Is Chinese balloon flower worth buying? With growing methods and precautions
Friends who know a little about traditional Chinese medicine will all recognize the Chinese herb "balloon flower" (Platycodon grandiflorus), whose root has the effects of clearing heat and detoxifying, and resolving phlegm and relieving cough. Today I will take you through the "Chinese balloon flower" with its small purple flowers.
Chinese balloon flower is also known as bellflower and bundle flower; its flower shape resembles a five-pointed star, and its petals are pointed. In daily life quite a few fresh flower stall owners use it in bouquets as an accent, and its flowering period is relatively long. What is sold in flower markets is mainly fresh cut material and potted plants. If what you buy and take home is a bunch of fresh cut material, the first step in care is to open the packaging, diagonally cut about 1~2 cm off the base of the stems, then hydrate the flowers in deep water. Because it belongs to the plant category, it is very prone to water shortage, so the hydration time should preferably be 3~5 hours. After the fresh flowers are hydrated, you can tidy up the leaves on the stems, leaving only 1~2 ornamental leaves, and all the other leaves should be removed. Finally, after the leaves are removed, the whole thing becomes very clean and refreshing. Take a vase you like, add 1/2~2/3 water to it, then diagonally cut the base according to the height of the vase and place it into the vase, and that is done. The water change interval is about once every 2~3 days; pay attention to ventilation and avoid direct sunlight.
If what you buy and take home is a potted plant, then daily care needs to give it more light. You can put the balloon flower in a place with direct sunlight, such as a balcony or beside a window. As for soil, you can use ordinary garden soil, or soil mixed with leaf mold and sand; as long as the soil is ensured to have good air permeability and drainage, it will all be suitable.
As for watering, keep the soil moist but not waterlogged. Generally speaking, in spring and autumn water once a week; in summer the weather is hot, so it may need watering once each morning and evening every day; in winter when it is cold, reduce the frequency of watering to prevent frost damage. Finally, fertilizing is indispensable. During the growing period, apply a compound fertilizer once a month. If you want the flowers to look good, you can also appropriately increase phosphorus and potassium fertilizer before the flowering period. During care, if you find withered flowers and fading foliage, cut off the yellowed or dead flowers; doing so is beneficial to the plant's vegetative growth.