Red Prince Weigela (Latin name: Weigela florida cv. Red Prince) is a deciduous, spreading shrub in the honeysuckle family, genus Weigela. Its leaves are elliptical, the young branches are pale red (green in the Hangzhou area), and the old branches are grayish brown. It blooms in early summer, with dense flowers and a carmine-red corolla that is bright and pleasing to the eye. The peak blooming period runs from May to July (early April to early July south of the Yangtze River), and the inflorescences continue to appear intermittently until October. Each pruning prompts a new flush of growth and even more abundant flowers. It has strong cold and drought resistance and has been rated an excellent variety for the Green Olympics initiative.
Growing Environment
1. Temperature It prefers a warm environment; when the temperature is suitable, the plant grows normally and robustly. It can tolerate high temperatures, but when the temperature exceeds 40°C for a short time, the plant will wilt and the leaf margins will scorch. When the temperature drops below -38°C, frost damage occurs.
2. Light It prefers sunlight. When light is strong, the leaves are deep green, the branches are thick and sturdy, flower buds form well, there are many flowering branches, many flowering nodes, and the flower color is vivid. However, it can also tolerate a certain amount of shade. When light is insufficient, the leaves turn yellow-green, the internodes are long, the plant spreads open, small dead twigs easily appear inside the plant, and flowering is reduced.
3. Water It is relatively drought-tolerant, but after many years of cultivation the root system tends to rise to the surface, so soil should be mounded around the base in a timely manner. It dislikes waterlogging; the root bark is relatively soft and growth is vigorous, and prolonged waterlogging will cause the roots to suffocate and die.
4. Soil It prefers loose, fertile, well-drained soil. It grows well in heavy clay soil and tolerates slightly saline-alkaline and poor soil.
Cultivation Techniques
Water and Fertilizer Management
Red Prince Weigela prefers a moist environment, so water management should be strengthened during cultivation. After planting, the first three waterings should be done well. After that, depending on rainfall and soil moisture, apply one or two thorough waterings each month, keeping the soil at about half-field moisture capacity. In addition to watering, foliar misting can also be used to supplement moisture, which can effectively improve the survival rate of the seedlings. In the second year, rejuvenation water should be applied promptly in early spring. April to June is its flowering period, during which watering can be appropriately controlled; one thorough watering per month is sufficient. Excessive moisture during the flowering period tends to make the flowers fade prematurely. Watering after flowering can follow the same approach as in the first year of planting.
Red Prince Weigela prefers fertilizer. When planting, some barnyard manure can be applied as a base fertilizer. After flowering, a nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium compound fertilizer should be applied as a top dressing. In late autumn, in conjunction with the freezing-water irrigation, some decomposed cow or horse manure or sesame paste residue can be applied. In the following spring after budding, some urea can be applied; after flowering, an appropriate amount of phosphorus and potassium fertilizer should be applied as a top dressing; after the Beginning of Autumn, fertilization should stop; and in early winter, barnyard manure can be applied.
Pruning and Shaping
Red Prince Weigela is generally pruned in early spring. Its plant form is usually shrubby, with 5 to 7 branches per plant. Because it flowers on one- to two-year-old branches, older branches do not easily produce flowers, so care should be taken during pruning to promptly renew flowering branches. To keep the plant well ventilated and exposed to light, overly dense branches should also be thinned out promptly. In addition, weak twigs, dead branches, and diseased or pest-infested branches should also be removed promptly. After flowering, if seeds are not needed, the spent flowers should also be removed promptly to avoid consuming large amounts of nutrients for seed production, which would affect growth and flowering the following year.
Pest and Disease Control
Red Prince Weigela has slender branches, attractive leaf color, and brilliant, colorful flowers, as gorgeous as brocade sashes. It is suitable for planting in courtyards, residential communities, or in groups of three to five on lawns and roadsides. Red Prince Weigela has a certain resistance to hydrogen fluoride, so it can also be used as a landscaping and beautification plant in factory and mining areas.
1. Symptoms:
It damages weigela branches. The lesions on small branches are tea-brown with indistinct edges, and black small granules form on them, namely the pycnidia of the pathogen. Severely affected branches die.
2. Control Methods:
1. Provide careful maintenance, apply more organic fertilizer, loosen and improve the soil, drain promptly after rain, prevent moisture retention, and prevent frost damage.
2. During pruning, remove diseased branches. Remove diseased branches or lesions before conidia are produced, so as to reduce sources of infection.
3. During the conidia release period, spray once every half month with jiemanling : asomate : water = 2:1:100, which can eliminate the overwintering bacteria of branch blight. In addition, 40% carbendazim or 36% thiophanate-methyl 500-fold solution, or 50% benomyl wettable powder 800-1000-fold solution, can also be sprayed.