What are the methods for caring for potted flowers? Explained clearly in one article
What are the cultivation methods for potted flowers
Cuttings
Division
The conventional propagation methods for potted flowers include seed propagation, vegetative propagation, spore propagation, and so on. Seed propagation is using seeds to grow new individuals; most annual and biennial herbaceous flowers and some perennial herbaceous flowers are commonly propagated by seed, such as scarlet sage, cineraria, petunia, and primrose. Vegetative propagation is a propagation method that uses parts of the flower's vegetative body, such as roots, stems, leaves, and buds, as material to obtain plants; it usually includes division, cuttings, grafting, and layering. Perennial herbaceous flowers and woody flowers are commonly propagated by division and cuttings, such as begonias, narcissus, bromeliads, camellias, and rhododendrons. Cacti and succulents are commonly propagated by cuttings and grafting. Ferns, in addition to division propagation, can also be propagated by spores, such as sword ferns and maidenhair ferns.
Air layering
Grafting
When should potted flowers be watered
Watering potted flowers requires attention to four key points: water quality, water temperature, water quantity, and watering method.
(1) Water quality. Potted flowers are best watered with soft water; rainwater, river water, lake water, pond water, and so on are all called soft water and are suitable for watering flowers. At present, tap water and deep well water are commonly used for growing flowers, and these two types of water are mostly hard water, so tap water should be poured into a vat and stored for 5-7 days before use. Different plants have different requirements for the pH of water. Plants such as camellias, jasmine, gardenia, Aglaia odorata, and rhododendrons are very sensitive to the pH of soil and water. Black alum can be used to change the pH of water: add 20-50 grams of black alum per 5 kilograms of water, and water with the alum solution once every 15 days.
(2) Water temperature. The optimum temperature for general flower growth is 20-25°C, and the temperature difference between water and soil should be kept within 5°C, so that root damage will not occur. In summer, avoid watering at noon; watering in the morning and evening is advisable. In winter, watering at noon is advisable, because the temperature of tap water is often lower than room temperature; some warm water can be added when using it, which is beneficial to flower growth.
(3) Water quantity. Generally, potted flowers should follow the principle of "water when dry, stop when wet." The watering principles for different seasons are "water at noon in spring, in the morning and evening in summer, every other day in autumn, and check frequently in winter."
(4) Watering method. Most flowers are suitable for spray watering, but flowers in full bloom and flowers with more fuzz should not be sprayed with water.
Cuttings
Division
The conventional propagation methods for potted flowers include seed propagation, vegetative propagation, spore propagation, and so on. Seed propagation is using seeds to grow new individuals; most annual and biennial herbaceous flowers and some perennial herbaceous flowers are commonly propagated by seed, such as scarlet sage, cineraria, petunia, and primrose. Vegetative propagation is a propagation method that uses parts of the flower's vegetative body, such as roots, stems, leaves, and buds, as material to obtain plants; it usually includes division, cuttings, grafting, and layering. Perennial herbaceous flowers and woody flowers are commonly propagated by division and cuttings, such as begonias, narcissus, bromeliads, camellias, and rhododendrons. Cacti and succulents are commonly propagated by cuttings and grafting. Ferns, in addition to division propagation, can also be propagated by spores, such as sword ferns and maidenhair ferns.
Air layering
Grafting
How should potted flowers be fertilized
Potted strawberries are not the same as greenhouse strawberries. In our daily home care process, the easiest thing to neglect is fertilization. When potting and planting, add organic fertilizer at the bottom. After the potting and seedling recovery are successful, apply organic nutrient solution once a week; in summer, make the concentration thinner than before. When fertilizing, be sure not to pour it onto the flowers, as it easily causes the buds to rot; simply water slowly along the soil surface.
Management methods for potted flowers
The management methods for potted flowers can refer to the following points:
I. Potting and watering
1. Choose a flower pot of suitable size, cover the drainage hole of the pot with a tile piece with the concave side facing down, so as to meet the requirements of not letting soil leak out while still allowing slow drainage. For a small pot, one tile piece is enough; for a large pot, pad more, and for flowers that are not tolerant of moisture, pad even more. After padding the tile pieces, add the coarse particles of the culture soil to the bottom of the pot, place fine culture soil on the coarse particles, and then plant the flower seedlings.
2. When watering, the amount of water should be sufficient. After watering once, wait until the soil has absorbed it and then water a second time, allowing the water to overflow; only then is planting complete. For potted flowers, watering is an important and meticulous task, and judging the water requirement of flowers requires rich practical experience. The amount of water should be judged according to various aspects such as plant species, growth stage, pot size, weather, and season. As plants grow and bloom, their water requirement gradually increases. During the fruiting stage, water less. During the dormant stage, water even less.
3. As for watering time, generally in winter it should be after 9 a.m. or 10 a.m., and in summer it should be before 8 a.m. and after 5 p.m. For plants under direct sunlight, the amount of water in the morning should be larger.
II. Fertilization
1. The most ideal fertilizer is compound fertilizer. For flowers that prefer acidic soil, even if they are grown in acidic soil, the soil pH will change after a long time. Especially when watering flowers with slightly alkaline or neutral water, the change is even faster. For these flowers, acidic fertilizer should be selected, or 0.25% ferrous sulfate should be mixed into the fertilizer before application.
2. Fertilization should be carried out on sunny days. Before fertilizing, loosen the soil first, and wait until the potting soil is slightly dry before fertilizing. Water immediately after fertilizing. In the warm growing season, fertilization can be done more often, about 2-3 times per month; in cold weather, it can be done less, about 1-2 times per month; in summer, the peak growing season, a light fertilizer can be applied once every 5-7 days.
3. Foliar feeding is a fertilization method in which fertilizer is sprayed on the leaf surface and directly absorbed by the leaves. Urea has a high nitrogen content and is suitable for foliar feeding; generally, it is absorbed quickly after spraying. Foliar feeding should not be carried out at low temperatures, but should be sprayed in the forenoon or afternoon. If trace element fertilizers or other insecticidal and fungicidal agents are mixed in during foliar feeding, double effects can be achieved. III. Pruning and repotting
1. Pruning includes thinning pruning and heading-back pruning. The former is to completely cut off diseased branches, dead branches, overlapping branches, and other unnecessary branches from the base; the latter is to cut off a part of the tip of a branch. The direction of the retained bud should be determined according to the direction in which the branch is to grow: if it is to grow upward, retain the inner bud; if it is to grow diagonally outward, retain the outer bud. Competing branches with similar growth vigor among the main branches can be shortened.
2. Shoot pruning and pinching remove the top of the growing shoot of the plant. Their effect is to make the branch tissue fuller, regulate growth, increase the occurrence of lateral buds, increase the number of flowering branches and flowers, or make the plant dwarf, the plant shape full, and the flowering uniform.
3. Root pruning is mostly carried out during transplanting and repotting. If the main root of a seeded seedling is too long, it can be shortened at transplanting. When repotting, remove rotten roots, and some overly long roots can also be removed.
4. Training includes staking, tying, and training. Through training, the branches can be made symmetrical, the stems can be fixed, and the conditions for ventilation and light transmission can be improved; modeling can also increase ornamental value. For example, the climbing plant ivy geranium can be trained into a mirror shape; passionflower can be trained into a spherical shape.
5. As the flower seedlings gradually grow, or when division propagation is to be carried out or new culture soil is to be replaced, repotting should be carried out. The method of repotting is basically the same as that of potting.