The latest culture method of Hydrangea

Hydrangea is known as ball orchid, also known as eight Immortals, Ziyang Flower, Seven changes, Hydrangea, Noodle Flower, originated in Sichuan, China and Japan. It is a deciduous shrub of Hydrangea of the family Hydrangea of Cornus. The flowers are almost asexual, and the so-called "flowers" are just sepals. The eight Immortals were cultivated earlier in China, and hydrangea was planted in the gardens in the south of the Yangtze River built in the Ming and Qing dynasties. The park built at the beginning of the 20th century is also inseparable from the planting of hydrangea. Modern parks and scenic spots are planted in pieces to form a landscape. Artificially cultivated hydrangea flowers are colorful, with blue, white, purple, pink, pink and other colors, is a common ornamental flowers and trees.

Growth habits of Hydrangea

We must first understand the growth habits of hydrangea before we can pertinently master the breeding methods of hydrangea. Hydrangea is native to the Yangtze River Basin in China and is fond of warm, moist and semi-shady environment. Afraid of drought and waterlogging, it is not cold-resistant. In cold areas, the aboveground parts wither and die in winter, and new shoots will not sprout again until the next spring. Hydrangea likes the light loam which is fat, moist and well drained, and has strong adaptability. The acidity and basicity of the soil had a great influence on the flower color of hydrangea, which was blue in acidic soil and red in alkaline soil.

Propagation method of Hydrangea

Cuttings, ramets, striping and grafting are commonly used for propagation, mainly cuttings. During the Meiyu period, strong twigs on young mother trees can be selected as cuttings, with nodes at the base of cuttings, stained with mud, about 20 cm long, and the lower leaves can be removed. The suitable temperature of cuttings is 1 3-18 ℃, shade is needed after cutting, it is often kept moist, rooting takes place in about 15 days to 1 month, and can be transplanted in the second year after survival. Ramet propagation should be carried out before sprouting in early spring. Separate the rooted branches from the mother plant, pot directly, watering should not be too much, maintain in the semi-shady place, wait for new buds to sprout and then transfer to normal maintenance. Striping propagation can be carried out during bud germination, grow after 30 days, cut off from the mother plant in the following spring, transplant with soil, and blossom in the same year. In general, high pressure is carried out from March to April in spring, and it can take root from June to July, and it can be cut and planted in the same year. Grafting propagation uses Qionghua seedlings as rootstocks, cutting in spring, easy to survive. Transplanting should be carried out after defoliation or before budding. The main branch is easy to sprout and grow, and it needs to be pruned properly after flowering to shape the tree.

Cultivation and Management of Hydrangea

The optimum temperature for the growth of Hydrangea is 18-28 ℃, and the winter temperature is not lower than 5 ℃. Flower bud differentiation takes 6-8 weeks under the condition of 5-7 ℃. The temperature of 20 ℃ can promote flowering, maintain 16 ℃ after anthesis, and prolong the flowering period. But the heat makes the flowers fade quickly. Hydrangea is a short-day plant, which is treated in the dark for more than 10 hours every day and forms flower buds in about 45-50 days. Potted hydrangea is commonly used in 15cm pots. Potted plants should be fully watered after sprouting in spring to ensure that the leaves do not wither. During the florescence from June to July, there should be sufficient fertilizer and water, and fertilization should be applied once a month. Usually cultivation should avoid the hot sun, and 60%-70% shading is the best. When the light is too strong in midsummer, proper shading can prolong the flowering period. The stem of the flower is removed after flowering to promote the formation of new branches.

The sandy loam with loose, fertile and well-drained soil is better. However, the flower color is affected by soil acidity and alkalinity, acidic soil flowers are blue and alkaline soil flowers are red. The basin soil should be kept moist, but it should not be watered too much, especially in the rainy season to prevent rotting roots caused by waterlogging. It is better to dry indoor potted plants in winter. If it is too wet, the leaves will rot easily. Change the basin every spring. Trim properly to keep the plant shape beautiful.

Upper pot pruning of hydrangea

The propagation of hydrangea is carried out in spring and autumn, but it is the best in late spring and early summer (from the end of April to July). At this time, the hydrangea flowering period has basically ended in May, and new branches and leaf buds have grown after picking and pruning the leaves of the remnant flowers. at this time, the top branch and bud can be cut as cuttings. Cutting can also be carried out from late September to October, and many new branches and leaf buds will sprout after pruning the terminal buds of Hydrangea in early spring, and it is suitable for cutting propagation because of the cool weather.

1. In addition to the nursery bed made of brick, in order to facilitate moving and management, the foam box can be used as the seedbed. Cut a few holes at the bottom of the box and cover it with tiles, fill it with a layer of coarse sand and then put it into the culture soil (3 parts of sand and 2 parts of aseptic mountain soil), flatten it and cut it. Cut the cuttings into 10-15 cm segments, cut off the lower leaves of the terminal branches, leaving only the top 2-3 leaves. After cutting, tie up the cuttings. In order to make the cuttings heal and take root as soon as possible, soak the cuttings with a strong rooting agent (about 0.2 kg per packet of water) for 5 minutes and 10 minutes. After cutting, the soil around the branches should be pressed tightly with your fingers to make the cuttings closely combine with the soil. Then use a sprinkler to water once, as long as the bed soil is wet, there is no need to water, but to often spray on the cuttings leaves and keep the environment around the seedbed moist. If the weather is hot and sunny, shade should be built. In this way, under careful management, the wound began to heal for about 25 days, and new roots grew on the branches.

2. Pot cultivation and maintenance: Hydrangea has survived after about 25 days of careful management, and new leaf buds grow upward from the terminal bud, which must be separately planted and managed in pots. For the cultivation of hydrangea, the coniferous soil (with high acid content) is added with bran, and the compound fertilizer of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium (according to the content of coniferous soil) is mixed and accumulated with the soil for more than half a year, and it can be used after opening and drying for several days before use. After the seedling survives, the top branch can be topped for the first time to promote the lower part to sprout new leaf buds: when several branches and buds grow to a certain length, top for the second time, and let their growth balanced and luxuriant, when the trunk is strong, only 3 or 4 branches are left to grow. During the period from pot survival to branch setting, it is necessary to apply fertilizer for 3 to 4 times, and the fertilizer is mainly potassium dihydrogen phosphate.