How Many Years Can a Potted Carnation Live? Methods for Growing Carnations

People who like carnations buy them at flower shops and give them to their mothers or teachers. The carnations bought at flower shops are usually cut flowers, with their heads already cut off, and they will wither within a few days. Those who want carnations to survive long-term will grow potted carnations.

Carnations are perennial herbaceous plants, so in theory they can be grown for a long time. However, how many years a potted carnation can live mainly depends on the grower's level of care. Some growers can keep them for three years, while others have them die within a year.
Methods for growing carnations:
1. Soil: Carnation cultivation requires soil that drains well, is rich in humus, has good fertilizer retention, and is a slightly alkaline clay soil.
2. Watering: Carnations grow vigorously and have a relatively strong tolerance for drought. In rainy and overly wet areas, the soil easily becomes compacted, and the root system develops abnormally due to poor ventilation, so during the rainy season, pay attention to loosening the soil and draining water. During the period of vigorous growth, water promptly and water more; at ordinary times, watering just enough to keep the soil moist is fine. Before flowering, spray water to regulate humidity.
3. Fertilizing: Carnations like fertilizer. Before planting, apply a sufficient amount of baked fertilizer and bone meal. During the growing period, continue to apply liquid fertilizer as a top dressing. Generally, apply once every 10 days or so with well-rotted dilute fertilizer water, and apply one top dressing after harvesting flowers.
4. Other: Carnation flowers are very beautiful and also the most valuable. How can you make carnations bloom? This needs to start from the seedling stage, mainly through pinching, that is, removing branches. When the seedlings grow 8 to 9 pairs of leaves, carry out the first pinching, keeping 4--6 pairs of leaves; when the side branches grow more than 4 pairs of leaves.
For the second pinching, keep 3--4 pairs of leaves on each side branch, and finally it is best for the whole plant to have 12--15 side branches. When buds are forming, keep only one flower bud at the tip of each side branch, and promptly remove all small flower buds and side branches sprouting from the leaf axils below the top. After the first flowering, promptly cut off the flower stems, leaving only two buds at the base of each branch. Through repeated pinching like this, the plant shape can be made graceful, with abundant flowers and bright colors.
The survival time of a potted carnation depends on the care and attention of the grower. If the carnation can be tended well every year and every day, watered when it should be watered, and fertilized when it should be fertilized, the potted carnation can naturally be grown for a long time.