Some lessons learned from buying flowers at flower shops
Today's focus is to introduce you to the planting content of common knowledge about flower care, some lessons learned from buying flowers at flower shops, which are very good tips, I recommend saving them for future reference!
I have summarized a lesson from buying flowers at flower shops: the flowers sold there can only be used as seedlings, and many varieties require a long process of acclimatization. If acclimatized well, they will grow smoothly. If not, they will quickly die or linger on for a few months or even a year before dying slowly.
Flowers from flower shops generally come in a few types. One type is similar to wild flowers, known as "native species" like English ivy, pothos, and some herbaceous flowers, which are basically not hybrid varieties and are very easy to grow at home with strong adaptability. The second type is tree species like Fortune Plant, Money Tree, and Green椿, which are also not hybrid varieties and are close to native plants. If conditions are suitable, the success rate of growing these two types of plants is quite high, as long as they are properly maintained, the chances of survival are great. The third type is the hybrid varieties we most commonly encounter, some of which are very beautiful but difficult to grow. Flower enthusiasts often face repeated failures with these hybrid varieties, like Red手掌, some hybrid varieties of azaleas, various begonias, and some species from the Solanaceae family. I won't go into other types.
What I mainly want to talk about is these difficult-to-grow hybrid varieties. I analyzed why these flowers are problematic, and here are the reasons:
(1) Hybrid varieties lack consideration of factors such as adaptability and resistance to diseases and pests, focusing only on appearance, thus having inherent defects.
(2) Many hybrid varieties are cultivated under specific conditions, some in sterile rooms. Once they get sick, they need to be treated with medication. Some greenhouse professionals have this technology, regularly spraying certain medications, but flower growers may not know this, so they easily die once they get sick.
(3) Poor adaptability, flower farmers know the habits of these varieties and have detailed tips for each variety, including what kind of planting material, fertilizer, and medication to use. However, whether these tips are shared, I don't know. If I were a flower farmer, I would not spread my secrets.
(4) Some flower farmers use special medications or treatments to make the flowers look more beautiful or to bloom in specific seasons, such as cold storage and temperature control, or placing them in dark rooms or spraying them with medication. These practices go against natural characteristics and can be very harmful to the flowers, causing some to die immediately after blooming.
(5) Flowers are highly dependent on fertilizer and medication. Some people find that their flowers wither or rot after buying them, and no matter what they do, they can't save them. Finally, they watch helplessly as the plant takes its last breath and then hold a memorial service.
(6) Overprotected, this doesn't need much explanation. Greenhouses provide the best growing environment with controlled temperature and humidity. However, once these flowers are in your home, it's like a princess marrying into a slum, and most of them are not adaptable to the new environment.
(7) Flower shops spray medication to make leaves and flowers look more beautiful, but most of these flowers will die and are very difficult to grow.
When buying these flowers, I usually prepare in advance, and of course, I have read about these flowers and know how they can be propagated. So after buying them, the purpose is to use them for propagation, and the mother plant is not expected to survive, so whether it flowers or not is irrelevant. If it grows poorly, I cut off the flowers. Then it's pruning, cutting leaves, and then soil or water propagation.
If the mother plant can survive, that's the best, but you should be prepared for the worst. What should you do with the mother plant after buying it?
(1) Never change the soil, even if it looks ugly, don't change it. It's best not to change the pot either. If the pot is ugly, you can put a nicer pot over it.
(2) Always have backups, and multiple backups, to be prepared for the possibility of death.
(3) Place it outside or in an outdoor area for maintenance, with appropriate sunlight, more shaded than normal flowers.
(4) Be patient with watering, treat it like a sick person, and don't water the leaves, and in some cases, not even the stems.
(5) Never use fertilizer, never spray medication. Make up your mind, even if it dies, you have to stick to this resolution, because you still have multiple backups.
(6) If it survives and even sprouts new leaves, congratulations, but it's not the final victory. What follows is a long process of acclimatization.
(7) If it grows well and the weather is cool, consider repotting, but keep the original soil and just add some new soil.
(8) The process of acclimatization starts with the soil. You should try to move away from the use of fertilizer and medication, and instead add some organic matter or plant some beneficial small plants or mosses to promote a symbiotic mechanism.
(9) I won't say more about the rest, as the process of acclimatization varies with each person's philosophy. The overall goal is to adapt to the new home and grow happily there, becoming a true member of the family.
The detailed explanation of some lessons learned from buying flowers at flower shops is provided above. I hope this article can help you with green plant management!