Seven Tips for Caring for Kalanchoe blossfeldiana and High-Yield Cultivation Techniques for Edible Mushrooms

Seven Tips for Caring for Kalanchoe blossfeldiana

In flower cultivation, the flowering period can be promoted or controlled by artificially regulating environmental conditions, so that flowers bloom at the time people desire. Flowering earlier than the natural flowering period is called forcing cultivation, and flowering later than the natural flowering period is called retarding cultivation.

Increase temperature to make flowers bloom earlier. For woody flowers that go dormant in winter, such as ornamental peach, plum blossom, Amygdalus triloba, crabapple, and tree peony, after passing through the winter low-temperature stage, as long as they then undergo high-temperature treatment for 10-50 days, they can be induced to bloom at Spring Festival. Some perennial flowers and autumn-sown herbaceous flowers can also bloom earlier if placed in a greenhouse before winter begins. The heating time needs to be determined according to the scheduled flowering period and the habits of the flowers themselves. For example, if plum blossom and azalea are required to bloom at Spring Festival, after being moved into a greenhouse at 20-25°C, plum blossom needs 10 days to bloom, while azalea needs 40-50 days.

Advance dormancy to make flowers bloom earlier. If tree peony, Chinese peony, cherry blossom, Rosa xanthina, and lilac are to bloom at Spring Festival, they need to be moved into cold storage two months before Spring Festival for low-temperature treatment for 2 weeks to induce early dormancy, and then gradually moved into a greenhouse to make them sprout and bud and bloom earlier.

Delay growth to postpone flowering. For flowers in bud and about to bloom, such as chrysanthemum and cineraria, treatment with low temperature and weak light can inhibit their metabolism and postpone the flowering period.

Short-day treatment. Short-day flowers, such as poinsettia and bougainvillea, can be induced to bloom earlier by using black cloth, black paper, and other shading materials to reduce light duration and prolong the dark period. For example, if they are to bloom on National Day, shading can begin in early August, and when the daily light duration is shortened to 8-10 hours, they can bloom.

Long-day treatment. In order for some long-day flowers to bloom in winter as well, the goal of promoting flowering can be achieved by supplementing light at night and increasing temperature. The light duration is generally more than 16 hours, such as for gladiolus. Long-day treatment can also inhibit short-day flowers from blooming. For example, for late chrysanthemums in mid-September, treating them with a 40-watt fluorescent lamp for 6 hours per day at a room temperature of 20°C can delay flowering until New Year's Day.

Reverse day and night to change flowering habits. Epiphyllum originally blooms at night. Select a healthy Epiphyllum plant with flower buds, move it into a dark room when the flower buds are 10 cm, and treat it with a 60-watt fluorescent lamp from 7 p.m. to 6 a.m. the next day for 4-5 days, which can make Epiphyllum bloom during the day.

Hormone treatment. The use of some growth hormones can promote flowers to bloom earlier and can also delay the flowering period. For example, gibberellin can break dormancy and stimulate growth; naphthalene acetic acid and others can inhibit flowering. (Source: Nongbo Network)