How to grow potted carnations so they thrive

Carnation (Dianthus caryophyllus)

Other names: carnation, lion's-head pink, musk pink, large-flowered pink, musk pink, Dutch pink

Uses: for flower beds, pots and container seedlings, and cut flower production.

Seed weight: common seed, 5OO seeds/gram.

Sowing period: July to August.

Sowing substrate: loose humus soil, with a light application of thin fertilizer (compound fertilizer O.25-O.5 kg/cubic meter, iron, trace elements), excellent drainage (O-2O% vermiculite), a relatively low EC value in the substrate (less than O.75), pH: 6.O-6.5.

Germination: at a temperature of l8°C-22°C, germination occurs in 7-l4 days.

Germination conditions and management: maintain a relatively low EC value in the substrate, pH 5.8-6.5. Before sowing, treat the growing substrate with a fungicide to prevent Fusarium. No covering is needed after sowing; the seeds need light to germinate. The growing substrate moisture must be consistent and humidity must be high (relative humidity above 95%), for good germination uniformity. After the cotyledons open (growth stage ii), lower the soil moisture and reduce the temperature to l6°C.

Temperature: day temperature l3°C-l6°C, night temperature lO°C. In spring, plants begin to grow at l5°C-l8°C for 7-9 weeks. At low temperatures of lO°C-l5°C, the cultivation time will be prolonged. The "Floristan" series, when it has grown 8 true leaves, undergoes vernalization at 5°C for 6-9 weeks to promote flowering. Avoid too great a temperature fluctuation to prevent the calyx from suddenly splitting.

Cultivation tips: needs a dry, sunny and well-ventilated growing environment. The root system is sensitive to a high-moisture growing substrate. Avoid watering over the top of the plant. After transplanting when the plant has grown 4-6 pairs of true leaves, it needs pinching, which helps the plant branch and improves plant quality.

Variety introduction

Floristan (floristan) grows about 7O cm tall, with double flowers and brilliant colors, and can be used as a cut flower. The stems are long, upright and robust, with strong resistance. It requires vernalization. The experience content is for reference only. If you need to solve specific problems (especially in fields such as law or medicine), it is recommended that you next consult professionals in the relevant field.

How to grow potted carnations

How to grow potted carnations, carnation growing methods and precautions/5 points

Carnations are certainly familiar to everyone. They are often given to mothers, and are a flower with a beautiful flower shape and rich symbolism, which has also attracted many people to grow them. In life, many people want to grow carnations indoors, so how do you grow potted carnations? Compared with other flowers, carnations are not easy to grow. The following is a summary of carnation growing methods and precautions. Friends who want to grow them might as well take a look~

1. How to grow potted carnations, light is the key

As people's understanding of the environment deepens, many people choose to grow plants at home, on the one hand to purify the air, and on the other hand for beauty. Carnations paired with asparagus fern and other accompanying leaves in a vase echo each other interestingly and are an excellent choice for decorating interiors, so many friends who are new to growing flowers choose carnations. So how do you grow potted carnations? Soil, watering and fertilizing are essential, but light is the most important!

2. Carnation growing methods and precautions

1. Soil, sandy loam

Although carnations can be grown hydroponically, first they must be grown in soil, so creating a loose, breathable root-zone environment that also has a certain fertilizer- and water-retention capacity is crucial for carnation cultivation. Carnation is a fibrous-root herbaceous flower, and its roots like to grow in loose, fertile, well-aerated soil or medium, so the soil for growing carnations is best sandy loam.

Precautions: the soil air-filled pore space should ideally be about 30%; heavy and waterlogged soil is unfavorable for carnation growth and needs improvement, the core of which is coordinating the relationship among the solid, liquid and gas phases in the soil.

2. Light, 6-8 hours/day

In terms of light requirements, carnations can be said to have the highest demands among all plants. Although other flowers like light, they generally cannot be exposed to direct strong light. But carnations are different: apart from the seedling stage or full flowering stage, there is no need to worry about any strong light exposure. Not only that, the longer the accumulated sunshine hours, the better for carnations. That is really tough!

Precautions: liking strong light is an important characteristic of carnations. Whether it is indoor overwintering, potted summering, or greenhouse forcing cultivation, sufficient light is needed, and it should all be placed in a sunny position exposed to direct light, and the light condition should be controlled at 6-8 hours per day.

3. Temperature, 13-25°C

In carnation growing methods, temperature control is also crucial. It not only has a qualitative and quantitative effect on carnation growth and development, but also affects its growth speed, the morphology and size of flowers, leaves and stems, cut flower yield and cut flower longevity, and other aspects. Carnation is a cool-loving plant, and the most suitable temperature for growth and development is 13-25°C, with the day-night temperature difference kept within 10°C.

Precautions: if the daytime temperature is too high, carnations show phenomena such as narrow leaves, small flowers and poor branching; if the nighttime temperature is too high, abnormal reactions such as weak stems and small flowers with good flower color appear. When the summer temperature is higher than 35°C, or the winter temperature is lower than 9°C, growth is slow or abnormal, or even stops.

4. Watering, not too much

Unlike jasmine, which needs frequent watering, carnation is a shallow-rooted flower, and the planting depth should not exceed 2 cm. After planting, water once thoroughly, and later water thoroughly again when the pot soil becomes dry. Carnations are not tolerant of moisture. Apart from increasing the watering amount during the vigorous growth period, flowering period and midsummer, watering should generally not be excessive; keeping the soil at a certain moisture level is enough. During the flowering period, avoid the soil being too dry or too wet.

Precautions: excessive watering easily causes root rot in carnations, so the watering frequency must be controlled well to avoid water accumulation, and during the rainy season pay attention to loosening the soil and draining water. Apart from timely watering during the peak growing and flowering seasons, at ordinary times water less, just enough to keep the soil moist. If conditions permit, the air humidity can be kept at around 75%.

5. Fertilizing, once/10 days

 Carnations have a long growing period and need continuous replenishment of soil fertilizer. The principle for topdressing is thin fertilizer applied frequently; for potted plants, apply topdressing once every 7-10 days. During the two growth peaks of the plant, the number of topdressings can be increased. Fertilizers can be cake fertilizer water, chicken manure water, or alternately organic fertilizers such as barnyard manure, compost and bone meal.

Precautions: pay attention to choosing a clayey soil that is well drained, rich in humus, has good fertilizer retention and is slightly alkaline. Before planting, first apply sufficient base fertilizer containing potassium, calcium, nitrogen and phosphorus at the bottom of the pot. During the growing period, liquid fertilizer must also be applied continuously, generally once every 10 days or so with rotted thin fertilizer water, and once after a week. Fertilizing is prohibited during the high-temperature period in summer, otherwise it easily causes withering and death.

3. Precautions for growing carnations

In the precautions for growing carnations, we have already mentioned some points, but if you want to grow carnations beautifully, flower friends also need to pay attention to the following points:

① During the vigorous spring and autumn growth periods, the soil should be kept moist to meet the needs of growth and development. During the high-temperature period in summer, growth is inhibited, so watering should be restrained and ventilation strengthened, so as to keep the pot soil slightly dry.

② Generally, move into the greenhouse around the time of frost descent (mid-October), and the most suitable temperature regulation is 10-20°C. To force or delay the flowering period, the temperature can be appropriately raised or lowered. Try to reduce the humidity in the greenhouse to reduce the occurrence of diseases.

③ When the winter temperature is lower than 9°C, carnations grow slowly or show abnormal behavior or even stop growing. So they should be moved indoors and grown in a place with sufficient sunlight and good ventilation. If the temperature is suitable, the flowering period can be extended to March of the following year.

④ During the seedling stage, pinching should be carried out l-2 times to promote branching, so that each plant has about 10 side branches. Through pinching, the plant shape is graceful and flowering is abundant. As the branches grow, supports should also be set up to prevent lodging. During the growth period, promptly remove the side buds and small flower buds produced on each branch, keeping only one flower bud at the top of each branch, so that nutrients are concentrated in supplying the top bud.