Pre-winter management of flowers and nursery stock, and prevention and control of edible fungus diseases

As temperatures gradually drop, efforts should focus on shaping and pruning flowers and nursery stock and on autumn propagation of flowers and trees.

I. Propagation

Woody flowers grown from seed mainly include tree peony, Michelia species, Magnolia species, and palms; herbaceous flowers mainly include hollyhock, petunia, corn poppy, pot marigold, and daisy.

Woody flowers grown from cuttings mainly include rhododendron, camellia, Excoecaria cochinchinensis, Lantana camara, Michelia, bougainvillea, Berberis thunbergii var. atropurpurea, golden-leaf privet, gardenia, and Chinese rose; herbaceous flowers mainly include scarlet sage, Pilea cadierei, begonia, and chrysanthemum;

For grafting, use peony root as the rootstock to graft tree peony; use Magnolia liliiflora as the rootstock to graft Magnolia soulangeana; use wild peach as the rootstock to graft ornamental peach and red-leaf plum; use green maple as the rootstock to graft red maple and laceleaf maple; use citrange as the rootstock to graft kumquat; use cactus as the rootstock to graft various ball cacti, etc.

For layering, flowers that can be propagated by layering mainly include osmanthus, wintersweet, Michelia, Chinese trumpet creeper, Chaenomeles speciosa, Magnolia liliiflora, and camellia.

For division, woody flowers mainly include sago palm, tree peony, Spiraea, and nandina; herbaceous flowers mainly include peony, hosta, Cymbidium goeringii, iris, Rohdea japonica, Boston fern, Aspidistra, calla lily, and hippeastrum.

II. Transplanting

Flowers and trees can be transplanted at present, such as rose of Sharon, redbud, pomegranate, red-leaf plum, Magnolia liliiflora, osmanthus, camphor, and Ficus virens. When transplanting evergreen flowers and trees, part of the branches and leaves should be pruned off, and a soil ball should be kept intact.

III. Fertilizer and Water Management

For fertilizing autumn herbaceous flowers, it is advisable to apply a quick-acting fertilizer balanced in nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium; for woody flowers, a ring-shaped trench can be opened to bury base fertilizer; for Pyracantha, kumquat, and Diospyros armata in the fruit-viewing stage, a small amount of quick-acting phosphorus and potassium fertilizer can be appropriately applied by watering to prolong the fruit-viewing period.

Watering: continue to do the watering work well, keep the soil moist but not waterlogged; for newly planted flowers and trees, do the work of spraying water to maintain moisture well.

IV. Intertillage and Weeding

Do the intertillage and weeding work well, keep the soil loose and breathable, and prevent the breeding of pests and diseases.

V. Shaping and Pruning

Continue pruning hedges such as golden-leaf privet, red Loropetalum, and boxwood; for flowering plants such as Chinese rose and crape myrtle, promptly cut off spent flowers and faded stems to promote reblooming.

VI. Pest and Disease Control

Clean the garden in time, and dead branches and fallen leaves should be gathered and burned; for thick large trunks, trunk whitewashing can be carried out; spray 70% thiophanate-methyl solution or 50% carbendazim wettable powder 1000-fold solution to control diseases such as powdery mildew and brown spot. Spray 75% chlorothalonil wettable powder 800-fold solution or folpet 500-fold solution to control orchid anthracnose. Spray 40% dimethoate emulsion 1000-fold solution or 25% deltamethrin 3000-fold solution to control pests such as aphids, whiteflies, scale insects, and red spider mites. The method of hook-killing larvae and poison-killing larvae can be used to control pests in borer holes in nursery stock.

(Jinyang)