The culture method of unicorn flower

Kirin flower is also known as iron begonia, unicorn thorn, tiger thorn and so on. It is a trailing shrub plant of Euphorbiaceae, native to Madagascar in Africa, widely cultivated in the tropics and temperate zones of the Old World, and cultivated in both the north and south of China. It is common in parks, botanical gardens and courtyards. It is very popular as a potted plant. Let's take a look at the breeding methods of unicorn flowers.

Growth habits of unicorn flowers

The unicorn flower can blossom all year round, and the flower is in full bloom in summer and autumn rainy season. the red petals seen are actually bracts, which look like a big red lip, and the yellow or orange-red florets on the red lips are the real flowers. Like warm, moist and sunny environment, slightly shady, but afraid of high temperature, drought, not cold, loose, well-drained rotten leaf soil is the best, if the winter temperature is low, there is a short-term dormancy phenomenon.

The propagation method of unicorn flower

The unicorn flower is mainly propagated by cuttage, which can be cut in the whole growing period, but it is the best from May to June, with high survival rate and easy survival. Select sturdy branches, about 10 cm to 15 cm long (with 3 or 4 leaf nodes), dry the white pulp from the cut, coat it with plant ash, and dry it in a cool place for 2 to 3 days, so that the wound is dried and then inserted into the plain sand, watered thoroughly, and then watered less. when the basin soil is slightly dry, it will take root after about 50 to 60 days.

The culture method of unicorn flower

1. Soil: the substrate for Kirin flower basin can choose one of the following: vegetable garden soil: slag = 3:1, or garden soil: medium coarse river sand: sawdust = 4:1:2, or one of paddy soil, pond mud, rotten leaf soil, or peat + perlite + ceramsite = 2 + 2 + 1, vegetable soil + slag = 3 + 1, peat + slag + ceramsite = 2 + 2 + 1, sawdust + vermiculite + medium coarse river sand = 2 + 2 + 1. Pour water once after putting on the basin and keep it in a shady environment for a week.

2. Watering: the unicorn flower is a succulent plant, which is resistant to drought and should not be watered much. If the basin soil is too wet for a long time, it will not only cause rotten roots, but also endanger the survival of the plant, so it is better to water the basin soil slightly dry. Water evaporates quickly in summer, watering should be more appropriate, but there can be no water in the basin. Watering too much during flowering will cause falling flowers and buds, and even cause rotten roots.

3. Fertilization: Kirin flower fertilizer should be applied less, and thin fertilizer should be applied 2times every spring. Fertilization can be reduced in autumn. Kirin flowers do not like thick fertilizer, the growth period is generally 3-4 weeks to apply mature thin pancake fertilizer and water. Too much fertilizer, especially too much nitrogen fertilizer, the branches grow, only leaves do not blossom. If the phosphorus and potassium fertilizer is applied twice during the bud period, the flowers will be more and the color will be bright.

4. Lighting: unicorn flowers like plenty of sunshine and should be given more light all the year round. During flowering, if the sun is sufficient, the bracts are brightly colored, and the flowering period is long, the sun is insufficient, the flower color is dim, and if it is cultured in shade for a long time, it will not blossom or rarely bloom. The unicorn flower likes warmth and is not resistant to cold. The northern area generally leaves the room in early May, puts it in the sunny place, and enters the room in early October, where there is sunshine in the room.

5. Temperature: when the unicorn flower overwintering, the leaves fall off completely and enter the semi-dormant state when the room temperature is low. At this time, watering should be strictly controlled to keep the potted soil dry. When the temperature is lower than 0 ℃, the plant will die from frost injury. If the room temperature is kept above 15 ℃ in winter, it will blossom continuously throughout the winter. The unicorn flower is very suitable for autumn and winter indoor flowers planted in the north.

6. Pruning: the unicorn flower blossoms at the top of the new branch. If you want the unicorn flower to blossom more, it must be pruned properly. Because the main branch is too long, it blossoms less. Therefore, the overlong and irregular branches should be cut short after flowering. Generally, two new branches grow under the cut mouth of the branches, and when the new branches grow to 5cm to 6cm, they can blossom. Prune once a year, and after a few years, the whole plant will be full of bright little red flowers.

7. Diseases and insects: in the season of continuous rain, unicorn flowers have more Rain Water, high air humidity, dirty surface of basin soil, easy to get root rot and stem rot, root rot can be irrigated with root rot spirit, and stem rot can be sprayed with agricultural streptomycin or Likujing sprayed stem stem once a fortnight. Kirin flowers are mainly whitefly and shell insects, whitefly can be sprayed with lice or imidacloprid, or 1500 times of fenitrothion EC can be sprayed, and shell insects can be caught manually.