How to raise the latest dragon spitting beads?

Longtuzhu flower is a green shrub of verbena family. It likes warm, moist and sunny semi-shaded environment, and is not cold-resistant. It is distributed in western tropical Africa and Mexico. It has peculiar flower shape and luxuriant flowering. It is mainly used for greenhouse cultivation and ornamental. It can also be used as a potted plant to decorate the windowsill and small summer courtyard. Let's take a look at how to raise the dragon bead flower.

Growth and distribution of dragon bead flower

Longtuzhu prefers a warm, moist and sunny semi-shady environment and is not resistant to cold. The optimum growth temperature from February to October was 18: 30 ℃, and from October to February of the following year was 13: 16 ℃. The winter temperature is not lower than 8 ℃, and the stems and leaves below 5 ℃ are easy to suffer from freezing injury. The light ones cause defoliation, and the heavy ones cause the tender stems to wither. During the vegetative growth period, the temperature can be higher, the temperature is higher than 30 ℃, as long as the water supply is sufficient, it can still grow normally. On the other hand, the temperature of reproductive growth, that is, the flowering stage, should be lower, about 17 ℃.

The propagation method of dragon spitting bead flower

1. Cuttage: Dragon spitting beads cuttings are generally carried out from May to June every year, and the top twigs of strong and disease-free branches can be selected, or the lower old branches can be cut into stem segments of 8 cm and 10 cm as cuttings. The cutting bed can be made of peat, perlite, rotten leaf soil, river sand and vermiculite, and the cutting in spring and autumn is the best. The optimum cutting temperature is 21 ℃ and the bed temperature is 26 ℃, which is very favorable for rooting and can take root 3 weeks after cutting.

2. Sowing: the longevity of the seed is short and it is sown immediately after harvest. The seeds can be sowed in a shallow pot from March to April every year, and the temperature is kept at 24 ℃. The seedlings can emerge in 10 days, change pots and transplant when the seedlings are 10 cm high, and blossom in the second year. Sowing method is not easy to survive, so it is recommended to use cutting method to propagate.

How to raise the dragon spitting pearl flowers?

1. Change pots: potted dragon spits beads in 12-15 cm pots, and 3 plants can be planted in each pot. Generally every 1 to 2 years to change the basin, the time to change the basin in early spring or after the flower fade. When changing the basin, first use broken tiles to cover the drainage hole, and then put a small amount of bone powder as base fertilizer, then load new culture soil (4 parts of rotten soil, 4 parts of garden soil, 2 parts of sandy soil), plant good plants, and leave 2-3 cm along the mouth for fertilization and watering. After changing the basin, pour through the water, put the seedlings slowly in the shade, and then move to the sunny place for maintenance.

2. Watering: Longtuzhu is sensitive to water, and sufficient water is needed in the growing period. Stems and leaves should keep saline soil moist during the growing period, but the amount of watering should not be excessive, resulting in only long vines without flowering, even leaves yellowing and withering, roots rot and death, if branches wither, stop watering, let them recover, and sprout new leaves. Summer high temperature season should be fully watered and properly shaded. It is necessary to reduce watering in winter and make it dormant in order to survive the winter safely.

3. Illumination: Dragon Tuzhu needs sufficient light in winter and shade when the summer weather is too hot, otherwise the leaves will turn yellow. When the light is insufficient, it will cause vine growth and do not blossom. Flower bud differentiation is not affected by photoperiod, but strong light can promote flower bud differentiation and development. It should not be kept in the dark for too long. If the temperature is above 21 ℃, the flowers will fall for more than 24 hours.

4. Soil: culture soil or mixture of peat soil and coarse sand is used in Longtuzhu pot cultivation. The soil uses a rich, loose and well-drained sandy loam.

5. Fertilization: Longtuzhu fertilization should not be too much, fertilizing once every semimonthly, applying phosphorus and potassium fertilizer twice in flowering season, applying mature thin cake fertilizer and water every 7-10 days, applying fertilizer 3-4 times in succession, and reducing watering and stopping fertilization in winter. If yellowing is found in the process of cultivation, it can be combined with topdressing and 0.2% ferrous sulfate to make the leaves gradually change from yellow to green.

6. Pruning: when Longtuzhu grows to 15 cm after cutting or sowing seedlings, cut branches 10 cm away from the basin mouth to promote the germination of sturdy new branches. During the growing period, we should strictly control the height of the branches and pay attention to topping and picking the heart, so that the branches will be neat and blossom in the future. Half a month after picking the heart, Bijiu or Daizhuangsu was applied to control the plant height so that the plant was short, leafy and flowered.