How to propagate the king flower

sowing

Sowing time

The sowing time of king protea should be carried out in autumn. Autumn sowing is suitable in southern my country, but in the north it can be sown in early autumn while there is still some summer warmth left.

Sowing preparation

The seeds of the king protea are wrapped in a prickly shell, like a chestnut. The seeds need to be peeled out, otherwise the shells will not break. Some flower lovers refrigerate the seeds for a period of time before sowing them, but in fact, direct sowing is also possible.

The soil for sowing king protea requires slightly moist sandy soil, and a little base fertilizer can be applied to it.

Seedling care

It takes about 1-2 months for the king protea seedlings to grow 4-5 true leaves, at which time they can be transplanted into pots. The soil in the pot for sowing seedlings does not need to be too wet, just keep it slightly dry. After transplanting, the seedlings should be placed in a place with sufficient ventilation and light for maintenance.

Cuttings

Selection of cuttings for Protea

Choose the mother plant of the king protea and cut the branches above the semi-lignified position as cuttings, retaining 4 to 6 leaves. Soak the base of the cuttings in 1000 ppm indole-3-butyric acid solution for 15 minutes and then air-dry immediately.

Cutting medium

The cutting medium for Protea is a mixture of peat and perlite in a volume ratio of 4:6, with a pH value adjusted to 5.5~6.5 and an EC value less than 0.5.

Cuttings

The cutting depth is 1/3~1/4 of the cutting length. After cutting, manage according to conventional techniques and transplant into the field after seedlings emerge.

Propagation and maintenance of seedlings

Whether it is a sown emperor protea seedling or a grafted emperor protea seedling, it prefers overly moist potting soil. You just need to keep the potting soil slightly dry. However, you can increase the air humidity appropriately by spraying water mist around the plants and keep the air humidity greater than 50%.