How to control the amount of watering water for potted plants?

In the process of plant growth, water and nutrients are absorbed by the root system, and then transported to the leaf surface by stem and branch to evaporate, and the foliar capillaries absorb carbon monoxide and ultraviolet rays in sunlight through circulation to make the necessary nutrients for its growth and development. so bonsai watering is very important. The author has summed up his experience in many years' practice:

Watering depends on the situation, master the amount of water.

Look at the size, size, depth and shallowness of the basin: less watering in the big basin, more watering in the small basin, less watering in the deep basin and more watering in the shallow basin.

Look at the texture of the basin: the soil basin is watered more, the pottery basin is less watered, and the porcelain basin is less watered.

Look at the soil: less clay, more sand.

Look at the tree species: broadleaf trees are watered more, coniferous trees are watered less, those with good growth are watered more, those with weak growth are watered less.

Look at the location: more watering in the sun, less in the sun, more watering in the high wind, less watering in the low wind, more watering in the dry wind, less watering in the air humidity.

Watering depends on the time, the water quality is very important.

Whether the bonsai should be watered or not, you can tap the pot body with your fingers, the sound should be watered, and the voice is low and unwatered. And the water temperature should be consistent with the local temperature, too high will scald the root, too low will frostbite the root. In general, the temperature difference in spring and autumn is small, the humidity is large, it is irrigated regardless of the time, the high temperature evaporates quickly in summer, it is watered sooner or later, and the plants are dormant in winter at noon. Avoid saline-alkali and greasy water. Bonsai use more pond and pool water, less bonsai can be used to replace fish culture water or stored tap water. Water flows from the bottom of the basin, and after pouring, spray the leaves to wash off the dust to facilitate photosynthesis. Generally use sprinkler watering, do not use tap water pipes to directly water bonsai, so as not to cause potted soil loss and endanger plant life.

How to water potted flowers

How to water potted flowers

Watering potted flowers is a basic work of raising flowers well. If you water too little, the flowers will die; if you water too much too often, the flowers will rot to death.

(1) the principle of watering potted flowers should be mastered in watering, which involves many factors, such as flower habits, growth stage and climate season, but the general principle is: no dry, no watering, watering should be done after drying, and watering should be thoroughly watered and wet from dry to dry.

The so-called "dry" refers to the degree of dryness of the surface layer of the basin soil. + it is watering when it is slightly dry, and it is not that the soil is "dry" before watering. This point requires a certain amount of practical experience to grasp it well.

The so-called "watering thoroughly" means that you should not pour "waist water". It seems that it has been watered, but in fact, the root has not absorbed water.

The so-called "dry and wet" means that after the potted flowers have been watered, there should be a "dry" gap between them, rather than watering the topsoil as soon as it is slightly dry. For example, after watering in the morning to the evening or to the next morning to see the basin soil dry and then watered, there is a "dry" process, which is called "dry and wet".

(2) to judge whether potted flowers need to be watered or not, that is to say, how dry the potted soil is, there are generally the following ways for experienced flower growers or gardeners to judge whether potted flowers need watering.

① look at color watering: look at the color, that is, look at the color of the basin soil, when the basin soil is gray and the topsoil has been dry, generally speaking, the basin soil has been dry, or half of the basin soil has been dry. Watering is needed if it is in midsummer, late spring or early autumn, and not necessarily or less if it is in early spring, late autumn or winter. If the potted soil is brownish black and the topsoil is wet, generally speaking, the potted soil is not dry and does not need to be watered. This is the most common and easiest way to judge.

② clay watering: if you can't tell with your eyes, or if the basin soil is covered with moss, press the basin soil with your fingers. If the basin soil is relatively hard and dry, or when the topsoil is pinched by hand, it shows that the basin soil is dry and needs watering; if you press it with your fingers, the basin soil is soft and damp, or when the topsoil is flaky or granular by hand, it means that the basin soil is wet and does not need watering.

(3) according to the condition of salt, the water used for watering flowers can be divided into hard water and soft water. Hard water contains more salts such as calcium, magnesium, sodium, potassium and so on. Using it to water flowers often causes brown spots on the leaves of flowers and affects the ornamental value. Therefore, it is better to water flowers with soft water with less salt.

① Rain Water or snow water: Rain Water or snow water is the most ideal in soft water, because Rain Water or snow water is close to neutral water, does not contain minerals, and has more air, so it is very suitable to water flowers. If you can use Rain Water or snow water to water flowers for a long time, it can improve the ornamental value of flowers. In the season when there is no Rain Water or snow water, mild river, lake or pond water is available.

② tap water: the water temperature of urban tap water is low, and the chlorine content may be high, so it is best not to water the flowers directly. It should be stored in a bucket or tank for 1 to 2 days, so that the chlorine can be volatilized before use.

(4) the watering amount of potted flowers should be determined according to the different habits, growth stages and seasonal climate changes of all kinds of flowers.

① watering according to different habits of flowers: for dry flowers, such as common epiphyllum, crab claw orchid, arrow lotus, tiger tail orchid, hanging orchid and Junle orchid and other succulent or fleshy root flowers, no matter it is growing or dormant period, after the basin soil is dry, do not water too often, generally dry is better, otherwise it is easy to cause rotten roots. We have said that the watering principle of cactus and sedum plants is that it would rather be dry than wet, and it should be completely dry in winter. In addition, for orchids and chrysanthemums, we emphasize "dry orchid and wet chrysanthemum".

For wet flowers, such as tortoise-backed bamboo, spring mackerel, taro, Guangdong evergreen, etc., in addition to the dormant period, in other seasons, watering can be slightly more, more frequently, basin soil is generally better to be wet.

② watering according to the growth stage of flowers: generally speaking, when flowers grow new branches and leaves, they need more water. After the basin soil is dry, watering can be slightly more. It is usually better to keep the soil moist. However, during flower bud differentiation, the basin soil should be drier, which is conducive to flower bud differentiation under photosynthesis. if it is watered too much and the basin soil is often too wet, it will accelerate branch and leaf growth and affect flower bud differentiation.

For potted five-needle pine, when growing new branches and leaves, especially when the needle is just put, the basin soil should be dry and should not be watered too much, so that the needles released are short and dense, otherwise, the needles will be long and sparse, affecting the ornamental value of bonsai.

When flowers bloom, the general pot soil should be a little wet. If the pot soil is too dry, it will shorten the flowering period and make the flowers wither earlier.

In the young fruit stage of fruit trees, the basin soil should be dry and not too wet, otherwise it will promote the dormant terminal bud and lateral bud germination and produce a lot of new shoots, competing with the young fruit for nutrients, resulting in a large number of fruit drop. When the fruit grows, the basin soil can be slightly moist, such as the basin soil is too dry, the fruit will scorch and fall off.

In the winter dormancy period, in addition to indoor heating equipment, the potted soil of flowers should generally be on the dry side, usually not too much watering, but not fully watered. At this time, the sun is weak, the temperature is low, and the water evaporates slowly, so the flowers are in the dormant stage and do not have high water requirements. If you water too much at this time, the pot soil will be in a moist state for a long time, and it will easily cause rotten roots. At this time, the amount of water can be less than half of the amount of water in the growing period, so that it can meet the requirements of dry and wet. It should be noted that the dormant or semi-dormant periods of some flowers are not all in winter but in the high-temperature period of the old season, such as cyclamen, although there is no high-temperature season at this time, it is not possible to water too much, and the potted soil should generally be on the dry side. If overwatered, the basin soil is often too wet, which will also cause rotten roots and withered leaves.

In addition, for sowing seedlings, the amount of water should be different in different growth stages. Generally speaking, before the seed germination, the basin soil should be wet, after germination, that is, the seedling stage, the amount of water should be reduced, the basin soil should be dry, otherwise there will be a phenomenon of migration. Therefore, in the seedling stage should maintain a lower soil moisture, so as to prevent the growth of seedlings, so that seedlings grow more robust, this measure is called "squatting seedlings".

(5) watering should be carried out in the morning or evening in summer, late spring or early autumn, and around noon in winter, early spring or late autumn. This can make the water temperature consistent with the soil temperature, prevent sudden cold and heat, stimulate the root system, and is not beneficial to the growth and development of flowers. Potted flowers in indoor or greenhouse can also be carried out with reference to the above time. Cold water in the cold winter season can be placed indoors for some time and then poured into the basin. However, it should be noted that well water or cold water can not be used to directly water flowers in summer, otherwise flowers will produce "physiological drought" phenomenon.

The great difference between air temperature and water temperature will cause plant "physiological drought". Because water evaporates quickly at noon in summer, the roots of flowers need to constantly absorb water from the soil to supplement the loss of foliar transpiration. If cold water is poured at this time, although the basin soil increases moisture, the root hair is stimulated by low temperature due to a sudden drop in soil temperature, which will immediately hinder the normal absorption of water. At this time, due to the lack of any preparation in the flower body, water will lose the balance of supply and demand and produce the phenomenon of "physiological drought". This phenomenon is particularly obvious in herbaceous flowers, such as geranium, pineapple, chrysanthemum and so on.

(6) watering method

① watering: neither "bottom water" (upper dry lower wet), nor "waist blocking water" (upper wet lower dry) can be irrigated.

② search for water: look for individual potted flowers that are short of water for watering, which is usually done at high temperatures in summer. In addition, in the winter flower indoor maintenance stage, we should also take the way of looking for water, not comprehensive watering.

③ water: days of rain or usually too much watering, will make the basin soil lack of oxygen to cause partial root rot, resulting in leaves yellowing or falling off, then should stop watering and loosen the soil, called "restrain water", until the basin soil is dry and then irrigated.

④ water release: in the peak growing season, combined with topdressing to increase the amount of water, even if the pot is full of water, in order to meet the needs of rapid growth of flowers.

⑤ water deduction: refers to the control of the number of watering and the amount of water. "buckling water" is generally carried out in the following cases: first, to control vegetative growth and promote flower bud differentiation. Such as plum blossom in July, kumquat in mid-June, grape in the germination stage or flower bud differentiation period, except for the application of phosphate fertilizer and potash fertilizer. The second is to make the leaves smaller in order to improve the ornamental value of bonsai. For example, five-needle pine and black pine need to buckle water during the needle growth period from May to June. The third is to improve the cold resistance of greenhouse flowers, and the amount of water should be reduced during the whole overwintering period. The fourth is to control the height to promote plant sturdiness and root growth, such as chrysanthemum in the later stage of growth should be deducted water. Fifth, when turning over the basin and changing the soil, if too much persistent soil is dug up, it will inevitably damage a large number of roots and cause many wounds. If some water-resistant orchids and pine and cypress bonsai are watered thoroughly, the rotten roots of the plants will often die if they are watered thoroughly. Therefore, wet culture soil is often used when potting, do not water, only spray water on the plants, wait until the new buds germinate before watering.

⑥ point water: when the leaves of potted flowers wilt, move the potted flowers to a cool place, first pour a small amount of water to slow seedlings and then pour enough water, such watering is called "point water", or "soul water".

⑦ water: also known as "returning water", refers to the water with a large amount of water irrigated once on the second day after fertilization. its purpose is to dilute the fertilizer applied and seep around the deep roots, so that it can be easily absorbed by the plants. at the same time, washing and fertilizing pollutes the juice of branches and leaves to avoid causing fertilizer damage.

⑧ spray: in the dry weather and hot summer season, we often take measures to wash branches and leaves with clean water and sprinkle water on the ground around the flowerpot, which can effectively wash off the dust of stems and leaves, enhance the photosynthesis of leaves, increase air humidity, reduce air temperature, avoid tender leaves scorched Trichosanthes, leaf margin dry, so as to keep branches and leaves fresh green, and improve the ornamental price. If it suddenly clears up after the seasonal rain or it is muggy at night, spraying water in time can play a role in cooling and preventing corrosion.

For some flowers that are afraid of heat (such as cyclamen, hanging golden bell, etc.) and like damp flowers (such as camellias, rhododendrons, orchids, etc.), water is often sprayed on the leaves in S season, which is very beneficial to their fertility. Spray water on the leaves of flowers, the amount of water sprayed varies according to the type of flowers. Young seedlings and delicate flowers, as well as new pots and cuttings that have not yet taken root, should be sprayed with more water; some flowers of Araceae and pineapple need to spray water frequently.

Spraying water in winter needs to wash the leaf surface with water close to room temperature and wash away the accumulated dust on the leaf surface in time to keep the plant fresh. But spray water should not be too frequent, generally spray once every 1 week or 2 weeks. If you spray too much water at this time, it will increase the humidity of the basin soil and easily lead to dormant flowers and rotten roots.

But it should be noted that, for flowers such as paulownia, Pu Baobao, African violets, cactus, and hanging golden bells, often spray water, leaves and fleshy stems will rot, so it is not appropriate to spray water on the leaves; leaf buds and flower buds of cyclamen tubers, flower buds in African chrysanthemum leaves are all afraid of water wet, and they are easy to rot when water is wet for too long; false bulbs in the middle of gentleman orchid leaves are also afraid of getting drenched into water. For blooming flowers, it is not appropriate to spray more water, so as to avoid petal mildew or affect fertilization and reduce fruiting and fruiting rate.

Bonsai Master talks about how to make potted plants spend the summer safely

"Master Qi, have you come to change the bonsai again? You left the bonsai with us and it withered soon. Master Qi said with a smile, "that's because you can't raise it!" Yesterday, Master Qi came to the community not only to water the bonsai, but also to impart the knowledge of managing bonsai to community workers and residents.

Master Qi is a member of the community greening brigade of sweet-scented osmanthus. He used to have a bonsai shop in the flower-and-bird market. In order to take care of his wife who was disabled by illness, he set up a shop. Retreating to the second line, his skill remains the same. He often sends his hand-cultivated bonsai to the community and comes to see how it looks when he is free. The pot to be replaced was brought last month. The chic landscape basin, composed of asparagus, moss, rockery and pond, once cost hundreds of yuan for bonsai, but now it is free to enter the community, which makes social workers extremely excited. But before long, social workers slowly found that when summer came, ornamental plants such as gardenia, thousand-hand Guanyin and Dishui Guanyin all withered one by one.

In the hot summer, how should we raise bonsai? According to Master Qi, in fact, indoor plants do not have high requirements for water in summer, so it is best not to water them every day. The interval of watering varies according to different plant species. The simplest way is that the soil surface in the plant basin is dry and can be watered. For example, if it is placed in a large room without direct sunlight, it can be watered once every five or six days, but if it is placed in a room with direct sunlight, the soil will dry faster and the watering interval can be shortened appropriately. In addition, the indoor plants should not be facing the air conditioner, otherwise the temperature difference is too large, which will lead to the blockage of plant leaf cells, affect water evaporation, and even cause plant death.

Outdoor bonsai needs to be taken care of more. At noon in hot summer, the temperature is very high, the plant leaf temperature often reaches about 40 ℃, and the water evaporation is very large. Plant roots must constantly absorb water to supplement the loss of foliar transpiration. If the leaves of the plants are wilting, the potted plants should be moved to the shade in time. After a quarter of an hour, water is sprayed on the leaves first, and then watered later when the pot soil is not hot. Do not water immediately in the sun, otherwise the roots and leaves will be burned, this phenomenon is especially serious in plants.

In midsummer, potted plants are usually watered twice a day. In the morning, be sure to water once, and water enough; in the evening, if the leaves wilt, water again, otherwise there is no need to water again. Time-sharing watering is mainly to avoid excessive temperature difference, which, like people, can also lead to flower colds and affect normal growth.