Talking about the experience of domestic rhododendron

I have cultivated cuckoos for more than ten years, and now I would like to write down some of my experiences for your reference.

Potted rhododendron can be divided into four types: spring rhododendron, summer rhododendron, western cuckoo and rhododendron, all of which require acidic soil with a pH value of 4.5 to 5.5 (rhododendron slightly wider, but not more than 6.5). If alkaline soil is used, it will surely die. It can be mixed with garden soil, rotten sawdust, charcoal dust, rotten cake fertilizer powder, bone powder, etc., according to the ratio of 10 ∶ 2 ∶ 3 ∶ 0.5 ∶ 0.5 (volume ratio) to form a basin soil with a pH value of about 5.

Water and fertilizer management in order to keep the basin soil acidic, attention should be paid to water and fertilizer management. It is best to use Rain Water or river or lake water; tap water contains chlorine and must be stored for a week before it can be used. Once the alkalization of basin soil is found, ferrous sulfate or vinegar diluent should be poured immediately and the pH value should be adjusted. Cuckoos consume less fertilizer and avoid dung water. Apply 1% diluted soybean cake water 1% diluted soybean cake water twice after flowering; apply phosphorus and potassium fertilizer such as bone meal, fishy water or 0.2% 0.5% potassium dihydrogen phosphate 2 times 3 times during bud pregnancy and before overwintering; compound fertilizer can also be applied, poking several holes in the basin soil along the basin and stuffing it with granular fertilizer. Do not apply nitrogen fertilizer before flowering, otherwise the leaf buds will grow too fast, the buds will wither and shrivel, and they will not blossom.

Place and humidity the cuckoo likes to be semi-overcast and humid, and keeping a high environmental humidity is an important factor to raise the cuckoo well. When the environment is dry, the leaves do not spread, the flowers are scorched, the buds wither, and the leaves are light, which can be sprayed, sprinkled or placed in the shade of tall plants and sunshade nets. In midsummer, the basin can be upside down in half a basin of water, and the cuckoo can be placed on the inverted basin, which can effectively improve the humidity of the small environment.

Sparse buds and remove residual flowers if the floret varieties bloom for too long, the nutrients will be consumed, resulting in the shedding of the old leaves and the withering of the new buds. At the beginning of the bud, the buds on the exophytic branches can be removed and the middle branchlets are allowed to bloom. After azaleas, most of the residual flowers are left on the branches, which will consume the nutrients of the plants. it is necessary to pick the abortive stems in time to facilitate the germination of new buds and exuberant branches.

There are great differences in cold resistance among different varieties, and rhododendron is the worst, which must be kept indoors at no less than 10 ℃ in winter, while spring cuckoo and summer cuckoo are stronger at room temperature of 3-4 ℃.