Cultivation methods and precautions of Shenjinhua

1. Maintenance methods

1. Temperature: The maintenance temperature should be kept between 20 and 25 degrees. It grows best at this temperature. It is not frost-resistant, and the wintering temperature must be kept above 5 degrees, otherwise the plant will be frostbitten. Plants grown in the north should be brought indoors in autumn.

2. Watering: The plant consumes a lot of nutrients during the growing period, so it needs to be watered every two days. During the non-growing period, watering should be controlled, and watering two to three times in half a month is enough. Pay attention to the water temperature when watering in winter to avoid damage to the plants caused by too low water temperature.

3. Fertilization: Before planting, you need to mix base fertilizer into the soil. In addition, apply fertilizer once a month. Use light fertilizer. When fertilizing, do not allow the fertilizer to directly contact the plant body. Apply it about five centimeters away from the plant to avoid fertilizer damage.

4. Light: It likes to grow in a semi-shady environment and is relatively shade-tolerant, but this does not mean that it does not need sunlight. When giving it sunlight, avoid strong light and use diffuse light as the main source. Four or five hours of light a day is enough.

2. Breeding techniques

1. Reproduction: It can be propagated by division. The time for division is April and May. Because the temperature is relatively stable at this time, the dense clusters can be separated and placed in a cool environment for maintenance. If you use cuttings to propagate, you can cut branches directly from the plant in spring and insert them into the sand bed. Keep the sand bed moist and it will grow roots in about half a month.

2. Pruning: Once the flowering period is over, the branches that have bloomed will begin to fall off. It is necessary to promptly cut off the branches that are not growing well. This can promote the growth of new branches so that the flowers will bloom more vigorously next year.

3. Problem Diagnosis

1. Pests: It is easily infected by aphids, which will eat its tender leaves and spread infectious bacteria. After discovering aphids, the more severely infected branches should be cut off and burned, and then sprayed with insecticide.

2. Pathology: The plant is more susceptible to leaf spot disease. In the early stage of the disease, round black spots appear on the branches and leaves. In the later stage, they will gradually expand until the edges become dark brown. The plant will slowly dry up and die. When this disease occurs, the infected branches should be destroyed first, and then sprayed with carbendazim for treatment.