How long does the flowering period of wishbone flower (Torenia fournieri) generally last? Growing methods and precautions

Spring is here and summer is not far away. At this time, are you starting to fret over what flower seedlings to collect? Don't worry, today I recommend a plant that blooms like crazy in summer - wishbone flower (Torenia fournieri)! This flower is heat-tolerant and sun-tolerant, and its flowering period can last from summer all the way to late autumn. It can be called a "model worker" born specially for summer!

Because wishbone flower is so prolific, it scatters seeds everywhere after blooming, and if you are not careful it may turn your courtyard into its occupied territory, so its seeds and small potted seedlings are very easy to find on the flower market. It is mostly distributed in Zhejiang, Taiwan, China, Guangdong, Guangxi, Guizhou and other places in China, and the maximum height of an adult plant is about 15 to 50 cm. In appearance, the flower shape is like a butterfly, the flower colors are rich, some petals have blue patches, and there is a yellow part at the deepest point. How should it be grown?

If you want to grow wishbone flower well, and what you bought is seeds, then from sowing to flowering it takes about 3 months. If what you bought is a small potted seedling, the growing temperature for care is about 18-21°C. Although it likes light, it is best to add a shade umbrella for it at hot noon above 35°C, and in winter it cannot tolerate temperatures below 12°C.

In terms of watering, this is a technical skill needed for growing flowers and plants. Wishbone flower requires the soil to be moist, but not waterlogged. It likes sandy soil with good drainage. If conditions allow, you can additionally add some humus as base fertilizer, which helps it absorb nutrients.

In terms of fertilizing, wishbone flower requires the principle of eating small meals more often. It is recommended to feed it a nitrogen-phosphorus-potassium compound fertilizer once every half month. Before the flowering season in late spring and early summer, you can apply diluted cake fertilizer water and potassium dihydrogen phosphate solution as a top dressing. In addition, the key point of fertilizing must be that it is light, because concentrated fertilizer will cause indigestion.

Although wishbone flower rarely gets sick, you should still guard against pests such as aphids and whiteflies and observe more often. So what are the ways to deal with insects? If there are only a few small eggs, you only need to prune them off and throw them away, and then spray a little bactericidal solution. If they have already become small insects, but the amount is not large, you can spray chili water, edible vinegar or garlic to remove the insects, but if there are many insects, then spray insecticides such as pirimicarb or oxazolidine (generally spray once every 7-10 days), and spraying continuously 2-3 times can basically remove the pests.