Is it easy to grow five-color plum blossoms? (Methods and precautions for growing five-color plum blossoms indoors at home)

The five-color plum is easy to grow. If the climate is suitable, the flowering period is almost all year round . The five-color plum, also known as Lantana camara, is common in rural areas of Guangdong, and there are many wild ones. Because of its rich and beautiful colors, it is also often used for greening.

1) The growth environment needs to be suitable

Wusemei likes warm, humid, sunny environment, and the suitable temperature for growth is 20~25°C. It is not cold-resistant, and the wintering temperature cannot be lower than 10°C, otherwise it is very easy to cause frostbite.

It can tolerate relatively dry soil, but needs a high degree of air humidity . The five-color plum is not very demanding on the soil, but it will grow vigorously if it is cultivated in loose, breathable, and well-drained loam .

The five-color plum has strong adaptability and its branches have a particularly strong germination ability. The pot and soil can be changed in April or May every spring.

And do a heavy pruning before repotting, keeping 2 to 3 pairs of leaf buds at the base of each side branch and cutting off the rest.

Branches that grow too densely or in the wrong position should also be pruned to help them concentrate nutrients for growth .

As long as the pruned plants are exposed to sufficient sunlight, watered with adequate fertilizer, and properly topdressed with liquid fertilizer, they can grow vigorously and bloom continuously.

2) Maintenance and management should be in place

Although the five-color plum is strong, daily maintenance and management should also be in place. The flower stalks should be cut off in time after each flowering to avoid wasting too much nutrients by letting it bear fruit. This can encourage it to produce more new shoots and flower buds.

To make it bloom abundantly on National Day, you can remove the branches of the current year in late August, leaving only 2 to 3 pairs of buds at the base.

In addition to normal water and fertilizer management, you can use diluted cake fertilizer water or 3% urea for foliar fertilization once in mid-September, and then the plant will be able to bloom beautiful flowers during the National Day.

In November after the flowers have faded, the potted plants should be moved indoors to a sunny place for maintenance. The indoor temperature should not be lower than 10°C, so that they can safely overwinter .

The propagation of five-color plum is generally carried out by cuttings. In spring from April to May , the woody hard branches pruned when repotting are used for cuttings, and in July, soft branches are used for cuttings. The survival rate is relatively high.