How to care for newly bought flowers at home?

1. Plant Purchase Requirements

If you are not sure, try to choose the original pots and soil, try to choose local plants (growing northern flowers in the south or southern flowers in the north requires certain technical requirements, which may not be suitable for beginners), and try to choose species that bloom in season, so that it is easier for the seedlings to recover (plants that bloom out of season may have to wait a long time to recover after changing to a new environment because they have broken the rules of growth. They need to adapt to the current environment again, which is a process).

2. Bare-root plant planting and maintenance methods

If you buy bare-root plants without soil, pay attention to the following three points when planting:

1. First, soak the roots

First soak the roots of the newly purchased flowers in a basin of water for 3 to 4 hours to allow the roots of the flowers to fully absorb water. Gently wash away the mud wrapped around the roots of the flowers, being careful not to break or damage the roots.

2. The flower pot should be bigger

The size of the flowerpot is also very important. If the roots of the flowers are large, the flowerpot should be appropriately enlarged. If the roots are small, do not use a flowerpot that is too large. If the flowerpot is too large, it will hold more soil, which will easily make the soil less permeable.

When planting, orchids, camellias, azaleas, white orchids, gardenias, etc. require acidic soil (mountain soil), phalaenopsis and clivias require leaf mold, osmanthus, cycads, palm bamboo, etc. require 2/3 garden soil plus 1/3 coal ash to increase soil permeability.

3. Proper pruning

After the flowers are planted, they can be pruned appropriately. If you buy a newly purchased rose, you can cut off the upper flowers and branches as appropriate to promote germination.

4. Fertilization principles

In addition, newly planted flowers should not be fertilized immediately. Wait for 1 to 2 months for the flowers to sprout new buds, and then fertilize them according to the principle of applying small amounts of fertilizer frequently.

3. Potted plant maintenance methods

After buying potted plants and bringing them home, acclimatization is a necessary step no matter what. The maintenance during the acclimatization period is very applicable to most plants.

1. Necessary steps - seedling slowing period

For newly bought plants, it is necessary to harden the seedlings and this cannot be skipped.

The maintenance method is relatively simple. Place it in a relatively fixed position with scattered light and ventilation. There is no need to use fertilizer or expose it to the sun too early. When it is time to water it, water it thoroughly: note that water it thoroughly when the topsoil is dry; this watering method is applicable at any time.

Since the plants are still in the growth stage, it is normal for a small amount of yellow leaves or fallen flowers and buds to appear. As long as the growth is successfully resumed in the future, this phenomenon will naturally disappear.

As for how long it will take, it depends on the plant's own situation. Because plant species vary greatly, generally speaking, smaller plants will grow faster than larger ones, and herbaceous plants will grow faster than woody plants.

2. Optional step - repotting

If you feel that the flowerpot or soil of the newly bought flowers is not suitable, you can consider changing the flowerpot.

Repotting method

If it is a soft plastic flowerpot, you can cut it open and then take out the plant with the whole soil. If such a flowerpot has other uses in the future (raising seedlings or growing other plants), there is no need to cut it open. Keep the flowerpot as it is, moisten the soil in the pot, and then carefully take out the plant. Pay attention to this process. Be careful and try to minimize damage to the roots of the plant to promote the recovery of the seedlings in the future. After repotting, watering is necessary. This watering is also called rooting water, and the purpose is to allow the roots to be closely combined with the soil.

When to repot

Do it in the afternoon or evening of the day after purchase. If it is a rainy day, then it can be done in time, the sooner the better; and do not change it after a few days. Doing so may be more detrimental to it, because after a few days, the plant may have recovered, but changing the pot at this time will require it to recover again; objectively, this will prolong its recovery period (it should recover in 3 to 4 days, but it may be extended to 1 to 2 weeks or even longer), which is not conducive to subsequent growth.

After the plant is repotted, the acclimatization period needs to be restarted (the calculation of the acclimatization period, in the case of continuous repotting, starts from the last time it was repotted). This is very important to remember. No matter how well you took care of it before, it will be in vain after repotting. This is the biggest risk of repotting. Choosing the right time to repot can effectively reduce the risk. If the timing is not right, it will bring greater risks.

3. Maintenance after the seedling acclimatization period

Once the newly purchased plants have successfully passed the seedling acclimatization period, you can manage them according to their habits.

For those that like the sun (such as jasmine, pomegranate, wolfberry, ornamental peppers, etc.), be sure to place them in a place with sufficient light and good ventilation; for those that like the shade (anthurium, white anthurium, arrowroot, etc.), keep them in a place with scattered light and ventilation as usual. When the temperature is suitable, you can use fertilizer as appropriate according to the situation (there will be differences for foliage plants and flowering and fruiting plants).

When the growing environment is stable, the placement should be as fixed as possible; only when the weather changes suddenly or the environment changes significantly (such as a sharp drop in temperature or a rise in temperature), can it be moved to a more ideal location (such as moving the plant out of the house in spring or bringing it back in autumn).