Write to edelweiss newbie Author: Cold winter night walker

Now the domestic like edelweiss more and more people, but because we grow edelweiss not long, edelweiss is too much, so the newbies are always bewildered. I am not really very experienced, but because of the love of edelweiss, collected some varieties, and deliberately studied. I wrote the experience of planting edelweiss to the novice friends who just started planting edelweiss, and I hope it can help you.

First, the overview

1, varieties

vinegar (cù) pulp Latin name is Oxalis, is a very large group of things, known varieties of hundreds of colorful flowers, leaves will also show different shapes. In general, edelweiss is a relatively small plant, very suitable for pot planting, but there are individual varieties of edelweiss will grow very tall. People grow edelweiss mostly for ornamental purposes, but there are some varieties of edelweiss whose rhizomes can be eaten or whose juice can be made into a drink.

2, root morphology

edelweiss most of the bulbous plants (there are very few are not bulbous, such as Oxalis magellanica nelson), we know the form of bulbous root is generally divided into three kinds: one is the brown ball type (the majority); the second is the long strip-like surface covered with scales (a few); and three, tuberous (very few).

3, about the flowers

Most of the edelweiss is a flowering plant, of course, some varieties of foliage is also very distinctive, such as Oxalis lobata, Oxalis palmifrons, Oxaliscorymbosa 'Aureoreticulata' and so on. , which you can judge according to your own preference. The flowers of Oxalis palmifrons are rich in color, and the common ones are yellow, pink, white and orange. Most of them are monochromatic single petal, but there are also a few heavy petal varieties, such as Oxalis cocona, Oxalis magellanica nelson, Oxalis pompom.

The flowers and leaves of the edelweiss are often phototropic, and the flowers and leaves will be open during the daytime; and will be closed when it is dark. Each flower usually blooms for 2-3 days. For fall planted varieties, the flowering period is usually in the late fall and spring, some edelweiss in in both fall and spring will flower, some only in the spring, typical varieties such as obtusa series only in the spring. Typical varieties such as the obtusa series bloom only in spring. In fact, they will bloom as long as the plants are of a certain size and at the right temperature and length of light.

4. Names

Generally speaking, each species of edelweiss has a definite name, and the Latin name is indicated by Oxalis ××, for example, Oxalis adenophylla.

There are a few species of edelweiss with several names.

Some varieties have more words in their Latin names, such as Oxalis purpurea Lavender, Oxalis purpurea Gar, and Oxalis purpureaWhite, with Lavender, Gar, and White after the second word denoting the specific minor varieties within the purpurea. So it can be said that all 3 varieties are in the purpurea family.

Currently the common series are the purpurea series, triangularis series (common triangular leaves), obtusa series (common plum core-like bulbous root), enneaphylla series (common bulbous root) and so on. Each series includes anywhere from a dozen to dozens of small varieties, and those in the same series tend to be similar in habit and plant form.

On the Chinese name of edelweiss, only some common varieties get domestic florists **** knowledge, the following is a summary:

Hibiscus edelweiss, jute seed, two-color edelweiss, long hair edelweiss, piece of heart, big cake face, straw bale or glandular leaf edelweiss, the United States of America flower edelweiss or meat edelweiss, palm edelweiss, mullein edelweiss, star edelweiss, rabbit ear edelweiss and so on.

Newcomers who have never seen the name can go to the edelweiss section of the Stranger Flowers forum to look up the Chinese translation, or just ask an experienced florist.

Two, classification

1, dormant varieties and non-dormant varieties

Most of the edelweiss in a few months of the year, the soil part of the growth will stop, completely withered, into the dormant state. There are a few varieties that are not dormant all year round, some of the common ones being those in the triangularis and articulata series, but these non-dormant varieties generally grow slowly and flower less during the hottest or coldest months, even if they don't go through the process of complete wilting.

2. Spring-planted varieties and fall-planted varieties

This classification is subdivided under the category of dormant varieties. For non-dormant varieties, in principle, can be planted all year round, so there is no spring or fall planting.

By spring and fall planting, we mean planting in spring or fall. The reason for the different planting times is that different varieties of edelweiss have different dormancy periods. For summer-dormant edelweiss, the dormancy will end in the fall; for winter-dormant varieties, the dormancy will end in the spring. If you plant the edelweiss at the end of its dormancy and start to sprout, they will start to grow normally.

Fall-planted edelweiss is the majority, not to be listed, spring-planted is a minority, the common ones are, (Iron Cross), Oxalisdeppei 'Mexico BotKA G4', Oxalis depressa (inops), Oxalis corymbosa cv. 'Variegata' (spotted leaf) (golden vein) etc.

3. Bulbous and bulbous roots

First of all, it should be noted that the name of this classification is not an accurate botanical concept, but rather a customary name made by flower lovers based on the morphology of the edelweiss roots. It is not possible to categorize all varieties of edelweiss, but only the two more common root forms.

Most edelweiss is a bulbous root, varying in size from the size of a sesame seed to the size of a quail's egg. A few are also elongated and covered with small scales, typically the triangularis, articulata, and enneaphylla series. Generally speaking, the edelweiss of the bulbous root is not dormant, but this is still to be experienced by the flower enthusiasts to draw accurate conclusions.

Three, planting

1, sunlight and temperature

edelweiss is widely distributed in the wild world, in general, they like a bright and warm environment, of course, there are very few varieties of more favored semi-shady environment, such as Oxalis acetosella Linn. So, newbies should always plant their precious edelweiss in a sunny spot.

Most of the edelweiss we grow is hardy, and in my own experience, most of it grows well as long as it gets sun during the day in the winter, and the nighttime temperatures are above 5 degrees. On the other hand, for fall-planted varieties of edelweiss, high temperatures become a signal to go dormant as soon as possible, which is why fall-planted varieties of edelweiss go dormant as soon as they enter the summer.

2, soil and fertilizer

edelweiss is not demanding on the soil, as long as it is well-drained, not sticky soil can be planted. Flower friends often use the soil is mostly peat + drainage substrate (such as perlite, terracotta, pumice, granular soil, fairy soil, etc.), the specific proportion of flower friends have their own formulas, but the overall principle of good ventilation and drainage. The depth of planting should not be too deep, generally control the root diameter of the ball double to double can, if you do not want the edelweiss grow too high, you can use with the edelweiss growth slowly add soil way to control its height.

The edelweiss is not very strict on the requirements of fertilizer, generally speaking, in the potting soil put some base fertilizer, such as soybean cake, bone meal or inorganic slow-release fertilizer on the line. In the edelweiss rapid growth period is best every 10 days can be fertilized once, according to the bulbous plants in accordance with the prevailing fertilizer method, increase the proportion of phosphorus and potassium fertilizer, in the edelweiss flowering, nitrogen fertilizer once, can help the underground bulb enlargement. The principle of fertilizer is thin fertilizer applied diligently. It is important to note that organic fertilizer must be fully rotted to use, to prevent the burning of roots and insects, which is particularly important for some of the easy to rot edelweiss.

3. Dormancy and Harvest

Most edelweiss goes dormant in early summer. The signs of dormancy are that the plant stops growing, no longer flowers, and the leaves gradually die off. This process takes about a couple of weeks, and when you see signs of dormancy, you should gradually reduce watering and fertilization to the point where you eventually stop. The reason is that the dormant edelweiss stops growing, the metabolism slows down, and if you don't pay attention to control, too much water and nutrients will make the ball in the soil moldy and rot.

When the leaves of the edelweiss completely withered, you can let them stay in the soil for another 1-2 weeks, because the water has been cut off before, so the soil will be very dry, so do not have to worry about the ball will rot. The reason why you don't rush to dig the balls out is because after the balls go through the drier soil storage, they will form a layer of brownish epidermis, which prevents the balls from volatilizing water and helps the bulbous roots to pass through the whole dormant period smoothly. 1 or 2 weeks later, you can dig the bulbous roots out of the soil, label them according to the type, classify them and collect them in a dry and ventilated environment, and then plant them again when they wake up from their sleep. For bulbous root varieties, dormant recommended not to take off the soil storage, otherwise it is easy to dry up, directly placed in the soil, keep the soil moist, and when the environment is suitable it will germinate on its own~

4, reproduction and replanting

The reproduction of edelweiss generally rely on the way of the ball, there are a few varieties can be sown (such as Oxalis acetosella Linn, Oxalisnidulans) or cuttings (e.g. Oxalishirta). Splitting is the main method of propagation, sowing is mainly used for new hybrid varieties, and cuttings are mainly used for some varieties that do not easily set seedpods. For sowing and taking cuttings, it is still difficult to come up with a reliable method due to lack of more experience. The following is mainly about the propagation method of dividing the balls.

There are several ways of dividing the bulbs, such as splitting the mother bulb into several bulbs, producing bulbs on stolons below the soil, or producing bulbs at the lower end of the plant above the soil. Overall, edelweiss is a relatively easy plant to divide, and it's not surprising to find 10 times as many clusters as you planted when digging up the clusters. This is a surprise that newbies can discover on their own.

When edelweiss goes into a heavy dormant state, the balls look as if they are lifeless, and don't change for months. Beginner friends may have questions: "How do I know when it sleeps and wakes up, when it's time to plant?" Actually, the answer to this question is very simple, when the edelweiss wakes up from its sleep, the bulb will grow tiny buds, and this is the time to plant. Of course, if the time projection has passed the dormant period, and the ball still has not germinated, it is also possible to plant directly.

It is virtually certain that for fall-planted varieties, low temperatures are a factor that promotes the breaking of dormancy. This is evidenced by the fact that bulbs placed in air-conditioned rooms germinate in the summer.