When does the gardenia bloom?
The white and fragrant gardenia can always evoke people's memories of summer, but many flower friends find that their gardenia always "strikes" during critical flowering periods. In fact, this evergreen shrub has unique growth habits. From the southern courtyard to the northern balcony, as long as the laws of its biological clock are grasped, the gardenia can bloom fragrant as scheduled. 1. Decoding the biological clock of gardenia flowers 1.1 Regional climate influence Flowering period Gardenia in the Yangtze River Basin usually reveals its flower buds in mid-May, while the fragrance of flowers can be smelled in the Lingnan area at the end of April. Due to the slow recovery in spring in the north, flowering will be postponed to June to August. This is closely related to its warm and humid nature. When the average daily temperature stabilizes above 20℃, flower buds will begin to differentiate. 1.2 The flowering of a single plant continues regularly. The flowering period of a single plant is about 3-4 days, but the entire plant will open in a wavy manner. By reasonably thinning buds, the flowering period of the population can be extended to 45 days. It is important to note that if the night temperature continues to exceed 28 ° C, it will accelerate the withering of flowers. 2. Four major causes of abnormal flowering periods 2.1 Imbalanced light management requires 4-6 hours of scattered light every day, but shade is needed at noon in summer. When planting north-facing balconies, it is recommended to use a fill light to maintain the illuminance of 2000-3000lux. Long-term shading will lead to excessive leaves and failure of flower buds to develop normally. 2.2 Improper pruning timing The best pruning period is from after flowering to before new buds germinate. The "three-cutting method" is used: cutting residual flowers, thinning weak branches, and cutting off long branches. Pay special attention to retaining the semi-lignified branches of the past year, which are the main flowering branches. 2.3 Soil acid-base imbalance is regularly tested for soil pH and maintained between 5.0 and 6.5. You can use white vinegar water or ferrous sulfate solution diluted 1000 times every month. Spreading pine needles on the surface of the basin soil can slowly acidify the substrate, and the effect is better when combined with decomposed rice washing water. 2.4 During the growth period of unbalanced nutrient supply, water-soluble fertilizers containing humic acid and potassium dihydrogen phosphate (ratio 1:1500) were used alternately, and slow-release phosphate fertilizers such as bone meal were added during the budding period. Remember to apply thin fertilizer frequently to avoid excessive nitrogen fertilizer causing luxuriant leaves and sparse flowers.
By systematically observing plant conditions and establishing maintenance logs to record temperature, humidity, fertilization cycles and other data, the flowering period can be accurately predicted. When the leaves are found to be oily and red between the veins, it means that the flower bud differentiation has been completed. At this time, the environment is kept stable and the trees are filled with buds to bloom.