How should flowers be watered in different seasons? Clever use of cultivation techniques to prevent pests and diseases

Using cultivation techniques to control flower pests and diseases is the most economical and most basic control measure. The following aspects should be noted:

1. Implement crop rotation. Practicing crop rotation in flower nurseries has a good control effect on flower diseases that occur year after year, such as seedling damping-off (stem rot), southern blight, and bacterial wilt, as well as monophagous pests.

2. Reasonable companion planting. For rust diseases that have alternate hosts, such as Chaenomeles lagenaria (flowering quince), apple, and pear, these should be avoided from being planted together with juniper or other cypress trees; otherwise, it will cause severe outbreaks of rust disease on flowering quince and other ornamental trees and shrubs.

3. Disease (pest)-resistant varieties. According to local conditions, select and breed varieties with resistance to pests and diseases. Especially for certain pests and diseases that are difficult to control, or for which no effective control methods exist yet, breeding resistant varieties is even more important. When selecting and breeding varieties, attention should be paid to selecting other excellent traits of the varieties, such as long flowering period, large flowers, bright flower colors, and resistance to cold and drought, so that the selected varieties can both resist pests and diseases and have high ornamental value.

4. Scientific fertilization. Scientific fertilization can regulate the nutritional status of flowers and enhance their ability to resist pests and diseases. For example, using a reasonably prepared potting mix for potted roses can reduce the occurrence and harm of rose black spot disease. Appropriately increasing the application of ferrous sulfate (commonly known as black alum) or chelated iron can control chlorosis in gardenia, camellia, and others. Nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium fertilizers should be reasonably combined, and farmyard manure must be fully decomposed before use.

5. Reasonable watering. Soil that is too wet and poor drainage are triggers of seedling damping-off and the direct cause of flower root rot. Promptly draining standing water from flower nurseries and potting soil has an obvious effect on controlling root rot. Pathogens such as the causal agent of cherry root crown gall and jasmine southern blight can spread with flowing water. When irrigating, pay attention to the direction of water flow to avoid pathogens spreading with the water to nearby healthy plants. Timely watering to relieve drought can reduce the occurrence of rose powdery mildew.

6. Cultivate strong seedlings. Some pests and diseases spread with flower propagation materials such as seeds, seedlings, bulbs, scaly bulbs, scions, and cuttings, such as root crown gall, root-knot nematode disease, and certain viral diseases. Therefore, selecting healthy materials free of pests and diseases for sowing and propagation is the key to cultivating healthy seedlings free of pests and diseases.

7. Thorough disinfection.

① Greenhouse disinfection is mostly carried out by fumigation. The specific method is: in the evening, close doors and windows and ignite the agent for fumigation; the next day, open the windows for ventilation. For example, use 2-3 grams of 20% procymidone smoke agent per 10 cubic meters, fumigate once every 7-10 days, for 3 consecutive fumigations.

② Soil disinfection is generally divided into two types: disinfection of soil for flower cultivation and disinfection of soil for field-grown flowers. Disinfection of flower cultivation soil mostly uses high-pressure steam sterilization and chemical treatment. Soil disinfection for field-grown flowers can also be treated with chemicals: choose a mixture of equal amounts of 70% quintozene and 80% zineb wettable powder, spread 8-10 grams per square meter evenly and turn it into the soil, or use 50 milliliters of formalin diluted with 8-12 kilograms of water for irrigation.

8. Timely garden cleanup. In combination with pruning and shaping of ornamental trees and shrubs, thoroughly and promptly remove diseased fallen leaves, diseased (pest-infested) branches, and diseased plants, and destroy them in a centralized manner, which has a control effect that yields twice the result with half the effort.