The commercialization of eight Immortals promotes the cultivation

After the necessary cold storage treatment, the eight Immortals are usually transported by boat from late autumn to early winter. Like dormant plants, they can be planted in 4-6-inch pots, or like bare-root plants in 4-inch pots. Newly introduced plants should stimulate root growth before final planting (about 2 weeks). The optimum temperature for Baxian flower to grow is 15.6 ℃-16.7 ℃, while keeping the air temperature slightly lower, about 15 ℃, which can promote root germination before sprouting. Keeping the soil slightly dry before transplanting can prevent root rot and promote root growth. There is no need to apply fertilizer before the roots begin to move and transplant.

One of the main problems encountered in the production of eight Immortals is that it is difficult to take root, which is vulnerable to water stress in the later stage of cultivation. When transplanting, it should be divided into two roots (forming an "X" type at the bottom of the root system, that is, four parts), and then the four parts should be separated and planted directly in the basin.

Color control

If pure purple and blue inflorescences are maintained, the key is to make the plant gradually form the desired color and continue to color in promoting cultivation. Fertilization can affect the coloring in the early summer growth stage, and it is possible to form purplish red markings by changing the speed of coloring at this stage.

The final formation of purple or blue inflorescences of eight Immortals (including white varieties) depends on the content of available aluminum. Purple flowers are formed at low aluminum content, while blue flowers are formed at high aluminum concentration. Therefore, the color of the flower can be controlled by adjusting the content of aluminum.

The colors of each variety vary greatly. Some are suitable for induction to purple, while others are suitable for induction to blue. In production, we should choose the design and color that best suits the market demand. Although there are more than 500 varieties of eight Immortals, only a small number of them are produced in the United States.

The application of aluminum fertilizer is prohibited in Zihua, and the soil and fertilizer containing aluminum can not be used in the cultivation medium. Higher concentration of phosphate fertilizer can be applied, and phosphorus can hinder the absorption of aluminum and contribute to the formation of purple. During cultivation, 1.36-2.04 kg calcium superphosphate could be applied per cubic meter of culture medium, and the use of single ammonium phosphate could also increase the content of phosphorus and inhibit the absorption of aluminum.

The pH value of the culture medium is 6.0-6.2 (aluminum is easier to be used when the pH value is low), do not exceed 6.4, otherwise iron deficiency chlorosis will occur. If the pH value of irrigation water is higher than 6.5, acidifier should be used to reduce it to 6.3. The use of phosphoric acid can increase the content of phosphorus in the culture medium, which can form purple inflorescences. Do not apply high concentration of potassium, otherwise the eight immortals will form a blue inflorescence.

Recommended varieties, flower color is dark purple to red varieties are 'Bottstein',' Schenkenburg', moderate purple are 'Merritt'sSurpreme',' Kasteln', 'RedStar',' RoseSupreme', 'Enziandom'. Some varieties such as' MathildeGutges' 'and' Brestenburg' 'can not form stable or pure purple and can only be used to induce blue flowers.

Although the dormant plants with blue flowers were treated with aluminum potassium sulfate before transportation, aluminum must also be applied during cultivation. Aluminum potassium sulfate was applied immediately after transplanting. Add 1 kilogram of potassium aluminum sulfate to every 100 liters of water and apply 227ml in every 6-inch basin. In order to make the cultivation substrate fully soaked, only soaking the surface soil will damage the roots. Fertilize once every 10-14 days. Ten days after each fertilization, the pH value of the substrate was measured, and if it was higher than 5.6, aluminum potassium sulfate should be applied again. This is true throughout the whole stage of cultivation. Potassium aluminum sulfate not only provides aluminum, but also keeps the substrate at a low pH value (5.2-5.5), which is necessary for blue eight fairy flowers to promote cultivation. If the pH value of irrigation water is higher than 5.8, it should be acidified to 5.3. To cultivate blue eight fairy flowers, it is best to use 35% sulfuric acid as an acidifier, which not only does not provide phosphorus, but also is not as corrosive as concentrated sulfuric acid and nitric acid.

Non-phosphate base fertilizer and chemical fertilizer were used when transplanting, and high concentration of potassium was applied to promote blue formation. For each irrigation, ammonium nitrate and potassium nitrate are applied to provide nitrogen and potassium.

Height control

Most of the eight Immortals, especially the varieties with high plant type, need to control their height in promoting cultivation. Spraying 2500ppm (most varieties) to 5000ppm (tall plant type, especially 'RoseSupreme') B9 can effectively control height (Table 1). In addition, spraying 50ppmBonzi is also effective for height control. When 3-5 leaflets unfold, that is, after 2-4 weeks of cultivation, growth inhibitors are applied. In low light, it should be applied every 10-14 days. Stop applying before the diameter of the flower bud reaches 0.75 inches or before the inflorescence matures.

Temperature and time

In promoting cultivation, the development rate of eight Immortals is directly related to the daily average temperature, and to a certain extent, the speed of promoting cultivation can be controlled by adjusting the temperature (Table 2). The sepal can be colored after 80-100 days of cultivation when the night temperature is 15.6 ℃, the day temperature is 21 ℃ or the sunny day is 24 ℃. At the beginning of coloring, the temperature should be reduced to 12 ℃ at night and 18 ℃ per day to enhance flower coloring. Try to avoid promoting the cultivation of high temperature for too long, the temperature is too high, resulting in short plants, smaller flowers, lighter colors, and worse quality than those cultivated at cool temperatures.

Seedling refining and postharvest treatment

In the early stage of sepal coloration, the amount of fertilizer application is reduced by half to control vegetative growth to make the plant strong. All colored flowers are so delicate that they should be properly shaded in the last few weeks of cultivation, especially during Mother's Day to prevent overheating. At the same time, gradually reduce watering, do not make the flowers wilt.

If the indoor air is moist, relatively cool and avoid direct sunlight, the eight Immortals can maintain a long postharvest life. For retailers and family caregivers, water management is critical. Wilting can seriously affect the growth of eight Immortals and cannot fully recover once it dries up.

Diseases and insect pests

Diseases and insect pests in greenhouses are different from place to place. Ask your service center for prevention and control measures. The main diseases and insect pests of the eight Immortals are listed below.

Insects: aphids, bugs, heap leaf insects, beetles, shell insects, forage bugs, thrips, orange whitefly, etc.

Mites: red spiders

Other pests: slugs, snails

Bacteria: bacterial Fusarium wilt

Fungi: vesicular disease, bud rot, gray mold, leaf spot, powdery mildew, root rot, stem rot.

Nematodes: leaf nematodes, root-knot nematodes, stem nematodes.

Viruses: alfalfa mosaic virus, cucumber mosaic virus, eight immortal mosaic virus, tobacco ring rot virus, tobacco necrosis virus, tomato ring rot virus, tomato spot blight virus.

Market Prospect of eight Immortals

For most producers of eight Immortals, providing flowers for "Valentine's Day" has been very common, and there is an increasing trend.

Another trend is the increase in the number of varieties of Guanye eight Immortals. For example, the recent emergence of a new variety, 'Kasteln', which was unknown a few years ago, has become a major variety in late season cultivation.

In the following years, the variety 'Pia',' was extremely dwarfed with purple flowers and was very hardy in winter. Other possible new varieties include varieties of the "lacecap" series, such as' Libelle', 'Tawbe' and' maculata', whose leaves are spotted. The inflorescence of "Lacecap" is more developed than that of "florist" series, and its development prospect is broad.

(note: this article is applicable to the United States and is for reference in China only. Unit conversion: 1 inch = 2.54 cm)