Methods for planting water lilies
Do you know these? An introduction to the knowledge of hydroponic flowers - water lilies, the planting methods are specifically introduced as follows:
It has been nearly eleven years since planting water lilies, and from complete failure to now sharing tubers with others step by step, I especially want to share my experience over the years with flower enthusiasts. If there are any differing opinions or experienced individuals, please feel free to instruct and correct, and if there are any mistakes or omissions, please forgive me.
This article will first discuss the methods for planting water lilies. I will categorize the commonly seen fragrant water lilies, Southeast Asian water lilies (midnight lilies), mini water lilies, and Guanyin lilies together. The two most important elements for planting water lilies are: one, light; two, temperature. Whether there is sufficient light determines whether water lilies can be planted alive and well, the more light and the warmer the climate, the better the water lilies grow, and the shorter the dormant period. Therefore, if you want to plant water lilies, you must first assess whether you can provide a place with adequate lighting.
Let's start planting water lilies:
One, pot: Choose pots with an outward opening as much as possible, leaves facing outward grow better than inward-facing ones, the wider the pot opening, the larger the flowers (not much relation to the size of the pot bottom), and the depth of the pot affects the blooming interval, the deeper the pot, the longer the interval.
Two, soil: Try to choose soil with higher粘性, such as clay or Yangming Mountain soil.
Three, then place a small amount of long-acting fertilizer or root fertilizer at the bottom of the pot (too much will rot the roots), put about 1/4 to 1/3 of the soil in the pot, press it down, and then bury the bulb with the芽 point upwards. If the bulb is buried deep, the blooming interval will be longer but the flowers will be larger, if buried shallow, the interval will be shorter and the flowers smaller. After planting, move it to a well-lit area, fill the pot with water, and wait for the leaves to grow and the flowers to bloom (some leaves can be pruned if too many).
Four, if planting more than two bulbs together, it is different from planting other flowers. The two bulbs should be planted close together because if they are separated, when the leaves of the more dominant plant shade the芽 point of the weaker one, the weaker plant will not receive light and die. Also, when planting together, it's best to choose the same species or color family, as darker colors (like purple, blue) are more dominant than lighter colors (white, yellow). Remember this!
Five, after blooming, the flowers can be cut and placed in water (except for midnight lilies), the life span of the flowers is about 3 to 6 days, on the first day the flowers will be more upright, then they will become more and more bent until they bend into the water. If the flowers are cut and placed in water, the blooming interval will be shorter, if left to wither, the interval will be longer.
Six, fertilizing: Approximately every one and a half to two months, add long-acting fertilizer or root fertilizer about 3 to 5 centimeters away from the bulb, but do not add any after the end of September because it's getting into autumn, and the water lilies will enter the dormant period. Adding fertilizer could cause root rot.
Seven, after entering autumn and winter, water lilies will also enter the dormant period as the temperature drops. It's best not to disturb them at this time, only adding water when it's low, the varieties with spotted leaves on fragrant water lilies will have a longer dormant period than those without spots, and lighter colors will have a longer dormant period than darker colors.
Eight, transplanting and dividing: It can be done from after Qingming to before Mid-Autumn Festival every year. When dividing, be careful not to injure the芽 point, the size of the bulb is not too important. It is recommended not to have too many芽 hearts crowded in one pot, as the leaves will become smaller and will not bloom, so it's best to divide once or twice every two years (that's why I give away the extras every year).
Nine, some varieties will undergo another asexual reproduction in the center of the leaves. If you find a芽 heart growing in the center of the leaf, do not disturb it at first, let it grow, and when the leaf starts to turn yellow, cut the leaf stalk and the芽 heart together and place them in a water basin or flower pot. Put them in a well-lit area, and in about two weeks, when the芽 point has grown and rooted, you can plant it as a normal plant, and it will bloom in the same year.
Water lilies do not require much management because they grow quickly. Even if there are occasional caterpillars or aphids, the damage is not serious. If water lilies are planted next to roses, the roses will not grow many aphids because they are fed by the water lilies, and with adequate light, they will grow beautifully.
In addition to being ornamental, the flowers of water lilies can also be eaten. Remove the outer petals and steep them in tea, which is very fragrant and rich in natural pectin. However, dark colors can be too fragrant and slightly bitter, so only light colors are used for making flower tea. Also, the petals can be separated and blended with milk, ice cubes, and fruit sugar in a blender to make a beautiful and delicious water lily smoothie.
The above sharing is the full content of the planting methods for water lilies (11 years of flower friend experience), hoping it is helpful to green plant enthusiasts!