Autumn Care Methods and Precautions for Potted Flowers

If you want to enjoy ideal potted plants in winter and spring, you need to prepare in advance in autumn.

For potted flowers in the north, the small pomegranate (Rose Pomegranate) can bloom from June until November, and even bear ornamental fruit in winter. Therefore, in autumn it should be given full-day sunlight and watered once in the morning and once in the evening to prevent the potting soil from drying out too much, with a topdressing every 10 to 15 days to ensure abundant flowers and fruit.

For potted flowers in the south, the kumquat that people enjoy during the Spring Festival blooms profusely between June and July, and its fruit is already ripe by December; the four-season mandarin orange blooms after July, and its fruit is also already ripe by December. Therefore, for both kumquat and four-season mandarin orange, autumn water, fertilizer and light management should be carried out promptly, that is, watering in the morning and evening and a topdressing every 7 to 10 days, to ensure fruit for viewing at the Spring Festival.

In addition, in autumn you should also prepare for lush flowers and leaves in spring, for example, doing cuttings propagation well for fuchsia, geranium and Aster savatieri, which grow well in autumn. Grafting of Western azalea, red maple and five-needle pine should also be carried out promptly.

For clump-forming perennial flowers with dense growth, such as peony and Chinese peony, division propagation should be carried out without delay. For bulb flowers such as freesia, hyacinth and tulip, potting should be done promptly. North of the Five Ridges, when autumn temperatures begin to drop, potted flowers should gradually be moved indoors to avoid frost damage. For warmth-loving flowers and trees such as hibiscus, coral tree, begonia and cyclamen, they should be moved indoors when the temperature is 10°C; jasmine, Aglaia odorata, Daphne odora and Chloranthus spicatus should be moved indoors at around 6°C.

Potted flowers such as asparagus fern, clivia, palm grass and sago cycad should be moved indoors at 2°C to 4°C. After potted flowers are brought indoors, attention should be paid to ventilation, and doors and windows can be opened when the temperature is relatively high at noon.