Planting Tips

Chapter 36 How to Pot the Flower Seedlings
The potting refers to the operation of planting the seedlings propagated in the seedbed or the plants planted in the open field into the flower pots.The new seedlings that are sown and propagated should be potted when they are mature.Most perennial flowers should be potted when the young buds have just germinated.The seedlings propagated by centralized cuttings should be divided into pots in time after they take root and release leaves.The large seedlings of woody flowers are generally potted in winter or early spring when the flowers and trees are dormant or just sprouting, otherwise the normal growth and development will be affected.

Before potting, an appropriate flower pot should be selected according to the size and growth speed of the seedlings, and care should be taken not to put small seedlings in large pots or large seedlings in small pots.Use new flower pots to soak in water first, and old pots to scrub clean.The drainage holes on the bottom of the basin are covered with broken basin pieces or gauze pieces.For flowers that are afraid of waterlogging, according to the size of the flowerpot, a layer of coarse-grained or coarser sand sieved from the culture soil should be placed on the bottom of the pot as a drainage layer.A layer of culture soil is laid on the drainage layer to wait for the seedlings to be planted.When the bare-rooted seedlings are put into the pot, the subsoil should be piled into a hillock in the center of the pot, and the seedlings should be placed in a suitable depth with the left hand, so that the roots are evenly distributed around, and the right hand should be used to fill the soil, and the seedlings should be lifted up gently as they are filled, so that the roots stretch.When the flowers with long roots are put into the pot, the seedlings can be rotated to make the long roots curl evenly in the pot.

Generally, when potting, fill the soil to the original planting depth of the plant. Those with strong stems and roots can be planted deeply, and those with fleshy stems and roots should not be too deep.The potting soil should be filled, and there should be no space or holes.Do not fill the upper part of the pot, but leave a spout, and the depth of the spout is based on the water that can penetrate to the bottom of the pot when it is usually filled once.After potting, it is advisable to put it in a place sheltered from wind and damp without watering for the time being. Spray water to protect the seedlings at any time when the weather is dry. Generally, it should be watered thoroughly after 12 to 4 hours. Hair new roots, rapid growth and rejuvenation.After slowing down the seedlings in the shade for about 1 week, move them to a sunny place or under a shade shed according to the flower habits, and then transfer to normal maintenance.Combined with the upper pot, the woody flower plants should be properly pruned, and the excessively long fibrous roots, diseased dead branches, excessively dense branches, and damaged branches should be cut off.By pruning, the evaporation of plant water is reduced, which is beneficial to improve the survival rate.

For overly weak plants and flowers and trees that bloom on the current year's branches, they can be cut off 10 cm from the stem base, which can promote the germination of strong branches and early flowering.

(End of this chapter)