How to care for living stone flowers in summer
Let's talk about some related experiences with living stone flowers, how to care for them in summer. Next, the editor of this site will introduce to everyone.
The question of how to care for living stone flowers in summer can actually be extended to the maintenance methods during their dormant period, because most living stone flowers are winter types and are in a dormant state during the summer months.
In their original habitat, the strong summer sunlight and high direct temperatures cause living stone flowers to enter a summer dormancy state for self-protection. The humid and hot climate in our country, especially in the south, is quite different. For potted plants, it is impossible to reach the ground temperature of the South African origin. The biggest threat to living stone flowers in our country is moisture, so controlling water and strengthening ventilation is very helpful for surviving the summer.
Most varieties of living stone flowers require a lot of light. Weak light or excessive shading can lead to the stretching or even rotting of living stone flowers. During the dormant period, living stone flowers naturally have the ability to resist intense sunlight in their original habitat. However, the living stone flowers we grow now, especially those purchased from nurseries that have been grown in greenhouses, have some changes in their ability to withstand direct sunlight.
Therefore, simply creating the original habitat environment may not be ideal. Some flower friends place living stone flowers on the south-facing shelves in sunny days and use 75% black shade nets to provide shade, avoiding direct sunlight around noon in the summer; while those placed on east-facing window shelves are not shaded and are directly exposed to the sun for three to four hours without any burn marks. It is a normal phenomenon for living stone flowers that have been exposed to the sun to show some shrinkage and wrinkles, and there is no need to worry too much.
At this point, some friends may say that their living stone flowers have been kept outdoors without any shading all summer and have not had any burn problems. This situation indicates that these living stone flowers have fully adapted to the local climate and also shows that this friend has mastered the technique.
Incidentally, different varieties of living stone flowers also have different tolerances to sunlight. Varieties such as Nirvana, Lumingyu, Zixun, Fulaiyu, and Huangyu have higher light tolerance, while varieties like Wenwenyu, Weiwényu, Dajin Hui, and Lihongyu have lower tolerance.
Can living stone flowers be watered during their summer dormancy? This is a common and very confusing issue. My experience is that living stone flowers should not be given a lot of water, but not a drop should be given either. Although the original habitat of living stone flowers does not receive any rain during the hot and dry dormant period, there is still some moisture in the deeper layers of the ground, and the roots of the living stone flowers can get a little bit of weak moisture.
So how do we water living stone flowers during their dormant period? The safest method is to spray water on the surface of the living stone flowers at night. This is based on the principle that the stomata on the leaves of living stone flowers close during the day and open at night. Spraying water on the surface can also cool down the living stone flowers. This method is only suitable for sunny days and should not be used on cloudy or rainy days.
Additionally, for living stone flowers planted with only honeycomb coal slag and a small amount of decomposed leaf soil, I immerse the pot for 1-2 seconds every ten days or so during the dormant period, with the water level only reaching the bottom layer (large particle permeable layer), and the effect is quite good.
Nothing is absolute. In many posts by veteran living stone flower enthusiasts, there are often statements like "I still water my living stone flowers in the summer." To achieve such skill, one must train slowly.
The above content introduces how to care for living stone flowers in the summer. Have green plant enthusiasts understood it?