A detailed guide to growing Calibrachoa: master the cutting method and timing

What flower can bloom like spring all year round? That of course has to be Calibrachoa. It is a relative of petunia, with the same flower shape as petunia, only its flowers are a bit smaller than petunia's. It is an easy-to-grow plant with abundant blooms.

Calibrachoa is also known as Million Bells. Although it is an annual flower, its blooming period is very long, lasting from spring all the way to late autumn. How do you grow it? First, give it very good light. The more sunlight it gets, the more flowers it will produce, and especially when it starts sprouting it needs full-day sunlight.
Second, because it has a large number of flowers, its water evaporation is naturally vigorous, so watering must keep up. The principle is to water when dry and let it dry between waterings, meaning when you notice the surface of the potting soil is dry, you should water. When watering, be sure to water from the side, not from the top of the pot, otherwise the flowers easily go bald on top. In winter, when temperatures are low, water consumption is slow, so avoid overwatering that causes waterlogging.
Then as for fertilizing, because Calibrachoa's blooming period is especially long, fertilizer must keep up. It likes fertilizer but cannot tolerate concentrated fertilizer. You can apply some phosphorus and potassium fertilizer every 1 week, such as using Hua Duo Duo No. 2 or monopotassium phosphate (diluted 1:1000 for spray irrigation

and root drenching). For routine care, if you notice the number of flowers clearly decreasing, you can do a round of pruning and tidying. When pruning, you can remove the side branches on top of the flowers, overly long branches, spent flowers and yellow leaves, to encourage new branch growth and maintain the vitality of the Calibrachoa.

In addition, when growing in pots, note that you should choose a pot with as many drainage holes as possible, because the plant height of Calibrachoa is generally around 20cm, not too tall, so it is recommended to hang it up in a hanging basket to grow, which makes it more ventilated and breathable. For the soil, choose a general-purpose potting mix (2 parts peat soil, 1 part coconut coir, 2 parts perlite, 1 part fermented organic fertilizer), mix evenly and then plant.

Finally, Calibrachoa, like petunia, has relatively few pests and diseases. At most, a few aphids may appear. For daily care, just have a little imidacloprid on hand.