How to raise desert roses in winter, how to cultivate desert roses in winter / heat preservation is the key point

We know that desert rose is a plant that is very afraid of cold, so we should pay extra attention to it when it is maintained in winter. If it is not done properly, it is likely that it will not survive the winter because of freezing injury. Then how to raise desert rose in winter? Let's take a look at how to cultivate desert roses in winter.

Do desert roses lose their leaves in winter?

Scientific research has found that desert rose leaves in winter is a subnormal state, which is one of its ways to fight drought, because fallen leaves can reduce water consumption. However, if the winter temperature is above 15 degrees, it will not shed leaves, and many normally falling leaves will grow again after the temperature rises in the next year.

How to raise desert roses in winter

Usually, desert roses can grow normally if they are kept at 15 degrees Celsius, but in many parts of China, the temperature will be lower than 15 degrees in winter, so flower lovers need to take some measures. So how to keep desert roses in winter? The method is as follows.

Cultivation methods of Desert Rose in Winter

1. Move back indoors

In most areas, the outdoor temperature will be lower than 10 degrees in winter, so we should move desert roses back indoors, while many plants put plastic bags outside to keep warm. Desert roses are not applicable in terms of cold tolerance. Desert roses are weaker.

2. Stop fertilization

Fertilization needs to be stopped in winter, so desert roses are generally dormant at this time, and their demand for fertilizer is the lowest in a year, so fertilization not only does not promote its growth, but also affects the balance of nutrients in the soil. We have described this in detail in how desert roses are watered and fertilized.

3. Reduce watering

The root of desert rose has evolved into a spongy shape, which can store some water. In addition, it grows very slowly in winter, so watering should be reduced accordingly, and only a small amount of water should be watered when the soil is completely dry. Otherwise, root soaking is prone to root rot.

4. Environmental ventilation

Desert roses may be frostbitten when the temperature is below 5 degrees in winter, so some flower friends will keep them in a warm and stuffy environment, which is also wrong. If the environment is too hot and unventilated, it will cause some diseases and insect pests. It will also affect the health of desert roses, so you should keep the environment well ventilated.

How to raise longevity flowers the culture method of longevity flowers

How to raise longevity flowers the culture method of longevity flowers

Longevity flower (scientific name: Kalanchoe blossfeldiana), also known as caramellia, dwarf cabbage, Christmas cabbage, longevity flower, Brosfield Anne cold vegetable, belongs to the genus crassulaceae and is native to Madagascar in Africa. Longevity flowers are common ornamental flowers.

Reproduction

Can use cutting and sowing propagation, cutting can use stem cutting and leaf cutting, but stem cutting is more convenient and quick. When the stem is inserted, cut off the terminal bud of the healthy plant, which is about 5 to 6 centimeters long. after the wound heals, it is inserted into the culture soil to keep the soil moist and ventilated. when it is higher than 30 degrees Celsius, it is necessary to sprinkle water to cool down. After about 2 weeks, you can start to apply fertilizer. On the other hand, the leaves are cut off from healthy and fat leaves, put the cut leaves in a cool place for about half an hour for the wound to dry and heal, and then shallowly insert or lay them on the permeable sand to keep the sand semi-damp, do not be too wet, otherwise it is easy to rot, when the air is dry or cold, you can add transparent film to cover the moisturizing and heat preservation, and put it in a place with soft sunlight and ventilation, which can take root within one month and sprout in four months.

Seeds are usually used for reproduction in the early stages of horticultural breeding. Most of the longevity flowers are sown in March, just sprinkle the seeds on the moist soil, gently compact the seeds on the mud surface, and then wrap them in transparent plastic bags to moisturize and place them in a sunny place, but they can not be exposed to strong light. The plastic bags can be removed at this time, but be careful not to let the soil get too dry. If the air is dry, spray is needed to moisturize, and eight pairs of leaves will grow. Can be moved to full-day or half-day place for normal management.

Planting

Longevity flowers like the growth environment with sufficient sunshine but short sunshine time, and should be planted in full sunshine to half-day environment. It is easy to grow in a dark place. Avoid direct sunlight at noon in hot summer, so as not to burn leaves, and the growth rate is medium. Longevity flowers come from semi-desert areas. They are drought-resistant and can only be watered when the soil is dry. In winter, watering should be reduced. As long as the soil is not dry, too much watering can easily cause stem and root rot. After flowering, longevity flowers will enter dormancy, during the period to reduce watering, can not be fertilized, about six weeks later began to return to normal growth and watering. Longevity flowers can not stand the temperature below 12 ℃, and the most suitable temperature for growth is 18 to 27 ℃, so longevity flowers should be placed in the bright part of the room to survive the winter and keep warm. The longevity flower is not resistant to cold, the suitable temperature for growth is 15 to 25 ℃, the growth will be blocked when the high temperature exceeds 30 ℃, the indoor temperature in winter needs 12 to 15 ℃, when the indoor temperature is lower than 5 ℃, the leaf will turn red, the flowering period will be delayed, if the room temperature exceeds 24 ℃, the flowering will be inhibited, and the temperature will bloom continuously at 15 ℃ to 24 ℃. Longevity flowers are short-day plants, which can start short-day management in mid-September, suspend fertilization, and stay in the dark for at least 14 hours a day before blooming.

Planting technology

Longevity flower is a kind of succulent plant, with large and bright leaves forming low clumps of plants, green all the year round, small and exquisite plants, compact plant shape, dense flowers, strong disease resistance, warm and humid nature, drought tolerance, light tolerance, long florescence, easy cultivation, suitable for indoor decoration in winter, outdoor decoration in summer, excellent ornamental effect.

In foreign countries, longevity flowers are not only indoor ornamental potted flowers, but also widely used in outdoor landscape. At present, this concept has been gradually accepted by domestic landscape designers, and began to apply it to garden sketches. Under modern management conditions, the production of longevity flowers can reach 100 pots per year, and the output per unit area is higher than that of Anthurium andraeanum, pineapple and other large potted flowers.

In recent years, imported double longevity flowers have been successfully introduced by Beijing Wuzhou Xiangyuan Agricultural Development Co., Ltd., which has been recognized by the market for its unique charm in the shape of roses, and has become a very valuable and potential "new variety of flowers". Wuzhou Xiangyuan Company continues to push through the old and bring forth the new. in addition to the mainstream red system, it has also introduced pink, purple, yellow, light green and other varieties; in order to improve the planting quality of longevity flowers in China, the company aims at the problem of planting seedlings of longevity flowers. over the years, continuous communication with foreign suppliers, summed up the main points of longevity flower planting management.

Planting technology

Peat with medium particles in the matrix is mixed with lime, fertilizer, clay, etc.

The standard pot size for cuttings is 9 cm, 10 cm or 11 cm.

Watering requires restraint to avoid overgrowth of the plant.

Fertilize and apply compound fertilizer, add calcium, cooperate with watering, the pH value is 5.5 to 5.8. It should be noted that water sample analysis should be carried out before fertilization. The pH value and EC value of the matrix in the basin should be measured once a week, the pH value should be 5.0 to 6.0, and the EC value should be 1.8 to 2.5.

CCC was used in the early stage of plant growth and B9 in the later stage.

The suitable temperature for rooting was 22 ℃, and the suitable temperature for plant growth was 19 ℃. When the outdoor light is too strong, it is necessary to use ventilation to reduce the temperature. In addition, the temperature should not exceed 25 ℃, otherwise the high temperature will weaken the effect of short-day treatment.

Shading and artificial light supplement in summer, outdoor high temperature is easy to make plant leaves red, when the light intensity is more than 65000 lux, shading must be carried out. In winter, in order to shorten the growth time of the plant for one or two weeks and form more inflorescences, it is necessary to replenish light artificially, the light intensity should reach 3000 lux, generally before short-day treatment, and the sunshine length should be not less than 18 hours / day.

The relative humidity should reach 75% to reduce the harm of germs.

How to raise longevity flowers? every experienced flower friend has his own set of methods. He has accumulated some experience in raising longevity flowers for many years. Here, I would like to exchange with you who has better conservation knowledge to speak freely.

One: soil and environment

Longevity flowers do not have high requirements for soil, so it is better to be loose and breathable. Rotten leaf soil, pine needle soil and garden soil with cinder are all fine. The sun is sufficient, the appropriate temperature is 15-25 degrees, above 30 degrees is in semi-dormancy, below 10 degrees, growth stops, leaves turn red below 5 degrees, and frostbite below 0 degrees. Lack of light can easily lead to overgrowth of plants, resulting in thin branches, thin leaves, reduced number of flowers and not gorgeous flowers.

Two: cutting branches into thousands

Longevity flower old plants after flowering or summer, should turn the pot to change the soil, otherwise the growth will be weak. Especially the double petal varieties, it is easy to plant Lignification. I usually cut once every other year, and the season of cutting is all four seasons, with spring and autumn as the best. Summer and winter are fine, but it takes root slowly. The survival rate of planting thousand in summer is lower. When cutting, cut the branches with more than four healthy leaves, and the cut can be cut after the wound is dried.

It can be hydroponically rooted and then transplanted, or it can be inserted directly into the pot soil. Proper shading should be carried out. Since the cuttings have not yet developed roots, it is necessary to maintain a certain degree of humidity. It can be properly sprayed to moisturize. It will take about a week to take root. If the temperature is low, it will take longer to take root. The branches planted in the soil, when they see the leaves hardening and shining, they have already taken root and survived.

Third: growth period

After the seedling survives, it is necessary to pinch the tip and hit the top to promote more branches. If you have more branches, you can bloom more, and the plant type is beautiful. Longevity flowers are drought-tolerant and do not need a lot of water. Watering is based on the principle of seeing wet and dry. The amount of water should be controlled at a low temperature in winter to avoid rotting roots. Autumn is the peak growing season for longevity. After September, it is necessary to ensure the supply of water and fertilizer, so that the plant can grow strong and blossom more. Summer must not be continuous rain, do not bask in the sun after the rain, high humidity and high heat will cover the root, it will rot, will get black rot. Summer should also be properly shaded, not exposed to the sun. If possible, you can transfer to the north balcony. If there are no conditions, you can pull up the sunshade net or put it in the shade of a tree. Can be maintained according to their own conditions.

Matters needing attention in the culture of longevity flowers:

How to raise longevity flowers is the first problem that comes to mind for friends who are ready to raise longevity flowers. The leaves of longevity flowers are bright and green all the year round. The florescence of longevity flowers is from December of each year to April of the following year. A short period of 5 months can bring good viewing value. However, longevity is a relatively easy to raise flowers, the soil can be allowed to be dry, can not be wet, dry until the leaves are a little wilted there is no problem, once thoroughly watered. Some flower friends have tried that it is all right to put it outside the window in summer. If the longevity flower does not see light for a long time, it will only grow, and the leaves will become thinner accordingly. Longevity flowers are afraid of freezing, so they need to be put indoors in winter and add some phosphate fertilizer when they bloom.

Longevity flower culture has the best growth effect in soil pottery with good permeability, and can be cultivated directly in purple sand basin and plastic basin. It is worth noting that when planting, put a layer of broken charcoal or hard plastic foam block at the bottom of the basin. This is to increase permeability, and it is not easy to choose perishable roots in heavy clay. Family potted plants should be mixed with rotten leaf soil and vegetable garden topsoil, and then add 5% to 8% sand as culture soil. When planting, add some bone meal or nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium compound fertilizer as base fertilizer.

Longevity flowers have more water content, so they are resistant to dryness and fear of waterlogging. They are watered only when the soil in the basin is relatively dry, and can be kept slightly moist at ordinary times. It is better to water less in summer and once every 5 to 7 days. If you properly control the water basin, the soil will be dry and wet, then there will be more branches, leaves and flowers. After entering the room in winter, it is appropriate to use water similar to room temperature at noon, about once a week.

Longevity flowers like fertile environment, after flowering appropriate application of nitrogen fertilizer, urea liquid fertilizer is the best. Make longevity flowers stronger. The rest of the time can only apply nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium compound fertilizer, fertilizer must not be fertilized to the leaves, otherwise it will wither, but also need to pay attention to, do not apply fertilizer in summer.

The cultivation of longevity flowers also need to pay attention to, longevity flowers also like the environment where the sun is sufficient, and the scorching sun should be properly avoided. The rest of the time is best placed in the sun. Keeping light for more than four hours a day can make plants stronger. Although the semi-shade can also grow, but the stem thin leaves thin flowers less color, such as overcast easy to drop leaves without flowers, longevity flowers the most suitable temperature for growth is 15 ℃ to 25 ℃, in December can blossom.

Longevity flowers should pay attention to cold protection in winter, room temperature should not be lower than 12 ℃, longevity flowers have phototropism, so during the growth period, attention should be paid to change the direction of flowerpots, adjust light, make plants receive light evenly, and promote branches to grow symmetrically around. Flowers should be cut off whenever they wither, so as to avoid wasting nutrients. The basin is changed after the flower fade in spring every year, and the basin soil is made of humus, garden soil, river sand and a small amount of bone powder. This kind of culture soil is loose and fertile, has good drainage performance and is slightly acidic, which is beneficial to the growth and development of longevity flowers.

Longevity flowers are usually propagated by cutting, and they are easy to survive in culture. Generally more than spring and autumn, cut the stem with 3-5 leaves, inserted into the sand bed or vermiculite basin, each basin 3-5, maintain a moderate moist state, about 20 days can take root.

In addition, in order to prolong the growing period of longevity flowers, we can properly pick the hearts of the longevity flowers in this season, so that they can not only look more beautiful, but also bloom at the right time.

Longevity flowers, namely dwarf cabbage, are perennial succulent herbs, with opposite leaves, tender and succulent leaves, easy to break; terminal Cymes with orange-red, yellow, red and other colors, short plant shape, long florescence, luxuriant flowers and high ornamental value.

First, use basin soil

The pot should be small and transparent, and the long-lived flowers should be planted in loose sandy soil to grow best in clay pots with good permeability, but they are not beautiful indoors, and can be covered with plastic pots or porcelain pots, or directly planted in small purple sand pots or plastic pots. When planting, put a layer of broken charcoal block or broken hard plastic foam block at the bottom of the basin to enhance its permeability. Although it is not very selective, it is easy to rot roots in heavy clay, and grows best in loose and fertile slightly acidic sandy loam. Family potted plants should be mixed with rotten leaf soil and vegetable garden topsoil, and then add 5% to 8% sand as culture soil. When planting, add some bone meal or nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium compound fertilizer as base fertilizer.

Second, water control and fertilizer use

Moderate water control leaves are luxuriant, rich phosphorus and potassium flowers are colorful longevity flowers, which contain more water in the body, so they are more resistant to drought and afraid of waterlogging, and grow well under the condition of dry air in high-rise buildings. About 3 days in spring and autumn, you can see that the basin soil is dry and watered once, often keep a little moist. It is advisable to water less in summer, and it is better to water once every 5 to 7 days. The longevity flowers should be placed outdoors. In the rainy season, the water is prone to rot, roots, leaves and even death. If you properly control the water basin, the soil will be dry and wet, then there will be more branches and leaves and flowers. After entering the room in winter, it is appropriate to use water similar to room temperature at noon, about once a week.

Longevity flowers like fertilizer, and the seedlings can be planted in pot for half a month or the old plants can be divided into two or three times to promote the growth of stems and leaves, and nitrogen-based liquid fertilizer can be applied once after anthesis to promote its rejuvenation. In the rest of the time, except for stopping application in summer, we can only apply nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium compound fertilizer, do not put fertilizer on the leaves, otherwise the leaves are easy to rot, such as accidentally dirty leaves, rinse off with water. The flowering period of longevity flowers is long, so it is necessary to break the commandment of not applying fertilizer during flowering period, and apply thin nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium fertilizer or 0.2% potassium dihydrogen phosphate solution once a month, so that the later flowers will not become small and pale due to lack of fertilizer.

Third, temperature and light

Longevity flowers like a sunny environment, except for a little shade at noon in midsummer, the rest of the time should be placed in the sun, at least 4 hours of direct light can be seen every day in order to grow healthily. The balcony of the building should rotate the flowerpot 180 degrees every half month to make it receive light evenly, avoid partial crown and reduce the ornamental value. Although the semi-shade can also grow, but the stem thin leaves thin flowers less light, far less luxuriant than the sunny place. If the shade is not only easy to lose leaves and no flowers, even if the flowering plants are placed in the shade, the flower color will become dim, and then the flowers will fall off and wither.

The most suitable temperature for longevity flower growth is 15 ℃ to 25 ℃, higher than 30 ℃, growth retardation, semi-dormancy, growth stagnation below 10 ℃, redness of leaf color below 8 ℃, delayed florescence, and easy to freeze to death below 0 ℃. Therefore, in order to raise longevity flowers, it is necessary to create a small environment that is warm in winter and cool in summer. At noon in midsummer, you should avoid strong light exposure and place it in a semi-shady place with sufficient scattered light, such as under big trees, under eaves or north balconies, and pay special attention to ventilation and cooling. You can sprinkle water on the ground nearby, but not on the plants.

After the Beginning of Autumn, sunshine can be seen gradually from late August to early September, and more sunshine should be seen from October to promote its transformation from vegetative growth to reproductive growth. When the lowest temperature drops to about 10 ℃, move indoors and place it in front of the south or west windowsill to make it more sunny. Keep 10 ℃ at night, 15 ℃ to 18 ℃ during the day, and blossom in December.

Four: fertilizing

Do not apply fertilizer in the process of inserting thousand. When the branches survive and grow new leaves, they can be fertilized, but they must apply thin fertilizer diligently. Compound fertilizer is the main growth period. Summer is the semi-dormant period of longevity flowers, it is not allowed to apply fertilizer, otherwise it will burn roots. October is the period of flower bud differentiation, which can be sprayed with some aqueous solution of potassium dihydrogen phosphate and combined with root irrigation. It is suitable that the concentration should be more than 1, 000. Spray every 7-10 days until the buds appear.

Fifth, pay attention to cutting

Longevity flowers do not have high requirements for soil, so it is OK to mix a small amount of base fertilizer with sandy loam or peat soil. Fertilize once with compound chemical fertilizer or fermented organic liquid fertilizer in about 3 days during the growing period to make the plant strong. Summer high temperature and humidity can not be fertilized, and so on after the bud to apply a thicker organic fertilizer or compound fertilizer. In the early stage of exuberant growth, pay attention to pick the heart, promote branching, and make the flowers grow fuller.

Six: disease treatment

Longevity flower pests mainly include aphids, western flower thrips, scale insects, cyclamen mites, leaf rollers and mushroom mosquitoes.

Aphids can cause serious damage to longevity flowers, especially in winter and early spring. The effect of biological control of aphid parasites and wasps is better than that of chemical control.

The number of western flower thrips is relatively small. Thrips like to invade the soft tissue at the growing point of the plant, and their number can be monitored with armyworm plates every week.

On the other hand, the shell insects mainly invade the axillary buds and growth points. A small number of shell insects can also cause a lot of damage, and as long as they are attacked by the scale insects, the plants can no longer be sold. Once shell insects are found in the greenhouse, it is recommended to deal with them immediately to prevent spread.

Cyclamen mites do not like warmth and heat, so they rarely cause harm in summer, mainly in winter. Symptoms include stunted growth, deforming the growth point and discoloring the bud. They are often hidden in the bud or among the young leaves around the growing point.

Longevity flower fungal diseases include powdery mildew, Botrytis cinerea, Rhizopus, lacquer spot, stem rot, Pythium and so on. Powdery mildew is the most serious fungal disease harmful to longevity flowers. Powdery mildew is difficult to identify because when white villous mold appears, the disease is already very serious. Most powdery mildew on longevity flowers are difficult to control chemically.

Botrytis cinerea can rot the leaves and stems of longevity flowers in winter, which can be effectively prevented by keeping the leaves dry and well ventilated, but many Botrytis cinerea leave obvious spots on the leaves.

Rhizopus often occurs in a warm and humid environment, and the thin and soft tissue is the most susceptible to infection. It often happens if the environment is too warm or too wet.

Rhizoctonia lanceolata will be harmful to mosquitoes at the same time during the breeding period of longevity flowers. Too close placement of plants, poor air circulation and warm and humid between plants can cause bacterial outbreaks.

There are many kinds of fungi that cause longevity flower stem rot, such as Phytophthora, Rhizoctonia, Rhizoctonia and so on. In general, these fungi can be found in infected plants, but the most common is to drill holes in the stem with mushroom mosquitoes, causing damage at the same time, which should be treated with both germs and insect pests.

The roots of Pythium longevity flowers are very sensitive to unreasonable watering, which can cause problems if they are too dry or too wet. According to experience, Pythium mostly occurs as subordinate diseases in harsh conditions. Longevity flowers can survive with a small number of roots, if the root environment is not good, the plant will only grow part of the roots, making Pythium more likely to invade.

The viral hazards of longevity flowers include longevity mosaic virus, impatiens necrotic spot virus, macular virus, cold vegetable latent virus, Kara virus and so on.

Longevity mosaic virus (Green Island virus) this is the most common virus in longevity flowers, it appears very widely in modern hybrid varieties. The virus appears only in plants with poor growth conditions and severe infection, showing dark green mosaic spots on the leaves, which can inhibit the growth of diseased plants in severe cases. At present, there is no feasible immunoassay to control the virus, and aphids may be carriers of the virus.

Impatiens bad death spot virus this is a variety of tomato spot wilt virus, can cause a series of damage to longevity flowers, sometimes even as if caused by mistakes in the production process, it is spread by the western flower thrips.

Macular virus can cause yellowing and necrotic plaques, but there is no effective immunoassay method at present. In longevity flower planting, once infected with the virus, the plant will be completely destroyed.

The virus has no symptoms at all, but can be detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (Elisa).

The symptom of this virus is the appearance of light green to yellow mosaic spots on the leaves that can be detected.

The physiological diseases of longevity flowers mainly include spraying drug injury, flower injury, short-day light injury, ethylene injury, stress response, variation and so on.

Spraying some insecticides can cause toxic damage to the flowers and leaves of longevity flowers, and many of the EC components corrode the stratum corneum of longevity flowers and petals, eventually causing the flowers to fade and leave spots on the leaves.

There are many reasons for flower damage of longevity flowers, and the continuous high humidity is the main cause. In the early stage of planting, supplementation of appropriate calcium ions and keeping plant activity as far as possible can prevent this from happening, and some sensitive and fragile varieties will show special symptoms under unsatisfactory conditions.

Short-day light damage longevity flowers need to be dark for at least 6 hours a day during planting, even during long-day treatment, exposure to darkness for a long time can lead to yellowing of robust leaves.

Ethylene damages mature fruits placed in storerooms or retail stores to produce ethylene, which is exposed to very low concentrations of ethylene, and longevity flowers will drop flowers or degenerate buds within a few days, so more attention should be paid during transportation, storage or display. In addition, the malfunctioning of the CO2 generator in the greenhouse will cause the same problem.

Adversity response the stress response of longevity flowers can be caused by a series of reasons, including water, light and temperature. Under mild conditions, the mature leaves of the plant will fade; when the environment is extremely harsh, ethylene begins to be produced inside the growth point, resulting in typical symptoms of ethylene poisoning, the plant growth stops completely, the growth point turns red, and the bud degenerates.

All the mutations were caused by genetic defects.

The most common pests of longevity are aphids and leaf miners. Aphids are easy to treat, but leaf miners are not easy to deal with. They like to drill into leaves, and it is difficult to find them. By the time they are found, the mesophyll has basically been eaten and turned into transparent dry leaves. Usually, we should pay more attention to the changes of leaves, and spray medicine when we find it. In order to avoid flooding. Dimethoate, imidacloprid, paracetamol and so on are all effective on this pest.

Raising longevity indoors in winter is the easiest to produce white powder. It's mainly because of poor ventilation. It is generally solved with strychnine after white powder. Sulfur powder can also treat white powder. The sulfur powder is insoluble in water, so the leaves should be sprayed wet, and then the sulfur powder should be spread evenly on the diseased leaves. Powdery mildew should be treated and quarantined in time, which will infect other healthy flowers. Longevity also includes stem rot and leaf blight, which can be sprayed with methyl topiramate 800 times liquid. Once stem rot is found, medicine can be used if it is not serious. If it is serious, healthy branches should be cut and the diseased plants should be thrown away.

Culture methods of longevity flowers

Longevity flower (scientific name: Kalanchoe blossfeldiana), also known as caramellia, dwarf cabbage, Christmas cabbage, longevity flower, Brosfield Anne cold vegetable, belongs to the genus crassulaceae and is native to Madagascar in Africa. Longevity flowers are common ornamental flowers.

The longevity flower was discovered in 1927 by French botanist Perrier de la Bathie at an altitude of 2000 meters above sea level on the island of Madagascar. It was introduced to Potsdam in 1932 by a German R.Blossfeld from Madagascar in Africa. It was widely planted and named after him. As the longevity flower is approaching Christmas and the Chinese Spring Festival, it has become a common holiday flower.

Longevity flowers, namely dwarf cabbage, are perennial succulent herbs, with opposite leaves, tender and succulent leaves, easy to break; terminal Cymes with orange-red, yellow, red and other colors, short plant shape, long florescence, luxuriant flowers and high ornamental value.

The morphological plant is 40 cm high, the leaves are round or oval, dark green, the edge of the leaf is obtusely toothed, about 2 to 8 cm long, the edge of the succulent leaf is reddish, the leaf surface is bright, evergreen all the year round. The opposite flowers are clustered, the original flowers are single red, but there are many artificial flowers, such as red, orange, yellow, purple and so on, the flowering period is longer, the flowering period is from winter to spring, about late December to May of the following year, and the number of flowers is large. Double flower varieties have been cultivated in recent years, gradually replacing single flower varieties in horticulture.

Reproduction

Can use cutting and sowing propagation, cutting can use stem cutting and leaf cutting, but stem cutting is more convenient and quick. When the stem is inserted, cut off the terminal bud of the healthy plant, which is about 5 to 6 centimeters long. after the wound is closed, it is inserted into the culture soil to keep the soil moist and ventilated. Sprinkle water to cool down when it is higher than 30 degrees Celsius. After about 2 weeks, you can start fertilization. On the other hand, the leaves are cut off from healthy and fat leaves, put them in a cool place for about half an hour and wait for the wound to dry and close, then insert them shallowly or lay them flat on the permeable sand to keep the sand semi-damp, do not be too wet, otherwise they will rot easily. when the air is dry or cold, you can add transparent film to cover the moisturizing and heat preservation, and put it in a place with soft sunlight and ventilation, which can take root within one month and sprout in four months. Seeds are usually used for reproduction in the early stages of horticultural breeding. Most longevity flowers are sown in March, just sprinkle the seeds on the moist soil, gently compact the seeds on the mud surface, then wrap them in a transparent plastic bag to moisturize, put them in a sunny place, but do not shine with strong light, and begin to germinate after about 10 days. The plastic bags can be removed at this time, but be careful not to let the soil too dry. If the air is dry, spray is needed to moisturize, after eight pairs of leaves grow. Can be moved to full-day or half-day place for normal management.

Planting

Longevity flowers like the growth environment with sufficient sunshine but short sunshine time, and should be planted in full sunshine to half-day environment. It is easy to grow in a dark place. Avoid direct sunlight at noon in hot summer, so as not to burn leaves, and the growth rate is medium. Longevity flowers come from semi-desert areas. they are resistant to drought and can only be watered when the soil is dry. In winter, they should be watered less, as long as the soil is not dry. Too much watering can easily lead to stem and root rot. [8] after flowering, longevity flowers will go into dormancy, during which watering should be reduced and fertilizers should not be fertilized. It takes about six weeks for longevity flowers to return to normal growth and watering. Longevity flowers can not stand the temperature below 12 ℃, and the most suitable temperature for growth is 18 to 27 ℃, so longevity flowers should be placed in the bright part of the room to survive the winter and keep warm. [9] the longevity flower is not resistant to cold, and the suitable temperature for growth is 15 to 25 ℃. If the temperature exceeds 30 ℃, the growth will be hindered. In winter, the indoor temperature needs 12 to 15 ℃. When the indoor temperature is lower than 5 ℃, the leaf will turn red, and the florescence will be delayed. If the room temperature exceeds 24 ℃, the flowering will be inhibited, and the temperature between 15 ℃ and 24 ℃ will bloom continuously. Longevity flowers are short-day plants, which can start short-day management in mid-September, suspend fertilization, and stay in the dark for at least 14 hours a day before blooming. Longevity flowers have been artificially propagated for many years, and there are many varieties, including double longevity flowers, single longevity flowers, palace lantern longevity flowers, according to the shape of leaves, they can be divided into split leaves, feather leaves, and original rose leaves. Longevity flowers are many colors, mainly red, orange, yellow, purple, white, pink and two-color mixture and so on.

First, the basin should be small and transparent, and the long-lived flowers should be planted in loose sandy soil to grow best in clay pots with good permeability, but they are not beautiful indoors and can be covered with plastic pots or porcelain pots, or directly planted in small purple sand pots or plastic pots. When planting, put a layer of broken charcoal block or broken hard plastic foam block at the bottom of the basin to enhance its permeability. Although it is not very selective, it is easy to rot roots in heavy clay, and grows best in loose and fertile slightly acidic sandy loam. Family potted plants should be mixed with rotten leaf soil and vegetable garden topsoil, and then add 5% to 8% sand as culture soil. When planting, add some bone meal or nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium compound fertilizer as base fertilizer.

Second, moderate water control leaves are luxuriant, rich phosphorus and potassium flowers are colorful longevity flowers, which contain more water in the body, so they are more resistant to drought and afraid of waterlogging, and grow well under the condition of dry air in high-rise buildings. About 3 days in spring and autumn, you can see that the basin soil is dry and watered once, often keep a little moist. It is advisable to water less in summer, and it is better to water once every 5 to 7 days. The longevity flowers should be placed outdoors. In the rainy season, the water is prone to rot, roots, leaves and even death. If you properly control the water basin, the soil will be dry and wet, then there will be more branches and leaves and flowers. After entering the room in winter, it is appropriate to use water similar to room temperature at noon, about once a week.

Longevity flowers like fertilizer, and the seedlings can be planted in pot for half a month or the old plants can be divided into two or three times to promote the growth of stems and leaves, and nitrogen-based liquid fertilizer can be applied once after anthesis to promote its rejuvenation. In the rest of the time, except for stopping application in summer, we can only apply nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium compound fertilizer, do not put fertilizer on the leaves, otherwise the leaves are easy to rot, such as accidentally dirty leaves, rinse off with water. The flowering period of longevity flowers is long, so it is necessary to break the commandment of not applying fertilizer during flowering period, and apply thin nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium fertilizer or 0.2% potassium dihydrogen phosphate solution once a month, so that the later flowers will not become small and pale due to lack of fertilizer.

Third, longevity flowers like a sunny environment, except for a little shade at noon in midsummer, the rest of the time should be placed in the sun, at least 4 hours of direct light can be seen every day in order to grow healthily. The balcony of the building should rotate the flowerpot 180 degrees every half month to make it receive light evenly, avoid partial crown and reduce the ornamental value. Although the semi-shade can also grow, but the stem thin leaves thin flowers less light, far less luxuriant than the sunny place. If the shade is not only easy to lose leaves and no flowers, even if the flowering plants are placed in the shade, the flower color will become dim, and then the flowers will fall off and wither.

The most suitable temperature for longevity flower growth is 15 ℃ to 25 ℃, higher than 30 ℃, growth retardation, semi-dormancy, growth stagnation below 10 ℃, redness of leaf color below 8 ℃, delayed florescence, and easy to freeze to death below 0 ℃. Therefore, in order to raise longevity flowers, it is necessary to create a small environment that is warm in winter and cool in summer. At noon in midsummer, you should avoid strong light exposure and place it in a semi-shady place with sufficient scattered light, such as under big trees, under eaves or north balconies, and pay special attention to ventilation and cooling. You can sprinkle water on the ground nearby, but not on the plants.

After the Beginning of Autumn, sunshine can be seen gradually from late August to early September, and more sunshine should be seen from October to promote its transformation from vegetative growth to reproductive growth. When the lowest temperature drops to about 10 ℃, move indoors and place it in front of the south or west windowsill to make it more sunny. Keep 10 ℃ at night, 15 ℃ to 18 ℃ during the day, and blossom in December.

Diseases and insect pests and their control

Longevity flower pests mainly include aphids, western flower thrips, scale insects, cyclamen mites, leaf rollers and mushroom mosquitoes.

Aphids can cause serious damage to longevity flowers, especially in winter and early spring. The effect of biological control of aphid parasites and wasps is better than that of chemical control.

The number of western flower thrips is relatively small. Thrips like to invade the soft tissue at the growing point of the plant, and their number can be monitored with armyworm plates every week.

On the other hand, the shell insects mainly invade the axillary buds and growth points. A small number of shell insects can also cause a lot of damage, and as long as they are attacked by the scale insects, the plants can no longer be sold. Once shell insects are found in the greenhouse, it is recommended to deal with them immediately to prevent spread.

Cyclamen mites do not like warmth and heat, so they rarely cause harm in summer, mainly in winter. Symptoms include stunted growth, deforming the growth point and discoloring the bud. They are often hidden in the bud or among the young leaves around the growing point.

Longevity flower fungal diseases include powdery mildew, Botrytis cinerea, Rhizopus, lacquer spot, stem rot, Pythium and so on. Powdery mildew is the most serious fungal disease harmful to longevity flowers. Powdery mildew is difficult to identify because when white villous mold appears, the disease is already very serious. Most powdery mildew on longevity flowers are difficult to control chemically.

Botrytis cinerea can rot the leaves and stems of longevity flowers in winter, which can be effectively prevented by keeping the leaves dry and well ventilated, but many Botrytis cinerea leave obvious spots on the leaves.

Rhizopus often occurs in a warm and humid environment, and the thin and soft tissue is the most susceptible to infection. It often happens if the environment is too warm or too wet.

Rhizoctonia lanceolata will be harmful to mosquitoes at the same time during the breeding period of longevity flowers. Too close placement of plants, poor air circulation and warm and humid between plants can cause bacterial outbreaks.

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