Potted Cleome Cultivation Methods and Care Tips
The cleome flower resembles a dancing butterfly, graceful and distinctive, suitable for large flower beds, flower borders and background planting. Potted plants can be enjoyed indoors and also used as cut flowers. It is also an excellent nectar plant and can be used medicinally. When the cleome flower opens, the petals slowly spread apart, and the long claws go from curved to popping out of the flower, a process like a film sequence played in slow motion. Grown in the ground, it can be planted beside courtyard walls and under trees. Potted, it can be placed on a windowsill or desk.
Cleome is propagated by seed. Sow in spring, from late March to mid-April, in an open-ground seedbed. If earlier flowering is desired, sow in pots in a greenhouse during February to March. Seeds germinate rather slowly, sprouting in about 15 days at 15 to 20 degrees. After sowing, cover with soil and water; the seed germination rate is high and seedlings emerge fairly evenly. Seedlings are easily harmed by aphids, so control them promptly with Yayaling (aphidicide). Once the seedlings are about 15 cm tall they can be planted out. By gradually thinning the seedlings, the spacing of the plants used for planting out reaches 30 cm.
The spacing for transplanted seedlings is about 30 cm. After transplanting and once they have recovered, keep the soil moisture moderate and cultivate promptly to conserve moisture. In addition to the base fertilizer applied at transplanting, during the flowering period apply diluted decomposed cake fertilizer 1 to 2 more times to encourage fuller blooming. The capsules split open on their own when ripe, so when the fruit skin turns yellow they should be harvested in batches. It self-sows readily, so self-sown seedlings can be transplanted for cultivation.
Cleome prefers a sunny, dry and warm environment, and also tolerates partial shade. Its suitable temperature range is 20 to 32 degrees C, and it is not cold-hardy; it likes good ventilation and sun. The cleome root system is fairly well developed, so use a slightly deeper and larger pot, with a pot diameter of 20 cm to 30 cm being best.
Light and temperature: cleome likes high temperatures and tolerates summer heat, with the most suitable growing temperature being 20 degrees C to 32 degrees C. It loves light; although it can also grow under partial shade, to keep it compact it should receive as much direct light as possible, preferably more than 4 hours a day. Because it has few root hairs, it is rather difficult to recover after transplanting, so after division and transplanting it should be managed carefully, with timely watering and protection from wind and sun.
Apart from growing poorly in alkaline soil, it can grow in sandy soil and clay soil, and grows best in slightly acidic sandy loam. An equal mix of leaf mold and vegetable garden soil can be used as the growing medium. The soil should be loose and well drained.
Cleome seedlings should be thinned in time, and transplanted when they have 2-3 true leaves. Plant out or pot up in June. It is a taproot plant with small fibrous roots, so it recovers with difficulty after transplanting; generally it is sown directly in the open ground in spring, or transplanted when the seedlings are about 5 cm tall, into fertile soil. Generally no further topdressing is needed; apply fertilizer once every half month during the growing period. During growth, water and fertilizer should be controlled to prevent the plants from growing leggy and affecting flowering.
During bud formation and the flowering period of cleome, apply topdressing 2 to 3 times, which can extend the flowering period. Normally water to keep the soil in a semi-moist state; in dry weather water frequently. When flowering, set up supports to prevent lodging. If seed is not wanted, promptly cut off the spent flowers after they fade so they do not set seed, reducing nutrient consumption and helping to extend the flowering period. The whole plant is covered with sticky hairs and uses relatively little water; apart from needing more water during flowering, the seedling stage can go without watering or with little watering, making it fairly easy to manage.
In summer, water at least once a day. If there is high temperature and drought, it can be moved to a shady spot, and after the potting soil has cooled slightly, water again to top up moisture. In autumn and winter, reduce watering, and water again when the surface of the potting soil dries.
When planting in flower beds, spent flowers should be removed promptly so they do not set seed, thereby extending the flowering period. For potted plants, pinch out the terminal buds at the seedling stage and control nitrogen fertilizer application to dwarf the plant. For use as cut flowers, plant slightly more densely and remove side buds to encourage development of the terminal flower spike. If you want cleome to bloom at Spring Festival, sow in pots in autumn, move indoors to a sunny spot before winter sets in, and keep the indoor temperature at around 20 degrees C, keeping the potting soil slightly moist at all times; during bud formation apply 2 to 3 times a diluted compound liquid fertilizer, and it will bloom during Spring Festival. Cleome is a taproot plant, so the cultivation site should be deeply plowed and given organic base fertilizer.
Cleome is often affected by leaf spot and rust. For leaf spot, spray with a 500-fold dilution of 50% thiophanate wettable powder; for rust, spray with a 3000-fold dilution of 50% carboxin wettable powder for control.