What should I pay attention to when growing flowers?

People who live in urban buildings always want to grow flowers on the balcony or something. In particular, some girls love life and like to grow flowers, but it is inconvenient to grow flowers because they only rent houses. Even if they love their house, they can't really be a person who loves flowers and can grow them for various reasons. For those friends who like to grow flowers without skills, but like to grow flowers, I hope I can help you

First of all, water

Send it to people who like growing flowers but don't know how to grow them well.

Watering is the key to growing flowers. What water to water, when to water and how much water to water seem simple, but if you don't master it well, it will also affect the growth of flowers and seriously lead to the death of flowers. Watering flowers is the same as feeding people. Find out the habits of flowers and water them regularly.

1. Water time and water temperature

The watering time is usually in the morning, afternoon or evening. Avoid water at noon in summer, especially in midsummer, and it is not advisable to splash cold water at noon. It's just like people can't take a cold bath when they are sweating. It is ok to water at night, but the light is dark at night, so it is not clear whether the surface of the basin soil is short of water. The temperature of watering is generally that you put your hand into the water without feeling cold or biting.

2. The principle of watering

The principle of watering is generally dry and thorough, dry and wet, dry and wet alternately, dry but not wet, wet but not dry.

Dry means that the soil in the basin is completely dry before watering, and a small amount of water will seep out from the bottom of the basin. Thorough irrigation in drought is generally suitable for flowers that are drought-tolerant and afraid of waterlogging, such as aloe, agave and succulents.

Seeing dry and seeing wet means that the surface of the basin soil needs watering when it is dry, and a small amount of water seeps out when it is poured to the bottom of the basin, which means soaking thoroughly. Seeing dry and wet is generally suitable for flowers that like water and fear drought, such as glass emerald, Milan, Catharanthus roseus and so on.

Dry is better than wet, and it is suitable for desert plants that are particularly drought-tolerant, such as Jin Hu and cactus. This kind of plant is particularly afraid of stagnant water, and its roots rot easily, so it is necessary to wait until the soil is completely dry before watering. Dry is better than wet, and the interval between dry and watering is longer.

Wet is better than dry, which is suitable for plants that are half water and half soil, such as copper money grass. This plant is particularly afraid of drought, so it should be watered frequently to keep the soil moist.

There is another kind, that is, dry and wet alternately. Dry and wet alternate between dry and wet. Generally, water is applied when the basin soil is basically dry, but there is still a little moisture and it is not completely dry. The advantage of this method is that flowers will not rot their roots because of long-term wet soil and poor breathing, nor will they wither because of long-term drought. The disadvantage is that it is not easy to master the time, and it is necessary to find out the habits of different flowers in the long-term flower cultivation practice before using them. In my flower cultivation practice, many flowers are watered in this way, such as Clivia, green radish, emerald, white palm, dripping Guanyin, crab claw orchid, false epiphyllum, yemen iron, chlorophytum and so on.

3. The frequency of watering

The frequency of watering refers to how often to water. It depends on the habits of flowers. The most important thing about the frequency of watering is that watering should be done regularly and quantitatively. Watering flowers is the same as feeding people. A regular diet can make people healthy. Hungry and full meal will definitely affect your health for a long time. Water it regularly and quantitatively, for example, once a week, 500 ml each time, so that the flower will adjust its metabolism to gradually adapt to the frequency of watering, which forms the biological clock of the flower. Flowers, like people, can grow healthily only if their biological clocks are stable. Many people water the flowers when they think of it, but don't water them when they can't remember it, or sometimes water them a little, half full, and let the flowers die of thirst; Sometimes a lot of water is poured to drown the flowers. In this way, it can't even adapt to water, its biological clock is destroyed, and even its survival has become a problem. Where does the energy come from to breed buds and repay you with bright flowers?

4. How to judge whether the soil in the basin is short of water?

Three methods: look, listen and wipe. It depends on whether the color of the soil surface has turned white, and if it has, it means water shortage. Listening is knocking on the flowerpot with your hand and listening to the sound. Rubbing means grasping the topsoil and rubbing it with your hands. For sandy loam, if it is kneaded, it will break into powder, and there is no water in the soil, indicating that the soil is short of water. For clay, if the soil is hard and can't be crushed, it means water shortage. Specifically:

Pottery pots and purple sand pots are knocked by hand, and the sound is crisp, indicating that the soil is dry and can be watered. The dull sound means that the soil below it is not dry enough, so don't water it.

Look at the outer wall of the pottery basin. If it is not completely dry, there will be traces of moisture on the wall.

The porcelain basin plastic basin is inserted into the soil with wooden chopsticks (thick) and then pulled out. If the soil on the chopsticks is wet or dry, it can be judged that the soil under it is dry.

It takes a long time to grow flowers. Take a look at the flowerpot and knock it twice with your hand to know whether the soil in the flowerpot is short of water.

5. What water can water the flowers?

Tap water, groundwater, rainwater, river water and lake water can all be used to water flowers. Most people water their flowers with tap water. The tap water just received contains chlorine, little oxygen and microorganisms, and the water temperature is low. So pay attention to watering the flowers with tap water. Let the water dry for a day or two, and then water the flowers after the chlorine in the water volatilizes, the oxygen dissolves, the water temperature approaches the air temperature, and the microorganisms in the water increase.

6. What kind of water can't water the flowers

Soap water, washing powder water, dishwashing water and other water contain a lot of alkaline substances, which will cause harm to flowers and should not be watered.

Tea is weakly acidic, so don't use plants that like alkalescence.

The concentration of rice washing water must be very light, and it is best to water the flowers after fermentation and decomposition.

7. Special watering of flowers

A few drops of vinegar in vinegar water can improve the pH of soil. Watering flowers with sugar water and beer can supplement fertilizer, and Clivia can use it when holding an arrow. However, it should be noted that the concentration must be very weak when watering flowers with these waters.

No one has watered it for a long time.

Two methods. One is to fill a mineral water bottle with water, insert a small hole in the bottle cap and put it upside down in a flowerpot to let the water seep out slowly, and the hole should not be too big. The second is to put the basin next to the flowerpot, with a few pieces of wool or cloth, one end in the water and the other end in the flowerpot, so that the wool cloth can slowly absorb water.

Second, the use of soil.

Send it to people who like growing flowers but don't know how to grow them well.

Soil is the source of nutrients for flowers to live on, and what kind of soil to choose for family flowers should be decided according to the habits of flowers. But no matter what soil is used, the general requirement is looseness, ventilation and good drainage. Generally speaking, flower cultivation should not use a single kind of soil, but should mix different kinds of soil and fertilizer to meet the needs of flower growth.

1. Ordinary soil

Sandy soil: it contains no organic matter and nutrients and belongs to neutral soil. Mixing sand in soil can prevent soil hardening and increase drainage permeability.

Garden soil: it is mostly taken from the topsoil of farmland, lawn and wilderness, and contains more organic matter. It is one of the most common and commonly used soils for family flower cultivation. The disadvantage is that it is easy to harden, and sand and humus can be used.

Rotten soil: it is composed of leaves, vegetable leaves, dead branches, rotten leaves and soil. It contains a lot of nutrients, is loose and fertile, has good drainage and permeability, and is weakly acidic. It is usually used with garden soil.

Clay loam: It is generally distributed in the southern region, with reddish brown and yellowish brown, and the soil is acidic, so it is suitable for planting Illicium verum, Osmanthus fragrans, Daphne odora, Bougainvillea, Rhododendron, Lily, Camellia, Lagerstroemia indica and Nandina domestica.

Peat soil: commonly sold in the market, it contains nitrogen and mineral elements, and is suitable for growing flowers in tropical rain forests and alpine valleys, such as rubber trees, flamingos, green radish and azaleas.

Mountain mud: Mountain loess distributed in Central China and South China, with weak acidity, suitable for flowers that like weak acidity, such as Milan and camellia.

Pond mud: also known as river mud, slightly acidic, suitable for planting wetland flowers such as copper grass, lotus and bowl lotus.

Pine needle soil: the pine leaves in the forest are decomposed, fertile and strongly acidic, which is suitable for cultivating acid-loving flowers, such as rhododendron and gardenia.

Special nutrient soil: special nutrient soil sold in the market, including special soil for Clivia, special soil for acid-loving flowers, special soil for succulents, and compound sheep manure soil.

2. Soil disinfection

Chemical disinfection: 84 disinfectant can be used, and the concentration is generally 2%~3%. Spray evenly while turning over the soil with a sprayer.

Heating disinfection: you can directly fry the soil in the pot, or add water and heat it for 40~60 minutes.

Sunlight disinfection: spreading the soil and exposing it to the sun for three or four days can kill germs, pests and eggs, but disinfection is not complete.

3. Preparation and advantages and disadvantages of "lazy soil"

Lazy soil is a kind of mixed nutrient soil that I gradually explored and prepared in the practice of flower cultivation. It is called lazy soil because it is suitable for the cultivation of most common flowers in northern China and is very suitable for beginners.

Lazy soil formula: acidic flower nutrient soil, garden soil, fine sand, plant compound fertilizer and sheep manure compound fertilizer, one for each, and mix well. The nutrient soil sheep manure compound fertilizer that likes sour flowers can be purchased from the flower market, and the plant compound fertilizer is made by itself. If not, humus soil can be used instead, but the effect is not as good as plant compound fertilizer. I will explain the retting of compound fertilizer in the chapter on fertilizer.

Advantages of lazy soil: loose and breathable, good drainage, fertile soil, comprehensive nutrition, lasting fertilizer effect, wide adaptability and not easy to harden, which is suitable for the cultivation of most common flowers in northern China.

Disadvantages of lazy soil: after a long time of use, large cracks will appear in the soil, resulting in water loss when watering. At this time, it is good to loosen the soil. In addition, if the plant compound fertilizer is not completely decomposed, it will breed mosquitoes.

Note: Not all flowers are suitable for lazy soil. At present, the plants that I have found are not suitable for lazy soil: bird's nest fern, wind fern and flamingo. If flowers are strict with soil, it is best not to use lazy soil. In addition, plant compound fertilizer must be fully fermented and decomposed, and it is best to disinfect it before use.

Is it suitable for succulents to use lazy soil? Lazy soil contains garden soil. Some people say that succulents can't use garden soil directly, but should be prepared with peat soil, perlite, vermiculite and other substrates. But I found in the practice of flower cultivation that Liliaceae, Sedum, Cactus, Annonaceae, Rosa? Many succulents in the family can grow well and quickly in lazy soil. For example, Guanyin Lotus, Lotus, Dou, Shou, Daiwa Gold, Huyehuayue, Sihaibo, Yudie, Bai Mudan, Ryuboshi, Yuzhulian, Couple Jade, Leopard Skin Flower, Rhinoceros Horn Flower and so on. However, there are many kinds of succulents, which cannot be generalized. Generally speaking, whether lazy soil is suitable for planting succulents is still being explored.

4. How to distinguish the acidity and alkalinity of soil?

Look at the color, acidic soil is dark black and alkaline soil is light white.

Acidic soil is not easy to harden and has good drainage permeability, while alkaline soil is easy to harden and has poor drainage permeability, so it is not easy to seep down after being watered.

Using PH test paper, this method is the most scientific, but it is more complicated.

5. How to improve the soil pH value?

The water in the north, especially in the northwest, contains a lot of saline-alkali soil. Long-term watering will make the soil alkaline and further harden the soil, which is not conducive to the growth of flowers. At this time, the pH value of the soil should be improved. The most common method is to use ferrous sulfate, or you can drop a few drops of vinegar in the water when watering.

If the acidity is too high, some plant ash can be properly mixed into the basin soil.

Third, composting and fertilization.

1. Types of fertilizers

There are many kinds of fertilizers, according to different classification methods, including nitrogen fertilizer, phosphorus fertilizer, potassium fertilizer, organic fertilizer, inorganic fertilizer, compound fertilizer, special fertilizer and so on.

Nitrogen fertilizer, also known as foliar fertilizer, can make plants grow rapidly, with lush foliage and dark green leaves. In seedling stage and foliage plants, nitrogen fertilizer is mainly applied. Common nitrogen fertilizers are bean cake, ammonium sulfate, urea, human excrement and so on.

Phosphate fertilizer, also known as fruit fertilizer, can promote flower bud differentiation and pregnancy, make flowers bright and fragrant, and make fruits large and of good quality. Before flowering and after fruiting, more phosphate fertilizer should be applied. Common phosphate fertilizers include poultry manure, feathers, eggshells, bone meal, animal hoof horns, bones, internal organs, potassium dihydrogen phosphate and so on.

Potassium fertilizer, also known as root fertilizer, can make stems and roots grow strong, not prone to lodging, and enhance their ability to resist pests and diseases. Potassium fertilizer is indispensable in the whole process of plant growth. Common potash fertilizers are plant ash, potassium chloride and potassium sulfate.

Organic fertilizer made by decomposing and fermenting animal and plant residues contains a lot of nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium and trace elements, with comprehensive nutrition and lasting fertilizer effect, which can improve soil structure and increase soil water retention performance. Common organic fertilizers include animal manure, feathers, bones, hoof horns, bone meal, eggshells, internal organs, litter, peel stones, leaf weeds, Chinese medicine residues and so on. Organic fertilizer is generally compound fertilizer.

Inorganic fertilizer mainly refers to chemical fertilizer, which has simple composition, quick effect and short fertilizer effect. Long-term use will harden the soil, so it should be used with organic fertilizer. Common inorganic fertilizers include urea, ammonium sulfate, ammonium chloride, ammonium nitrate, calcium superphosphate, potassium sulfate, potassium chloride and potassium dihydrogen phosphate.

Special fertilizer is a fertilizer specially used for a certain flower or a certain stage of flower growth, such as special nutrient solution and accelerant for hydroponic plants.

2. How do household flowers make fertilizer?

Houseflowers can't grow without fertilizer. Flower markets often sell less chemical fertilizers, and some of them are expensive. You may even buy fake fertilizer when you meet a black-hearted vendor. If there are many flowers, there is a large demand for fertilizer, and family conditions permit, it is often a good choice to fertilize yourself. The retted fertilizers are all organic compound fertilizers with comprehensive nutrition, lasting fertilizer effect and genuine products. Fertility can last for one to two years.

The materials of domestic compost can be leaves and weeds, dead leaves, weeds and wild vegetables, peels and stones, Chinese medicine residues, tea dregs, rice washing water, rotten tofu, rotten gruel, rotten beans, human excrement, animal excrement, feathers, eggshells, internal organs, bones, hoof horns, scales and the like. And bones and scales. Mix these things together, put them in a larger container (cylinder, barrel, urn or big basin), mix them with soil, add enough water, cover them with soil, then seal them with a lid and let them dry in the sun. It will be cooked in about a year. After the fertilizer is dug out, if the color is black and there is no smell, it means that it has been decomposed and can be used. When composting, it is best to separate animal manure, viscera and other animal fertilizers from plant fertilizers such as litter and Chinese medicine residue. Because animal fertilizer is rich in nutrition and strong in fertility, flowers that don't like big fertilizer should not be used, otherwise it will cause fertilizer damage because of too much fertilizer. Plant fertilizer is mild in fertility and safe to use.

It is inevitable that there will be stench during composting, so the composting site is generally outdoors and can be selected in the yard. It is normal that a large number of bacteria and pests will inevitably breed when composting. You can spray some pesticides in advance or disinfect them before use.

3. Base fertilizer and topdressing

Base fertilizer, also known as base fertilizer, is a fertilizer applied before flower planting, planting and changing pots. Generally, organic compound fertilizer is the main ingredient. Some flowers that don't need big fertilizer don't need fertilization for a year or two or even longer if the base fertilizer is sufficient. The base fertilizer is generally spread at the bottom or middle of the flowerpot, and the depth of burial depends on whether your flower root system is developed. The developed roots are generally buried at the bottom, and the underdeveloped roots can be buried in the middle of the flowerpot.

Topdressing is to supplement corresponding fertilizers according to seasons, habits and needs during the growth of flowers, such as nitrogen fertilizer at seedling stage, phosphorus fertilizer at pregnancy and fruiting stage in bud stage and potassium fertilizer before overwintering. In addition, topdressing should also be done when the fertility of base fertilizer is insufficient. The method of topdressing varies according to the nature of fertilizer, and some can dig a circular ditch around the plant foundation, sprinkle fertilizer and bury it with soil. Some need to be dissolved in water, diluted and watered or sprayed on the leaves. The specific usage depends on the description of the fertilizer.

4. Matters needing attention in composting and fertilization

Animal and vegetable oils are very harmful to the growth of flowers and cannot be used for composting. Leftovers often contain oil, salt and various seasonings and cannot be used for composting.

The retted fertilizer must be fully fermented and decomposed before use, and no raw fertilizer can be applied, otherwise it will burn the roots of flowers and easily breed mosquitoes.

Fertilizer should not be too thick, otherwise it will cause fertilizer damage, and serious flowers will die.

Chemical fertilizer should not be used for a long time, and should be used in conjunction with organic fertilizer.

Fourth, others.

1. Pot changing method

Flowers are constantly growing, and when they grow to a certain extent, there is not enough space in the flowerpot, so it is necessary to change the flowerpot. Many flowers just bought from the flower market have a single composition or are not suitable for growing flowers. At this time, it is necessary to change pots and nutrient soil. However, changing pots and raising flowers is equivalent to operating on people, and it will be more or less collapsed, so the number of pot changes should not be too frequent. Generally speaking, it is not advisable to change pots more than twice in a year (except biennial herbs). In addition, you can't change pots at flowering stage, otherwise it will cause buds to drop.

When changing pots, first shovel down along the pot edge with a shovel to pry the pot soil loose, then turn the pot over and pat the pot wall gently to loosen the clods and separate them from the pot. If the bottom of the flowerpot is firmly bonded with the clods, you can poke the tiles covering the drainage holes at the bottom of the flowerpot with wooden sticks to separate the clods from the bottom of the flowerpot. Get rid of some old soil and subtract bad roots.

If the drain hole at the bottom of the flowerpot is large, cover the drain hole at the bottom of the new flowerpot with tiles after taking out the clods, but don't cover it too tightly, leaving a gap. Sprinkle a layer of gravel on the basin bottom as a drainage layer to increase the drainage permeability of the basin bottom, and then sprinkle a thin layer of subsoil on the gravel, which can use garden soil and a small amount of fine sand. The purpose of spreading subsoil is to reduce the loss of subsoil fertilizer from drainage holes. Then, spread a layer of base fertilizer, generally using organic compound fertilizer, and the base fertilizer should be sufficient. If flowers don't like big fat, they should use manure carefully. After the base fertilizer is laid, it can be filled with flower cultivation soil.

If the flowers are covered with soil, when the culture soil is filled to a certain depth, put it into the soil, continue to fill the culture soil, and then gently press the porcelain. If the flowers are bare-rooted, when they are added to half of the soil, they should be lifted slightly to make the roots elongate, and then continue to fill and compact.

After changing the basin, water is poured once to make the basin soil fully absorb water. However, for succulents, it is not appropriate to water after changing pots, but to use the method of dry planting with wet soil, that is, spray a small amount of water into the soil when filling, so that the soil is slightly wet (note that it is wet rather than wet), and then water it after changing pots for four or five days.

2. Selection of flowerpots

There are many kinds of flowerpots on the market, each with its own advantages and disadvantages. Common flowerpots include clay pots, clay pots, purple sand pots, porcelain pots, plastic pots, wooden pots, water jugs and so on.

Pottery pots have the best drainage and air permeability, are most suitable for flower growth, and are very cheap, but their appearance is not very beautiful.

The drainage and permeability of pottery pots are slightly lower than those of pottery pots, but they are also very suitable for flower growth and cheap. Many pottery pots are also printed with patterns and characters, which are much more beautiful than pottery pots in appearance and are one of the most suitable flowerpots for family flowers.

Purple sand basin looks beautiful and atmospheric, but its drainage and permeability are lower than those of pottery basin, and its price is higher.

The appearance of porcelain basin is beautiful, but the price is high and the drainage and air permeability are poor.

Plastic pots are cheap, but they have poor drainage and air permeability. In the dry areas of the north, they are easily weathered and will become brittle after a long time.

Wooden pots are suitable for planting large foliage plants and can be placed in halls and courtyards.

There is no drainage hole at the bottom of the hydroponic basin, which is a special potted plant for aquatic flowers.

3. Prevention and control of some pests and diseases

The prevention and control of flower diseases and insect pests is a big topic, which is introduced in detail in various flower cultivation materials. This paper only briefly introduces several effective methods to control pests and diseases that I have used in flower cultivation practice.

Scale insects are easy to produce due to poor ventilation, which is characterized by white hair like cotton at first, and then oval insects with the size of needle tip to rice grain. Scale insects belong to piercing-sucking pests, and there is a layer of wax on the body surface, which can isolate the liquid medicine, so the general stomach toxic pesticides are ineffective against scale insects. Insecticide wax melting agent should be used to kill scale insects. I used King botanical insecticide. Scale insects are prone to relapse. To remove the insect body and white hair, especially the scale insects hidden in leaf folds, you can use tools such as brushes and probes to remove them. Another way is to use fire quickly. The white hairs of scale insects are as flammable as catkins and can be burned with fire. I once killed a scale insect on a pocket coconut tree with a lighter, and the effect was very good. However, this method should pay attention to two points. First, it is necessary to master the time of fire roasting. A little longer will scorch the flowers and leaves. Second, if this method is not used properly, it may cause a fire, and it is not suitable for underage children.

Starscream, aphid, whitefly. This kind of pest is very harmful to flowers, but ordinary pesticides can kill this kind of pest. My glass jade and dripping Guanyin have both had starscream. As long as it is sprayed thoroughly, it can still be eliminated quickly.

Pests in the soil, flying black bugs. This pest is often caused by incomplete decomposition of fertilizers in the soil. A very effective way to deal with this pest is to soak a handful of cigarette butts in water for a day, then filter them, dilute them with water, and then water them in flowerpots thoroughly, two or three times.

Earthworms. Earthworms are beneficial insects in farmland, but in flowerpots, earthworms will cause a large number of caves in the soil, and their feces will form hard soil balls, which will adversely affect plant growth. It is found that earthworms can be removed manually when changing pots, and the pot soil can also be watered with 500 times dilution of deltamethrin.

4. Cutting and branching

Cuttings and ramets are both ways of flower reproduction. I have tried cutting glass jadeite, fairy finger and leopard skin flower. Glass green cutting is to insert branches into water, and the branches should not be too long. They can take root in two to three weeks and then plant in flowerpots. The cutting of fairy finger and leopard skin flower is to cut off branches, put them in a cool and ventilated place to dry for a day or two, plant them in a flowerpot after the incision scabs, and water them regularly. Plant isolation is the separation of progeny plants from their mothers. I tried the branches of aloe. When changing pots, I removed the old soil, carefully separated the small aloe, being careful not to damage the roots, and then put the small aloe in the pot. Although I don't have many flowers for cutting plants, many flowers can be propagated by these methods.

There are two other methods: sowing and stratified propagation. I tried to sow pansy, but it didn't work. I haven't tried layering, so I won't introduce it. You can refer to relevant information.

5. Small environment

Micro environment is relative to macro environment and micro environment. Macro environment refers to the climate environment of a city or region, and micro environment refers to the indoor environment or outdoor courtyard environment where plants are located. Microenvironment refers to the temperature, light, moisture, soil and fertilizer in and around the plant flowerpot within one meter to two or three meters. For many flowers, in order to thrive, it is very important that the microenvironment must be suitable and stable. For example, the time of receiving sunlight every day is relatively stable, and the temperature and air humidity of the microenvironment are also relatively stable, which requires us not to change places often. Water it regularly and quantitatively, for example, once a week, 500 ml each time, so that the flowers will adjust their metabolism to gradually adapt to this watering frequency. When the microenvironment is stable, the biological clock of flowers is formed. Flowers, like people, can only grow healthily if their biological clocks are stable, and a full meal will definitely affect their health. Many people water the flowers when they think of it, but don't water them when they can't remember it, or sometimes water them a little, half full, and let the flowers die of thirst; Sometimes a lot of water is poured to drown the flowers. In this way, it can't even adapt to water, and its biological clock has been destroyed. Where can it grow healthily and where can it have the energy to breed buds? Send it to people who like growing flowers but don't know how to grow them well.

Simply put, if you want to raise flowers well, you should not only create a suitable microenvironment of warm light, water, soil and fertilizer, but also ensure the stability of the microenvironment. In layman's terms, it is to let flowers live a regular life. Its biological clock is stable, so it has energy to blossom and bear fruit. Over the past six months, my succulents have blossomed one after another, my aloe has blossomed almost every year, and there are emeralds that have bloomed some time ago (rare in the north). I think this has a lot to do with the stability of the micro-environment. Like friends' collection and sharing, remember to pay attention to me.