After September more buds will form, so that they flower at National Day.
Cultivation and weeding
After emergence, to prevent weeds from competing for water, loosen the soil and weed in good time. Water promptly in dry weather. Cultivate and weed 2-3 times a year.
Top dressing
When the seedlings are 30-40 cm tall, the old leaves at the lower part of the stem can be removed and the growing tips pinched off to encourage more branching. At this time, apply 40 kg of cake fertiliser per 667 sq m; you can open a furrow along the rows, scatter the fertiliser into the furrow, cover with soil and water. Pay attention to drainage in hot, rainy seasons.
Garden Balsam Impatiens balsamina illustrated guide: how to grow garden balsam / how to propagate garden balsam
Garden Balsam profileGarden Balsam Impatiens balsamina
Other names: Jinfenghua, Hao Nuer Hua, Zhijiahua, Ran Zhijiahua, Zhijiacao, Xiao Taohong, Bie Peng Wo
Classification: annual herbaceous flower
Family and genus: Plantae, Angiosperms, Dicotyledons, Ericales, Balsaminaceae, Impatiens
Peak flowering period: summer and autumn
Garden balsam, also known as Zhijiahua, Ran Zhijiahua, Xiao Taohong and so on. Because its flower head, wings, tail and feet all curve upward like a phoenix, it is also called Jinfenghua. Garden balsam is an annual herbaceous flower of the family Balsaminaceae, native to China and India. Garden balsam, also known as Zhijiahua, Ran Zhijiahua, Zhijiacao, Xiao Taohong, Bie Peng Wo and so on. Latin scientific name Impatiens balsamina L. Because its flower head, wings, tail and feet all curve upward like a phoenix, it is also called Jinfenghua. Garden balsam is an annual herbaceous flower of the family Balsaminaceae, 60-100 cm tall, and the whole plant consists of six parts: root, stem, leaves, flowers, fruit and seeds...
How to grow garden balsam and points to note; an introduction to garden balsam
Garden balsam, also known as Zhijiahua, Ran Zhijiahua, Xiao Taohong and so on. Because its flower head, wings, tail and feet all curve upward like a phoenix, it is also called Jinfenghua. Garden balsam is an annual herbaceous flower of the family Balsaminaceae, native to China and India.
Garden balsam, also known as Zhijiahua, Ran Zhijiahua, Zhijiacao, Xiao Taohong, Bie Peng Wo and so on. Latin scientific name Impatiens balsamina L. Because its flower head, wings, tail and feet all curve upward like a phoenix, it is also called Jinfenghua. Garden balsam is an annual herbaceous flower of the family Balsaminaceae, 60-100 cm tall, and the whole plant consists of six parts: root, stem, leaves, flowers, fruit and seeds. It is produced in various parts of India and China. Because its flower head, wings, tail and feet all curve upward like a phoenix, it is also called Jinfenghua. It can be eaten, is ornamental and has medicinal value. Because it can dye fingernails when combined with alum, it is also called Ran Zhijiahua.
Morphological characteristics of garden balsam
The stem of garden balsam is 40-100 cm tall, fleshy, stout and upright. The upper part is branched, with soft hairs or nearly smooth. The leaves are alternate, broadly or narrowly lanceolate, up to about 10 cm long, with a gradually pointed tip, sharply toothed margins and a wedge-shaped base; there are several pairs of glands near the petiole. Its flowers resemble butterflies, and the flower colours include pink, bright red, purple, white-yellow, sajinhua and others, and it varies readily. Some cultivars can bear flowers of several colours on the same plant.
Garden balsam is mostly single-flowered; the double-flowered form is called Fengqiuhua. According to ancient flower records, there were more than 200 cultivars of garden balsam, and many of them have now been lost. Because garden balsam varies readily, artificial cultivation and selection have produced some good cultivars, such as Wuse Dangtou Feng, whose flowers grow at the top of the stem and are large and brightly coloured, as well as Shiyangjin and others. According to differences in flower shape, they can also be divided into the rose type, camellia type, dianthus type and so on. The flowering period of garden balsam is June to August, and it produces capsules. The capsules are spindle-shaped, have white down, and when mature split elastically into 5 coiled valves; the seeds are numerous, spherical, black, peach-shaped, and when mature the outer shell bursts open on its own, ejecting the seeds, so it self-sows and propagates; therefore seeds must be collected in time.
Annual herb, 60-100 cm tall. The whole garden balsam plant consists of six parts: root, stem, leaves, flowers, fruit and seeds. The stem is stout, fleshy, upright, unbranched or branched, hairless or sparsely pubescent when young, up to 8 mm in diameter at the base, with numerous fibrous roots, and the lower nodes are often swollen. Leaves alternate,
the lowest ones sometimes opposite; leaf blade lanceolate, narrowly elliptic or oblanceolate, 4-12 cm long and 1.5-3 cm wide, apex acute or acuminate, base cuneate, margins sharply serrate, often with several pairs of stalkless black glands toward the base, both surfaces hairless or sparsely pubescent, lateral veins 4-7 pairs; petiole 1-3 cm long, with a shallow groove on the upper side and several pairs of stalked glands on both sides.
Flowers solitary or 2-3 clustered in the leaf axils, without a common peduncle, white, pink or purple, single or double; pedicel 2-2.5 cm long, densely pubescent; bracts linear, located at the base of the pedicel; lateral sepals 2, ovate or ovate-lanceolate, 2-3 mm long, the lower sepal deeply boat-shaped, 13-19 mm long and 4-8 mm wide, pubescent, with the base abruptly pointed into a 1-2.5 cm incurved spur; the standard petal round, hooded, apex slightly concave, with a narrow keel-like projection on the midrib of the back and a small point at the tip; the wing petals have short stalks, 23-35 mm long, 2-lobed, the lower lobe small, obovate-oblong, the upper lobe nearly round, apex 2-lobed shallowly, with a small ear near the base of the outer margin; stamens 5, filaments linear, anthers ovoid, apex blunt; ovary spindle-shaped, densely pubescent.
Capsule broadly spindle-shaped, 10-20 mm long: pointed at both ends, densely pubescent. Seeds numerous, spherical, 1.5-3 mm in diameter, dark brown; when mature the outer shell bursts open on its own, ejecting the seeds, so it self-sows and propagates; therefore seeds must be collected in time. Flowering period July to October.
Garden balsam flowers resemble butterflies, and the flower colours include pink, bright red, purple-red, white-yellow, sajinhua and others, and it varies readily. Some cultivars can bear petals of several colours on the same plant.
Ecological habits of garden balsam
Garden balsam likes sunlight, is somewhat afraid of dampness, and tolerates heat but not cold. It likes sunny sites and loose, fertile soil, and can also grow in relatively poor soil.
Garden balsam likes sunlight, fears dampness, and tolerates heat but not cold. It likes sunny sites and loose, fertile soil, and can also grow in relatively poor soil. Garden balsam is propagated by seed. Sow from March to September, with April sowing being most suitable, so that it can flower in early to mid-June, and the flowering period can last more than two months.
Garden balsam likes sunlight, fears dampness, tolerates heat but not cold, and grows best in loose, fertile, slightly acidic soil, though it also tolerates poor soil. Garden balsam is fairly adaptable, transplants easily and grows quickly.
Cultivation techniques for garden balsam
It likes sunny sites and loose, fertile soil, and can also grow in relatively poor soil.
Garden balsam is propagated by seed. Sow from March to September, with April sowing being most suitable, so that it can flower in early to mid-June, and the flowering period can last more than two months.
1. Site selection and land preparation
A sunny site with moist, fertile, loose soil and good drainage is suitable. Apply base fertiliser, prepare the land and make beds; in the south make raised beds, in the north make level beds, with a bed width of 1.2 m.
2. Sowing method
The seeds are tiny and have a long life; stored at room temperature for 3 years, their germination rate still reaches 79.7%. Sow directly, in March in the south and April in the north. With a row spacing of 35 cm, open a shallow furrow 1 cm deep, scatter the seeds evenly into the furrow, cover with soil and press lightly, then water. After sowing, keep the soil moist; at a temperature of about 25°C, seedlings begin to emerge in about 5 days. The seeding rate is 500 g per 667 sq m. 1. Thinning: thin the seedlings when they are 5-10 cm tall, removing the small, weak and overly dense ones, and set the plants at a spacing of 20 cm. Reasonable close planting can give good quality and high yield.
3. Raising seedlings
Scatter the seeds on the growing medium, lightly cover with about 0.3 cm of soil, and they will germinate after 5-6 days. When there are 3-4 true leaves, they can be planted out into flower pots or flower beds, with a plant spacing of 30 cm.
4. Flowering period control
If you want to delay the flowering period, sow in early July. You can also use the pinching method while removing early-opening flowers and buds, so that the plant keeps growing larger, and apply a top dressing once every 15-20 days. After September more buds will form, so that they flower at National Day.
5. Cultivation and weeding
After emergence, to prevent weeds from competing for water, loosen the soil and weed in good time. Water promptly in dry weather. Cultivate and weed 2-3 times a year.
6. Top dressing
When the seedlings are 30-40 cm tall, the old leaves at the lower part of the stem can be removed and the growing tips pinched off to encourage more branching. At this time, apply 40 kg of cake fertiliser per 667 sq m; you can open a furrow along the rows, scatter the fertiliser into the furrow, cover with soil and water. Pay attention to drainage in hot, rainy seasons.
How to grow garden balsam
During the growing season it should be watered once a day; in hot summer it should be watered twice a day; in rainy weather pay attention to drainage; in short, do not let the potting soil dry out or become waterlogged.
1. Planting
Generally sow in spring, March to April, either in a seedbed or directly in a courtyard flower bed.
2. Light and temperature
Garden balsam likes light and tolerates shade; it needs at least 4 hours of diffused sunlight per day. In summer it should be shaded, and in winter it should be brought into a greenhouse to prevent cold damage.
3. Watering and fertilising
After planting out, water promptly and fertilise frequently, and take special care not to let the soil alternate between dry and wet. In summer, never water a wilted plant in the blazing sun. Especially during the flowering period, it must not suffer drought, otherwise the flowers are liable to drop.
4. Flowering period control
If you want to delay the flowering period, sow in early July. You can also use the pinching method while removing early-opening flowers and buds, so that the plant keeps growing larger, and apply a top dressing once every 15-20 days. After September more buds will form, so that they flower at National Day. At the same time, pay attention to disease control.
Disease control for garden balsam
Garden balsam has strong vitality and good adaptability, and generally has few pests or diseases. If powdery mildew appears under high temperature and high humidity, spray 50% carbendazim wettable powder at 800 times dilution for control. If leaf spot disease occurs, use 50% carbendazim wettable powder at 500 times dilution for control. The main pest of garden balsam is the red hawk moth, whose larvae chew the balsam leaves. If this pest is found, it can be removed by hand.
1. Powdery mildew
[Symptoms] This disease mainly harms the leaves, and can also spread to young stems, flowers and fruit. On affected leaves, scattered irregular white powdery patches first appear on the leaf surface, and as the disease develops the leaf surface gradually becomes covered with a white powdery layer. In early autumn, small yellow round spots form within the white powdery layer, later gradually darkening to blackish brown. In the later stage the diseased leaves turn withered yellow and twisted.
[Pathogen and disease pattern] The pathogen is Sphaerotheca fuliginea. The fungus overwinters in the diseased residues and seeds of garden balsam,
and in the following year, during the disease period, it releases ascospores for primary infection. Afterwards it produces conidia for repeated infection. It spreads by wind and rain. August to September is the peak period of the disease; high temperature, high humidity, overly dense planting and poor ventilation make the disease severe.
[Control methods]
1. Strengthen cultivation management; planting density should be appropriate, there should be sufficient ventilation and light, apply more phosphorus and potassium fertiliser, and do not apply excessive nitrogen fertiliser.
2. Promptly pull out diseased plants, remove diseased leaves and burn them in a centralised way, to reduce the source of infection the following year.
3. During the disease period, spray 25% triadimefon wettable powder at 2000-3000 times dilution, or 70% thiophanate-methyl wettable powder at 1000-1200 times dilution, or 25% carbendazim wettable powder at 500 times dilution.
2. Brown spot disease
Garden balsam brown spot disease, also called garden balsam leaf spot disease, occurs in both northern and southern parts of China.
[Symptoms] The disease mainly occurs on the leaves. The leaf spots are initially light yellowish-brown small dots, then expand into round or oval shapes, after which the centre becomes light brown and the margins brown, with indistinct concentric rings. On severely affected leaves, the spots join together in patches, causing the leaves to become withered and yellow, until the plant dies.[12]
[Transmission route] The pathogen overwinters on diseased garden balsam (Impatiens balsamina) debris and on plant fragments in the soil. The following year, when environmental conditions are suitable, the pathogen spreads through wind and rain. The disease occurs easily in hot, rainy seasons.
[Control methods]
1. Garden balsam likes fertile sandy loam and is not tolerant of waterlogging. Therefore, sandy loam is best for planting, as it aids drainage; for potted garden balsam, the pot should be tipped to drain promptly after rain. In late autumn, diseased leaves and diseased plants should be gathered and destroyed to reduce the source of infection the following year.
2. In the early stage of the disease, use 25% carbendazim wettable powder at 300-600 times dilution, or 50% thiophanate-methyl at 100 times dilution, or 75% chlorothalonil at 1000 times dilution for control.
3. Damping-off
[Symptoms] The pathogen mainly infects the root and stem area, causing the affected part to turn black or constrict; when damp, white mold-like growth appears on it. After the plant is infected, within a few days the leaves
wilt and dry up, and then the whole plant dies.
[Transmission route]
1. It mainly overwinters in the soil or in diseased residues in the form of mycelium or sclerotia. The mycelium in the soil lives saprophytically and does not go dormant.
2. In the field, it spreads mainly through contact, that is, when the roots, stems, and leaves of the plant touch diseased soil, they become infected by the mycelium in the soil. Under conditions with a water film, healthy leaves in contact with diseased parts become infected. In addition, seeds, farm tools, and contaminated compost can all cause the disease to spread.
[Control methods] In the early stage of the disease, after removing diseased plants, spray 75% chlorothalonil wettable powder at 600 times dilution, or 60% carbendazim-thiram wettable powder at 500 times dilution, or 20% tolclofos-methyl emulsifiable concentrate at 1200 times dilution.
4. Ring spot
[Disease characteristics] Garden balsam ring spot harms garden balsam leaves, causing large round lesions with dark brown edges around the leaf. The surface of the lesions has obvious
concentric ring patterns. Later, the center of the lesion turns grayish brown and is scattered with small black granules.
[Transmission route] The pathogen overwinters and oversummers on diseased residues as pycnidia and perithecia. Conidia can spread through wind and rain. Later, conidia are produced on the lesions and continue to spread, causing re-infection.
[Control methods] In areas with severe disease year after year, begin spraying in the early stage of the disease, once every 7-10 days, for 2-3 consecutive sprays. Commonly used agents include: 50% thiram wettable powder at 800 times dilution; 65% zineb wettable powder or 75% chlorothalonil wettable powder at 600 times dilution; 50% carbendazim wettable powder at 1000 times dilution, etc.
5. Root-knot nematode disease
[Damage symptoms] The scientific name of the disease is garden balsam root-knot nematode disease. It is a common and serious disease in both the south and [4] the north, mainly harming the roots. After nematodes invade lateral roots or fibrous roots, they form many galls of different sizes, initially yellowish white and later brown. When the galls are cut open, small pear-shaped nematodes, the females, are found inside. Affected plants grow slowly, with thin stems and short plants; leaves gradually turn pale and lose green from top to bottom, leaf margins curl backward, shrink and wither, and flower buds turn yellow, dry up, or do not open.
[Morphological characteristics of the pathogen] The pathogenic nematodes are sexually dimorphic. Larvae are slender and worm-like; adult males are linear, with a slightly rounded tail end, colorless and transparent, measuring 1.0-1.5 X 0.03-0.04 mm; adult females are pear-shaped, and each female nematode can lay 300-800 eggs. Females are mostly embedded in host tissues, measuring 0.44-1.59 x 0.26-0.81 mm.
[Disease characteristics] This nematode mostly survives at a soil depth of 5-30 cm. It often overwinters in the soil as eggs or second-stage larvae remaining with diseased residues. Diseased soil, diseased seedlings, and irrigation water are the main routes of transmission. It can generally survive for 1-3 years. When conditions are suitable the following spring, the females buried in host roots produce single-celled eggs. A few hours after the eggs are laid, first-stage larvae form; after molting, second-stage larvae hatch. The second-stage larvae that leave the egg mass move through the soil to seek root tips, invade above the root cap, and settle in the growing cone. Their secretions stimulate duct cells to expand, causing the roots to form giant cells or galls, also called root knots. During the growing season, several generations of root-knot nematodes multiply logarithmically. When they develop to the fourth stage, they mate and lay eggs. The eggs hatch and develop inside the root knots; after the second stage, they leave the egg mass and enter the soil for re-infection or overwintering. After several years of monoculture in a greenhouse or plastic shed, when host plant resistance declines, root-knot nematodes can gradually become the dominant species. The optimum temperature for survival of southern root-knot nematode is 25-30 cC; above 40°C and below 5°C they are rarely active, and at 55°C they are killed in 10 minutes.
[Control methods]
1. Strengthen quarantine to prevent the introduction and export of diseased seedlings, so as to avoid the expansion and spread of the disease.
2. When sowing and raising seedlings or planting in pots, be careful to choose disease-free soil.
3. For soil used for raising seedlings or planting, it is best to turn and sun it 2-3 times in the hot season to eliminate large numbers of pathogenic nematodes.
4. Use chemicals to disinfect pot soil. Dig holes or ring-shaped trenches in the pot soil, apply 5-10 mL of undiluted DD mixture per pot, immediately cover with soil and press flat, and plant flowers only after fumigating for half a month. Alternatively, use 80% dichloroisopropyl ether emulsion at 1000 times dilution, applying 10-15 mL per pot, or 80% dibromochloropropane at 200-300 times dilution, applying 400 mL per pot, using the same method as above. It is also possible to apply 5% aldicarb granules, burying 1-3 g of the chemical per square meter, or drench with 40% isofenphos-methyl emulsifiable concentrate at 1000 times dilution, drenching 150-250 mL of the solution per plant.
6. Hawk moth pest
[Targets of damage] Flowers such as garden balsam, cockscomb, and periwinkle.
[Damage characteristics] It mainly feeds on leaves as larvae, causing leaves to become incomplete. When the infestation is severe, it also eats flowers.
[Morphological characteristics] The adult is brownish green, 40 mm long. The head and both sides of the thorax have grayish white marginal hairs; the back of the abdomen has 2 silvery white longitudinal lines, and the abdomen
surface is earth yellow. The forewings are grayish brown-green, with a relatively broad light yellowish brown diagonal band from the apex to the base of the hind margin, and several black and white stripes inside and outside the diagonal band; the hindwings are dark brown with 1 grayish yellow transverse band. The marginal hairs are white.
[Occurrence pattern] It has 2 generations a year and overwinters as pupae in the soil. The following year, adults emerge in July. Adults are active at night and are phototactic. After mating, they scatter eggs on tender leaves. In early August, larvae hatch and cause damage, generally more severely in the early morning; in late August, larvae pupate. In early September, the first-generation adults emerge, and in mid-September, second-generation larvae hatch and cause damage; in mid-to-late October, larvae enter the soil to pupate and overwinter.
[Control methods]
1. In winter, clean the garden and turn the soil, taking care to kill overwintering pupae in the soil.
2. During the adult emergence period, use black light lamps to trap and kill adults.
3. During the larval damage period, use 20% fenvalerate-malathion emulsifiable concentrate at 2000 times dilution, or 90% trichlorfon technical material, or 50% fenitrothion emulsifiable concentrate at 1000-1500 times dilution for control.
Variety classification of garden balsam
According to ancient flower records, there were more than 200 varieties of garden balsam, and many varieties have now been lost. According to different flower types, they can be divided into rose type, camellia type, dianthus type, etc.
Top-headed garden balsam
Also known as lan-tou garden balsam. It is a variety of garden balsam. The flowers are terminal on the main stem or the tips of branches. The flowers are large and double. The branches spread out, forming a clump.
Dwarf garden balsam
It is a variety of garden balsam. The plant is relatively short, with a height of 20-30 cm.
Dragon-claw garden balsam
It is a variety of garden balsam. The side branches are crooked and extend horizontally.
Distribution area of garden balsam
Native to China and India. It is widely cultivated in gardens throughout China and is a common ornamental flower.
It is now cultivated in China, India, and Malaysia.
Medicinal food or medicinal value of garden balsam
The medical information and health dietary information on TheNaturePlanet are for reference only and cannot be used as a basis for diagnosis or medical treatment. Any health problem should be consulted with professional medical staff, and any disease treatment should follow a doctor's advice.
Ultimate flower-protecting task: Love yourself, start from reality, and strictly follow a doctor's advice. For illness, do not be careless, do not delay, do not give up hope, face it bravely, warm the silent world with love, and care for the flower field in your heart with your heart.
Medicinal value
Functions and indications
Garden balsam is a famous Chinese medicine. The flowers are used medicinally to invigorate blood and reduce swelling, and to treat traumatic injuries. External application of the flowers can treat tinea manuum and can also remove body odor; the seeds are decocted into a paste for external application to treat numbness and soreness. It invigorates blood and promotes menstruation, dispels wind and dampness; invigorates blood and relieves pain; detoxifies and kills insects. Mainly used for rheumatic flaccidity and disability of the limbs; waist and rib pain; abdominal pain due to amenorrhea in women; incomplete discharge of postpartum blood stasis; traumatic injuries; fractures; carbuncles, boils, and sores; venomous snake bites; leukorrhea; tinea manuum; onychomycosis. It invigorates blood and promotes menstruation, dispels wind and relieves pain, and is used externally for detoxification. Used for amenorrhea, traumatic injuries, blood stasis swelling and pain, rheumatoid arthritis, carbuncles, boils, and furuncles, snake bites, and hand ringworm.
In folk practice, its flowers and leaves are commonly used to dye fingernails. The stems and seeds are used medicinally. The stem is called "garden balsam stem" and has the effects of dispelling wind-dampness, invigorating blood, and relieving pain, and is used to treat rheumatic joint pain and difficulty in flexion and extension; the seeds are called "impatiens seed" and have the effects of softening hardness and reducing accumulation, and are used to treat dysphagia, abdominal masses, and amenorrhea.
Selected prescriptions
① To treat rheumatism with inability to get out of bed: decoct Impatiens balsamina, Platycladus orientalis seeds, mirabilite, and Chaenomeles speciosa into a soup for bathing, two or three times daily. Take Duhuo Jisheng Tang internally. (Fu Shou Jing Fang)
② To treat unbearable pulling pain in the waist and ribs: grind garden balsam flowers into a cake, dry in the sun, make into powder, and take three qian with wine on an empty stomach. (Gang Mu)
③ To treat injuries to tendons and bones from falls and blows, as well as impeded blood circulation: soak three liang of garden balsam flowers and two liang of Angelica sinensis tail in wine and drink. (Lan Tai Ji)
④ To treat fracture pain that is extremely severe and cannot be surgically reduced, first take this medicinal wine to relieve pain: one qian of dried garden balsam flowers (three qian if fresh), soaked in wine. After taking it internally for one hour, the affected area becomes numb, and the bone can then be set. (Guizhou Folk Prescription Collection)
⑤ To treat snake bites: pound garden balsam flowers with wine and take. (Gang Mu)
⑥ To treat whooping cough, vomiting blood, and coughing blood: 7 to 15 fresh garden balsam flowers, decocted in water and taken, or stewed with a little rock sugar for better results. (Mindoong Materia Medica)
⑦ To treat leukorrhea: five qian of garden balsam flowers (or one liang of the root), one liang of cuttlefish. Decoct in water and take, one dose daily. (Jiangxi Herbal Medicine)
⑧ To treat tinea manuum: apply fresh garden balsam flowers externally. (Shanghai Commonly Used Chinese Herbal Medicines)
⑨ To treat onychomycosis: mash white garden balsam flowers and apply externally. (Selected Chinese Herbal Medicines of Shaanxi, Gansu, Ningxia, and Qinghai)
Pharmacological effects
1. Effect on dermatophytes: the fresh flower juice of garden balsam has an inhibitory effect on Epidermophyton rubrum, Trichophyton violaceum, Epidermophyton inguinale, and Epidermophyton gypseum.
2. Antibacterial effect: the decoction of this product also has varying inhibitory effects on Staphylococcus aureus, hemolytic Streptococcus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Salmonella typhi, and dysentery.
Contraindications
1. Pregnant women should not take it.
2. The whole plant is used in southern regions as garden balsam stem.
3. Garden balsam contains cancer-promoting substances! The cancer-promoting substances do not volatilize directly, but they seep into the soil. Long-term consumption of vegetables grown in that soil is very dangerous.
4. This plant contains relatively much calcium oxalate, which disappears after boiling. It is still not recommended to eat it raw. In particular, patients with rheumatism, arthritis, gout, hyperchlorhydria, kidney stones, and other conditions should not eat much of it, and even medicinal use must strictly follow a doctor's advice.
Edible value
Garden balsam is cultivated in all provinces in both northern and southern China. When people boil meat or stew fish, they add a few garden balsam seeds; the meat becomes easy to cook tender and the bones easy to soften, with a distinctive flavor.
The tender leaves of garden balsam can be blanched and then eaten as a cold dish with oil and salt.
Uses of garden balsam: ornamental value
Garden balsam is like a crane's crest and resembles a colorful phoenix, with graceful posture and charming beauty. The fragrant and brightly colored red garden balsam and the delicate jade-green garden balsam both open in the morning, which is the best time to appreciate garden balsam. Because its flower colors and varieties are extremely rich, garden balsam is a commonly used material for beautifying flowerbeds and flower borders. It can be planted in clumps, in groups, and in pots, and can also be used as a cut flower in water.
Other value
In India, the Middle East, and other places, it is called HENAA henna. It itself has a natural red-brown pigment. Middle Eastern people began cultivating this plant very early and used its juice to dye fingernails and adorn themselves. According to records, Cleopatra used henna to dye her hair. The famous Indian body painting also uses it for dyeing.
Cultural background and legends of garden balsam
It is said that long, long ago, in Longxi, Fujian, there was a girl named Fengxian. She grew up graceful and slim, with a gentle and kind nature, and fell in love with a young man named Jintong. One day, the county magistrate's son passed by this place. Seeing that Fengxian was so beautiful and lovely, he immediately had evil intentions and came forward to harass her. After being sternly scolded by Fengxian, he slunk away. Fengxian knew that this would cause great trouble, and that the county magistrate's son would certainly come to make trouble. So she decided to flee elsewhere with Jintong. Fengxian had only her father, and Jintong had his mother. The two elders and two young people set off overnight to escape to another place. On the way, Jintong's mother fell ill with amenorrhea and abdominal pain, and there was nowhere in the wild mountains to seek medical treatment or medicine, so the four had no choice but to stop and rest.
Moreover, when the county magistrate heard that his son had been scolded by a village girl, he ordered his men to come and arrest Fengxian. Seeing that they were about to catch up, in desperation Fengxian and Jintong bade farewell to their parents and jumped into a deep abyss to show their purity. The two old people suppressed their grief and buried Fengxian and Jintong together. At night, the two old people lay down beside the grave. Fengxian and Jintong appeared to their parents in dreams at night, telling them that the flowers blooming in the mountain stream could cure their mother's illness. When they woke the next day, they indeed saw the mountain stream full of red flowers and white flowers, the red like morning clouds and the white like pure silver. The old people picked the flowers, decocted them into a soup, and after drinking it, the illness was truly cured. Later, people named this flower garden balsam in memory of them.
Historical poetry
Mao Zedong, "Ode to the Henna Flower"
Tang Dynasty, Li He, "Song of the Palace Maid"
Song Dynasty, Yan Shu, "Golden Phoenix Flower"
Yuan Dynasty, Yang Weizhen, "Garden Balsam"
Ming Dynasty, Qu You, "The Strange Encounter at Weitang"
Qing Dynasty, Liu Hao, "Garden Balsam"
Flower language of garden balsam
1. Do not touch me: the flower shape resembles a phoenix tail, and when the seed pod is mature, it bursts at a touch; therefore, its flower language is do not touch me.
2. Nostalgia for the past
Garden balsam pictures