When Does the Kapok Flower Bloom? Flower Meaning and Introduction to Cities Where It Is the City Flower
As the city flower of Guangzhou, the kapok has large blooms, mostly in rich red hues, like raging fire, making people feel full of vibrant vitality. Therefore, its flower meaning symbolizes passion and resilience, representing an indomitable spirit. There are now also white and pink varieties. In addition, besides its beautiful flowers, the kapok also has certain medicinal value. During the flowering season, many flower lovers like to pick them up and take them home to make soup, which has the effects of clearing heat, draining dampness and detoxifying, while its root bark and tree bark can also be ground into fine powder to treat rheumatism and traumatic injuries.
The kapok is a large deciduous tree of the genus Bombax in the family Malvaceae, mostly distributed in tropical provinces and regions of China such as Yunnan, Sichuan, Guizhou, Guangxi, Jiangxi and Guangdong. Its flowering period is between March and April, and its growing temperature ranges from 20 to 30 degrees Celsius. It likes a warm, dry and sunny environment, is not very cold-tolerant, is drought-tolerant, and fears wind and waterlogging. If the minimum winter temperature is less than 5 degrees Celsius, it will wither below that. It loves light very much in daily life and should be planted in a place without a lack of light. If the location is too shady, it may affect its growth and flowering.
In terms of watering, keep the soil moist, but avoid overwatering. In addition, during the rainy season, pay attention to draining away standing water to avoid affecting growth.
In terms of soil, the kapok likes fertile, well-drained, slightly acidic sandy soil. If the pH of the planting site is too high, it may hinder normal growth later on.
In terms of fertilizing, when planting, to improve the soil structure, it is recommended to use decomposed cake fertilizer as a base fertilizer. Apply phosphorus and potassium fertilizer before the kapok's flowering period and during full bloom. Doing so can promote flowering and make the flower colors vivid, but be careful not to use too high a concentration, so as not to burn the roots.
There are often points to note during care. Generally speaking, the kapok often suffers from pests and diseases such as scale insects, anthracnose, leaf spot disease and whiteflies. The pests usually gather in the center of the leaves and then secrete a sticky sap, weakening the plant's growth and causing the leaves to show signs of yellowing. At this time, the remedy is to directly use insecticides such as buprofezin to deal with them.