About the techniques of flower cultivation: Fertilization
In detail, for netizens who are interested, this article will explain some small experiences in family flower cultivation, focusing on the fertilization aspect of flower cultivation techniques. Next, the editor will introduce to netizens.
We all treat ourselves well, especially focusing on dietary nutrition to keep ourselves healthy and strong. Similarly, plants also need nutrients. Nutrients are very important for the healthy growth of plants. It's simple logic; without proper nutrition intake, how can they grow healthily? How do we provide additional nutrients to plants when cultivating flowers? This is where fertilization comes in.
The old routine, first gather some traditional fertilization information, and then share personal experiences in fertilizing succulent plants.
Fertilization first requires understanding the types and functions of fertilizers. The basic nutrients for flowers are the three main elements: nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium:
1. Nitrogen fertilizer: It can promote the growth of branches and leaves and increase the flowering rate. Common nitrogen fertilizers include human waste, ammonium sulfate, etc.
2. Phosphorus fertilizer: It can make flowers more colorful and fruits plumper. Common phosphorus fertilizers include rice bran, fish scales, bone meal, chicken manure, calcium superphosphate, etc.
3. Potassium fertilizer: It can make the roots grow stronger, enhance the plant's resistance to diseases and pests, as well as cold and heat, and can also increase the fragrance of flowers. Common potassium fertilizers include straw ash, plant ash, potassium sulfate, etc.
The most basic principle of fertilization is "apply thin fertilizer frequently," which is what we usually say, "eat less and more meals." It's best to apply a dilute fertilizer solution once every 10 days or so during the seedling growth period, with the best effect in the evening. How do you determine thin fertilizer? I think if you buy ready-made inorganic fertilizer, then dilute it to half the concentration mentioned in the instructions, which means adding twice as much water. This is definitely safe, and it can even be combined with watering, applying a little each time. If you use homemade organic liquid fertilizer (I guess few people do this now, as it takes up space and is messy), dilute it with clear water in a 1:10 ratio to make it completely safe.
Next, it's important to understand the different fertilizer needs of different flowers. Different varieties of flowers have completely different fertilizer needs. For example, some flowers, like jasmine, are very demanding in terms of fertilizer; if less fertilizer is applied, the flowers will bloom less and won't be fragrant. Another example is leguminous plants, which have root nodules that can fix nitrogen from the air and convert it into nitrogen fertilizer, so there's no need to apply nitrogen fertilizer, otherwise, they will just grow leaves and not bloom.
Then, it's necessary to master the different fertilizer needs of plants at different growth stages. This is like children, who need to supplement phosphorus and calcium during their growth spurt. Plants are the same; more phosphorus fertilizer should be applied during the flowering season, more potassium fertilizer in the fall, and so on.
Lastly, here are some flower fertilization tips for everyone to learn:
Flower fertilization should adhere to the principles of "four more, four less, four not, and four taboos."
Four more: More for yellow and thin plants, more before sprouting, more during bud formation, and more after flowering.
Four less: Less for strong and healthy plants, less before sprouting, less during flowering, and less during the rainy season.
Four not: Not for plants that are growing too fast, not for newly planted ones, not during the hot summer, and not during dormancy.
Four taboos: Avoid thick fertilization, avoid hot fertilizers (during the hot noon in summer when soil temperature is high, fertilizing can hurt the roots), avoid sitting fertilizers (when planting flowers, a layer of soil should be placed on top of the fertilizer at the bottom of the pot, commonly known as "footing soil"), and avoid raw fertilizers (if using organic fertilizers, they must be fully decomposed, otherwise, they can easily cause diseases when newly planted).
On the surface, because most succulent plants live in deserts and barren lands with poor soil, it seems they have little need for nutrients. In fact, this is true; such areas have little organic matter and are not as fertile as tropical rainforests. Naturally, plants that evolve in such environments grow slowly, which is a need for survival. So for family-grown succulents, if they can't be provided with proper nutrients to promote their growth to some extent, it will lead to many people losing patience with them and ultimately losing interest. Frankly, these things really grow very slowly!
In the wild, no one cares about how fast succulents grow, but it's different at home. Who doesn't want their darling to change every day? Just like we build greenhouses ourselves, artificially creating high temperature differences and high humidity to promote their growth, making them look more beautiful, unlike the wild succulents that look so weathered.
To make succulents grow more beautifully and relatively faster (which gives a sense of accomplishment), fertilization is a very important aspect. On the basis of keeping them alive, we should aim to cultivate them well. However, I personally think that for beginners, it's better not to fertilize. Succulents are not very demanding when it comes to fertilizer, and the trace elements in the soil are usually enough. Fertilization often involves liquid fertilizers, which can cause side effects similar to improper watering. The main reason is that succulents are prone to the "pulling up the seedlings to help them grow" and "eager for success" mentality. After all, succulents have their own unique physiological characteristics, and while we can somewhat speed up their growth by changing the local environment, we cannot fundamentally change them, or we will fail.
So for the fertilization of succulents, I think it can be divided into two steps:
First, prepare good potting soil when potting. The biggest advantage of this is that you don't have to worry about fertilization later on. Since succulents actually have relatively small nutrient needs, unlike plants like jasmine that are very demanding, you don't need to apply bottom fertilizer every year and frequently apply top dressing. Generally, you can directly bury some slow-release flower fertilizer at the bottom of the pot, which is clean and simple and has a good effect, especially suitable for girls. If you don't mind getting dirty, you can add organic bottom fertilizer, and if you have birds at home, it's a win-win situation. You can also buy ready-made bone meal. Some succulent experts say that it has a good effect, especially for cacti; just mix in an appropriate amount of bone meal in the soil, and you won't need to consider fertilizing again that year.
Second, apply top dressing at the right time. This situation is relatively complex because although they are all cacti, different varieties have different characteristics and can vary greatly, not to mention that succulent plants belong to different families. Although they all have drought resistance, the differences are significant and should be treated differently and carefully fertilized. From my own experience (my level is limited and needs constant summarization), for some strong-growing varieties, such as cactus, cactus ball, mammillaria, and strong spines, etc., as long as the principle of "apply thin fertilizer frequently" is followed during the growing season, there won't be any problems. In the past, I used to water my plants with rice water directly, including the grafted balls. And I've heard others say that the secret to making ordinary cacti and cactus balls bloom is to apply fishy water two or three times a year, which is said to make cacti that haven't bloomed for many years suddenly bloom. If you're interested, you can try it.
For some slow-growing varieties like rock orchids, emperors, and flower baskets, as well as multi-faceted succulents, it's better to water less or not at all. This means that fertilization and watering should be adapted to the growth rate of these varieties. The less water a variety needs, the less fertilizer it can also do with. However, some succulents, by increasing the temperature difference and promoting growth, often apply some fast-acting fertilizers, which have significant effects. Therefore, fertilization must be adjusted according to the growth condition of the succulents, which can lead to a virtuous cycle.
Finally, what kind of fertilizer to apply. Of course, the three major elements—nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium—are indispensable. However, different plants have different focuses on these three elements. For example, leguminous plants have root nodules that can fix nitrogen from the air, so they don't need to apply nitrogen fertilizer. Similarly, for cacti, since the leaves are退化, the demand for nitrogen fertilizer naturally decreases. If too much is applied, the ball shape is prone to elongation, so more phosphorus and potassium fertilizers should be applied; the same is true for succulents, as too much nitrogen fertilizer can destroy the compact growth habit and reduce ornamental value. Also, cacti like calcium and should be supplemented.
I believe that as long as you practice, everyone can grow beautiful flowers!
Above is a comprehensive explanation of the issue of fertilization in flower cultivation techniques. I hope it helps you.