Remember the three "don'ts" of spring flower care

If you keep potted flowers at home, their physiological metabolism will change somewhat in spring. Although spring is the flowering season for many flowers, a lack of proper care at this time can easily cause disease or even death. Here, the editor introduces the "three don'ts" of spring flower care.

Many flowers bloom in spring

1. Don't rush to move them outdoors: In early spring, don't be in a hurry to move potted flowers outdoors, because doing so too early makes them vulnerable to wind and late frost. Generally, flowers overwintered indoors are moved outdoors between "Qingming" and "Lixia". The specific timing depends on both the characteristics of each flower and the local climate. About 10 days before moving them outdoors, harden them off: first move the pots to a sunny spot by a window and open the doors and windows for natural ventilation, or move the pots outdoors during the day and back indoors at night, gradually reducing the differences in humidity and light between indoors and outdoors. Move them outdoors only after the potted flowers have adapted.

2. Don't rush to repot: Spring is a favorable time to change the soil of potted flowers, but the roots of flowers just moved outdoors are still dormant. If you rush to repot them, the affected roots will struggle to heal under low temperatures and rainy weather, which can easily lead to root rot. Flowers that have been moved outdoors generally need about 1 week to adapt to the outdoor environment; repot them when they begin to send out new roots.

3. Don't rush to fertilize: Flowers that have just been moved outdoors are still in the adaptation stage, and their roots have not yet recovered normal nutrient uptake and metabolism, so do not rush to apply quick-acting fertilizer, and especially do not apply concentrated fertilizer, to avoid root damage and fertilizer burn. Flowers that have been moved outdoors should be fertilized only after new roots and new shoots have resumed normal physiological activity. Apply fertilizer together with watering, in small amounts and often, with dilute fertilizer applied frequently, to achieve coordination between water and fertilizer and promote normal nutrient uptake and metabolism in the potted flowers.