A Detailed Guide to Carnation Planting Methods, Easy for Beginners to Learn

Carnation planting methods. The carnation is one of the world's four major cut flowers. Because of its beautiful flower shape, rich colors and long flowering period, it is very popular among flower growers.

The growing environment the carnation likes is a place with ample light, cool and dry conditions and good air circulation. Its cold tolerance is better than its heat tolerance. Above 30°C, its growth will be poor; 18-25°C is the optimal growth temperature. It likes well-drained, humus-rich, fertile sandy loam, and the soil pH should be maintained between 6.3 and 7, which is most appropriate. Carnations dislike continuous cropping and waterlogging, so attention should be paid to this. 1. Carnations do not like being too damp, and especially dislike waterlogging. Apart from the vigorous growth period, flowering period or hot seasons, when watering once every 2 days is suitable, at other times you can wait until the soil surface in the pot is dry before replenishing water. In addition to base fertilizer, field-grown carnations should be given a top dressing once a month. Potted carnations should be given a liquid fertilizer for flowering plants once every 2 weeks, and before flowering, phosphorus and potassium fertilizers should be emphasized.

There are 3 methods of propagating carnations: sowing, cuttings and layering.

(1) Sowing method. On the plains of the south, autumn sowing or early spring sowing can be carried out. After sowing, keep moderately moist and place in a spot not exposed to direct sunlight. Germination occurs in about 10 days, and once 5-7 true leaves have grown, they can be potted and planted out.

(2) Cutting method. Carnations are mostly propagated by cuttings. Except in the hot summer, this can be done almost all year round, but early spring, February to March, is the best time.

Select thick, strong side shoots at the base, cut them into cuttings 3 nodes long, remove some leaves, and insert them into a sand bed. They root in about 30 days, and after another 2 weeks they can be transplanted. Alternatively, choose side branches from the middle of the stem, each branch should have at least 8-10 leaves. Hold the main branch with one hand and the side branch with the other, and tear the side branch downward along its natural direction, so that the side branch comes away from the mother plant with a little of the mother plant's outer skin attached. Insert into a sand bed, and roots form in about 1 month.

(3) Layering method. Press the strong long branches around the plant into the soil, with the tips of the branches sticking up out of the soil surface. Once roots have formed, cut them away from the mother plant.

Carnations should be pinched during both the seedling stage and the growth period to promote side bud branching. When the seedling has grown 5 pairs of leaves, remove the terminal bud, which will encourage side branches to grow. When the side branches have grown 3-4 pairs of leaves, carry out the second pinching. Finally, when the whole plant already has 12-15 side branches, carry out the last pinching, but the time of the last pinching must not be later than mid-August. When carnations grow to more than 30 cm, supports should be set up to prevent the flower stems from breaking. To make the flowers larger, apart from the terminal bud on each flower stem, the buds below should be removed immediately after they appear. That is the introduction to carnation planting methods.

Planting Techniques for Potted Carnations

Planting Techniques for Potted Carnations

I. Raising Seedlings

1. Generally grown as a biennial flower, sown from August to September, flowering from April to May the following year. If you want them on the market from November to January, you can try sowing from May to June, but summer sowing and early autumn sowing are prone to premature buds, so pay attention to pinching and removing buds.
2. Substrate: fertile, loose and rich in organic matter, temperature 18-21°C, medium moisture (the surface of the substrate feels very moist to a light touch of the finger, but no water overflows), pH 6.0-6.5, EC 0.5-0.75.
3. Covering depth: about 0.3 cm.
4. Light: germination does not require light.
5. The suitable germination temperature is 15-20°C. Seedlings emerge about 5-7 days after sowing, and after emergence the light should be 10000-12000 lx.
6. Begin top dressing when the first true leaves appear, at a concentration of 0.6-0.8‰.
7. From 14-21 days after sowing is the true leaf growth and development stage. Keep the seedbed at medium moisture, EC 0.75-1.0, suitable seedbed temperature: 18-20°C during the day, 18°C at night. Fertilizer concentration 0.08-0.12%. Increase light to 35000 lx.
8. When the seedlings are 3-4 cm tall and have 3-4 pairs of true leaves, prick out the seedlings.
II. Pricking Out and Management After Pricking Out
1. Pricking-out soil: pH 6.0-6.3, EC 1.0-1.5, rich in organic matter, loose and well-drained.
2. Pricking-out container: 10×8 cm pots.
3. Key points for pricking out: do not damage the leaves (the leaves are rather brittle), keep plenty of roots, plant deep so the cotyledons are level, fill soil level with the pot rim, and after firming leave a rim of 0.5-1.0 cm. 
4. Management after pricking out: water thoroughly once, taking care to water thoroughly at the two sides and two ends. Generally, when pricking out inside a plastic greenhouse, no shading is needed. But when the temperature is high and the weather is dry, short periods of shading around noon are advisable. The second watering should be done when most of the pot soil is fairly dry. The pot soil should be allowed to dry and then be wetted. Spray a fungicide (such as chlorothalonil, carbendazim, thiophanate-methyl) once a week to prevent disease, at a concentration of 1:700-1000.
III. Potting Up and Management After Potting Up
1. Carry this out when the seedling's root system has grown to the edge of the pot and some roots begin to curve around.
2. Use 4.5-inch to small 5-inch clay pots or 15-16 cm plastic pots.
3. Potting soil: sterilized compost soil + 1/4 wood chips + 1.25 kg/m3 compound fertilizer, or peat : perlite : garden soil = 6:3:1, EC 1.2-1.5.
4. After potting up, water thoroughly once, and after the leaves have dried, spray a fungicide once.
5. Subsequent watering should follow the dry-wet cycle, keeping the air and pot soil suitably dry, which can effectively control plant shape and prevent disease.
6. Keep the light as ample as possible.
7. After every 2-3 waterings with clear water, fertilize once at a concentration of 0.15-0.20%. Both watering and fertilizing should be done by spot application.
8. Temperature control: 18-20°C during the day, not lower than 0°C at night. For those that need to be marketed early, raise the night temperature as much as possible, to 6-9°C.
9. Plant adjustment: sow appropriately early, and grow in a season with lower temperatures and ample light, so that neither pinching nor growth retardants are needed; but for those sown too late, when their vigorous growth coincides with higher early-spring temperatures, a growth retardant may be applied, 15% paclobutrazol at 150-180 ppm (10-12 g/10 kg water). After potting up, arrange them closely in staggered rows; after the plants have grown and are touching, move the pots once, changing to paired rows, leaving one empty row every 10 rows, to make spot watering and fertilizing easier.
10. Diseases and pests: there is black spot, and fusarium wilt caused by Fusarium. Use copper hydroxide, chlorothalonil, carbendazim suspension and others alternately for prevention. The main insect pests are aphids, thrips and so on.
11. Growth period: about 140-155 days. If the temperature is on the low side and light is insufficient, the growth period will be extended, possibly to 155-170 days.
IV. Carnations' Requirements for the Environment
1. Temperature: a cool-loving flower; the optimal temperature for growth and development is 19-21°C, with a night temperature of 9-10°C being suitable. If the day-night temperature difference is too great, the leaves become narrow, the flowers small and the branching weak. Above 35°C in summer, or below 9°C in winter, growth is slow or even stops, or appears abnormal.
2. Light: it likes sunlight. Apart from the seedling stage and peak flowering period, keep the light as ample as possible. The carnation is a cumulative long-day plant. The longer the accumulated daylight hours, the more flower bud differentiation is promoted, thereby advancing flowering, increasing flower numbers and improving flowering uniformity. In winter, with low temperatures, weak light and continuous overcast rain, artificial lighting can be added as appropriate. If kept under weak light for a long time, the leaves, branches and flower stems will become thin and weak and easily broken, and various diseases are easily induced.
3. Water: the pot soil's water-holding capacity should be kept at 70-80%. Pot soil that is too wet or humidity inside the shed that is too high is unfavorable for growth and easily induces fungal and bacterial diseases. In winter, when the light duration is short and the intensity weak, controlling water appropriately can prevent growth from becoming too thin and weak. Improving the quality of the pot soil helps create a good environment for the root system. In winter, with low temperatures, little evaporation and low water demand, watering should be reduced; in spring and summer, with higher temperatures, greater evaporation and higher water demand, watering can be done more frequently. Before watering, check the leaves: if they are fresh and crisp, and break easily when folded, it means there is no lack of water; if the leaves can be folded over, it means water is low and water should be supplied promptly; or check the pot soil by inserting a clean thin stick or bamboo pole down to the bottom of the pot, turning it a few times and then pulling it out. If soil clings to the stick, you can skip watering; if no soil or very little clings, water immediately. Pinch the pot soil below the top 2 cm; if it is powdery, it means drought; if it comes away in sheets or clumps, it means it is not dry. Each watering should be to the extent that water just begins to flow out of the bottom of the pot. When watering, try to avoid wetting the leaf surface, that is, water the roots and not the leaves, to prevent disease. Water quality with EC < 0.5 is best.
4. Soil: fertile, loose sandy loam is suitable, pH 5.6-6.4, EC 0.6-1.2 is suitable. If >2.5, it should not be used (1:2 soil-to-water ratio). It should not be replanted on the same land or grown in succession with chrysanthemums and the like.
5. Fertilizer: as for N, using half nitrate nitrogen and half ammonium nitrogen gives better growth and earlier flowering.

Dianthus Planting Methods

Floral Bonsai Network introduces: Dianthus planting methods will introduce you to Dianthus cultivation methods, and how to grow Dianthus well.

(1) Overview of Dianthus

Also known as Luoyang flower, Luoyang Dianthus, Chinese Dianthus, a perennial herbaceous plant of the Caryophyllaceae family, often cultivated as an annual or biennial flower. Plant height 20-40 cm. Leaves opposite, linear-lanceolate, base clasping the stem. Flowers solitary or several clustered, rich in color, with white, pink, red, purple and various bicolor forms, fragrant, flower diameter 2-3 cm, 5 petals, flowering period April to May. This plant is distributed across all parts of northern and southern China, with many varieties and horticultural cultivars. In gardens it is often planted in flower beds, flower borders and rock gardens, and is also often potted, used for indoor and outdoor decorative arrangements. Its beautiful flowers are very charming and much welcomed. It likes strong sunlight and a slightly dry, cool environment, and is discarded after flowering.

(2) Key Points for Dianthus Cultivation

Temperature: it likes a cool environment; the suitable growth temperature is 10-18°C.

Light: it likes ample sunlight, and fears the high temperatures at noon in summer.

Water: keep the soil moist at all times; avoid soil waterlogging and overwatering.

Air humidity: in dry seasons, pay attention to spraying water to increase air humidity; it fears the high temperatures and humidity of summer in the north.

Propagation: sow in autumn; the suitable temperature for germination is 21-22°C, and the suitable growth temperature during the seedling stage is 10-12°C.