Gerbil watering - Summer version
About the introduction of this geranium, geranium watering - summer version, let's take a look together!
“A little knowledge of raising flowers, watering takes three years of skill.” Watering is the first hurdle that every flower grower must pass. Although this hurdle seems simple, it actually involves many nuances and knowledge. If not mastered, it can affect the growth of the flowers, or even cause their death.
In fact, watering flowers is like eating for humans, it should be based on the growth of the plant, the size of the pot, the configuration of the potting soil, and the specific conditions of the planting environment, adjusting according to the type of flower and the local conditions. Today, I mainly want to share my own experience in watering geraniums on the balcony in the summer.
In the summer, it is best to have a wet-dry alternation for the pot-bound geraniums every three days or so. If it can be alternated every day, it would be even better, and you don't have to worry about the plants dying in the summer. However, due to different breeding environments, different soil configurations, different growth conditions of the plants, and different types of small heavens, the watering methods and the time needed for wet-dry alternation also differ. To clarify, the growing environment of my small heavens is: indoor enclosed balcony; the matrix used is: 50% Danish peat, 20% perlite, 5-10% vermiculite, 15% coal slag, 5-10% garden soil, and a small amount of ceramic stones.
I. Talking about the breeding environment.
We know that a freshly washed piece of clothing may dry in half an hour when hung outdoors in the summer, but it may take two hours to dry indoors. The evaporation rate outdoors is several times that of indoors. The difference between indoors and outdoors is so great that the frequency of watering flowers cannot be the same. It is often heard from flower friends who grow flowers outdoors that the soil in the pot dries out by night after watering in the morning. In my enclosed balcony, a strong-growing mature plant can dry the soil in three or four days in sunny and dry weather. In rainy days, it takes five or six days. Therefore, outdoors may need to be watered once a day, while indoors should be watered every three to five days depending on the condition of the soil.
II. Talking about the soil configuration.
Since peat has good breathability (due to its own structure), using peat for cultivation is very beneficial for the growth and development of plant roots, and is conducive to the full exchange of gases such as oxygen and carbon dioxide around the roots. Therefore, the "Fisher Geranium Variety Series Cultivation Guide" recommends a matrix of: 55-70% high-quality peat, 20-25% perlite, 5-10% vermiculite, and 5-10% ceramic stones. The content of peat in my own soil for growing geraniums is also around 50%. However, peat also has a strong water-holding capacity. According to the data, its water-holding capacity can reach about 15-20 times its own weight.
In the picture of the three cups of substrates from left to right are sand, garden soil mixed with a small amount of perlite, and peat 4: coconut bran 2: perlite 3: vermiculite 1, with a watering volume of 120 milliliters for each. As seen in the picture: the cup with sand has about 50 milliliters of water渗出, the cup with garden soil has about 35 milliliters of water渗出, and the cup with peat has not a single drop of water渗出.
The substrates in the two cups on the left and right are peat 4: coconut bran 2: perlite 3: vermiculite 1, with the left one having a watering volume of 120 milliliters and the right one having a watering volume of 60 milliliters. From the picture, it can be seen that the right cup with 60 milliliters of water has completely moistened the soil in the cup, and the soil is in a moist and breathable state, which I personally think is more conducive to root respiration and water absorption. The soil in the left cup has a high water content, and if you gently squeeze the soil clod, you can squeeze out a lot of water. In soil with excessive water content, the soil pores are filled with water, preventing external air from entering the soil, resulting in low dissolved oxygen in the water. In the summer, if the pot soil is too wet for a long time, the roots cannot breathe properly, and combined with high temperature and humidity, it is easy to breed fungi, leading to root asphyxiation and rot.
Through the above comparison, it can be seen that different substrates have different maximum water-holding capacities. Therefore, the method and amount of watering should also differ with different potting soil configurations. If the matrix of the potted geranium contains a higher proportion of peat, it cannot be watered excessively in the summer. This is because, except for天使 and large-flowered geraniums, straight and hanging geraniums are in a semi-dormant state with slow growth and small absorption, so it's enough to keep the soil moist; second, peat is not like sandy loam and garden soil, where excess water can seep out from the bottom of the pot. Moreover, if encountering high humidity and consecutive rainy days, the wet-dry cycle of the soil is slower and takes longer.
III. Talking about the differences in plant growth and the types of small heavens.
Take a look at the two straight heavens in the picture above. Although both are using 11-centimeter double-color pots, it is clear that their water requirements are different. After pouring the same amount of water, the pot on the left with well-developed roots and lush branches may dry in two or three days, while the pot on the right with weak roots and few leaves may not dry for four or five days. Therefore, you cannot water them the same way or at the same time. The pot on the left can handle a slightly larger amount of water because it has more branches and leaves to absorb and evaporate excess water, allowing the soil to complete a wet-dry cycle in a shorter time. The pot with fewer branches and leaves cannot have too much water.
Look at the two pots of geraniums in the picture above, both using 6-inch Roman pots (top diameter 18 centimeters). It is clear that the large-flowered geranium 'Rapib' on the left requires more water than the single-petal rose straight heaven on the right. Moreover, large-flowered geraniums do not dormancy in the summer, while straight heavens are in a semi-dormant state with slow growth, so the large-flowered geranium 'Rapib' can be watered generously, while the straight heaven on the right can easily have root rot or black rot if watered generously.
IV. Talking about the amount of watering.
Teacher Dong Xue Warm Sun once said that many of the discussions are qualitative but not quantitative. The above can be considered qualitative. But for a more intuitive understanding and to provide more reference value for new flower friends, I will reluctantly talk about quantification. In my article "On the Watering Problem of Potted Geraniums", I mentioned: After many observations and experiments, I found that when the amount of water is about one-third of the volume of the soil in the cup, it can make the entire cup of soil moist but not too moist, which is the most conducive to root water absorption and respiration. By this logic, no matter how big the pot is, only one-third of the volume of the soil (peat-based matrix) is needed to meet the moisture requirements of the soil.
Here are my usual watering specifics for reference:
50-milliliter cutting cups, watering volume is about 15 milliliters (appropriately increased or decreased according to the depth of the soil, the difference in root development, etc.)
150-milliliter ordinary disposable cup transplanted seedlings, watering volume is about 50 milliliters.
10-centimeter double-color pot transplanted seedlings, watering volume is about 150 milliliters.
11-centimeter double-color pot transplanted seedlings, watering volume is about 200 milliliters.
12-centimeter double-color pot transplanted seedlings, watering volume is about 250 milliliters.
15-centimeter Roman pot, Alice bowl pot, watering volume is about 350 milliliters.
18-centimeter Roman pot, Alice bowl pot, watering volume is about 500 milliliters.
V. Talking about the principles of watering.
There are generally five principles of watering: completely dry before watering, moist before watering, wet-dry alternation, better dry than wet, and better wet than dry. Different flowers have different watering principles. Completely dry before watering is generally suitable for drought-resistant and flood-sensitive flowers, such as aloe vera, snake plant, and succulents; moist before watering is generally suitable for water-loving and drought-intolerant flowers, such as glass jade,米兰, and长春花; wet-dry alternation is generally suitable for moisture-loving but flood-intolerant flowers, such as kaffir lily, pothos, spider plant, and Saururus cernuus; better dry than wet is suitable for especially drought-resistant desert plants, such as golden barrel cactus, cacti, etc.; better wet than dry is suitable for semi-aquatic and semi-terrestrial plants, such as pennywort, Nephrolepis exaltata, etc.
I also choose the principle of wet-dry alternation for watering my small heavens. My understanding of wet-dry alternation is to water when the soil is basically dry but still slightly moist, not completely dry. The advantage of this method is that the small heavens will not rot the roots due to long-term moist soil and poor ventilation, nor will they damage the root hairs and tips due to excessively dry soil. The disadvantage is that the dryness and wetness of the soil is not easy to grasp and requires careful observation and continuous practice to master.
How to grasp the best timing for watering the soil? Look, lift, touch, dig, and叩. Look is to see if the color of the soil on the surface and around the bottom hole of the pot has lightened and turned white, and if there is a gap between the soil and the pot wall. If so, it's time to water. Lift is to pick up the flower pot with your hand and feel its weight. If the pot is very light and the soil is white, it's time to water. Touch is to touch the surface soil with your hand. If it feels hard and dry, it's time to water; if it feels slightly soft and slightly moist, wait to water. Dig is to use your finger to dig into the soil below the surface, about one centimeter. If it is relatively moist, wait to water; otherwise, water immediately. Haha, I never keep long nails because I often have to dig into the soil to decide whether to water, especially in the summer and winter.叩 is to gently tap the pot wall. Soil with a high water content has no gap between the soil and the pot wall, and the sound is dull. Soil that needs watering has a certain gap from the pot wall, and the sound is crisp (this method is more suitable for clay pots, purple sand pots, ceramic pots, etc. with thick walls).
(In the picture of the three pots of large-flowered geraniums, the right one is just watered, the middle one is two days after watering, and the left one needs to be watered immediately after four or five days. From the picture, the dryness and wetness of the soil are different, and the color depth is also significantly different.)
Actually, mastering one or two of the first five points is enough. If you're really unsure, use all five methods.
Many of the above are just personal practices and experiences and cannot be considered mature experience, for reference only. I hope the great masters and experts will not hesitate to teach me! Thank you all!
The introduction of "Gerbil Watering - Summer Version" is as above, hoping you will like it!