Rational irrigation techniques for flowers

(1) the effect of water on the growth and development of flowers

Water is vital to all living things. Flowers are no exception. 40% of the fresh weight of common grasses and herbaceous flowers is composed of moisture. Water, like temperature and light, is the basic living factor for the survival and reproduction of flowers. Water conditions have a great influence on the growth, development, breeding and dormancy of flowers, and even the change of temperature and humidity in the site environment, as well as the occurrence and damage of diseases and insect pests.

The main results are as follows: (1) Water is the main raw material for photosynthesis of flowers and plants. Six kilos of water.

(2) Water is a solvent the nutrients needed for flower growth and reproduction must be dissolved in water and the ability to be absorbed by flower roots.

(3) Water is the medium, the respiratory oxidation of flowers and the biochemical promotion of various complex enzymes must be carried out in the environment with water and with the addition of water.

(4) Water is the medium of transportation and power flowers rely on water transpiration to maintain normal temperature and maintain water balance in plants. About 98% of the water absorbed by plants is used for transpiration, and only 2% is left in the body, which is used to build the plant itself. no wonder a medium-sized annual flower consumes about 50 kilograms of water in its short life cycle of 4 years.

Water is an important guarantee for the maintenance of normal life activities of cell protoplasm. the continuous renewal and exchange of water can maintain the normal infiltration pressure in plants and make flowers in a turgor condition, such as the standing of pedicels, the expansion of leaves, the opening of flower buds and so on. can't do without water.

The content of water also directly affects the growth of flowers, such as too much water will cause overgrowth of plants, inhibit the differentiation of flower buds, and lead to rotten roots and diseases; too little water will damage the water balance in plants and wilt flowers. Flower seeds can only germinate in a humid environment. Water content below 13% is a necessary condition for most seeds to store safely and consolidate dormancy. Flower overwintering, overwintering and dormancy also need good cooperation with suitable water conditions. Soil water content has three different suitable conditions for any cultivated flower. when it is in the best condition for survival, the soil water content can effectively maintain the dynamic balance of water budget in the plant and promote the growth and thriving. When the soil water content is higher than the maximum water content that flowers can endure, it will cause root erosion or suffocation due to excessive soil water and hypoxia. If it is lower than the minimum water content that flowers can endure, the growth will stagnate and the buds will fall off because the roots can not absorb enough water, and eventually lose water and dry up gradually and die.

The moisture content of soil has a great influence on the air humidity, so it also affects the growth of flowers indirectly. Excessive wet crossing in the air has a bad effect on flowers, which often causes branches and leaves to grow and become the cause of falling flowers. And because the plant growth is weak, it reduces the resistance to diseases and insect pests. In the mature stage, because the wet crossing is too large, it hinders the flowering of the plant and affects the consolidation. But in the greenhouse plants, there are many varieties like to have a larger air humidity. For example, many tropical leafy plants, if the humidity is too low, but affect their growth, this kind of plants like wet, but also plead for a proper temperature, such as the temperature can not match, the humidity should not be too high.

Water content not only affects the normal growth of flowers, but also affects the flower bud differentiation and flower color. In flower cultivation, measures such as reducing water and cutting off water are often taken to promote flower bud differentiation. For example, Dendrobium (Orchidaceae) cultivated in greenhouse should perform short-term water cut-off in mid-October to promote flower bud differentiation, otherwise it often cannot be civilized. For bulbous flowers, water is often the main factor that determines flower bud differentiation sooner or later. For example, the flower bud differentiation of tulips, according to experiments, the less water content, the earlier differentiation. The bulbs produced in sandy land germinated and differentiated earlier because of less water content. The differentiation period of early dug bulbs was delayed because of its high water content.

There is a close relationship between flower color and moisture, and the appropriate humidity conditions show the inherent color of each variety. The color of the flower usually thickens when the moisture is lacking. For example, rose-masked white and light peach varieties often turn milky yellow or thick peach when they are short of water; the same is true of chrysanthemums. According to the experimental confirmation, when the moisture is short, because the pigment forms more, so the color becomes thicker.

(2) the law of water demand of flowers

Because of the difference of water environment in the place of origin, all kinds of flowers have different water requirements, different environmental conditions for growth, and different adaptation methods in morphology and physiological structure. For example, cactus plants native to the desolate regions of America, in order to adapt to the monotonous environment of extremely sparse precipitation and reduce water evaporation, their leaves become strongly degraded and become prickly in the process of long-term evolution, and are covered with a thick layer of horniness and wax. therefore, it is beneficial to keep the water in the body from evaporation, even if there is no water supply for several years. And most evergreen flowers from warm and humid areas, because the leaves are large and thin, the tissue is tender, and there is no dense and thick wax layer and stratum corneum protection, and the stomata are often open, so the water transpiration is very large. therefore, it is very disadvantageous to the water storage of stem and leaf organs, in order to maintain the water balance in the plant, it is necessary to provide sufficient water regularly.

According to the water demand habits of flowers and their ability to adapt to different water environments, common flowers can be divided into the following categories:

one. Aquatic flowers. They must grow in water. Its vegetative organs have highly developed ventilatory tissue, which can continuously transport oxygen, such as lotus, water lily, Acorus calamus and so on.

two. Wet flowers can grow on the soil where the water is often saturated or in the environment with high air humidity, so they have a great ability to resist waterlogging. This kind of flowers, such as daffodils, flowers, ferns, tortoise bamboos, umbrella plants, sea taros, Guangdong Wanqing, he's impatiens, duckweed, and so on, because the leaves are large and thin, tender and succulent, the stratum corneum is thin, the wax layer is not obvious, and the root system is shallow and has few branches. they often have poor appearance or even die in an environment of drought and low humidity, and are suitable to grow in an environment with adequate water supply and very humid environment. The watering principle of preferring wet to dry should be controlled in maintenance.

three. Mesophytic flowers are suitable to grow under the condition of wet soil and good drainage, too dry and too wet environment are disadvantageous to their growth, and their drought tolerance is between xerophytic and wet, and varies with different varieties and varieties. For example, sweet-scented osmanthus, magnolia and crabapple flowers are more resistant to drought, while wax plum, oleander and Yingchun are more resistant to moisture, so they are not exactly the same in water management, and can usually maintain 60% soil water content. Flowers that like lower soil humidity and higher air humidity should be constantly sprayed into the air or increase the humidity of the surrounding ground during maintenance.

four. Most of the xerophytic flowers are native to arid and desolate areas, forming a unique morphological structure adapted to the monotonous climate and ecological environment, such as leaflet or leaf degeneration, stomatal subsidence, or succulent stems, developed roots and so on. This kind of flowers include cactus, stone lotus, tiger thorn plum and so on. The watering principle of dry rather than wet should be controlled in cultivation and management. too much watering and excessive air humidity can easily cause damage to rotten roots, anthrax, blight and so on.

The plea of flowers for soil moisture varies from stage to stage. Generally speaking, high soil humidity is needed after sowing in order to moisten the seed coat and expand the seed coat, which is beneficial to the germination of radicle and germ; after seed germination, the root system is shallow and the seedlings are very thin, so the topsoil should be kept moderately moist; later, in order to avoid excessive growth of seedlings and promote plant maturity, soil humidity should be reduced, that is, the so-called "squatting seedlings", squatting seedlings at the seedling stage is one of the effective ways to cultivate strong seedlings. When growing to a certain time, relative drought (called "deducting water" or "making water" in flower cultivation) can also stagnate and accelerate the growth of branches and accumulate nutrients for flower bud differentiation. Flower bud differentiation is a turning period from vegetative growth to reproductive growth. At this time, proper water control of plum blossom, peach blossom, stolen leaf plum, kumquat, crape myrtle, bauhinia and so on can inhibit or delay the growth of stems and leaves, advance and promote the formation and development of flower buds, so as to achieve the ornamental goal of blooming luxuriantly and fruitful. However, in the flowering period of flowers, the supply of soil water should be maintained in an appropriate degree, less water will lead to poor flowering, so that the flowering period will be shorter, too much water will also cause falling flowers and buds. In addition, air humidity also has an effect on flowering, wet crossing too small makes the florescence shorter, can not emerge a variety of inherent colors. However, excessive wet crossing will also cause moldy petals and spread diseases and insect pests.

On the whole, the characteristics of water demand of flowers are as follows: the water requirement of seed germination and seedling growth increases, there must be enough water in the vegetative growth stage of stems and leaves, the water supply should be controlled properly in the period of flower bud differentiation, and the most water is needed in the stage of bud gestation and flowering. in the later stage, fruit and seed need less water. Therefore, according to each stage of flower development of water pleading for watering, so that flowers thrive, luxuriant branches and leaves, green want to drop, a school of beauty.

(3) rational irrigation of flowers and plants

Most of the water needed for flower growth is absorbed from the soil. Maintaining proper soil water content is a necessary condition for the normal development of flowers and higher ornamental character. Because the cultivation methods of flowers are different, there are some differences in irrigation quantity and irrigation time.

one. Reasonable watering of ground-planted flowers is relatively easy, and attention should be paid to drainage in production in rainy areas, especially timely drainage after rain. If there is no rain for a long time, proper irrigation is needed to keep the soil moist and not make the soil surface tortoise. So as not to damage the root system. Soil cultivation must avoid flood irrigation, conditional gardens, can adopt sprinkler irrigation and drip irrigation.

In the north of drought and water shortage season, in addition to drought-resistant measures, timely and appropriate irrigation must be carried out according to rainfall in order to meet the water needs of flowers and trees in the growth process.

The amount of irrigation and irrigation times of flowers and trees planted in the ground are mainly changed according to the variety, growth stage, meteorology and soil quality of flowers. According to the dry and wet condition of the soil to control irrigation, we should pay attention to the following points in the specific operation:

(1) according to the growing season of flowers, irrigation should be carried out for the whole year. It is necessary to irrigate more water because of high temperature and evaporation in summer. The growth of ground plants is usually stagnant in winter, and the temperature is relatively low. As far as a day is concerned, irrigation is usually carried out in the morning, but in summer, water evaporates quickly and needs to be irrigated again at about 4 o'clock in the afternoon. when the temperature is low in the morning in winter, irrigation is disadvantageous, preferably between 10 am and 11:00

(2) according to plant varieties and growth period, broad-leaved and wet-loving plants should be irrigated more, while leaflets, conifers and cactus should be irrigated less. There should be less irrigation in seedling stage, more irrigation in peak growth period and flowering stage (need to watch fruit), less irrigation in seed maturity, and controlled irrigation in dormant period. In addition, the leaves of paulownia, African violets and the flower buds of African chrysanthemum are easily eroded after being irrigated with water, which should be paid attention to.

(3) the amount of irrigation and the number of irrigation should be distinguished according to the soil quality. The sand has large porosity, strong water storage capacity, easy to be waterlogged, and should be irrigated more. Clayey soil is "a mess when wet, but a knife when dry". While paying attention to flood prevention, we should also pay attention to drought prevention, timely ploughing and loosening the soil, properly reduce the number of irrigation, and increase the amount of water each time. The humus soil rich in organic matter has fluffy texture and large water storage capacity, which is neither easy to dry nor easy to be waterlogged. Under the same circumstances, the amount of irrigation and times can be reduced accordingly.

two. Rational watering of potted flowers the watering of potted flowers has something in common with ground-grown flowers. Both should consider the water quality and water temperature, and also according to the temperature preference and growth stage of various plants, as well as the growth, appearance, and meteorological changes at that time, "look at the sky to irrigate the water, look at the flowers to irrigate", and choose the appropriate watering opportunity and the appropriate watering quantity. The root growth of potted flowers is limited to a certain space, so watering is more complex and complicated. Potted flowers should also pay special attention to "watering the pot".

(1) Sky watering is mainly based on seasonal and meteorological changes to determine whether irrigation and water demand are needed. In the specific operation, we should pay attention to the following points:

① look at the season: spring temperature rises, flowers and trees wake up from dormancy, leaf buds germinate rapidly, some flower buds begin to grow, water demand of potted flowers begins to increase, especially in northern spring drought and windy, the first water after potted flowers comes out of the room must be watered thoroughly, and then with the gradual increase of spring temperature, plant nutrients expand, transpiration and evaporation are strengthened, that is, watering times should be gradually increased. To shorten the interval between two watering days, it is usually possible to water once every 2 murals every 3 days in early spring, and increase to one watering every 2 days in early spring. Spring sowing annual flowers and trees, so fashionable in the stage of sowing and emergence, the seedlings are small, the growth is slow, the consumption of water is small, usually watering more, on the contrary, it will decrease the soil temperature in the basin and affect the growth of seedlings. The summer weather is sunny and hot, the sunshine is strong, and it is the most luxuriant season for the growth and development of most flowers. at this time, foliar transpiration and soil evaporation increase rapidly, and only further increase the watering times and watering capacity to meet the water demand of flowers. Yu Qing watered at least once a day. The weather of human ambush is more dry and hot, and the monotonous weather of sunny and high temperature often emerges, which makes the basin surface evaporate strongly and the soil moisture in the basin drops sharply, which is the season when potted flowers need the most water and consume the largest amount of water in the whole year. Drought is a serious threat to potted flowers over the summer. If you are not careful, you can wilt or even die because of drought. Therefore, it should be watered once in the morning and evening on a sunny day, especially when the basin soil turns white and dries. But potted flowers that are dormant or semi-dormant in summer, such as cyclamen, should reduce watering times and water. Try to keep moderately monotonous, but not too dry, which is also disadvantageous to dormant flowers and trees over summer. Autumn is the turning point from summer to winter, the sunshine weakens, the temperature drops gradually, and the potted flowers and trees turn back to the slow growth period, and the foliar transpiration and soil evaporation are obviously less than those in summer. Winter is the season with the lowest temperature in the whole year, most potted flowers are transferred to overwintering indoors, and the upper leaves of deciduous flowers and trees are dormant. At this time, plant transpiration is negligible, usually if the pot soil is not too dry, there is no need for watering, dry watering and wet stop. proper preference is beneficial to most flowers and trees in the winter. The flowers in the greenhouse are usually watered once a week every two weeks, and no more than five times a day can basically meet the needs. Do not water too much too often.

② look at meteorology: adopt different watering methods for different meteorology, and carry out timely and appropriate amount according to the changing trend of meteorology. In case of drought and windy weather, it should be watered more and thoroughly, and when it is forecast that there will be rain on cloudy days, it should be stopped, less or slowly watered. In case of continuous overcast and rainy weather, the stagnant water in the basin should be eliminated at any time, and attention should be paid to withholding water after the rain has stopped. The weather with high relative humidity should be watered less, so that the basin soil is drier, while there is less rain in the early stage, the relative humidity is small, and it is predicted that it should be watered more when there is no rain in the future.

(2) watering flowers is to choose appropriate watering opportunities and appropriate watering quantity according to the wet pleas of all kinds of flowers, their growth stage and their appearance at that time. In the specific operation, we should pay attention to the following problems:

① should distinguish the watering time and water quantity according to the variety and variety of flowers: the flowers that like dampness but need more water should be watered more; the flowers that like drought but need less water should be watered less. Usually, the stems and leaves of herbaceous flowers are tender and require more water; the stems of herbaceous flowers need less water when their stems are firm. Cactus and other succulent plants would rather be dry than wet; bulb and bulb flowers should not be too wet for a long time; peony and other fleshy roots like dryness and hate dampness and should not be watered more; aquatic flowers like water and fear drought. Broad-leaved and leafy flowers with large crown diameter should be watered more, while narrow leaves and leafy flowers with small crown diameter should be watered less.

② should distinguish the watering time and water quantity according to the growth stage of flowers: the flowers in the luxuriant growth stage should be watered more, and the flowers in the slow growth stage should be watered less. Most flowers do not need much water at the seedling stage, and the watering should be controlled properly at the squatting seedling stage, the basin soil should be kept moist in the flourishing period, and some herbaceous flowers need to be properly controlled in the early flowering stage, and then return to normal watering until the flower bud differentiation stagnates. When entering the flowering period, the dry soil between the pots is wet, and the pots should not be too wet after flowering. The basin soil should be slightly dry in the seed and fruit ripening stage, and the watering times and amount of water should be reduced in the dormant stage to keep the soil from being too monotonous. Whether potted flowers need watering, there is often a response from the external morphology, such as new leaves, young buds and young flowers wilting indicates that flowers are beginning to lack water, and the degree of wilting can roughly reflect the amount of water needed; on the contrary, overgrown plants, thin and tender stems, thin and yellow leaves and sparse buds indicate that they are overwatered. Sometimes the common symptoms of yellow leaves, fallen leaves and fallen flowers that are common to drought flowers will emerge after dampness. It is necessary to decide whether to water them or not. If the plants are seriously wilted due to drought, such as the emergence of leaves and sagging twigs, it is best not to water them immediately. Instead, the potted flowers should be moved to a cool place and watered a little. After the branches and leaves are basically restored to normal, they can be watered enough. If there is too much water in the basin for a long time, the potted flowers should be moved to a well-ventilated shelter in time, fertilization should be stopped, watering should be dignified and controlled, drainage holes should be dredged, and deep ploughing and loosening soil should be carried out in time, so as to improve the evaporation of water and improve the air permeability of the root zone. Spraying a small amount of water mist on withered branches and leaves is also conducive to the healing and recovery of roots and maintaining the water balance in the plant. If the plant wilts caused by excessive fertilization, it should be shaded immediately, watered repeatedly, lower the concentration of excessive soil solution below, and raise the basin bottom at the same time, so as to increase the excessive water to spill quickly from the basin bottom hole. In particular, it should be noted that some drought-loving potted flowers did not appear abnormal in their external shape at the beginning of the drought, but once the obvious wilting appeared, it would inevitably affect the ornamental effect of the plants. it is obviously too late to water again. Therefore, it is not completely reliable to judge whether potted flowers need watering from the external shape.

(3) special attention should be paid to pot watering when watering potted flowers, and the following points should be paid attention to during specific operation:

① look at the size of flowerpots: small pots have limited capacity, less water storage, and larger surface volume, more water loss than large pots, monotonous and fast. Therefore, the watering times of the small basin should be more, and the amount of water should be less. But each time the quantity of watering large basin should be a little more than small basin, otherwise it is easy to emerge waist water cut-off scene. If the basin is small enough to meet the needs, the large basin should be changed in time.

② look at the texture of the flowerpot: the texture of the commonly used mud tile basin is relatively rough, there are numerous fine pores in the basin wall, these pores have strong water permeability, and the loss of water through these pores every day is also considerable. And purple sand pottery basin, colored glaze porcelain basin, etc., the texture is very delicate, the pores in the basin wall are very few, and the water permeability is too poor. Rough flowerpots need to be watered more times, each time the amount of water needs to be larger, and the use of ceramic pots to grow flowers and water must be avoided too often, otherwise it is very easy to cause rotten roots to die. The stale mud basin has mostly been blocked by the mud position because of the gap between the basin wall, and the watering times and amount of water should also be reduced as appropriate.

③ looks at the soil in the basin: the soil with heavy sand has thicker texture, large porosity, fast water leakage, small water storage capacity, weak water holding capacity, and easy to be waterlogged, so the watering times should be increased properly. The heavy sticky basin soil is a mess when wet, and a knife when dry. While paying attention to waterlogging prevention, we should also pay attention to drought prevention, timely ploughing and loosening the soil and breaking the appearance hardening of the basin soil, which can appropriately reduce the number of watering. Each watering should appropriately increase the humus soil rich in organic matter, the basin surface evaporation is low, the texture is fluffy, the water storage capacity is large, and the water supply and frequency are appropriately reduced.

④ looks at the color and weight of basin soil: when it is monotonous, the soil color becomes lighter, the weight becomes lighter, and the hardness increases. Wet soil is the opposite. Therefore, if your basin soil is white in color, light in weight and firm in the hand, it means that the basin soil is already there, so you should spare more water in time. The basin is still dark gray or dark brown, heavy in weight and soft in hand, indicating that the soil is wet and does not need watering for the time being.

⑤ listen to the sound of the pot: when you gently tap the flowerpot with your fingers, if the basin wall has a crisp sound, it indicates that the basin soil is dry and should be watered; if the basin wall has a low and dull sound, it indicates that the basin soil is wet and does not need watering for the time being.

⑥ to see if there is any abnormal situation that needs to be solved: for example, when there is not enough moisture in the soil, the flowers in the new pot will often show the difference between the basin and the soil. If they are directly watered in large quantities, it is bound to cause the water to dissipate quickly along the separate cracks through the basin bottom hole. Encounter this kind of situation, had better first use culture soil to plug the cracks around the basin wall, and then slowly inject a small amount of water, wait for basin soil infiltration, and then watering according to the conventional method.