The cultivation method of June Snow盆景 with golden edge
Today's focus is to introduce the cultivation method of June Snow盆景 with golden edge and some topics about the care tips of June Snow, such as flowers and plants. Next, let's learn about it together.
June Snow is a semi-evergreen small shrub, native to the southwest region of China. It belongs to the Rubiaceae family, and common plants in the same family include the white flower snake grass favored by traditional Chinese medicine, the public favorite gardenia, and ixora, etc.
Mini forest style, good lighting, Figure 1
In the Rubiaceae family, June Snow is considered a top student-level class flower, although there are not many varieties and the flower color is single, only white, pink, and light purple.
However, June Snow has small and dense leaves, thin coriaceous texture; the branches are strong and flexible, with strong germination and branching power; it has strong adaptability to climate, capable of surviving in humid or dry air; it can also adapt to slightly acidic, weakly alkaline, and neutral humus soil; compared with other subtropical plants in the north, June Snow as a potted plant has a better growth momentum indoors.
Combined with its suitable shaping characteristics, it has become one of the top four choices for beginner penjing enthusiasts, along with catalpa, bird plum, and yellow荆. However, many penjing plants in the north experience yellow leaves, root rot, and loss of branches.
Curved trunk style penjing, Figure 2
1. Adapting to the humus soil for June Snow
Although June Snow has strong adaptability outdoors, this is because it can obtain many resources in nature to supplement nutrition and moisture.
But as a potted plant, in a small space, if the humus soil does not meet its survival requirements, some branches may dry out first, leading to branch loss; the leaves are brittle, lack flexibility, and break easily when folded by hand; the leaves wilt during the day and can stand up at night.
When such a situation is found, it can be basically concluded that part of the roots have rotted. Root rot in June Snow needs to find the cause from the aspect of humus soil preparation, often due to accumulated water in the humus soil or although not积水, but poor drainage and water permeability, making the soil heavy and poorly permeable.
High permeability of potting soil, Figure 3
When leaves wilt and small branches dry out, relying solely on medication has little effect. We need to change the pot in time. When changing the pot, it is important to keep the humus soil slightly acidic, loose and permeable, sandy without积水, but the humus soil matrix must be fine and not rough.
You can lay 3-5 cm of coarse river sand at the bottom of the pot, then use sandy garden soil, peat soil, and fine river sand, with a ratio of 1:1:1; you can also mix river beach sediment soil, decomposed pine needle soil, red jade soil, and decomposed organic fertilizer.
The best time for June Snow to change pots is before spring germination, but if root rot occurs in May-June, it is also necessary to change pots promptly. After changing pots, move them to a shaded and well-ventilated place, spray water to moisten, and gradually increase lighting and ventilation after the potting period. It is not necessary to wait until autumn or the following spring. Such an approach is too dogmatic and June Snow may not last that long.
The cultivation method of June Snow盆景 with golden edge
Moist potting soil, Figure 4
2. Adapting to the fertilizing and watering method for June Snow
The characteristic of June Snow is that it likes both fertilizer and water, and can tolerate drought. Yellow leaves and root rot are closely related to humus soil and watering and fertilizing.
When growing June Snow penjing in the north, first, pay attention to the quality of water. Try not to use tap water, although I often use tap water for watering, but tap water can make the soil become compacted, which is also one of the reasons for yellow leaves.
Second, if the penjing is grown indoors, as long as the humus soil does not accumulate water, it can be fertilized frequently during the growing season, applying a thin organic fertilizer once a month, with chemical fertilizers mainly composed of phosphorus and potassium fertilizers, and no nitrogen fertilizers or thick fertilizers; if it is maintained outdoors, it needs to be watered every day in summer, and water and fertilizer should be controlled in winter, keeping the potting soil warm and slightly dry.
It should be noted here that too much or too little water can cause yellow leaves in June Snow, but as long as the humus soil does not accumulate water, less watering and no fertilizing during low temperatures usually do not cause major problems (Figure 4).
Good effect of exposed roots and claws, Figure 5
3. Adapting to the lighting, ventilation, and temperature for June Snow
First, June Snow likes lighting but can tolerate shade. However, to have a vigorous growth, more flowers, faster thickening, and better root lifting, it is better to increase lighting in spring and autumn (Figure 6); if you want its leaves to be thick and green, you also need to shade it properly in summer. If not shaded in summer, the leaves will be full and old, the base will be vigorous, but June Snow will be healthy.
If there is not enough lighting and ventilation, the potting soil has a low evaporation rate, and the moisture is high, the stipules will start to turn yellow first, and the leaves will gradually turn yellow and fall off.
Second, although June Snow can tolerate slightly cold temperatures, the overwintering temperature should not be lower than 0-5 degrees. After the leaves fall in winter and enter the dormancy period, the potting soil should be slightly moist, maintaining a slightly dry state. Remember not to place it near radiators or air conditioners.
Golden edge June Snow without积水 in humus soil, Figure 6
4. The propagation method of June Snow
In daily management, June Snow has two propagation methods: cutting and division. June Snow has a strong root-forming ability, and the cutting time is generally before spring germination, cutting one-year-old branches; or using young branch cuttings in June-July.
Using fine river sand, red jade soil, and sediment soil as the matrix, cut the collected scions into 10-15 cm in length, leaving a few small leaves on the top, and cut the bottom at a 45-degree smooth oblique surface, soak in root growth solution for 30-60 minutes, and then bury them in sand.
After cutting, cover with humus, keep the matrix moist, and keep it shaded and well-ventilated. It can take root in about a month. If the temperature is too high and the matrix has too much water, it is easy to rot the scions.
Division propagation can be done by cutting the basal suckers from the potting soil during pot changing, and pruning dense and long roots. The long main roots can be buried in sand to form small penjing seedlings with roots as trunks.