How to grow carnations? Here's the correct way to care for them
The carnation is what we know as the mother's flower. It is currently one of the most widely used flowers in the world. Carnations include many varieties and hybrids and can bloom almost continuously in a greenhouse. Since 1907, the pink carnation has been used as the symbol of Mother's Day, so today it is often given as a flower to mothers. So how do you grow carnations? Let's take a look together below.
I. How to grow carnations
Soil: It requires a clayey soil that is well-drained, rich in humus, good at retaining fertilizer, and slightly alkaline.
Watering: Carnations grow vigorously and are relatively drought-tolerant. In rainy and overly wet areas, the soil easily becomes compacted, and the roots develop abnormally due to poor ventilation, so during the rainy season be sure to loosen the soil and drain it. Apart from timely watering during the peak growing and flowering season, you can water less at ordinary times, just keeping the soil moist.
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, generally once every 10 days or so with well-rotted dilute fertilizer water, and apply an additional topdressing after cutting the flowers.
To encourage carnations to branch more and bloom more, you need to pinch the tips multiple times starting from the seedling stage: when the seedlings grow 8 to 9 pairs of leaves, do the first pinching, keeping 4-6 pairs of leaves; when the side branches grow more than 4 pairs of leaves, do the second pinching, keeping 3-4 pairs of leaves per side branch, so that in the end the whole plant has 12-15 side branches.
II. Notes on growing carnations
Carnations (Dianthus caryophyllus) like a warm, humid environment with plenty of sunlight and good ventilation. They fear both intense heat and severe cold. The suitable growing temperature is 15-21°C. They prefer a humus-rich, loose, fertile, slightly acidic to neutral soil, and dislike waterlogging and continuous cropping.
When cultivating carnations, choose healthy seedlings free of pests and diseases. Before planting the seedlings, prepare the soil and apply enough base fertilizer (well-rotted compost, bone meal, etc.) to improve the soil's physical properties and increase soil fertility, and also water thoroughly. Control the moisture in the seedling bed 4-5 days before planting so that the bed is slightly dry. Water once the day before planting to make it easier to lift the seedlings with their soil balls the next day. Plant them as soon as they are lifted.
Carnations are not tolerant of waterlogging, so water alternately between dry and wet, avoiding drought and waterlogging, and drain promptly during the rainy season to prevent waterlogging. During the growing period, fertilizer needs to be constantly replenished for the plants to grow vigorously and bloom well. For ground planting, apply topdressing once a month; for pot planting, apply dilute liquid fertilizer once every 10-15 days. In the high-temperature summer season, provide shade and cooling, and pay attention to ventilation and the prevention and control of pests and diseases.
III. The flower language of carnations
1. The flower language of red carnations
Red carnations are generally used to wish mothers health and longevity and to express immortal maternal love. Red carnation flower language: my heart aches for you, appreciation, worship, infatuation, maternal love, family affection, passionate love, enthusiasm, a wounded heart, longing, belief in your love, wishing mother health and longevity, wishing you health.
2. The flower language of pink carnations
Pink carnations are given when wishing a mother a happy birthday, wishing her to always be beautiful and young. Pink carnation flower language: I will never forget you, beauty, youth, passionate love, wishing mother to always be young and beautiful; being moved, brightness, maternal love, a woman's love, I love you passionately.
3. The flower language of white carnations
White carnations not only express thanks to mother and wishes for her youth and health, but also convey mourning and deep longing for a deceased mother. White carnation flower language: sweet and lovely, innocent, pure love, a gift that brings good luck to women, purity, pure friendship, my living love, my love forever, faith, elegant love, true feelings, respect.
That's all for sharing with you the information related to growing carnations. The flower language of carnations in different colors, the flower language of carnations in different numbers, and other carnation flower language details have all been introduced to you in this article, and I believe they will be helpful to you.