How to care for potted flowers in October? A complete guide to care and management measures

Entering October, the weather gradually turns cooler, and during this period the care and management of courtyard potted flowers is crucial. The main management measures are as follows, for reference.

I. Watering

Although the weather has turned cooler, in most areas south of the Huaihe River the temperature is still above 17°C, and the air is quite dry, so watering management for potted flowers must be done carefully and thoroughly. For some moisture-loving foliage plants, such as rubber tree (Ficus elastica), cast-iron plant (Aspidistra elatior), Swiss cheese plant (Monstera deliciosa), pothos (Epipremnum aureum), arrowhead plant (Syngonium podosum), Chinese perfume plant (Fagraea ceilanica), Cinnamomum kotoense, Spathiphyllum, ruby rubber plant (Ficus elastica 'Ruby'), on sunny days it is suitable to water once a day, supplemented by spraying water on the leaves; for summer-dormant flowers that resume growth after autumn, including semi-dormant types, such as calla lily (Zantedeschia), cyclamen (Cyclamen), clivia (Clivia miniata), purslane tree (Portulacaria afra), Daphne (Daphne), geranium (Pelargonium), and fuchsia (Fuchsia), the amount of watering needs to be increased.

For wintersweet (Chimonanthus praecox), plum blossom (Prunus mume), camellia (Camellia) and others that bloom in winter and early spring, watering should be controlled and more misting done, to help their flower buds swell. In northern regions, for flower species that are relatively sensitive to cold, watering should be reduced, which can accelerate the lignification of their new shoots and help them overwinter safely. The best time to water is 10 a.m. or 3 p.m.

II. Fertilizing

For summer-dormant flowers that resume growth after the autumn cool, promptly apply a low-concentration quick-acting liquid fertilizer; for camellia, plum blossom, wintersweet, cineraria (Pericallis), primrose (Primula), clivia, cyclamen, Chinese cymbidium (Cymbidium sinense), Belgian azalea (Rhododendron), and red trumpet daffodil (Narcissus) and others that bloom in winter or early spring, continue to apply a mixture of 0.2% monopotassium phosphate and 0.1% urea; for most foliage plants, after mid-October, stop applying nitrogen fertilizer and appropriately apply some low-concentration potassium fertilizer to increase the cold resistance of the plants; for fruit-viewing potted plants, such as bitter orange (Citrus aurantium), lemon (Citrus limon), kumquat (Fortunella), heavenly bamboo (Nandina domestica), winter coral (Solanum pseudocapsicum), coral ardisia (Ardisia crenata), and Chinese persimmon (Diospyros cathayensis), a small amount of phosphorus-potassium fertilizer can be applied in early to mid-October.

III. Shading

For some foliage plant species that are very shade-loving, such as dieffenbachia (Dieffenbachia), Swiss cheese plant, maranta family (Marantaceae), arrowhead plant, emerald philodendron (Philodendron 'Emerald'), Boston fern (Nephrolepis exaltata), and peperomia (Peperomia), shading is still needed for 2 to 3 hours around noon.

IV. Pruning

For most bonsai and potted flowers that must be moved indoors in winter, in mid-to-late October, their dead branches and fallen leaves, diseased and pest-damaged branches, and weak branches should be cut off first; for leggy branches, severe cutting back should be carried out; for ties and bindings that have been in place for 1 to 2 years after shaping, they can be removed, or removed and then re-tied, to prevent long-term binding at fixed positions from damaging the cambium of the branches and causing the branches and leaves to die.

V. Cold protection

In northern regions in mid-to-late October, ornamental plant species that cannot tolerate low temperatures below 10°C can be moved into greenhouses in time; for relatively cold-tolerant woody potted flowers or tree-stump bonsai, by the end of the month they can be buried and planted in soil in a wind-sheltered, sunny spot, to prevent the potting soil from freezing. In the Yangtze River basin region, weather change information should be accurately grasped to avoid the threat of southward cold waves.

VI. Pest and disease control

Cut off dead branches and fallen leaves on potted flowers and trees, collect them together and burn them. For potted chrysanthemums, pests such as aphids, chrysanthemum beetles, leaf-miner larvae, and inchworm (looper) should be controlled.