Maintenance tips for Cleome

Cleome in pots

It is not very difficult to plant the butterfly flower in a pot. First, you need to choose suitable soil. It can be sandy soil with good drainage and rich in humus. Of course, you can also add some leaf mold. There are some options for potting soil, such as the ratio of garden soil: slag is 3:1; the ratio of garden soil: medium-coarse river sand: sawdust is 4:1:2; the ratio of peat + perlite + expanded clay is 2:2:1; the ratio of garden soil + slag = 3:1 and so on.

Because the root system of the butterfly flower is relatively developed, when choosing a flower pot, people generally choose a larger and deeper pot, and the pot diameter is preferably between 20cm and 30cm. When planting the young seedlings of Cleome, you can first put a layer of expanded clay at the bottom of the pot as a water filter, sprinkle some decomposed organic fertilizer, and finally put the substrate on. After placing the substrate, you can put the seedlings into the pot, stretch out the roots, and keep them away from fertilizer to avoid burning the roots. After burying them in the soil, water them once and place them in a hidden environment to slow the root growth.

Cleome serrata

Pinching is also a very important part of maintenance. Before flowering, it is generally necessary to pinch the top twice to sprout more flowering branches. When the seedlings of the butterfly flower grow to 10 cm, if they have more than 6 leaves, they can be pinched off and the top can be removed. 3-4 leaves can be retained to allow for more branches.

After pinching, the butterfly flower will continue to grow. After about a month, it can be pinched for the second time. Cut off the top of the side branches, retain about 4 leaves, and sprout new branches again to make it have more branches.

After pinching, the shape of the butterfly flower will be more beautiful and the number of flowers can be increased. After flowering, the remaining flowers need to be cut off in time.