How to sow wintersweet

The sowing principle of wintersweet

To know how to sow wintersweet seeds, you must first understand in what environment it is best planted. Wintersweet likes sunlight, is shade-tolerant, drought-tolerant, cold-tolerant, and avoids waterlogging. Wintersweet flowers can still bloom proudly in the coldest days of winter. The flowers are rich in color and have a strong fragrance. They are the main ornamental flowers in winter. Wintersweet is afraid of wind and can safely overwinter when the temperature is above -15℃. It can be cultivated in the open field in areas south of Beijing. It is suitable for growing in slightly acidic sandy loam with deep, loose, fertile and well-drained soil. It grows poorly in saline-alkali land.

Seed Planting

The fruits are picked and collected when they turn yellow in July and August, and the seeds are taken out and stored dry until sowing in February or March of the following spring, covered with about 4 to 5 cm of soil. Soaking the seeds in warm water before sowing can promote their germination. After the seedlings emerge from the soil in April, they need to be protected from damage by silkworms and management needs to be strengthened. There is no need to provide shade. The seedlings grow slowly, and are only 10 to 15 centimeters tall in the same year. The sowing method can be used to cultivate a large number of wintersweet rootstocks, but it takes a longer time to cultivate.

Wintersweet Maintenance

After learning how to sow wintersweet seeds, don’t forget the more important maintenance work.

Watering

Pay attention to drainage during the rainy season, and water normally to keep the soil semi-moist. Water needs to be replenished in time during the dry season. During the flowering period, do not water too much and keep the soil moderately dry. In spring and autumn, potted wintersweets should not be watered unless the soil is dry; in summer, water them once in the morning and evening every day, and the amount of water should be controlled according to the dryness and wetness of the soil.

Fertilization

Potted wintersweets do not need to be fertilized in the early stage of potting. Foliar fertilizer is needed in spring. Fully decomposed organic fertilizer should be applied once every year after the flowers fade. From the sprouting of new leaves in spring to the growing season in June, decomposed cake fertilizer water should be applied every 10 to 15 days; during the flower bud differentiation period from July to August, a mixture of decomposed organic fertilizer and phosphorus and potassium fertilizer should be applied. Apply organic fertilizer again in autumn. Water and loosen the soil in time after each fertilization to keep the soil loose. Do not fertilize during the flowering period.