The original stone flower is a rather peculiar succulent plant, not only its peculiar stone posture and bright flowers are of great ornamental value. Stone flowers grow and bloom in non-rainy season, and it is difficult to find them in the sand of origin, which is called mimicry. The original stone flower is native to southern and southwestern Africa, and is often found in cracks in bedrock and gravel, and is called living stone. Raw stone flowers are seasonal plants, because the local summer is quite dry, generally dormant in summer and growing as usual in winter.

A, the original stone flower sowing method

The original stone flower is unique in shape and rich in color, and can be used as an ornamental plant. Sowing raw stone flowers is also a wonderful process of cultivation and harvest.

1. Preparation of original stone flowers before sowing

Prepare seeds

We usually get the seeds of raw stone flowers directly, but if we get seed pods, we must find ways to take them out of them. The seed pods of Quercus are yellow-brown, hemispherical, five-petalled, and hard (Figure 1-2), so it is not easy to take out the seeds. If the seed pod is broken, the seed will be mixed with the seed pod fragments. It is not easy to separate. In fact, there is a simple way, just prepare a water cup, a pair of tweezers and some absorbent paper. Pour a little warm water into the cup and put in the seed pod. Soon the seed pod will open slowly and you can see the seeds clearly. At this time, as long as you hold the seed pod with tweezers and shake it back and forth (Figure 3), all the seeds inside will shake out and stay in the water, leaving only the empty seed pod (Figure 4). Finally, pour the seeds with water on absorbent paper, and after the excess water on the seeds is sucked dry, the seeds with higher purity are obtained (Figure 5). This method imitates the habits of raw stone flowers in the country of origin. Whenever the rainy season comes, the rain drops on the seed pods of the original stone flowers, and the seed pods will open to release the seeds. When the rain hits the seed pods again, some seeds will be brought out.

Prepare the substrate

There are many kinds of substrates visible in the market, including red jade soil, deer marsh soil, peat, frog stone and so on. , as well as river sand and cinder, are good substrates for sowing raw stone flowers. Because the seeds of the original stone flower are very small, the matrix must be screened to remove the powder and oversized particles, leaving about 1 mm matrix for sowing. Mix the screened substrates according to a certain proportion (there are many methods, which you can explore slowly in practice), and put them aside after mixing evenly. There are no strict requirements for flowerpots, as long as the operation is simple and the size is ok.

disinfect

Seeds and substrates should be strictly disinfected before use. There are many methods of disinfection, but there are nothing more than two categories, physical disinfection and chemical disinfection. Physical disinfection includes cleaning, exposure, high temperature and high pressure. Chemical disinfection is the use of chemical agents for disinfection, mainly pesticides and fungicides. Exposure and medication are more convenient and practical.

Step 2 sow seeds

time

As long as the temperature is guaranteed, raw stone flowers can be planted all year round, but spring and autumn are suitable and autumn is the best.

Loading soil

First, put a gauze net at the bottom of the flowerpot, and then put some large particles left after screening to prevent water accumulation. Then fill the flowerpot with the prepared substrate, squat several times to make the substrate dense, keep the distance between the substrate and the upper edge of the flowerpot 1 cm, and then pour water and let it stand.

sow seeds

The seeds of raw stone flowers are very small and usually scattered. Spread it as evenly as possible, and don't let the seeds get together. Sprinkle 10 10 cm flowerpot with 150-200 capsules, not too much. Too many and too dense seedlings will affect ventilation and light transmission, compete for water and fertilizer, and lead to inconsistent growth, size differentiation, deformity and even death. On the other hand, if it is too little, the dry-wet cycle of the substrate will be slow, which will easily lead to root rot, so it is very important to choose a flowerpot with the right size. Sprinkle a layer of vermiculite or river sand on the surface after sowing to prevent the seedlings from lodging after being unearthed, and effectively prevent the breeding of moss and green algae. Finally, spray water again to make the seeds fully contact with the substrate (Figure 6). After sowing, cover the pot mouth with glass or film and germinate at 22-26℃. There is no need to water here.

(of seedlings) appear

If the temperature is suitable, the seeds will germinate one after another 3- 17 days after sowing. You will see green seedlings on the surface. Although they look a little sparse, they will soon be full of flowerpots. At this time, put the flowerpot in a place with scattered light to let the seedlings receive light. After a few days, when most seedlings grow, it is necessary to gradually uncover the plastic film and increase ventilation and light.

3. Management of the original stone flower after sowing

Superficial application

After emergence 1 month, topdressing can be started, mainly nitrogen fertilizer and potassium fertilizer, once every 15-20 days, the concentration is 1500 times, not too thick, and the principle is to apply thin fertilizer frequently.

control of insect

There are few diseases and insect pests of raw stone flowers, mainly rot and root mealybug. Controlling moisture can prevent rot. At present, there is no good control method for root scale insects. If there is a root scale, it can be replanted after it appears.

Nursing in molting period

After three months of growth, the seedlings are about to molt for the first time. At this time, water should be cut off so that the water in the old skin can be fully absorbed by the new leaves (Figure 7). After this molting, the small stone has some appearance, but the opening in the middle has become smaller. After 1 year, varieties and models can be clearly distinguished.

Transplanted seedlings

There is no time to transplant rice seedlings. When the seedlings grow a little crowded, transplant them. It is suggested to transplant seedlings in autumn. When transplanting seedlings, the roots should be trimmed, the old roots, dead roots and the roots of mealybug with roots should be removed, and then fungicides such as carbendazim should be applied to the wound (Figure 8). Replanting after the wound is dry. A certain growth space should be reserved when planting, and it can be maintained normally after 1 week.

As time goes on, the shape of the stone flower is getting bigger and bigger. In the third year, most of the original stone flowers can bloom yellow, white or pink, and the original stone flowers end their childhood and enter adulthood.

Second, the original stone flower sowing method, transplanting and daily maintenance

1, what needs to be prepared for health stone flowers.

Soil: peat, sapphire, sand, perlite, vermiculite, ruby soil, phytolith.

Drugs: carbendazim, methyl desulfurization bacteria, chlorothalonil, sodium sulfamate, carbofuran. (carbofuran is very toxic. Please use it with caution if you have children and pets at home. )

Fertilizer: Olu A-2 special fertilizer for succulents.

Pot: Pots vary from person to person, depending on personal preference. I prefer big black squares and small black squares all over the world, which are cheap, neat and save space.

2. Seeding the original stone flower (sowing is usually in September of 65438+ 10, and it can be advanced in areas with cool weather).

Mixed soil

I usually use vermiculite, peat and perlite = 1: 1: 1 to sow and mix soil. I can also add a small amount of fine-grained sand (small-grained sand to be screened), fine cinder or fine-grained ruby soil, but ruby soil is too expensive, so I seldom add it. At present, the soil is rarely disinfected before sowing and planting, and there are basically no pests and diseases if it is properly managed. )

Fill basin

Generally, there are holes of different sizes at the bottom of flowerpots. I will cut off gauze about the same size as the bottom of the flowerpot in advance and spread it on the bottom of the flowerpot. Then I will put a proper amount of basin bottom stone (such as large sapphire and large cinder), then I will put the evenly mixed soil into the flowerpot and stop when it is 1cm away from the upper edge of the flowerpot, and then I will find something flat to compact the soil. I usually use IC card to compact the soil and bend the card to 90 degrees. Hold the card in one hand and press it in the other. ), so that the emergence of seedlings will not be affected after plastic film mulching. After loading the soil, use the supermarket shopping card to scrape the surface of the soil and pick out the big impurities.

Inclined basin

Find a box as deep as a flowerpot, preferably a bigger one, filled with three-quarters of water, and then add the bactericide to the water. I usually add several fungicides at the same time. Add bactericide, stir evenly, slowly put the flowerpot filled with soil into the box, so that the liquid medicine can completely soak the whole pot, and take it out after 5- 10 minutes.

sow seeds

Fold a piece of white paper in half, pour the seeds on the folded white paper, and then put them into the pot evenly. After sowing, let the seeds be directly on the surface of the pot soil without covering the soil. After sowing, it needs to be covered with ground glass (why ground glass is needed will be discussed later). After sowing, put the flowerpot in a bright place without direct sunlight.

3. Maintenance in the bud stage

Generally, small buds can grow 3-5 days after sowing, so you don't need to take off the ground glass for the first 5 days, and spray a small amount of water on the basin soil with a watering can every night. Cover the frosted glass immediately after spraying water.

5- 15 days, which belongs to the stage of mass emergence. If you sow enough seeds, you will find that many new buds sprout every day. At this stage, water is still sprayed every night, but a small amount of bactericide is added to the water at this time. I usually use two watering cans. One watering can with disinfectant and the other with pure water. After spraying disinfectant, I will spray a small amount of pure water to clean the disinfectant remaining on the surface of plants. Don't cover the frosted glass after spraying water, and cover it after 2-3 hours of ventilation.

Generally, after 15 days, the buds will almost come out. If it is found that a large number of seeds have not germinated, the incubation time can be appropriately extended to 20 or 25 days, but the aeration time will be increased during this period. Continue to return to normal 15 days. /kloc-After 0/5 days, if you find that the seeds are almost germinated, you can start to uncover the film. Generally, I expose the film on 15-20 nights, that is, after spraying water at night, the frosted glass is left uncovered and hung until the morning. After 25 days, do not cover the ground glass, and then move the flowerpot to the sunny place. Here is the function of ground glass. Frosted glass can be placed between the flowerpot and the sunlight to play the role of weak sunlight, so that the seedlings can receive scattered light, and the light will not be very strong and will not harm the seedlings. After 3-5 days of sunshine, you will find that the seedlings will turn red, and if there are too many seedlings before, they will gradually become fat. This is a normal phenomenon, so watering will not be so diligent at this stage.

Generally, it can be watered once every three days, and the watering time must be chosen at night, or watering with a watering can. In this way, after 1 month, the ground glass can be removed and directly basked in the sun, and the seedlings have become very strong and strong. But still pay attention to the bright light at noon, don't put it in the sun at noon, you will die miserably.

4, seedling maintenance

When watering at seedling stage, water when the soil is slightly dry. Once a week, as long as there is enough light, there will generally be no false increase. Until the peeling stage, many novices who have just raised stones have only heard that water will be cut off during peeling, but they don't know when to start cutting. The varieties numbered here are relatively easy to control, and the growth state of the numbers is similar. Basically everything else is similar. As long as you see a crack in the middle of the stone and a small stone inside, you can start to cut off the water.

Here, I want to talk about mixed seeds. There are many varieties growing in it. Although the peeling time is similar, it is not uniform. Here, we need to take an intermediate quantity. We need to observe carefully and find that a small part of the stone has cracked. About 1 has seen the crack, and the water can be cut off. It is necessary to completely cut off water. Don't be afraid to die. Generally, it is normal to die a small amount when peeling, and some weak seedlings will always die. Don't start watering when you see something dead, you must break it completely and decisively until the old skin outside the seedlings turns yellow and becomes a thin layer, and the water shortage period should be over. At this time, it is necessary to start a small amount of water supply to let the plants slowly recover and enter the growth state. The water supply time is usually at night, so don't give too much water at first.

Take a watering can and spray a little water to make the soil surface slightly wet. In a few days, when the soil in the basin is dry, spray it again, and you will find that the plants slowly break their skins and grow rapidly. Don't give too much water during this time, it's easy to grow in vain. At the same time, we should also pay attention to sterilization and insecticidal. Just get some carbofuran or Bayer green granules and sprinkle them on the surface of the basin soil. Raw stone flowers only need to kill bugs. Insecticides are usually carried out in spring and autumn.

Three, raw stone flower sowing method and matters needing attention

1, a vessel for planting original stone flowers

There are many things to choose from, but in general, you should use shallow appliances. Shallow bonsai pots, which are not more than five or six centimeters high, can also be used as waste products, such as small boxes left over from eating moon cakes (that is, the ones that are packed with moon cakes themselves). 3 to 6 cm will do.

2. The soil where the original stone flower grows

Vermiculite, alabaster or ceramsite. Recently, I learned that some flower friends can't buy vermiculite locally. If they really can't buy vermiculite, they can use fine sand or fine soil instead. When in use, mix a small amount of mop. Don't worry if there is no ceramsite or bluestone. Small pieces of slag or stones can be used instead. Of course, the first choice is the two I mentioned.

3. Sowing method

(1) Cover the hole under the basin with a screen.

(2) Put one-third of bluestone or ceramsite or other coarse particles below, and two-thirds of vermiculite or other fine particles above (in fact, the proportion need not be too precise, mine is basically half and half, and the problem will not be great).

(3) Immerse the basin in water by sitting basin method (water can be used to water the flowers at ordinary times), and take it out immediately after the soil surface is wet.

(4) Scatter the seeds evenly in the flowerpot.

(5) Cover the basin with plastic bags or plastic wrap, keep the humidity and leave it for half a day. If possible, you can also make a small greenhouse with wire and plastic wrap.

4. Preventive measures

(1) Pay attention to frequent observation. If you have long hair due to poor ventilation, immediately spray bupropion or chlorothalonil on the long hair and punch holes in the outer cover to facilitate ventilation, but don't make the holes too big.

(2) Flower friends who use vermiculite should be careful not to put the flowerpot in a place with strong light, because vermiculite has great heat absorption capacity and is prone to heat, which affects germination.

(3) Because of the cover, water generally loses slowly. The soil in the basin is dry, so you can sit in the basin and soak. Pay attention to the principle of wet rather than dry. (Of course, don't just sit in the water. It has been planted for more than ten days, and it is still wet. I didn't water it twice. )

(4) With regard to the size of the pot, generally speaking, a larger mooncake box can completely plant 40 seeds because the seeds of raw stone flowers are very small. I planted sixty or seventy seeds in a small basket bigger than a soap box.

(5) The suitable temperature for germination is about 20 degrees and the humidity is above 60%.