August flower cultivation, repotting, transplanting, and fertilization management key points

Weather characteristics of August: The dog days end on August 15, and August 23 is End of Heat, meaning the summer heat stops here; in most parts of China, temperatures gradually decline from this point on. Although August temperatures are somewhat lower than July, they are much higher than the average temperature in June, making it the month with the second-highest average temperature of the year. Nationwide, August precipitation is less than during the plum rain season, making it a hot, dry month that poses a great threat to quite a few foliage plants, especially flower species that prefer cool, moist environments. For this reason, management of flowers such as fertilization, watering, and shading must not be taken lightly. Flower management in August mainly includes the following. August flower cultivation | repotting, transplanting | fertilization management

I. Flower cultivation

1. Sowing

Herbaceous flower species that can be sown and cultivated in August include: baby's breath, lupine, petunia, snapdragon, purple coneflower, red woodsorrel, campanula, foxglove, columbine, yarrow, nasturtium, pyrethrum, delphinium, Lychnis senno, etc. Greenhouse flower species that can be sown mainly include: calceolaria, gloxinia, cyclamen, cineraria, schizanthus, Chinese primrose, wax begonia, pot marigold (for pot cultivation), etc. Woody flowers that can be sown include tree peony, elm-leaved spirea, red-flowered camellia, etc.; they can be sown immediately after collection, or the seeds can be stored in sand until germination and then sown in the ground; after pomegranate fruits are harvested, the seeds are threshed out, the fleshy layer outside the seeds is rubbed and washed away, and the seeds are stored in sand until germination and then sown.

2. Cuttings

Using half fine sand and half rice-hull ash as the cutting medium, woody flower species that can be propagated by insulated cuttings include: firethorn, mahonia, banana shrub, bougainvillea, coral tree, spotted aucuba, French holly, Chinese snowball, hibiscus, lantern flower, jasmine, chloranthus, rubber tree, Buddhist pine, schefflera, ti plant, daphne, bigleaf hydrangea, orchid tree, etc. Flower and tree species that can be propagated by cuttings in ordinary sandy loam seedbeds include: boxwood types, purple magnolia, pomegranate, rose of Sharon, spirea, spiraea thunbergii, French holly, Boston ivy, golden privet, red-leaf barberry, nandina, fig, oleander, crape myrtle, serissa, forsythia, etc. Using the full-light misting method, large numbers of dawn redwood, pond cypress, bald cypress, etc. can be propagated by cuttings.

Using sandy loam as a seedbed, scarlet sage (purple, white, pink), globe amaranth (white), marigold, French marigold, sulfur cosmos, etc. can continue to be propagated by cuttings; after they root and are potted up, they can be used for street flower displays from October to November.

3. Grafting

In August, using purple magnolia or white magnolia seedlings as rootstock, superior varieties of white magnolia and Yulan magnolia can be propagated by bud grafting; using current-year peach seedlings as rootstock, ornamental peach, purple-leaf peach, red-leaf plum, longevity peach, Meiren plum, Japanese apricot, elm-leaved spirea, etc. can be propagated by bud grafting; using cherry seedlings as rootstock, Japanese cherry, etc. can be propagated by bud grafting; using peach or wild apricot as rootstock, double-flowered dwarf flowering plum seedlings can be propagated by bud grafting; using wild rose cutting seedlings as rootstock, variety roses can be propagated by bud grafting; using current-year seedlings of Siberian crabapple and Hupeh crabapple as rootstock, Midget crabapple, Hall crabapple, crabapple, etc. can be propagated by bud grafting; using green maple as rootstock, red maple, feather maple, etc. can be grafted by crown replacement.

4. Layering

Ornamental plant species that can be propagated by layering in August include: Japanese honeysuckle, Chinese trumpet creeper, weigela, bigleaf hydrangea, oleander, Chinese snowball, broom, winter jasmine, forsythia, gardenia, sweet osmanthus, purple magnolia, jasmine, chloranthus, climbing rose, etc.

5. Division

Ornamental plant species that can be propagated by division in August include: lily turf, hosta, purple hosta, iris, red woodsorrel, delphinium, Japanese evergreen, Guangdong evergreen, balloon flower, Michaelmas daisy, Acorus species, water tower plant, bromeliads, cast-iron plant, sword fern, boneset, pyrethrum, nandina, goldenrod, autumn zephyr lily, daylily, etc. Flower species whose small bulbs can be divided include: red spider lily, calla lily, freesia, giant taro, etc.

II. Seed collection and transplanting for establishment

1. Seed collection

Herbaceous flower species whose seeds can be collected in August include: strawflower, cypress vine, skullcap, four o'clock flower, snow-on-the-mountain, blanket flower, phlox, Coreopsis tinctoria, sweet pea, California poppy, Lampranthus spectabilis, etc.; seeds of the perennial herbaceous flower Chinese peony mature around August to September, when the fruit splits open to reveal round black seeds; they can be sown immediately after collection, or the collected seeds can be stored in damp sand until germination and then sown. Woody flower species whose seeds can be collected include: tree peony, pomegranate, elm-leaved spirea, red-flowered camellia, etc.

2. Transplanting for establishment

In August, trees are generally not transplanted; for small shrubs such as littleleaf privet, golden-edge thousand-head arborvitae, Chinese juniper, Sabina chinensis, red-leaf barberry, golden-leaf privet, boxwood balls, St. John's wort, spotted aucuba, French holly, etc., they can be transplanted with larger soil balls after heavy pruning, but careful watering, misting, and shading management must be provided after transplanting, and only after they recover vigor can ordinary management methods be used; otherwise, the transplanted flowering shrubs are very likely to die. To decorate flower beds or street green spaces during the National Day period, potted marigold, French marigold, scarlet sage, globe amaranth, cockscomb, etc. can be removed from their pots and transplanted for establishment; or small seedlings can be transplanted from cutting beds with native soil to street green spaces, and water and fertilizer management after transplanting must be strengthened at the same time to ensure they can bloom in time during the National Day period.