CENTAUREA growing and care techniques
Today, the editor will explain the content of growing centaurea at home for you. Here are the techniques for growing and caring for centaurea, let's take a look together.
Centaurea, also known as blue poppy, green orchid, and lychee chrysanthemum, symbolizes happiness. Originally a wild flower, centaurea has been cultivated by people for many years, its "wild" nature has decreased, the flowers have become larger and the colors have diversified, with varieties such as purple, blue, light red, and white, among which purple and blue are the most precious. Belonging to the Asteraceae family, centaurea genus, its flower language is the happiness of being single and encountering happiness.
Centaurea cultivation
Centaurea enjoys sufficient sunlight, cool climate, and dislikes summer heat. It is suitable for fertile and loose soil. Due to its straight roots, it is best to transplant with soil clumps, otherwise it is not easy to recover. After the plants are established, apply diluted decomposed human waste urine once every 10 days or during the autumnal equinox, and stop fertilizing in March of the following year to wait for flowering. If grown in a pot, the soil should be loose and fertile, mixed with garden soil, decomposed leaves, and wood ash. When the seedlings have 6-7 leaves, perform the first transplant; as they grow, they should be moved to at least a three-liter pot, as centaurea has straight roots and does not tolerate transplanting well. In winter, they can be buried in the soil to overwinter, and taken out in early March, with frequent fertilization until the flower buds appear.
Strong cold resistance, can be planted outdoors in the East China region, needs to be covered in the North China region to overwinter; prefers fertile and loose soil; enjoys plenty of sunlight; can self-seed; adaptable and easy to cultivate. When grown as a cut flower, usually use a greenhouse to force flowering: sow in August, plant in September, and flowers can be produced by the following February. In the warm areas inside the Great Wall, it is usually sown in August-September, covered outdoors to overwinter, planted in early spring of the following year, and blooms in early summer. In the Northeast region, it is sown in the greenhouse in spring. Since centaurea has straight roots with few lateral roots, transplantation should be done with soil clumps when the seedlings are small, as larger seedlings do not survive well, so it is often done in spring. Centaurea can also self-seed and prefers dense planting, otherwise it may grow poorly.
Points to consider when growing centaurea
Centaurea is strong and relatively cold-tolerant, enjoys sunlight, and requires fertile, loose, and well-drained soil. Generally sown in September in the seedbed, areas south of Central China can overwinter outdoors without protection, and do not need to be protected from the cold in winter,移植 in November or early March of the following year. In the North China region, seedlings with 2-3 true leaves are transplanted once in autumn, moved into a sunny bed before winter, covered with protective materials, and planted in the open field in early spring. A base fertilizer should be applied before planting. Since centaurea has straight roots and does not tolerate transplanting well, it must be transplanted with a larger soil clump. The stems of centaurea are weak and prone to lodging, so the planting distance should not be too dense to prevent dense growth and poor ventilation, which can cause lodging. Seedlings need to be topped and pinched to promote branching and dwarfing, resulting in more flowers and an elegant plant shape. Liquid fertilizer is applied every 20 days during the growing period, but attention should be paid to not over-fertilizing with nitrogen, and more phosphorus and potassium fertilizers should be applied to make the stems sturdy and the flowers colorful. Also, watering should be moderate and not excessive, and drainage must be timely during the rainy season, otherwise it can cause root rot and affect the normal growth of the plant. Article source: https://
Key points for growing centaurea:
Both spring and autumn can be sown, with autumn sowing being better. Sow in mid-to-late September in a prepared seedbed, cover the seeds with soil, slightly press, cover with straw, water thoroughly, and keep the soil moist after germination. When the seedlings have 6-7 leaves, they can be transplanted or planted, with a spacing of about 30 centimeters. After the plants are established, apply diluted decomposed human waste urine once every 10 days or during the autumnal equinox, and stop fertilizing in March of the following year to wait for flowering. If grown in a pot, the soil should be loose and fertile, mixed with garden soil, decomposed leaves, and wood ash. When the seedlings have 6-7 leaves, perform the first transplant; as they grow, they should be moved to at least a three-liter pot, as centaurea has straight roots and does not tolerate transplanting well. In winter, they can be buried in the soil to overwinter, and taken out in early March, with frequent fertilization until the flower buds appear.
The detailed explanation of centaurea growing and care techniques shared above, hoping this article can bring you help in green plant management!