How to grow potted flowers on a home balcony in March

Many friends living in cities want to grow some flowers and plants on their balconies, so today I will share some tips with you.

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In March, before the potted flowers are brought out of the room, you can first set up racks on the balcony for placing the pots, and choose good support points for hanging shade nets in summer, so that once the potted flowers are brought out and encounter overly strong sunlight, shade measures can be put in place quickly.

In March, you should also prepare potting soil for repotting, and stock up on various fertilizers and pesticides, to meet the needs of balcony flower growing throughout the year.

I. Flower species suitable for growing on balconies

Among the ornamental plants suitable for growing on balconies, one group is the relatively drought-tolerant plant species. Their surfaces or cuticles are thickened, or they are covered with wax, or their bodies are fleshy and thick with abundant sap, or their leaves are small and transformed into needle-like shapes so they transpire very little water, or they originate from arid desert regions and can withstand wind and heat, making them very drought-tolerant, such as sago palm, cactus species (bunny ears cactus, peanut cactus, jade plant, golden barrel cactus, blue myrtle cactus, bishop's cap, rat-tail cactus, coral tree), portulacaria afra, jade plant, graptopetalum, echeveria, lithops, night-blooming cereus, epiphyllum, leaf cactus, kalanchoe, and so on. There are also wintersweet, winter jasmine, spider lily, calla lily, Guangdong evergreen, spider plant, and others. These flowers generally will not die if not watered for 2 to 3 weeks in spring, so they are quite suitable for balcony growing.

Another group is the flower species that are relatively tolerant of direct sunlight and dry hot winds, can accept full light, and can resist short periods of unusually high temperatures, and are also suitable for balcony pot growing (especially on high-floor balconies), such as pomegranate, Chinese rose, banyan tree, ponytail palm, small-leaf privet, agave, amaryllis, Japanese apricot, oak, Chinese elm, trident maple, water willow, black pine, Chinese juniper, Chinese savin, dragon juniper, holly grape, holly, chaste tree, euonymus, longevity peach, moss rose, and so on.

In addition, jasmine, chloranthus, five-needle pine, orchid tree, aspidistra, bergamot, bitter orange, lemon, rubber tree, monstera, bird's nest fern, camellia, schefflera, Norfolk Island pine, and others can also be grown as potted plants on slightly lower balconies, but water and shade management should be strengthened.

II. Propagation of balcony potted flowers

Herbaceous flowers suitable for balcony pot growing, such as scarlet sage, ornamental pepper, winter coral, marigold, garden balsam, petunia, and so on, can be sown in shallow pots for seedlings at this time.

If you have collected a small amount of asparagus fern or clivia seeds, after washing them clean, you can first sow them indoors, and when the outdoor temperature reaches about 15°C, move them to an outdoor balcony to grow.

Succulent plants such as epiphyllum, night-blooming cereus, jade plant, graptopetalum, echeveria, portulacaria afra, coral tree, jade plant, and so on, can be propagated at this time indoors by cuttings using plain sand or clean sandy loam, and moved to the balcony after spring returns and the weather warms.

Using a large flower pot filled with loose sandy loam, or vermiculite, perlite, and so on as a cutting medium, propagate by cuttings indoors near a window with good light: gardenia, fuchsia, hibiscus, bougainvillea, Buddhist pine, dwarf pomegranate, chaenomeles, nandina, daphne, and ardisia, but the pot opening should be covered with plastic film to retain moisture.

On the balcony, when grafting five-needle pine, Japanese white pine, plum blossom, longevity peach, red maple, wintersweet, and so on, bagging is needed to retain moisture, otherwise they are not easy to survive.

III. Care of balcony potted flowers

1. Cold protection

Most ornamental plant species suitable for balcony pot growing are still indoors in March. While taking measures such as keeping warm, preventing cold, providing ventilation and light, plants that need repotting should be repotted in time. For relatively hardy flowers and trees placed on the balcony, the potting soil should be kept from freezing. If the potting soil freezes, it can easily cause frost heaving of the potted flowers and trees, which will not only affect the normal growth of the plants that year, but in severe cases can cause the plants to die. You can take measures such as building a shelter on site or moving them indoors or into a shed for cold protection.

2. Pruning

For tree stumps such as wintersweet, holly grape, holly, black pine, five-needle pine, Buddhist pine, trident maple, Chinese elm, Japanese apricot, water willow, small-leaf privet, and so on, pruning and shaping can be carried out. Trunks and branches that need shaping can be wired and shaped in March. For plants that have not been repotted for 2 to 3 years, the soil can be changed. For bonsai placed on the balcony, keep the potting soil moist, water once every 3 to 5 days, and give appropriate misting. For plum blossom, winter jasmine, forsythia, wintersweet, longevity peach, camellia, and so on, necessary shaping and pruning can be done after flowering to promote maintaining a good plant shape. Carry out a comprehensive cleanup of the plants, cut off branches and leaves infected with pests and diseases, and destroy them. For dry cut surfaces on tree stumps, apply lime sulfur mixture and so on for anti-corrosion treatment.

3. Preparatory facilities

If conditions permit, you can also build a small water pool on the balcony, with a hard board on top (precast reinforced concrete), and use the humidity produced by evaporation from the pool. In summer, place some flowers that relatively prefer humid air on it, such as orchid species, monstera, giant taro, little angel, ardisia, nandina, and so on. The stored water is quite ideal for watering flowers.

That is what I have to share with you above. I hope this article is helpful to everyone, and I wish you good luck.