Does Daphne koreana prefer shade or sun? How to maintain?

Daphne koreana is a very fragrant ornamental flower with pretty leaves. It blooms around the Spring Festival every year. When in full bloom, clusters of purple-red flowers grow on the branches with a rich fragrance that fills the room. So does Daphne koreana prefer shade or sun? How to maintain? Let’s learn more about it below.

Does Daphne koreana prefer shade or sun?

Daphne koreana prefers a semi-shaded environment and avoids direct sunlight. In late spring, when the sunlight is strong, it can be placed near a sunny window, with three to four hours of direct light every morning and afternoon, and scattered light for the rest of the time. Turn the flowerpot every few days to allow the leaves to receive light evenly, making the plant fuller and beautiful even without flowers. In summer, shade should be provided, while in winter, full light maintenance can be carried out due to weak light.

How to care for Daphne koreana?

1. Soil

The soil for Daphne koreana must be loose and breathable, and preferably slightly acidic. When planting, it is better to bury the seeds shallowly and plant them in shallow soil, and avoid planting them too deep.

2. Watering

Daphne koreana has fleshy roots and cannot tolerate waterlogging, so you need to be careful when watering. Do not water too much at one time or frequently. Just keep the soil slightly moist in the early stage of acclimatization. Water in the later stage when the soil is dry or wet. Add more water in summer and prevent waterlogging in the rainy season.

3. Fertilization

Choose fertilizers according to its flowering period and growth period. The flowering period is when flower buds gradually grow after the Chinese New Year and we need to supplement it with fertilizers with high content of phosphorus and potassium. If we keep supplementing it with phosphorus and potassium fertilizers, it will allow it to continue to grow flower buds. After the flowering period, the demand for phosphorus and potassium fertilizers gradually weakens. At this time, add nitrogen fertilizer and compound fertilizer to promote the growth of branches and leaves.

4. Pruning

Daphne koreana is an evergreen upright shrub with dense branches and strong leaf germination ability. If the new leaves grow too densely, you can appropriately cut off the densely growing leaves inside and the leaves growing inward on each branch, leaving the outside and removing the inside, keeping the strong and removing the weak, reducing nutrient loss, increasing plant ventilation and light transmission, and promoting vigorous growth of healthy leaves.

5. Temperature

Daphne koreana is afraid of cold, so it needs to be placed indoors in winter and maintained at a room temperature of at least 5°C, while avoiding cold winds and frost. It is recommended to cool down when the temperature is above 30℃ in summer.

That’s it