Introduction to potted Michelia figo (banana shrub) cultivation methods and pruning management methods. Is Michelia figo poisonous?

Michelia figo is a famous fragrant flowering plant, with buds as smooth as jade, fragrance as delicate as an orchid, smiling in the sun, gentle in the wind, green leaves and pure blossoms, and an elegant tree form. When in full bloom, displayed indoors, its fragrance fills the air; it is a precious ornamental treasure beautiful in both flower and leaf. The ancients wrote in "Ode to Michelia figo": "A hint of melon fragrance breaks through drunken sleep, making poets vainly drool." and "How much deep affection and profound sentiment there is, all contained in a charming smile."

1. Cultivation methods for potted Michelia figo

Watering: Normally keep the potting soil moist, but not overly wet, because its roots are mostly fleshy; if watered too much or if the pot becomes waterlogged after rain, it can cause root rot, so humidity must be controlled during rainy seasons. During the growing season and before and after flowering, it needs more water, requiring watering once a day; in hot and dry weather, also spray water on the leaves to maintain a certain air humidity. In autumn and winter, watering 1 to 2 times a week is sufficient.

Fertilizing: Michelia figo likes fertilizer; mostly use rotted cake fertilizer, bone meal, chicken and duck manure, and fish offal and other composted fertilizers diluted with water. During the growing season from April to September, fertilize once every 15 days or so. Stop fertilizing during the flowering period and after October. If the leaf color is not bright and deep green, apply a light alum fertilizer water once.

Pruning: Michelia figo should not be pruned excessively. Normally, after flowering, remove leggy branches, diseased and weak branches, and overly dense or overlapping branches that affect the tree shape, and cut off the fruit after flowering to reduce nutrient consumption. Before spring budding, appropriately thin out some old leaves to promote new branches and leaves.

2. Pruning management methods for Michelia figo

1. Cut off unnecessary branches: Remove crowded branches, trunk sprouts, inward-growing branches, and other unnecessary branches to make it look clean. If the spacing between branches growing from the main trunk feels too narrow, then in order to keep the tree shape balanced, even thick branches should be pruned off.

2. Optimize the light inside the canopy: This can be said to have much in common with many other evergreen flowering plants, but if the number of branches and leaves is reduced to improve light and ventilation, then flowers can also be expected to bloom inside the canopy. In addition, the key point when thinning is to finish evenly, without dense patches.

3. Adjust the tree shape: While observing the overall balance, cut off outer branches and branches that make the canopy messy, in order to adjust the tree shape and size. If you want to maintain the height of the tree, or reduce the tree shape, the main trunk should be cut just above a node (the fork of the branches).

3. Is Michelia figo poisonous?

Michelia figo mostly grows in mixed forests on hillsides and has extremely high value for drinking and health care. According to the different nutritional components and medicinal effects contained in flowers and herbs, combined with experts' years of practical experience, natural flowers and herbs with the same effects are organically combined, and according to flower color, flower type, flower fragrance and variety, they are blended into a series of herbal teas with different beauty and health benefits. Drinking herbal tea can not only make people feel happy and invigorated, but also has the magical effects of promoting blood circulation and regulating menstruation, nourishing the skin and preserving beauty, calming the mind and reducing stress, slimming and shaping the body, strengthening health, and curing illness and prolonging life. Regular drinking can also make the skin delicate, rosy, smooth and bright, full of luster and elasticity.

Michelia figo is non-toxic, and pregnant women can plant it at home.

Through the above introduction to potted Michelia figo cultivation methods, we have learned that as a plant kept in gardens for ornamental viewing and fragrance, when the flower bud swells and the outer bract is about to split and fall off, the Michelia figo picked at that time has the strongest fragrance.