Methods for Correctly Selecting High-Quality Flowers
You may not be familiar with the knowledge related to growing flowers at home. The method for correctly selecting high-quality flowers is a very useful tip, and it is recommended to save it for future reference!
There are two types of seedlings on the market, one with soil balls and one without. The ones with soil balls are mostly evergreen flowers. Generally speaking, seedlings with soil balls have stable quality, minor root damage, and are beneficial for survival, so you should try to select this type of seedling. It is best to buy when the buds are just beginning to sprout, as the survival rate is high at this time. However, some seedlings' soil balls are artificially made by flower farmers. You can gently shake the seedlings; if the soil ball easily falls off completely, it is an artificially made soil ball, and you should not buy this type of flower. When buying bare-root flowers, you should also note that it is best to buy when the buds are just beginning to sprout, and you should choose seedlings with lush and fresh leaves and intact roots without breaks.
Next, if you still prefer to buy potted flowers, you need to be even more careful when selecting them. Do not be deceived by the false appearance of lush greenery and abundant flowers and fruits. Perhaps these flowers were just transported from the flower base and planted in a pot with a little soil by the flower vendor, then sprayed with a brightener to make them look vigorous. In reality, they will die after being taken home for just a few days. Some unscrupulous merchants will even insert plants without roots into the soil for consumers to buy, so you must be vigilant against fraud.
When selecting such potted flowers, you should note the following two points:
(1) Identify the authenticity of potted plants. Specifically: for woody flowers, you can grasp the stem of the flower tree; if it can be lifted along with the pot and soil, it is generally a real potted plant, otherwise, it is a fake potted plant; for herbaceous flowers, you can slightly pull, and if the flower is stable, it is a real potted plant; if it can be pulled away from the pot, it is a fake potted plant.
(2) Look at the shape. The height of the flowers, the size of the tree crown should be proportional to the size of the pot, and the overall shape of the branches, leaves, flowers, and fruits should be harmonious and beautiful. If a small pot has a tall tree, this type of plant is definitely a fake potted plant.
To prevent fraud, I suggest that you avoid buying flowers from street vendors and try to develop the habit of buying flowers from fixed stalls and stall owners. Even if there is a problem, you can communicate in time and reduce losses.
Merchants spray a lot of brightener on higher-priced ornamental plants such as "Money Tree," "B巴西 Wood," and "Perennial Green" to make them look better. After closing, they wash it off with water. The main components of the brightener are organic silicone and paraffin, and occasional use will not affect the growth of flowers. However, some consumers who are unaware that these plants have been processed with chemical agents may not know to wash them at home, and the brightener stuck on the leaves will hinder the photosynthesis of the flowers, causing the entire plant to wither gradually.
1. recently potted flowers: If you see new soil in the pot and the stem can be easily pulled out, then this flower must have just been potted and has not grown new roots yet. Such flowers are easy to die after being bought. The reason is that some operators mix unripe organic fertilizers directly into the soil to pursue economic benefits, and once these fertilizers ferment, the roots of the flowers will be burned.
2. flowers planted together with two or more seedlings: Some operators take advantage of the buyers' preference for flowers with abundant leaves and flowers, planting unsatisfactory seedlings together in a pot to pass off inferior products as good ones and sell them to inexperienced buyers for profit. The branches and leaves of such flowers will gradually become thinner, weaker, and yellower, and the flowers will bloom smaller and smaller. The reason is that they lack nutrition, and there are too many roots in the pot, which is prone to compaction, and may cause root rot due to poor drainage and ventilation.
3. flowers with roots but no stems or leaves: Some individual vendors dig wild vines and other tree roots in autumn and winter and pass them off as flowers (C-S) because they have no stems or leaves, making them difficult to identify. They wrap them with moss to keep them moist and give them strange flower names to cheat inexperienced buyers.
4. flowers that can bloom in multiple colors in pictures: Some unscrupulous vendors insert fake flowers of various colors into plants that cannot bloom, then take pictures and make them into brochures with foreign flower names to cheat beginners in flower cultivation. These street vendors move around, making it difficult for the buyers who have been deceived to find them.
5. flowers with branches and leaves tied into various shapes with thin iron wire: Flower merchants intentionally tie the branches and leaves of evergreen trees such as pine and cypress into various animal shapes to sell as high-priced potted landscapes. While these potted flowers look good at first, over time, as the plants grow, their shapes will change. Moreover, tying all the branches and leaves at once not only affects photosynthesis but also easily causes diseases and pests, which is very harmful to the growth of the plants.
6. cacti with small frost spots on the stems or balls: In early spring, it is common to see individual vendors selling cacti at low prices (C-S). Some buyers do not examine them carefully and buy ten or eight at a time, and many of them have problems. The reason is that cacti that have overwintered can easily suffer minor frostbite, with shallow green frost spots the size of a grain of rice appearing on the stems and balls. They may look fine on the surface, but the internal tissues of the plants have already suffered significant damage. If no measures are taken after buying such flowers, the spots will become larger and larger, the plants will gradually become translucent, and eventually, the entire plant will die.
That is the detailed introduction to the methods for correctly selecting high-quality flowers. I hope you will like it!