Planting, Care and Management of Mei Ren Mei
Abstract: This article shares experience in growing the flowering shrub Mei Ren Mei, including its planting, care and management. Let's learn more about it together.
Mei Ren Mei is a hybrid of Ziyi Li and "Gongfen Yuan Yuan" plum blossom, combining the advantages of both, it has the beautiful flower shape, large flowers, double petals, and bright colors of plum blossom, as well as the dense blooming and purple leaves of Ziyi Li. It is a new type of ornamental plant with excellent flowers and leaves, suitable for planting in gardens, squares, lawns, and road green belts. It is very suitable for both solitary and group planting, and can also be potted for display or used to create bonsai.
Mei Ren Mei (Prunus x blireiana 'Meiren Mei') belongs to the Rosaceae family, Prunus genus, deciduous shrubs or small trees. The branches grow vertically or obliquely, with thin and long branches, purple-red or reddish-brown in color; leaves are alternate, broadly ovate to ovate, 5 to 9 cm long, apex acuminate, base broadly cuneate, margin with fine锯齿, lower surface with short pubescence, leaf color is purple-red. The flowers are double, pink to light purple, about 3 cm in diameter, blooming before the leaves, pedicel about 1.5 cm long, calyx tube is broadly campanulate, sepals 5, suborbicular to oblate, many stamens, blooming from March to April.
Propagation Techniques
The propagation of Mei Ren Mei can use peach, apricot, plum, or plum blossom seedlings as rootstocks, and grafting methods such as bud grafting and branch grafting are used. Multi-year-old, ancient and robust peach or apricot tree stumps that have grown 1 or 2-year-old branches can also be used as rootstocks for grafting, a method often used to create Mei Ren Mei bonsai.
1. Bud grafting is carried out during the growing season, with the highest survival rate from May to July. Two-year-old seedlings are selected as rootstocks, and the buds are selected from the leaf buds of the current year's branches, which are full and plump. When cutting the buds, a horizontal cut is made above the bud into the xylem, and then a vertical cut is made to remove the bud from the branch, forming a shield-shaped bud piece. The grafting point on the rootstock should be as low as possible, preferably 2 to 3 cm from the ground, the bark of the rootstock is cut into a 'T' shape, and the bark is peeled back on both sides of the cut, then the shield-shaped bud piece is inserted into the rootstock cut, aligned with the cambium layer, and secured with plastic strips. The graft usually takes about one week to survive, after which the sprouts at the base of the rootstock are cut off, and the rootstock above the grafting point is cut off in two stages, with the first cut leaving the rootstock higher, and the second cut made in the spring, about 3 cm above the grafting point.
2. Branch grafting is carried out before spring germination, using one-year-old strong branches from the rootstock, cut at an appropriate position, and the scion is selected from 1 to 2-year-old disease-free strong branches of Mei Ren Mei, cut into a scion with 3 to 5 plump buds, the lower end is cut into a wedge shape, inserted into the rootstock cut, the cambium layers of the rootstock and scion are aligned, and then wrapped tightly with a thin film strip.
Cultivation Management
Mei Ren Mei prefers a warm and humid environment with plenty of sunlight, is cold-resistant,害怕积水, and not picky about soil, growing well in light clay, loam, and sandy loam soils, with the best growth in loam soil, and has some tolerance to light salinity. It is suitable for planting in well-lit and dry areas, not suitable for planting under trees or other areas with insufficient light, nor in pond margins or other low-lying and waterlogged areas. It has strong cold resistance and can withstand low temperatures of -30℃ in winter.
1. Watering: For ground planting, water once in early spring to promote sprouting, no need to water during the growing season unless it is excessively dry, but in high summer temperatures and dryness, it is necessary to water appropriately to prevent the new leaves from growing due to lack of water and the old leaves from turning yellow and drying. Pay attention to drainage during rainy days, especially after continuous rainy days or heavy rain, otherwise, waterlogging in the soil can cause root rot. Another watering can be done in early winter to increase the plant's cold resistance.
2. Fertilization: Mei Ren Mei likes fertilizer, and when planting, decomposed chicken, duck, pigeon manure, or other organic fertilizers can be used as base fertilizer, which must be mixed thoroughly with the bottom soil. During the flower bud differentiation period from June to August, a compound fertilizer with a high content of phosphorus and potassium can be applied to promote flower bud differentiation. In autumn or early winter, apply cake fertilizer or decomposed leaf fertilizer in furrows to improve the soil and increase fertility, and after application, be sure to water thoroughly to help the plant absorb the nutrients.
3. Pruning: Mei Ren Mei is tolerant to pruning, with a natural and open shape. Pruning and shaping are carried out every winter, removing useless large branches, crossing branches, and suckers, shortening overly long branches to maintain an elegant shape; pruning is also done after spring flowering, shortening aging branches, leaving only 3 to 4 buds at the base to promote the growth of new branches. When the new branches grow to about 40 cm, they should be pinched to control growth and promote the plumpness of the axillary buds.
4. Potting: The pot for planting Mei Ren Mei should be large, generally planted in spring or late autumn, with fertile and loose soil, good drainage, and a mixture of 2 parts decomposed leaf soil and 3 parts loam soil, mixed with an appropriate amount of cake fertilizer and other organic fertilizers as base fertilizer. It should be placed in a sunny location for maintenance, and moved to a sheltered and sunny outdoor area or a cold room for overwintering in winter. During the growing season, water when the soil is dry and water thoroughly, avoiding waterlogging in the pot, which can cause root rot. Apply a thin solution of decomposed liquid fertilizer every half month during the growing season, and increase the amount of phosphorus and potassium fertilizers during the flower bud differentiation period to form more flower buds for more blooming in the following year.
Disease and Pest Control
The main diseases include leaf spot and gummosis, in addition to strengthening management to make the plants grow strong and increase their disease resistance, a broad-spectrum fungicide such as carbendazim or多菌灵 can be sprayed 2 to 3 times in early summer and early autumn. When diseases occur, broad-spectrum antibacterial drugs can also be sprayed, and it is best to alternate between several different agents to avoid resistance.
Pest insects mainly include aphids, sawflies, red spiders, and longicorn beetles, which can be controlled with broad-spectrum insecticides such as dichlorvos, but avoid using drugs that can cause phytotoxicity, such as dimethoate. For persistent pests like longicorn beetles, the trunk can be injected with undiluted农药 to control them.
The above is the experience and knowledge of planting, caring for, and managing Mei Ren Mei. I hope this article can provide you with some help!