Six Measures for Dwarfing Flowers and Preservation Methods for Edible Fungi

With the development of the flower industry, miniature and compact potted flowers and bonsai are increasingly favored by people, so flower dwarfing techniques are showing ever greater vitality. The main dwarfing cultivation techniques are the following six:

I. Asexual propagation

Asexual propagation methods such as grafting, cuttings and layering can all achieve a dwarfing effect, shortening the flowering stage, reducing plant height and making the plant compact. Grafting can achieve dwarfing by selecting dwarf varieties. For cuttings, the plant height can be determined by considering the cutting time; for example, chrysanthemums cut in late July can be dwarfed and kept from lodging. In addition, the bud-bearing cutting method can allow the tall dahlia to be planted in a pot of just over ten cm in diameter, with a plant height of only about a chi yet with large, brightly colored flowers.

II. Shaping and pruning

Through shaping, the main branches are removed while the plant is young to promote the sprouting of side branches, and then the excessive and poorly growing side branches are cut off, so as to achieve a full plant shape, a low plant height and improved ornamental value. Pruning for dwarfing by this method is mostly used for roses, salvia, azaleas, foliage flowers and the like. Narcissus can be dwarfed by piercing or carving to destroy the growing points.

III. Controlled fertilization

Apply phosphorus and potassium fertilizer to potted flowers at the appropriate time and apply less nitrogen fertilizer to control vegetative growth and achieve dwarfing.

IV. Artificial trunk bending

Artificially twisting the branches and trunk obstructs the plant's nutrient transport channels and slows the plant's growth rate, thereby achieving a low plant shape. It is generally used more in the making of small bonsai.

V. Use of plant growth regulators

1. Spraying salvia plants with paclobutrazol can shorten their internodes, reduce leaf area and deepen leaf color, thereby changing the phenomenon of salvia's tall stems, sparse flowers and leaves, and serious flower drop, and improving ornamental value. In addition, it is also often used in dwarfing flowers such as snapdragons and chrysanthemums.

2. Treating plants such as salvia with mepiquat chloride can reduce plant height by 26%, and also shorten the stem nodes, increase the number of branches and improve ornamental value.

3. Treating plants with B9 can inhibit the vegetative growth of morning glory, dwarfing it by 61.5-67% during the vegetative growth period and by 40.5% at full bloom, thereby making the plant short, with compact branches and leaves and concentrated flowering.

4. Using chlormequat to inhibit the vegetative growth of petunias and the like can dwarf the plant shape and improve ornamental value.

VI. Radiation treatment

Some flowers can also be treated with radiation to change the plant's growth condition and thereby achieve dwarfing. For example: treating narcissus bulbs with gamma rays can control narcissus growth and dwarf the narcissus plant. Treating canna with 60°C can reduce the height of canna by 30-50 cm and improve ornamental value.