How to Grow Lantana and Tips for Pest and Disease Control

The colors of the lantana flowers change as the blooming period progresses. It can be seen in flower all year round, and attention should be paid to pest and disease control during cultivation. Below, the editor introduces the growing methods and pest control for lantana, hoping to be of help to everyone.

Growing Methods for Lantana

1. Fertilizer and water: The potting soil is best as loose, fertile sandy loam. The requirements are not strict. Apply fermented liquid fertilizer once every 10 days during the growing season. At the same time, water it in, and spray 3% urea twice every 10 days. This makes the leaves thicker and greener. When planting, apply organic fertilizer as a base fertilizer, and water initially to promote growth. When growth is vigorous, irrigation can be reduced, and in open-ground cultivation the vine branches can be buried in the soil and gradually spread into large clumps.

2. Sunlight: Lantana needs plenty of sunlight, and in the season of abundant outdoor sunshine it can be kept in such an environment. Even in summer, no shading is needed, but ventilation is required. If the light is insufficient, the plant grows leggy, the stems are thin and elongated, and it blooms very little, seriously affecting its ornamental value.

3. Pruning: Lantana grows quickly. During cultivation, branches and leaves that affect the shape should be cut off in time to keep the tree looking beautiful. After each flowering, the long branches should be cut short, and the plant should be pruned once before it is brought indoors in autumn and winter. Heavy pruning: appropriately cut back the branches of the year. In winter, keep it in indoor sunlight. If a room temperature above 15°C can be maintained, the plant can grow and bloom normally, and it should be watered, fertilized and pruned appropriately. If such a high temperature cannot be maintained, control watering, stop fertilizing, let the plant go dormant, and it will overwinter safely at 8°C. Repot once a year in spring, pruning and trimming the plant, cutting off branches that affect the tree shape, weak branches and other branches.

Pest Control for Lantana

1. Gray mold

[Symptoms] The pathogen first invades from the petals. After the disease sets in, the affected area is water-soaked, soft, faded and lusterless. Eventually, the petals turn brown and rot, and the flowers drop off. Under humid conditions, a gray mold layer forms on the surface of the diseased parts.

[Infection route] The pathogen overwinters on diseased plant residues as sclerotia or mycelium. In spring it produces resistance; wind and rain, insect pests, low temperature and high humidity, and poor ventilation all favor the development of the disease. This disease occurs more often in greenhouses.

[Control methods] Pay attention to ventilation, reduce humidity, and reduce the occurrence of the disease. Pick off flowers in time and burn them in a centralized manner or bury them in the soil to reduce the source of the disease. In the early stage of the disease, spray 1:200 Bordeaux mixture, or 50% wettable powder at 2000 times dilution, or 50% Puhai wettable powder at 1500 times dilution, once every two weeks, spraying according to the situation.

2. Leaf nematode

[Symptoms] When the leaves are invaded by nematodes, the leaves become lighter in color and have light brown spots, gradually darkening to almost black. As the lesions expand, they become angular because they are bounded by the veins and lateral veins. In severe cases, the entire leaf blade dies, curls and hangs down along the stem. Most nematodes are in the slightly discolored areas, with only a few nematodes on the leaves, which have turned dark brown or black.

[Infection route] Leaf nematodes overwinter in newspapers and the surrounding soil, diseased plant residues and wild hosts. They are located on very small residual leaves and can survive in the soil for 6 to 7 months. The entire development process of the nematode is completed within the invaded tissue. When conditions are suitable (22-25°C, sufficient humidity), it takes only 14 days to develop from egg to female adult egg. It usually spreads through water droplets, irrigation water and diseased leaves, and is spread over long distances by artificially moved diseased leaves, flowers, stems, cuttings and soil. It invades through the stomata on the leaves.

[Control methods] Strengthen quarantine to prevent leaf nematodes and their propagation material from entering disease-free areas. For horticultural control, soil and grass should be prohibited in potting soil, improve watering methods, better not to pour water over the top, and keep the leaves dry as much as possible; potted flowers should have appropriate gaps so that the leaves do not touch each other. For pesticide control, 15% aldicarb granules can be used, 5-6 grams per square meter of potting soil, or 2-3 grams for a pot about 25 cm in diameter. Or use 3% carbofuran, 3 to 5 grams per pot worked into the soil. During the danger period, 50% chlorpyrifos emulsifiable concentrate, 50% phoxim and 50% carbaryl wettable powder at 1000 times dilution can also be sprayed.

The Ornamental Value of Lantana

1. Appreciation: Lantana has green trees and flowers, is present all year round, is beautiful, has a long flowering period, and is brilliantly colored in red, orange, yellow, pink, white and more. Some flowers are yellow or pink when they first open, gradually turn orange or tangerine-red, and finally turn red; the flowers are small and unique, very beautiful, and have a certain ornamental value.

2. Bonsai: Lantana has soft young branches and is suitable for making various bonsai; it can be processed into bonsai forms such as single-trunk, double-trunk, water-based and slanting-trunk, and is also suitable for home decoration. Because of the large size of the leaves, the crown is usually made into a natural, unique shape, or can be intentionally shaped into a round form.