What new flower varieties are there for spring? This article explains in detail
Spring has arrived, and quite a few new varieties have hit the market. This special issue presents some of them for our readers.
Black-eyed Susan (Rudbeckia hirta) 'Denver Daisy'
Variety introduction: early flowering, long flowering period, blooming from late spring all the way until the first frost, widely adaptable, strong heat tolerance and drought resistance, simple cultivation and management, short growing time. Whether grown as a large-scale planting, a container plant or a border plant, it performs perfectly. It has very large and very abundant flowers.
Cultivation techniques: water the growing medium with fungicide to prevent damping-off. Cover the seeds lightly and keep moisture even. From the 5th to 6th week after sowing, transplant 1 to 3 seedlings into 10 to 17 cm pots or 3 to 5 liter containers. When the plants can be moved to an open site or a polytunnel, use loose humus soil, 20% to 30% clay, 1.0 to 1.5 kg compound fertilizer per cubic meter, plus iron chelate and trace elements, keeping the pH at 5.8 to 6.2, and keep the garden soil moist. Keep the temperature at 18°C to 20°C, with a ventilation temperature of 22°C. Apply a compound fertilizer at a concentration of 150 to 200 g nitrogen per liter every week; this compound fertilizer is mainly nitrate-based. Apply iron chelate 1 to 2 times to prevent magnesium deficiency symptoms (small, yellow-white leaves), and apply Epsom salts (0.05%) 1 to 2 times to prevent magnesium deficiency symptoms. In open sites, take care that it is not washed away. The minimum nitrogen requirement is about 130 g nitrogen per square meter. Take care to maintain sufficient trace elements.
Key points for spring care of succulents
Spring has come, the earth is warming, all things are reviving, and succulents have once again entered a new round of growth. Doing a good job of caring for succulents in spring is of great significance.
Because our country is vast and its terrain is complex, the climate varies greatly from place to place, forming the characteristic of complex and diverse climate types. Therefore, we must correctly judge when spring arrives: geographically speaking, spring in North China is generally in April to May, and in East China in March to April. In terms of solar terms, from Start of Spring to Grain Rain all counts as spring. In addition, we can also say that when the maximum temperature reaches or exceeds 10°C for five consecutive days (that is, one hou), it is spring. Succulent cultivation techniques
Many people see that spring has come and the plants have awakened, so they begin normal care. In fact, just after winter, the temperature difference between day and night is large, and sometimes the nighttime temperature is still below 0°C, so doing a good job of frost protection is still very important. It is best not to ventilate for long periods, and even more so not to place the plants in a place with air convection. The author has visited some large enterprises that produce succulents; in spring, a layer of plastic film is often still spread over the growing troughs in their greenhouses, and it is only opened for a while at noon. Plants cultivated this way are plump and brightly colored. For small and medium-sized enterprises, as long as the nighttime temperature is kept no lower than 5°C, most varieties can remain safe and sound. A cultivation site with heating conditions is of course even better; those without heating conditions must prevent sudden temperature drops, and can do a good job of keeping warm before the temperature plunges.
Generally speaking, epiphytic varieties such as the night-blooming cereus can withstand "spring cold" less well than most terrestrial varieties. For most plants of the family Aizoaceae, such as Conophytum, Lithops and some "winter-growing" species of the family Crassulaceae, it is best to keep the temperature above 7°C. As the temperature rises, the duration of light will also increase markedly, and most succulents must not lack light during this period, especially varieties that bloom in spring. But some varieties are very sensitive to light; for example, plants of the genus Haworthia do not need long periods of strong light. In terms of water supply, the amount of watering should gradually increase as the temperature rises; it is best not to water directly onto the plants, and even more so for some varieties with fuzzy hairs. Simply put, those that have not entered the growth period should be watered as appropriate, and those in the growth period should be kept adequately supplied with water. In terms of fertilizing, the topdressing in spring should be mainly nitrogen fertilizer, together with phosphorus and potassium fertilizer, applied thinly and often. It is best to wait until the temperature is stable before applying; for the lower reaches of the Yangtze River, applying fertilizer around April (that is, around Qingming and Grain Rain) often produces immediate results. Succulent cultivation techniques
Spring care of succulents
Spring has come, the earth is warming, all things are reviving, and succulents have once again entered a new round of growth. Doing a good job of caring for succulents in spring is of great significance.
Because our country is vast and its terrain is complex, the climate varies greatly from place to place, forming the characteristic of complex and diverse climate types. Therefore, we must correctly judge when spring arrives: geographically speaking, spring in North China is generally in April to May, and in East China in March to April. In terms of solar terms, from Start of Spring to Grain Rain all counts as spring. In addition, we can also say that when the maximum temperature reaches or exceeds 10°C for five consecutive days (that is, one hou), it is spring.
Many people see that spring has come and the plants have awakened, so they begin normal care. In fact, just after winter, the temperature difference between day and night is large, and sometimes the nighttime temperature is still below 0°C, so doing a good job of frost protection is still very important. It is best not to ventilate for long periods, and even more so not to place the plants in a place with air convection. The author has visited some large enterprises that produce succulents; in spring, a layer of plastic film is often still spread over the growing troughs in their greenhouses, and it is only opened for a while at noon. Plants cultivated this way are plump and brightly colored. For small and medium-sized enterprises, as long as the nighttime temperature is kept no lower than 5°C, most varieties can remain safe and sound. A cultivation site with heating conditions is of course even better; those without heating conditions must prevent sudden temperature drops, and can do a good job of keeping warm before the temperature plunges.
Generally speaking, epiphytic varieties such as the night-blooming cereus can withstand "spring cold" less well than most terrestrial varieties. For most plants of the family Aizoaceae, such as Conophytum, Lithops and some "winter-growing" species of the family Crassulaceae, it is best to keep the temperature above 7°C. As the temperature rises, the duration of light will also increase markedly, and most succulents must not lack light during this period, especially varieties that bloom in spring. But some varieties are very sensitive to light; for example, plants of the genus Haworthia do not need long periods of strong light. In terms of water supply, the amount of watering should gradually increase as the temperature rises; it is best not to water directly onto the plants, and even more so for some varieties with fuzzy hairs. Simply put, those that have not entered the growth period should be watered as appropriate, and those in the growth period should be kept adequately supplied with water. In terms of fertilizing, the topdressing in spring should be mainly nitrogen fertilizer, together with phosphorus and potassium fertilizer, applied thinly and often. It is best to wait until the temperature is stable before applying; for the lower reaches of the Yangtze River, applying fertilizer around April (that is, around Qingming and Grain Rain) often produces immediate results.