Cultivation and maintenance of hibiscus chrysanthemum

Hibiscus chrysanthemum, also known as moxa, snow moxa, fragrant moxa, its plant shape is compact, the leaves are as white as snow, and can be used as a pot ornamental or ground plant for greening. And because of its dry, vigorous and simple roots, compact branches and leaves, it is naturally clustered, and it is often used to make bonsai stumps of different shapes.

? Variety characteristics

Hibiscus chrysanthemum (Crossostephiumchi-nense) is a perennial evergreen subshrub of Compositae and Asteraceae. The main stem is erect, the lateral branches are numerous and dense, the branches grow upward, the branches are light yellowish brown or gray, and the old stems are longitudinally lobed; simple leaves alternate, aggregated on branches, leaves rectangular spoon-shaped or rectangular-Obovate, entire, leaves gray-white or silver-white, egg cyan, snow-cyan.

? Reproduction method

Sowing, striping, cutting and other methods are used, of which the cutting method is the most commonly used, generally carried out in the growing season. Cuttings can use strong and full branches, perennial old branches and current year twigs can be cut, regardless of length, and more beautiful growing branches can be cut in production, and the cutting bed can be watered once with good drainage and permeability media such as river sand, perlite and vermiculite, so as to keep the soil and air moist and shade properly, so as to avoid hot sun exposure, take root in about half a month or so, and plant it in a pot after a month.

The seedlings of hibiscus chrysanthemum should be planted in fertile soil and the mature thin liquid fertilizer should be applied once a week. Because of its rapid growth, attention should be paid to cutting off the branches that affect the shape at any time, concentrating nutrients and promoting the growth of the trunk and main branches.

? Bonsai modeling

Hibiscus chrysanthemum bonsai modeling can be carried out in the growing period from April to October, but it can not be modeled in winter because the branches are weak and easy to break. Its modeling can be processed into different forms of bonsai, such as straight dry type, curved dry type, oblique dry type, double dry type, jungle type, water-facing type, cliff type, water-dry type, etc., and the crown can adopt either natural shape or regular disc shape; the modeling method is mainly flat binding, supplemented by pruning, fine pruning and coarse cutting, and first using wire to tie the trunk, main branches and side branches into the basic shape, and then do appropriate pruning to make it take shape. When modeling, you can make use of the characteristics of fast wound healing to tear off the branches that affect the shape from the base with skin. After a month or so of wound healing, the place is vigorous and simple, without man-made traces, achieving the artistic effect of "although it is artificial, like Tiancheng". It has high ornamental value.

The roots of hibiscus chrysanthemum are old and colorful. When making bonsai, you can put it on the soil surface according to the modeling needs, in order to increase the ancient sense of bonsai. Like most tree stump bonsai, hibiscus bonsai roots should be raised step by step, not all at once, so as not to expose too many capillaries, affect plant growth, and even lead to plant death.

? Maintenance and management

Hibiscus chrysanthemum originated in Taiwan, Fujian and other places, like warm, humid and sunny environment, slightly resistant to semi-shade, not cold-resistant, afraid of stagnant water. The growing season from April to October can be maintained in a place with sufficient sunshine outdoors, even in the middle of summer. If the light is not enough, the branches and leaves will grow too long, the plant shape will be loose and not compact, and the leaf color will change from silver to light green, which will affect the ornamental effect. Hibiscus chrysanthemum has a well-developed root system and strong absorptive capacity, and sufficient water and fertilizer supply is required during the growing period. Mature thin pancake fertilizer or other mature organic liquid fertilizer can be applied every 10 days or so, usually watering is not dry, watering is thoroughly, must not irrigate half of water and basin soil stagnant water. Pay attention to spraying water to the plants when the air is dry, so as to increase air humidity and avoid scorching leaves. Drainage and waterlogging should be done in time in the rainy season, otherwise the roots will become sick and rot due to stagnant water in the basin soil.

Move to the sunny part of the room in winter, control watering, stop fertilization, and maintain a room temperature of 5 ℃ to 10 ℃. If the temperature is too low, it will cause freezing damage, while too high temperature will make the plant grow too long and affect the beauty.

The basin is turned once every 1 to 2 years, usually in spring. The basin soil is required to be rich in humus, loose and fertile, and has good drainage. It can be prepared by mixing 5 parts of humus, 3 parts of garden soil, 2 parts of river sand and slag, and do not hurt too much roots when changing pots. The resident soil of about 1x3 can be removed, and the roots will be slightly trimmed, watered after planting, and maintained in the shade. After returning to the seedling, it can be placed in a place with sufficient light for normal management.

For hibiscus and chrysanthemum bonsai, pruning and shaping can be carried out once a year in spring, cutting off overlong branches, disease and insect branches, dead branches, overlapping branches, winter overgrown branches and other branches that affect the beauty of the tree. this can not only maintain the beautiful shape of the bonsai tree, make the branches frustrated and strong, full of rigidity, but also prevent the retreat caused by the senescence of the branches. Hibiscus chrysanthemum has strong germinating power, so the extra sprouts on the branches should be removed in time during the growing period, and attention should be paid to picking the head and heart, controlling the shape of the tree, promoting new branches and making the crown plump and compact. Hibiscus chrysanthemum is a bonsai mainly for viewing leaves. The ornamental value of its yellowish-green flowers is not high, and it also has a strange smell, so it should be picked in time when the buds appear, so as not to consume too much nutrients and make the plant aging.

? Pest control

The insect pests of hibiscus chrysanthemum mainly include aphids and red spiders, which can be controlled by spraying related drugs. The disease is mainly due to the root rot disease caused by poor soil permeability and stagnant water, which can be prevented by improving the cultivation environment. If the disease occurs, the rotten root system should be cut off in time, the soil with good permeability should be replaced and replanted, and shaded properly to promote root recovery.