Daily management of dormant flowers in winter

Pay attention to the room temperature

During the dormant period of flowers, the room temperature should be avoided to be too high, otherwise it will affect the normal dormancy of the plants, leading to excessive nutrient consumption, affecting growth and flowering in the following year, and in severe cases will lead to death. Common flowers such as white jasmine, azalea, osmanthus, orange, etc. can overwinter if the room temperature is kept above 5℃, and 8-12℃ is best; for Michelia, Milan, Riley, hibiscus, etc., the room temperature should be 10-15℃; forsythia, oleander, rose, fig, pomegranate, pine and cypress are even less suitable for high temperatures, and can safely overwinter as long as the room temperature is not lower than 0℃.

Control water and fertilizer

For flowers that enter a dormant period, the supply of water and fertilizer must be strictly controlled. Excessive watering can easily cause root rot and yellowing and falling leaves. Therefore, except for varieties that grow and bloom in winter and spring, such as cineraria, cyclamen, calla lily, fuchsia, and clematis, which can continue to be supplied with water as needed, watering should be controlled for all flowers that enter dormancy, such as Michelia and Riley, especially shade-tolerant or fleshy-root varieties, such as dieffenbachia, monstera, cycad, orchid, etc., the potting soil should be slightly drier than in summer and autumn. Other flowers such as cacti should be watered more sparingly, as long as the soil is not completely dry. In addition, flowers in the dormant period should be given less or no fertilizer to avoid premature growth of new shoots, which will affect flowering next year or cause frost damage.

Plastic pruning

For some flowers that are dormant in winter, when they are about to sprout in early spring, you can combine shaping with pruning to remove overgrown branches, thin branches, diseased and insect-infested branches, and overly dense branches to facilitate ventilation and light, concentrate nutrients, and produce more and fuller flower buds. For some varieties, such as Riley, you can leave 20 to 25 cm of branches and cut off the rest; for branches that are too old, you can cut them off from the base to stimulate them to grow strong new branches. Rhododendrons and camellias generally do not require major pruning, just trimming off some of the dense and long branches. 4. Prevent pollution: If potted flowers are placed indoors for too long, a lot of smoke and dust will often accumulate on the leaves, which can easily cause the leaves to be contaminated. In the early stages, dark brown mildew spots will appear on the surface of the flowers and leaves. Over time, a black soot-like fog layer will form, affecting the photosynthesis of the plants, and at the same time slowing down the growth of flowers and causing diseases. Therefore, when growing flowers indoors, especially in a room heated by coal fire, you should take care to prevent smoke and dust pollution, and should frequently use water close to room temperature to wash away floating dust on the leaves.