How to Grow Potted Carnations and Their Flower Meanings

Flowers & Gardening Jan 1, 1970 0 views

How to Grow Potted Carnations and What Their Flower Language Means

The carnation is a gentle, easygoing flower that gives a refreshing feeling, and the pink carnation is especially known as the symbolic flower of Mother's Day. Carnations are mostly grown in outdoor flower beds, but they can now also be potted indoors so you can experience the joy of growing them yourself. So how do you grow potted carnations?

How to Grow Potted Carnations

❉1. To prevent carnation leaves from withering, control light and temperature well: Some flower lovers report that leaves wither and the like during the growing process. This problem is mainly caused by poor control of temperature and light conditions. When the temperature is above 30°C, wilting symptoms are easily caused. The most suitable environmental temperature for carnation growth is 13-25°C, and light conditions should be controlled at 6-8 hours per day. This can ensure normal growth of potted carnations. A preference for strong light is an important characteristic of carnations. Whether it is indoor overwintering, potted summering, or greenhouse forcing cultivation, sufficient light is needed, and they should all be placed in a sunny position exposed to direct sunlight.

❉2. To avoid root rot in carnations, master the watering principle: Why do some potted carnations develop root rot? Potted plants share a common trait: they like a ventilated, breathable environment with good drainage. Overwatering easily causes root rot, so the number of waterings must be controlled well. Avoid water accumulation. During the rainy season, loosen the soil and ensure drainage. In addition to timely watering during the peak growing and flowering seasons, water less at ordinary times, just enough to keep the soil moist. If conditions permit, the air humidity can be kept at around 75%. Once again, a reminder of the carnation watering principle: do not water until the soil surface is dry; when watering, water thoroughly; avoid waterlogging.

❉3. To help carnations grow healthily, pay attention to fertilizing: If you choose to grow carnation plants, be careful to choose a clayey soil that drains well, is rich in humus, retains fertilizer well, and is slightly alkaline. Before planting, first apply sufficient base fertilizer containing potassium, calcium, nitrogen, and phosphorus at the bottom of the pot (or apply a sufficient amount of baked fertilizer and bone meal). During the growing period, continue to apply liquid fertilizer, generally applying dilute decomposed fertilizer water once every 10 days or so, and apply one topdressing after flower harvesting. Do not fertilize during the high-temperature period in summer, otherwise the plants are prone to withering and death.

❉4. Methods to encourage carnations to branch more and bloom more: To promote branching, remove the top when the plant height is 15-20 cm. Generally keep 6-7 lower lateral buds, then pinch again later, finally giving the plant 12-14 lateral branches. When buds are forming, keep only one terminal bud per branch, and remove all lower axillary lateral buds and lateral shoots. The second pinching must be done before mid-August. After the first flowering, promptly cut off the flower stalks, keeping only two buds at the base of each branch. Through such repeated pinching, the plant shape can be made graceful, with abundant flowers and vivid colors.

❉5. Carnation propagation methods: Carnations are most suitable for cutting propagation. There is no fixed time for cuttings; except in excessively hot weather, they can be propagated in all other seasons. Among these, cuttings taken in early February have the highest survival rate.

The carnation represents great maternal love and has the meaning of "Mother, I love you." It is the flower of mothers: it represents deep family affection, kindness, selfless maternal love, and warm blessings. Carnations of different colors have different flower languages and symbolic meanings. So what is the flower language of the carnation?

The Flower Language of Carnations

❉White carnation flower language: represents pure love. Sweet and lovely, innocent. A gift that brings women good luck, purity, pure friendship, my living love, my love forever, faith, elegant love, true affection, respect.

❉Pink carnation flower language: expresses wishing mother forever young and beautiful; others: represents I will never forget you, beauty, youth, passion.

❉Red carnation flower language: expresses wishing mother health and longevity. Others: my heart aches for you, appreciation, worship, infatuation, family affection, enthusiasm.

❉Yellow carnation flower language: expresses gratitude to mother. Others: you disappoint me, abandonment, disdain, long-lasting friendship.

❉Rice-red carnation flower language: sorrow

❉Deep red carnation flower language: passionate love

❉Peach-red carnation flower language: loving you

❉Variegated carnation flower language: rejecting your love

❉Purple carnation flower language: willfulness, unpredictability

❉Striped carnation flower language: rejection, I cannot be with you

❉Banded carnation flower language: sorry

Maternal love is the greatest love in the world. For our mothers, we can repay her love in many ways. Today's featured flower, the carnation, can serve as a representative for repaying maternal love, because it is a gentle and easygoing flower. Generally, the pink carnation serves as the flower representing Mother's Day. So besides representing maternal love, what other uses does the carnation have?

Uses of carnations:

❉1. Carnations have the effects of beautifying the face, whitening the skin, and removing spots and wrinkles, and can be used to regulate female endocrine disorders.

❉2. Carnations contain various trace elements needed by the human body, can improve blood circulation, promote the body's metabolism, and have the effects of strengthening the kidneys and enriching essence, treating consumptive disease, cough, and excessive thirst.

❉3. Carnations have the effects of clearing the heart and eliminating dryness, reducing inflammation and relieving irritability. They have obvious therapeutic effects on headaches and toothaches.

❉4. Carnations can calm the nerves and quench thirst, promote body fluid and moisten the throat, strengthen the stomach and reduce food stagnation, regulate blood lipids, and aid weight loss.

[Precautions for carnations]: Please place in a cool, dry place indoors, and avoid children taking them on their own.

[Suitable pairings when brewing carnations]: forget-me-not, stock, rose queen, peony flowers, wintersweet.

[Introduction to the brewing and drinking method of carnations]: Take 3-4 carnation flowers, brew in boiling water for three minutes and it is ready.

The above is the introduction to the related knowledge about how to grow carnations that the editor has shared with everyone. I hope that through the editor's introduction, everyone can better understand carnations and grow healthier carnations.