Smile Huibisu cultivation method
This article introduces the cultivation method of the succulent plant Smile Huibisu. Let's delve into the details together.
Let's start a thread to talk about Smile Huibisu. I often hear flower enthusiasts say that it's difficult to grow and prone to rotting, so I feel it's necessary to share some of my experiences with everyone, at least to pique more interest in this variety. However, I live in Shanghai, so all my experiences are only suitable for the Jiangnan region, and flower enthusiasts from other directions may only use them as a reference.
Firstly, when it comes to cultivating this variety, let's first discuss what their best state is.
1. The stems are hard, similar to the hardness of ginger when pinched. This is even the case during the dormant period, but they may become slightly softer if the dormant period is long, like from November to February of the following year, but it will never be as soft as a tomato;
2. The short spines around the growing points are straight and flexible at any time of the year, meaning they won't break when flicked with your fingers;
3. The outer skin has no black or brown wounds and does not leak. If possible, checking the root condition is best. The underground tuber part should be uniformly colored, and the rootlets should be white. Smile Huibisu does not easily lignify, even in mature individuals, so there should be no brown or black spots or lignified structures in the roots;
4. This point is often overlooked by many, but I think it's important for a healthy individual, which is the color of the leaves. This type of oleander plant is a strong positive plant, so a deep green color is a crucial standard for its health. A healthy Smile Huibisu will turn completely deep green in one to two weeks in a suitable growing environment, indicating high levels of metabolism and hormone levels, allowing rapid chlorophyll synthesis and fixation to absorb more solar energy. If the leaves remain in a light green state during the growing period, I would think of lack of light, poor root growth, water shortage, or decay. Also, for sunlight, Smile Huibisu is a true sun worshipper, requiring at least 7 hours of unobstructed full-day sun (exposure, direct sunlight) every day during the growing period. A windproof and rainproof full-sun room during the dormant period of late autumn, winter, and early summer is also a good choice. In fact, compared to its native habitat, Shanghai has much less average annual sunshine, but it is essential to meet their needs as much as possible. Therefore, during the growing period, I usually place them on the roof, and during the dormant period, I put them in a glass-top sunroom on the south-facing balcony.
Secondly, let's talk about cultivation aspects,
1. Media and pots:
I usually use 70% of 3-6MM sized full-grain soil (akadama, hishi, limestone,鹿沼土, etc.) and 30% of peat. I found that the root growth of Smile Huibisu is very fast, usually filling the bottom of the pot in one growing season. Compared to rock牡丹属 varieties, there's no need to worry about root growth and development issues. At the same time, an appropriate amount of peat can maintain some water retention during the high-temperature growing season. However, if a full-day sun environment cannot be provided for an extended period during the summer, full-grain soil is also a good choice. Their water demand during the growing period is not as low as we might think. I once found that after the pot soil was completely dry and exposed to the sun for a week, the outer skin of the stems began to wrinkle the next day, and after a week, the overall stem size shrank by 20%, more than the shrinkage during the entire dormant period, so I think their water retention ability during the growing period is not good. Since the sunlight in my planting environment is good, I water every two days during the growing period (from early May to the end of October in Shanghai), unless it's the plum rain season or typhoon暴雨 days. Based on the above experience, Smile Huibisu is not afraid of long-term moist soil during the growing period, but long-term积水 at the bottom of the pot is fatal, meaning that part of the roots are constantly immersed in water. Therefore, for planting pots, I usually choose a type with a diameter-to-height ratio of 2:1, unless the underground tuber part is particularly long. Smile Huibisu usually grows close to the ground in its native habitat, so I usually plant it close to the ground as well, but the upper medium, which does not touch the fibrous roots, is all akadama soil.
2. Watering and fertilizing:
My planting environment is fully exposed to the sun, on the roof, with no obstructions and excellent ventilation, usually with the pot soil completely dry every two days. So I water every two days, thoroughly. For Smile Huibisu, temperature is an absolute growth stimulant. It begins to germinate and grow leaves when the minimum temperature is above 15 degrees and enters dormancy below 15 degrees (only the beginning, but I think 15 degrees is a dangerous temperature, as this critical temperature is most likely to cause problems, which I will discuss later). And sunlight is their best nutrient. My experience over the years is to remove the indoor sunroom and start watering in early May, although it usually starts to germinate in mid-April, and yellow flowers also start to bloom, but to be safe, keeping the pot soil dry is reliable and there's no need to worry about drying it to death. After moving out of the room in early May, I water the pot for the first time, making the potting soil slightly moist to let the roots adapt to the change in the environment, and after two days, if the soil is completely dry, I start watering generously. A few days later, the stems on the ground will be completely plump, and leaf growth will accelerate. It becomes lush in a month. Until the end of October, I will move them back into the indoor sunroom, but the temperature at that time is not low, with the lowest temperature being around 18-19 degrees, so completely stopping water will cause their outer skin to wrinkle again, so I usually choose to water a little. Since it's moved indoors, the safety factor is quite high. By early November, most of the leaves have turned yellow (but won't fall), and I stop watering completely. After two weeks of dry soil, all the leaves fall off (sometimes I also pull off all the leaves) until May of the following year. However, having direct sunlight all winter is an essential factor in keeping them healthy.
As for fertilizing, since I don't add any slow-release fertilizers to the medium, I water with Meileke's flower fertilizer (according to Meileke's instruction manual ratio) every two weeks during the growing period, and I think the effect is quite good so far.
Have you understood the detailed introduction of the cultivation method (experience) of Smile Huibisu shared in this article?