Cultivation methods and precautions for carnations

1. Soil

Soil is the activity place of plant roots. Creating a loose and breathable environment while having a certain water retention capacity is crucial for the cultivation of carnations. Carnations are flowers with fibrous roots, and their roots grow well in loose, fertile and well-ventilated soil.

It is best to choose sandy soil for planting carnations. Heavy and silted soil is not conducive to the growth of carnations and needs to be improved.

2. Temperature

Carnation is a cool-loving plant. The optimum temperature for its growth and development is 19-21℃, and the temperature difference between day and night should be kept within 10℃. If the temperature is too high during the day, carnations will have undesirable phenomena such as small flowers, narrow leaves, and few branches. The temperature between the leaves cannot be too high, otherwise there will be abnormal reactions such as weak stems, small flowers but good color. If the summer temperature is higher than 35℃ and the winter temperature is lower than 9℃, the growth will be slow or the plants will grow poorly or even stop growing.

3. Lighting

Carnations have very high requirements for light. Except during the seedling or flowering period, there is no need to worry about any adverse effects of strong light on carnations. As a long-day plant, the longer the sunshine time, the more it can promote the differentiation of flower buds and can also bloom earlier.

With the help of auxiliary light, not only can the growth of internodes of plants be promoted and the growth of lateral branches be inhibited, but also the diameter of the corolla and the brightness of flower colors can be increased.

4. Watering

Carnations are shallow-rooted flowers and the planting depth should not exceed 2 cm. Water once after planting, and then water again when the soil in the pot is dry. Carnations are very intolerant of moisture. Except for the peak growth period, flowering period and midsummer when increased watering is needed, under normal circumstances, do not water too much, just maintain a certain level of soil humidity. Be careful not to let the soil be too dry or too wet during flowering.

5. Fertilization

Carnations are shallow-rooted plants, and their roots are generally distributed in a soil layer of about 20 cm, so when planting, sufficient base fertilizer should be applied to the soil. Base fertilizers such as manure, compost, bone meal and other organic fertilizers can improve the physical properties of the cultivated soil and enhance its fertility, making it a humus-rich, light and fertile loam.

Carnations need constant fertilizer supplementation during their growth period. The principle of topdressing is to apply thin fertilizers frequently, once every 25 to 30 days. For smaller potted plants, apply fertilizer about once every 10 days. During the peak growth period of the plant, the frequency of top dressing can be increased. Fertilizers can be cake fertilizer water, chicken manure water, or compound fertilizers.

6. Notes

During the vigorous growing season in spring and autumn, the soil should be kept moist to meet the needs of growth and development. Growth is inhibited during the high temperature period in summer. At this time, watering should be controlled and ventilation should be increased to keep the soil in the pot slightly dry.

Generally, the greenhouse is entered before and after the "Frost Descent", and the temperature should be controlled at 10-20℃. In order to delay the flowering period, the temperature can be adjusted up or down appropriately. Efforts should be made to lower the humidity in the greenhouse to reduce the occurrence of diseases.

Bring it indoors in winter and cultivate it in a sunny and well-ventilated place. If the temperature is suitable, the flowering period can be extended to March of the following year.