What season does the balloon flower bloom in? A detailed guide to growing it
The balloon flower (Platycodon grandiflorus) is an ornamental flower with dark purple or dark purple-white blooms. Its flower shape is attractive and it is especially suitable for planting in parks or for creating flower seas. The roots of the balloon flower have certain medicinal and edible value. Balloon flowers are mainly distributed in China, the Korean Peninsula, Japan and eastern Siberia, and are generally propagated by seed. Let's take a look below at what season the balloon flower blooms in and how to grow it
1. What season does the balloon flower bloom in?
The balloon flower blooms from July to September each year. When it blooms, it is right in midsummer. The balloon flower is purple, very fresh and refined, and uniquely styled. The flower shape is also very special, generally with five petals. When hanging downward, it looks very much like an ancient bell, so people also call it the bellflower.
2. How do you grow the balloon flower?
1. Site selection and land preparation
The balloon flower is a deep-rooted plant, so it is best to choose humus soil or sandy soil with deep soil layers, loose fertility and good drainage. After choosing the site, plow more than 30 cm deep, then level and harrow it finely.
2. Sowing at the right time
The balloon flower is mainly propagated by seed, and spring, summer, autumn or winter sowing are all possible. It can also be raised as seedlings and then transplanted, but because direct sowing gives higher yields than transplanting, and the roots are straighter with fewer forks, making peeling and processing easier and the quality better, it is mostly used in production. Note that when propagating by seed, you must use newly produced seed from the current year. New seed germinates quickly, has a high germination rate, and produces uniform, sturdy seedlings that are easy to manage. Old seed from the previous year has a low germination rate or may not germinate at all.
To improve the seed germination rate, the seeds can first be treated. Before sowing, soak the seeds in warm water for 12 hours, mix them evenly with an appropriate amount of moist sand, pile them for a few days and then sow, which can significantly improve the germination rate. Use the drill sowing method: on the prepared seedbed surface, open furrows at a row spacing of 18-21 cm, about 2 cm deep, and cover with 1 cm of soil after sowing. Or use the more advanced wide-row drill sowing method, that is, the furrow width is 10 cm, the row spacing is unchanged, and soil is covered after sowing. The wide-row drill sowing method has many advantages, such as simple management and good finished-product quality. With suitable temperature, seedlings emerge in about 15 days.
3. Field management
Reasonable dense planting: if too dense, the plants grow thin and weak and are prone to damage from pests and diseases. If too sparse, the yield is low. When using the wide-row drill sowing method, thin the seedlings appropriately; as long as the seedlings are not crowded, there is no need to remove too many. Appropriate dense planting is the key to increasing yield.
Cultivation and weeding: the balloon flower grows slowly in the early stage and is prone to weeds, so weeds should be pulled promptly to prevent them from spreading and causing a weed infestation. Water the planting site thoroughly first, and once the moisture is suitable, immediately loosen the soil shallowly once to avoid the ground cracking and letting air through, which can cause seedling death. Cultivation should be carried out when the soil moisture is moderate. Once the plants have grown large and closed the rows, cultivation and weeding are no longer needed.
Topdressing: during the seedling stage, apply dilute human and livestock manure 1-2 times to promote seedling growth. At the end of June, apply fertilizer for the flowering stage, mainly phosphorus and potassium fertilizer, to prevent excessive nutrient consumption from flowering and fruiting from affecting growth. After winter begins, apply a heavy overwintering fertilizer, and combine fertilization with earthing up. In the following spring, when the plants are about 1 m tall, appropriately control the amount of nitrogen fertilizer and apply phosphorus and potassium fertilizer as a supplement, so that the stems grow thick and strong, which can prevent or reduce lodging.
4. Flower and fruit thinning, drainage
The balloon flower has a relatively long flowering period, which consumes a large amount of nutrients and affects root growth. Except for fields kept for seed, flower and fruit thinning can improve root yield and quality. In production, flower buds can be removed by hand, such as cutting off the buds with a sickle. Or use paclobutrazol, sprayed during full bloom, to prevent flowering.