What kind of growing environment does watermelon pepper grass need?

Watermelon peel pepper grass called watercress green pepper grass. For pepper family perennial evergreen herbs. Leaves cluster, oval, petiole reddish brown, leaf light green, veins from the center to the surrounding radial, main veins 8, dark green, veins between the obvious silver-gray belt, similar to watermelon skin.

Sexual preference for high temperature, semi-overcast and high air humidity environment. The optimum temperature for growth is 20~28 degrees Celsius, and the temperature exceeds 30 degrees Celsius and grows slowly below 15 degrees Celsius. Cold tolerance is poor, the lowest temperature in winter can not be lower than 10 degrees Celsius, otherwise it is easy to suffer from cold damage. Potting should be selected to mainly decayed leaf soil, plus a small amount of river sand culture soil. Usually can be placed indoors bright scattered light cultivation, avoid direct light. Keep the soil moist during the growing season. However, the basin can not accumulate water, otherwise it is easy to rot roots and leaves, or even the whole plant dies.

Apply thin cake fertilizer water or full element fertilizer once a month. If fertilization is excessive, especially excessive nitrogen fertilizer and lack of phosphorus fertilizer, it is easy to cause leaf markings to disappear. In summer and dry season, spray water on the leaves 2~3 times a day, and put wine on the ground around the flowerpot to maintain a high air humidity, which can promote the formation of leaf stripes.

It is best to move outdoors in spring and autumn to a well-ventilated and slightly sunny place, and then move back indoors for a period of time to make the plants grow strong and the stripes on the leaves are obvious.

Watermelon peel pepper grass cultivation method:

1. The soil should be fertile

Watermelon peel pepper grass needs to be cultivated in loose, fertile, well-drained soil, and grows poorly in clay. Basin soil should be used after mixing decaying soil with coarse sand or cinder ash. It can also be cultivated with peat soil + pearlite.

2, water to the right amount

The growing season needs to keep the basin soil moist, but the basin cannot accumulate water, otherwise it is easy to rot roots and fall leaves, or even the whole plant dies. In summer and dry season, water should be sprayed 2~3 times a day to improve air humidity and promote leaf markings. Fear both drought and waterlogging, drought will wilt, yellow, or even death; waterlogging will occur root rot. The pot soil can be kept slightly moist, or watered when the surface of the pot soil is dry. In winter, if the temperature is slightly lower, the watering should be controlled to allow the pot soil to alternate between dry and wet.

3, humidity should be sufficient

Need higher air humidity, not resistant to drying, in addition to normal watering, but also often spray water to the plant, if there are conditions, it is best to sprinkle moisture in the growth environment, the effect is good. In a dry environment, leaf growth is extremely abnormal.

4. Light should be dark

Because watermelon skin pepper grass is more tolerant of shade, it should be placed indoors at ordinary times in bright scattered light, avoid direct light. In spring and autumn, it should be moved to a place with good outdoor ventilation and a little sunshine for maintenance. Like half shade or scattered light, only in winter can be full sun maintenance, summer must be shaded 50%, otherwise easy to burn leaves. But too shady, dark leaf color, gray-green, and stripes are not obvious.

5, the temperature should be appropriate

Watermelon peel pepper grass is neither cold nor heat resistant, the optimum temperature for growth is 20~30℃, when the temperature exceeds 30℃ and is lower than 15℃, the growth becomes slow, the lowest temperature in winter cannot be lower than 10℃, otherwise it is vulnerable to freezing damage. There are even physiological diseases.

6. Fertilizer should be balanced

Usually, thin cake fertilizer water or compound fertilizer should be applied once a month, and nitrogen fertilizer should not be too much. If there is a lack of phosphorus fertilizer, it is easy to cause the leaf markings to disappear and reduce the viewing effect. To balance fertilizer application, not only nitrogen fertilizer, otherwise it will cause "watermelon" stripes are not obvious, ornamental value greatly reduced. It is best to use thin liquid fertilizer to irrigate the pot soil, too thick fertilizer is easy to cause plant necrosis.

The breeding method of watermelon peel pepper grass:

1. Leaf insertion

Most of them are carried out from May to October. When the leaves are inserted, healthy and full leaves are selected, all the full leaves with petioles are picked off, petioles with 2-3 cm are taken, dried for 2 - 3 hours, and after the wound is slightly dried, the leaves are inserted obliquely in a sand bed or a pot, the angle between the petioles and the seedbed is 35 - 45 degrees, and the substrate is washed river sand and matched with 20%-30% vermiculite. Keep moist, put in semi-shade, 20~25℃, about 4~5 weeks can produce adventitious roots and adventitious buds, about 2 months can grow into seedlings. When the seedlings grow to 4-5 cm, transplant them into the upper pot. But avoid medium too wet, in order to avoid cuttings rot. Avoid covering cuttings with plastic film or glass, otherwise they are perishable.

2. Branch insertion

Branch cutting can be carried out in spring and summer, select healthy branches, cut 5~8 cm scion, remove the lower leaves, dry the cut, and then insert into the wet sand bed. Rooting can be achieved by maintaining the temperature of 18~25℃ under semi-shade.

How to maintain the color:

1. Fertilization is appropriate

It is the key to keep the stripes of watermelon peel and pepper grass fertilized. Watermelon peel and pepper grass need to be applied with thin cake fertilizer water or all-element fertilizer once a month. If too much fertilizer is applied, especially too much nitrogen fertilizer and lack of phosphorus fertilizer, it is easy to cause the stripes of leaf surface to disappear and reduce the ornamental effect of watermelon peel and pepper grass.

2. Sufficient watering

Watermelon peel pepper grass stripes need to maintain sufficient moisture, in summer and dry season to spray 2-3 times a day on the leaves, and to spray water around the flowerpot, in order to maintain a higher air humidity, so that the formation of leaf stripes

3. Reasonable lighting

Watermelon peel pepper grass stripes also need reasonable care, culture watermelon peel pepper grass, it is best to move to the outdoor ventilation in spring and autumn and slightly see the sun for a period of time and then move back to the room, so that the plant grows strong, the stripes on the leaves are obvious.

The role of watermelon peel pepper grass:

1. Decorate your home

Watermelon peel pepper grass plant shape exquisite, Xiu Ye Cong cattle, shape round, green as jade, white as jade, elegant and delicate Ying, used as indoor decorative plants unique charm. Can be placed as a small potted tea table, desk, careful viewing, unique flavor, is a very suitable desk display of small foliage plants, used in the home room is a good helper embellishment.

2. Purify the air

Watermelon peel pepper grass is a master of decorating and beautifying the home, and it is also good at purifying and improving the air in the room. Watermelon peel pepper grass has strong photosynthesis, can absorb a lot of carbon dioxide, emit a lot of oxygen, has certain resistance to sulfur dioxide, and can also absorb a small amount of formaldehyde and ammonia. The absorption of soot and dust is also very strong. It is a plant that purifies and improves the air. It is very good for use in the home.