How to Care for Courtyard Flowers and Trees
The editor will explain the relevant experience of home flower cultivation, how to care for courtyard flowers and trees, keep reading!
1. How to Prepare Potting Soil
For any potted plant, it is first necessary to select a good growing medium, which can provide the nutrients, water, fertility, air, and pH balance required for plant growth. The growing medium, also known as potting soil, is the material basis for the growth of potted flowers and trees. Its condition directly affects the survival rate, growth speed, and quality of the seedlings. There is a wide variety of potted flowers and trees, with different origins and ecological types, and each type of flower has different requirements for potting soil.
Potted plants are a special microenvironment. As the capacity of potting soil is limited, it has a poor buffering capacity for water and fertilizer, hence strict requirements for the soil used in potting. Good potting soil should be loose, have good water permeability and aeration, and also have strong water retention and fertilizer retention capabilities, while also being relatively lightweight and abundant in resources. Loose soil and good aeration are beneficial for the growth of the root system and the activity of rhizosphere microorganisms; good drainage prevents root rot caused by waterlogging; and good water retention and fertilizer retention ensure that there is always sufficient water and fertilizer for the growth of the plants.
Potting soil is the key to the growth of potted plants. The water, fertilizer, and fresh air required by plants are all regulated and supplied by the potting soil. The potting soil commonly used by households is usually pre-mixed nutrient soil or special soil. The general ratio for mixing potting soil is fertile loam soil : leaf mold soil : vermiculite soil = 5:3:2. Most potting soils are neutral or slightly acidic and should not use saline-alkali soil. For succulent plants, sandy soil can be used, such as for plants like aloe vera and cacti.
For greenhouse plants, there are many types with different habits, and they have different requirements for the growing soil. To meet the soil requirements of various flowers, a variety of growing soils must be prepared.
Greenhouse potting has limited soil volume, and the roots of the plants are confined to the pot, so the growing soil must contain sufficient nutrients and have good physical properties. Generally, potting soil for flowers requires the following: it should be loose to allow for good air circulation to meet the respiratory needs of the roots; it should have good water permeability to prevent waterlogging; it should be able to retain water and nutrients to continuously supply the needs of plant growth; it should have a pH level that meets the ecological requirements of the cultivated flowers; and it should not allow the growth or mixing of harmful microorganisms and other harmful substances.
The potting soil should be rich in humus, which is an important condition for maintaining good soil structure. Potting soil rich in humus has good drainage, is soft in texture, allows for good air circulation; does not crack when dry, does not compact into a ball when wet, and does not harden after watering. Humus itself can absorb a lot of water, maintaining the moisture of the potting soil for an extended period, and preventing it from drying out. Therefore, humus is an important component of potting soil.
Different types of greenhouse plants require different suitable potting soils, and even for the same type of flower, different growth stages have different requirements for the texture and fertility of the potting soil. For example, for sowing and transplanting young seedlings, it is necessary to use light soil with little or no fertilizer. For large seedlings and mature plants, as well as for plants with thick root systems like bulbs and rhizomes, denser soil and more fertilizer are required. The potting soil for cultivating flowers is usually a mixture of several types of soil because a single type of soil is difficult to meet the diverse habits of cultivated flowers. For example, the general ratio for seed sowing soil is leaf mold soil 5, garden soil 3, and river sand 2; for transplanting soil, it is leaf mold soil 4, garden soil 4, and river sand 2; for planting soil, it is leaf mold soil 4, garden soil 5, and river sand 1. For greenhouse woody plants, the potting soil used during the seedling and cutting stages requires more humus, roughly in a ratio of leaf mold soil 4, garden soil 4, and river sand 2. After the plants have grown, the amount of leaf mold soil should be reduced. The proportion of potting soil varies by region, with Shanghai using a mix of bran dust, straw ash, pond mud, and yellow mud; East China often using leaf mold soil; and South China using pond mud. Although each has its own application habits, the prepared potting soil must meet the growth and development needs of cultivated flowers.
2. How to Water Courtyard Flowers and Trees
All potted plants placed indoors should have a saucer slightly larger than the pot base to catch water overflow when watering the plants, to prevent water from seeping onto the floor and affecting indoor cleanliness and aesthetics.
Leafy plants should be frequently rinsed to keep their leaves clean and show their natural colors. Most of a plant's body is water, accounting for more than 75-90% of its fresh weight. It is well known that flowers cannot live without water. Most of the water needed by plants is obtained from the soil. However, humidity also has a significant impact on plant growth and development. This is especially true for epiphytic plants and shade-loving plants native to tropical and subtropical forests, which have higher requirements for air humidity.
The amount of water required by each type of flower and tree is directly related to its native ecological environment, different growth stages, current climatic conditions, and cultivation location. In general, plants that grow in deserts and arid regions have strong drought resistance, consume less water, require lower air humidity, and have lower water requirements. Flowers native to tropical rainforests and subtropical forests require higher air humidity, have poor drought resistance, and require more water. From a morphological standpoint, plants with small, hard leaves or leaves with thick cuticles or dense hair indicate strong drought resistance and require less water. Plants with special water storage tissues, such as various succulent and succulent plants, cacti, have extremely strong drought resistance and require less water. Plants with large, thin, and soft leaves have high water evaporation rates, prefer higher air humidity, have poor drought resistance, and require more water. Flowering plants in vigorous growth periods require ample water, while deciduous plants in dormancy require less water compared to evergreen plants in dormancy.
In spring and summer, with high temperatures, strong sunlight, wind, and dry air, plants need ample water; in winter, with low temperatures, weaker sunlight, less water is needed. The growth of potted flowers relies on watering to supply water, so whether watering is appropriate is extremely important.
The correct approach is to let the potting soil dry out before watering, and then water thoroughly. Many home gardeners either water too little or too much, leading to plant death. Therefore, timely and appropriate watering is a highly skilled task.
① Indoor environment requirements: The indoor environment is also affected by weather and geographic location. In well-lit and well-ventilated indoors during spring and summer, water evaporates quickly, so it is generally sufficient to water once in the morning or evening. However, in summer, avoid watering at noon under the hot sun. If air conditioning is used indoors, water can be reduced. In dry and cold autumn and winter seasons, plant growth slows down, water evaporation is not significant, so water should be reduced, generally once a week. When warm air conditioning is on in winter, it is necessary to increase watering frequency and indoor humidity.
② Plant habit requirements: Each plant has different shade tolerance and sun-loving degrees, and different growth cycles, so their water requirements are also different. When the color of the potting soil turns white, some sun-loving and drought-tolerant plants do not need to be watered, such as aloe vera and cacti. While some shade-loving plants from tropical and subtropical rainforest climates must be watered more, and water should be sprayed on the leaves in summer, while it can be slightly drier in winter. Plants should be watered less in the seedling stage and more in the vigorous growth stage. Watering during the flowering stage should be controlled, such as for plants like taro, pothos,散尾葵 ( dispersant holly), ferns, monstera deliciosa, and evergreen plants. Some plants are water-cultivated, such as narcissus, lucky bamboo, and hyacinth, which need to be changed water frequently.
It is worth mentioning that people often pour the remaining tea water into the flowerpot, which is wrong because tea alkaloids are harmful to plants.
Plants continuously absorb water from the roots to supply the leaves for evaporation, and at the same time, absorb various inorganic salts from the soil into the plant body to provide nutrients for plant growth. Most of the water absorbed by the roots (96-98%) is evaporated from the leaves. Air humidity maintained at 40%-60% is ideal. When air humidity is below 25%, plant growth is unfavorable, and too high can make people feel uncomfortable. The method to control humidity is to spray water to moisten the plants in dry seasons or place a pot of water indoors to solve the problem through water evaporation. Especially in autumn and winter, it is necessary to maintain normal humidity indoors.
Principles of watering:
A. Water quality is usually divided into hard water and soft water.
Hard water contains more calcium, magnesium, sodium, and potassium, while soft water contains less. In the north, many regions have groundwater containing a lot of calcium and magnesium salts, which is not suitable for watering plants native to southern acidic soils. In some areas, the groundwater salinity is too high, exceeding 0.1%, which has an adverse effect on the growth of most flowers and should not be used as irrigation water for potted plants.
The best water for watering flowers is slightly acidic or neutral. For plants native to tropical and subtropical regions, the ideal water is rainwater. Drinkable groundwater, lake water, and river water can be used for watering potted flowers. Water treated by electro dialysis and resin exchange, which removes most inorganic salts, can also be used for irrigation of potted plants.
Tap water in cities contains more chlorine and is low in temperature, making it unsuitable for direct watering of potted plants. It should be stored in a pool for several days to allow the chlorine to volatilize and the water temperature to approach room temperature before watering the plants.
B. The amount of watering
The control of soil dryness and wetness greatly determines the growth of flowers. The conditions for potting are completely different from those for ground cultivation. The amount of water depends entirely on the cultivator. Long-term overwatering can cause root rot if the potting soil has poor drainage; insufficient water supply can cause the lower part of the soil to dry out, and without water, the roots will die. The correct amount of watering is to water the entire pot just enough to wet the soil thoroughly, not too much or too little. Mastering the right amount of watering requires experience from practice.
C. Precautions
a. For newly potted or repotted plants, the first watering should be thorough, generally done twice, first letting the water seep in, then watering again. When using dry fine leaf mold soil or peat soil for potting, the soil is not easy to wet through and may require multiple waterings. In this case, it is best to slightly moisten the soil first, let it sit for 1-2 days, then pot the plant.
b. Many potted plants cannot have water accumulate on their leaves, otherwise it can cause leaf rot. For example, plants with dense hair on their leaves, such as begonias, African violets, and calceolaria, should not have water sprayed on the leaves, especially not in the evening. Some flowers and tender leaves are not tolerant to waterlogging, such as the flower buds of cyclamen and the leaf buds of African daisies, which can easily rot if they are wet for too long. For orchids and other plants that often have (T-J) disease, watering should be stopped when the disease is present to prevent leaf damage.
c. For orchids that have been divided or transplanted until new roots appear, they should not be watered or soaked in water. Only spray water on the leaves and surrounding environment to maintain high air humidity.
D. Watering methods
a. Using a watering pot: A watering pot is a special tool for watering potted plants, convenient to use and easy to control the amount of water. The spray head is removable, used when needed, and removed when not. For watering general pots, a spray head is not needed. For watering seedlings and喷水 on leaves, a spray head is needed to prevent the seedlings from being washed away.
b. Immersion: Place the flower pot in a water trough or shallow water tank, with the water level lower than the top of the potting soil, allowing the water to seep into the potting soil from the bottom drainage hole. The immersion method is mainly used for watering small seedlings after sowing or transplanting. It can prevent small seeds or seedlings from being washed away and also reduce soil compaction.
c. Soaking: Soak the entire plant or the roots in water to allow the roots and potting medium to be fully soaked. Most epiphytic flowers native to tropical and subtropical regions, such as tropical orchids, algae, and some bromeliad flowers, are planted in wooden frames, porous pots, or wood sections, with the growing medium being loose rattan roots, bark, and wood blocks, which are not easy to wet through by watering. Therefore, in addition to watering, it is necessary to periodically soak the plants.
d. Spraying: Spraying water on the leaves of plants can increase air humidity, lower temperature, wash away dust on the leaves, and facilitate photosynthesis. Most people who grow flowers like to spray water on their plants every day, thinking it makes the plants look fresh and lively. However, a comprehensive view of spraying is needed. In winter and during the dormant period of plants, less or no spraying is required. Appropriate spraying in hot and dry summers is beneficial, especially for shade-loving plants native to tropical and subtropical forests. However, some moisture-intolerant plants should not be sprayed with water on the leaves, otherwise they can easily rot.
The above introduction on how to care for courtyard flowers and trees is provided for reference by netizens.