A Detailed Guide to Forget-Me-Not Planting Methods and Care Tips

  Forget-me-not is a small light blue flower with five petals and no fragrance. Though quite ordinary, couples are willing to tie them into a bouquet and give it to their beloved to express deep love. Forget-me-not flowers are small and delicate, with many flower colors; though ordinary, couples are willing to tie them into a bouquet and give it to their beloved to express deep love. Forget-me-not is often used as a cut flower. At present, what is sold in flower shops is not the real forget-me-not, but sea lavender (Limonium); selling sea lavender as forget-me-not is simply to borrow its beautiful symbolism.

  The cut-flower "forget-me-not" is a perennial herb in the Plumbaginaceae family, genus Limonium, and can be cultivated as an annual or biennial. For annual cultivation, choose seedlings of early-maturing varieties that have undergone low-temperature treatment, and plant them from April to June; they bloom in autumn and then continue until the following spring. In summer, when temperatures are high, provide shading and cooling, and in winter take good insulation measures. For biennial cultivation, plant seedlings from October to December without insulation measures, allowing the young plants to be induced by winter low temperatures; they bloom the following spring and continue until the winter of that year.

  Sowing:

  Forget-me-not is generally sown from September to January of the following year. The optimum temperature for seed germination is 20°C; be careful not to let the temperature exceed 25°C. The seeds are photophobic, so after broadcasting the seeds, cover them with a little soil and maintain humidity. Under the optimum temperature of 15-°20°C, germination occurs after 10 to 15 days. After the sprouts emerge, ventilation is needed; when the seedlings have more than 5 true leaves, transplant them. Spring sowing is also possible, but the flowering period is delayed and shortened. During the growing period, division and cutting propagation can also be carried out. After thinning and transplanting, the seedlings are planted in the garden in early November, with a plant spacing of 30cm. The following spring, strengthen water and fertilizer management to promote bud formation and flowering. After flowering, harvest promptly according to fruit maturity to prevent self-shedding; usually cut the fruit clusters, dry them in the shade, and thresh them.

  Transplanting:

  Forget-me-not likes dry conditions and prefers deep, loose, breathable, slightly alkaline sandy loam soil, such as decomposed organic fertilizer and slow-release compound fertilizer; after application, evenly dig them into the soil. The planting spacing is 30 cm × 40 cm, and the planting depth should be such that the substrate is slightly higher than the root crown. After planting, there should be 2 months of keeping the temperature below 15°C to help the plants pass through the vernalization stage, which is beneficial for normal growth and flowering.

  Watering:

  Forget-me-not likes dry conditions and a well-drained environment, and hates waterlogging. Throughout the entire growth period, the amount of watering should be properly controlled, otherwise it will lead to a decline in flower quality and yield. Forget-me-not likes dry conditions and prefers deep, loose, breathable, slightly alkaline sandy loam soil. When watering normally, pay attention to "do not water if not dry; if you water, water thoroughly."

  Fertilizing:

  For the total amount of fertilizer applied during the growing period, 70% of the nitrogen, potassium, etc. is applied as base fertilizer and 30% as top dressing; all phosphorus fertilizer is applied as base fertilizer, and top dressing is generally applied once per season. Applying potassium fertilizer and boron fertilizer during the flowering period helps improve cut flower quality and yield. Therefore, for forget-me-not planted in spring and summer, when the seedlings have not undergone low-temperature treatment, the time for entering the greenhouse needs to be delayed so that they fully receive low temperatures and complete vernalization.

  Supporting:

  To produce high-quality forget-me-not cut flowers, it is usually necessary to stretch netting to support the flower stems. The specific method is: before the plants bolt, use 25 cm × 25 cm or 30 cm × 30 cm nylon netting and set up one layer of netting frame at 20 to 30 cm above the ground.